Look Both Ways

Linda Criddle was the guest on the WOW chat tonight.  She has written a book called Look Both Ways: Get Smart About Internet Safefy.  Her philosophy is not to scare kids into being safe on-line.  Instead, they need to LEARN safe on-line practices.  The WOW chat was lively and thought-provoking.  Linda's book is available for purchase from any book store (2 chapters are available on the web site provided above).

Dr. Hamilton Presenting at Laptop Institute Conference

Dr. Hamilton, Superintendent for Walled Lake Schools in Michigan (the district I work for), is presenting at the Laptop Institute Conference in Memphis.  Wish I could be there!  He will talk about 1:1 research, and its implications for modeling a collaboratiave, process-oriented, student-centered learning environment.  Dr. Hamilton understands the importance of administrative leadership, teacher leadership, technology support, and instructional support for 1:1 initiatives.  Walled Lake has had a 1:1 laptop program since 1999.

A Week Without Internet

 

I didn't think there were such places in the USA... NO INTERNET!  I traveled with my family to Fairfield Bay, Arkansas.  It was a relaxing and fun vacation.  This photo was taken from the balcony of our condo.  We golfed almost every day, toured a awesome cave in Blanchard Springs, and visited the Clinton Presidential Library/Museum.  I've been back home (in Michigan) for two days and finally have read all the e-mails and am almost caught up on reading my favorite blogs!  Next on the agenda is listening to NECC podcasts and browsing the on-line handouts...and maybe some shopping.

Post-NECC

WOW!  The Conference was awesome.  The best part was meeting/connecting with with others I have only known on-line.  The climate of sharing and helping each other to try to change the way we do business in schools was evident everywhere.

Many people took notes at sessions and posted them immediately to their blogs to share with those who could not make it to Atlanta.  My laptop is just too heavy to lug around all day, so my goal for next time is to have a lightweight tablet PC with me so that I can do the same!

The Discovery Educator Network(DEN)  hosted a dinner and showed some videos that teachers made at a pre-conference event.  They were given a digital videocam and used Adobe Premier's green screen feature to place themselves in the videos.  The videos came out very cute... teachers kissing gorillas, running with lions, etc.  I HAVE to learn how to do this! 

After attending the conference, I know that I need to intentionally focus on strategies to help teachers provide students opportunities to be CREATIVE....  using video, images, and sound to convey a message. 

Technorati Tags: necc2007 necc07

Did You Know

Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod just created another remix of the famous "Did You Know" video that has been circulating around the world. This version, about 8 minutes long, has more visuals. It also includes some important questions to ask ourselves, our school leaders, and our legislature. All of us need to do what we can do to change the way we do business in US schools to successfully prepare our students for the future. Karl and Scott have set up a collaborative workspace to share ideas.

First time to NECC!

 

I'm getting geeked about attending my first National Educational Computing Conference.  I leave Sunday morning for Atlanta.  I have sessions picked out and have been reading others' blogs about suggestions for making the most out of the conference for newbies like me.  For those who cannot make it to Atlanta, you can listen to podcasts and download presentation handouts from the Conference website.  Subscribe to NECC podcasts in i-Tunes, or get the raw feed here.  Session handouts will be posted from now until mid-July.  I cannot wait to meet some of the folks I've met over the past 6 months in the blogosphere!  Thanks, Langwitches, for reminding me to let others know about these podcasts.  Last year, I was not able to attend, but enjoyed many sessions from home!

High School Tech-Enhanced Lessons

The Michigan Dept of Education is sponsoring several technology lesson plan writing sessions across the state.  This year, the focus is high school, with an emphasis on UDL (Universal Design for Learning).  Lessons included strategies for addressing needs of all students.  The lessons will soon be posted at www.techplan.org/ci2007.