MACUL Conference Photo Contest

Are you going to the MACUL Conference this year?  If so, be sure to enter the 2013 MACUL Conference Photo Contest!  

Enter at http://tinyurl.com/maculphoto13. Submit up to five photos: some type of creative expression related to the MACUL Conference.

The contest is hosted on Photoscramble this year. For the first time ever, conference attendees will vote to determine the ten winning photos!   See details on the MACUL Photo Contest Photoscramble site. You must register for an account to enter the contest and to vote. Registration is free.

Grand prize is a FREE 2014 MACUL Conference registration. The next nine vote-getters will receive a MACUL T-shirt and a MACUL USB drive. Prizes will be given and photos shown at the Grand Prize Giveaway on Friday afternoon.

Submission and Voting Deadline: 10am on Friday, Mar 22.

 

Nominate Your Favorite Tech Leader for a MACUL Award!

Each year, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) recognizes exemplary leadership in classroom teaching with technology and building and district technology leadership.

Three categories are awarded:

• The Outstanding Technology-Using Educator


• The Outstanding Technology-Using Pre-K-12 Classroom Teacher


• The Outstanding Technology Coordinator

Do you have a colleague or staff member who stands out and should be considered for these awards?
The MACUL Outstanding Leader Program is a perfect opportunity to recognize great work and contributions to your school and district.

All winners will receive fabulous prizes.

Information and applications can be found at: http://www.macul.org/grantsawards/201213maculawardsinformation/

 Deadline for the 2013 awards is Monday, January 14, 2013.

Using Twitter to Create a PLN

The MACUL Journal is published quarterly and mailed to MACUL members, who attended the most recent MACUL Annual Conference, MACUL Friends, MACUL sponsors, ISD/RESA/REMC organizations, and every school district Superintendent throughout Michigan.

The Winter 2013 Journal was just distributed and articles relate to social networking in learning.  One of the articles, "Let's Travel with Twitter," by Tammy Maginity, is the first enhanced article.  the article is available on the MI Learning Channel on iTunesU and has video tutorials associated with it. Videos include how to create a Twitter account, and how to follow others.  Check it out!

View the entire MACUL Journal here.

 

ISTE 2012

I had the pleasure of attending the ISTE Conference in San Diego. WOW!   It's been a few weeks now, but today is the first day I've been home and able to do some reflection.  I stayed for a few extra days to enjoy the lovely sunny 70 degree  weather - I visited the San Diego Zoo and the US Midway Museum (time well spent).  The day after I got home, I left again to spend time in beautiful northern Michigan - golfing, boating, and visiting with family.

I learned just a few weeks before the conference that I could attend, thanks to the MACUL organization.  I am humbled to be elected as their President Elect, so I'm looking forward to my year in training from this year's President, Steve Schiller.

There will be several blog entries coming in the next several days about what I learned at the conference.

I most enjoyed attending the ISTE Affiliate meeting.  The day before the main conference began, a full-day meeting was held and attended by all of ISTE Affiliate group (MACUL-like groups from all over the USA and a few other countries) leaders. We discussed ideas and strategies to make our respective organizations stronger.  I appreciated all of the networking opportunities and feel proud to be a part of MACUL, one of the largest and most vibrant affiliate groups.  Our Executive Director, Ric Wiltse, is on the ISTE Board and had a role in planning and facilitating the meeting - I also learned that he was elected to be ISTE's new treasurer!

I attended the conference through a "MACUL lens" - looking for ideas to tweak or replicate, hunting for presenters that we might want to invite to our conference, and networking with ed tech leaders from other states. Overall, I left the ISTE Conference with a strong feeling that MACUL serves and leads its members in innovative ways that make a difference at the classroom level.

 

Apply to Participate in the 2012 AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase

On behalf of AT&T and MACUL, we would like to invite you to participate in the Lansing Student Technology Showcase scheduled for November 28, 2012. We are looking forward to having you and your students join us. The Showcase has always been an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their projects to their state representatives and senators.

Registration is now open and you can register online at: http://classroomhelp.com/showcase/ and then follow the registration link. Please use care when filling out the registration since the text will be used in the showcase booklet. You will have the opportunity to edit/change your project description.

This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to show their legislators (at the MI Capitol Building) how technology positively impacts learning.  It's a great advocacy experience for kids!

Apply for a MACUL Grant

Do you have an idea for a project that involves effective instructional uses of the computer or related-equipment?  Apply for a MACUL grant!  Projects should focus on an instructional use of the computer or related equipment, which has the potential of being replicated in other educational settings.

Grant limit: $1500

Deadline:  noon, June 15, 2012

See the requirements and grant writing tips on the MACUL website.

Teaching & Learning in the Cloud Conference, October 14, 2011

The 2011 Teaching and Learning in the Cloud Conference brings together
some of Michigan's leading educators to discuss how "Cloud-based
tools" and Web 2.0 resources can change your classroom and improve
student learning and motivation.  On October 14 in Holland, the
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) is
following up last year's excellent inaugural "cloud" conference with a
new conference that promises to offer great insights, resources, and
strategies for you to take advantage of these online tools in ways
that can transform your classroom.

This year's conference features a keynote presentation from Steve
Dembo, a leader in online learning tools, and one of the favorites at
the MACUL annual conference.  Steve will look at cutting edge tools
that students are already using, and show how these tools can be used
to reinvigorate and enhance learning.  Then, dozens of presentations
and hands-on workshops from technology leaders across the state will
show you how to use individual tools for your classroom.  The conference organizers have hand-picked some of the most respected presenters from recent conferences to address the latest online tools for learning.  Jennifer Bond from Walled Lake will be facilitating a session on Edmodo. 

And, if you are looking for more, there will be a number of half-day
workshops the day before (Octover 13) for educators who want to get in-depth support for how to bring these tools, including Moodle, Google Docs, iPads and iPods, and several others, into your classrooms and schools to transform teaching and learning.  These sessions will allow you to get hands-
on support with these tools and leave with strategies and plans you
can use immediately in your schools.

Best of all, registration for the conference is only $80 for MACUL
members, and includes lunch along with this great program.  Pre-
conference workshops are $40 each.

For more information and registration, see a full list of sessions,
presenters, and details about this conference at:
http://techtools4teaching.org

Technology Grant Opportunity for Michigan Educators

Each year, MACUL supports Michigan educators by funding grants of up to $1500 to support effective use of technology in the classroom.  Apply any time between now and June 8, 2011. 

Applications should include the outline of a project that focuses on an instructional use of a computer or related equipment which has the potential of being replicated in other settings.

To qualify, you must be a MACUL member.

Detailed information about the requirements is available on the MACUL website.  http://www.macul.org.  Go to the “Grants and Awards” page and click on “2011-12 MACUL Grant Information.”  Be sure to see the grant writing tips.  There are links to the application, rubric, and timeline.

Applying What Was Learned at the MACUL Conference

I received an email from an elementary teacher who attended a session about wikis while at the MACUL Conference last week. 

"Okay, so I've taken a huge jump.  Not only am I jumping in with both feet first, I'm doing it with my kids!   

I've created a wiki for my kids to do some writing.  I figured that if 2nd graders could do this (like I saw at MACUL), I could do this with 4th graders.  So, I wanted to share our class wiki with you. =)

I'm going to add in some pictures they've drawn to go with their myths, and then they'll add those to their myth page as well.  I'll be adding those as soon as they're done with the writing.  One thing at a time... besides, their before and after pictures are on the back of their Story Maps.

There might be something to this!  As a side note, I was able to give ALL of the kids detailed and personal feedback on their myths in about 75 minutes."

Check out the class wiki at http://mrsharmsworth.wikispaces.com/.  It's an excellent example of how technology can “rev up” student writing.  The wiki has individual student pages, a page for parents, a how-to page, and more will be coming soon.

MACUL Conference Model Classroom

Are you attending the MACUL Conference in Michigan? March 11 & 12, 2010. This year's MACUL Model Classroom will showcase what is happening with technology in K-12 classroms. Sessions are geared towards teaching the Michigan Educational Technology Standards (METS) and assessment. You'll find it in the vendor hall, so plan to stop by. I'll highlight some of the sessions in future blog posts. See flyer here.

Short presentations by educators and vendors will be given on the hour with time for hands-on exploration. Check out the equipment and the furniture.

There will be a showcase sale offered by Spectrum Furniture; so if you are in need of computer desks, chairs, laptop storage carts, or media managers, come take a look at what is offered. The furniture used in the Model Classroom will be sold at greatly reduced prices. First come, first served! See flyer here. 

This is a cross-post from the MACUL Conference Blog.

MACUL Grant Opportunity

Michigan educators:  Do you have a  great idea for a cool project involving technology in your classroom? Apply for a 2009-2010 MACUL Grant!  Grants are awarded for up to $1500 towards a project that will help benefit the students in your classroom/school.  The deadline is June 27th, 2009, so do it NOW!

All of the details are on this page of the MACUL website.  Links to the scoring rubric, the official time line, and the application form can be found there. You must be a MACUL member in order to apply for this opportunity; thankfully, you can renew your membership, or join for the first time right here!

MACUL Multi-Media Contest

Have your students created some outstanding technology integrated projects you want to share with others?  If so…

The Multimedia Special Interest Group (SIGMM) of MACUL is hosting its 2009 Multimedia Contest for Michigan students during the month of January & February.

Entries will be accepted in each of 3 categories:

1. Digital Storytelling (Grades K-4), 


2. Multimedia (Grades 5-8), 


3. Enhanced Podcasting (Grades 9-12). 

Contest applications from sponsoring teachers are due between Jan. 5 and midnight Feb. 9, 2009; teachers may sponsor up to 3 entries.  Top 3 entries in each category will receive cash & professional book prizes.  For more information, go to: http://userve.unioncityschools.org/~mwaffle/mmcontest.

Sponsored by MACUL SIG-MM and Linworth books

Back from MACUL... Now what?

 
The MACUL Conference was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan last week.  The conversations, networking, and social events helped me connect with others, and spending time with others who "get me" for three days was pretty cool.

The pre-conference session with Jason Ohler on digital storytelling was a highlight, for sure.  Jason was masterful at helping everyone see that digital stories have everything to do about the story, and little to do with the technology.  By the end of the day, EVERYONE had written and produced a short digital video using either iMovie or MovieMaker, then we shared our creations with the group.  The stories were fabulous! 

I attended a wide variety of sessions, and picked up at least one thing from each of them.  I was on the MACUL blogging team, so I wrote about many of the sessions on the Conference blog.

So, now it's time to set goals to figure out new ways of bringing the joy and effectiveness of technology into the arms of the students and teachers in the classrooms.   After much thought, I think that one of the things that needs to be done is to find ways to reach the school principals... the instructional leaders at the building level.    One principal from my district attended this year, and he has already made plans to add on-line collaborative experiences for the students at his school.  What could happen if all the principals were to attend MACUL next year in Detroit? 

So far I haven't found a way to systemically communicate the need for keeping abreast of newer technologies that were not available even a few years ago to the building principals.  I've been asked to train them on using Word, PowerPoint, Excel, email, etc.  I'm  happy to do that, and learning to use these programs help them with their administrative tasks, but somehow there hasn't been time for more meaningful types of staff development.   When I do have the opportunity to speak with the group, I have a short amount of time in their packed agenda. 

I plan to work closely with the principal who attended MACUL, and I'm banking on him having clout with his peers to ensure that we find time for doing what we need to do to prepare our students for the world they now live in.  We cannot do it without technology.

MoodleMeet Ning

Ning - Create your own Social Networks! via kwout

I learned about a Ning dedicated to Moodlers from Gates' Computer Tips blog.  If you have never heard of Ning, it is a social networking site that can be used for educational purposes.  I am a member of several Nings:  MACUL, Classroom 2.0, School 2.0, VidSnacks, OpenEducation, and the One-to-One Institute.  Nings can be public and private.  Of the ones I am subscribed to, all but one are public, as they are designed to share and collaborate with others from around the world.  The private Ning is used to work and create professional development materials for a large project that will be marketed around the world.  A private Ning could be created by any teacher to allow students the opportunity to use social networking as part of thelearning process in a safe way.