Ed Tech: The Blog

Reflections NECC 2008

NECC 2008 is winding down. The sessions were much more lightly attended as the final day went on.

On an interesting note, it appears some of the vendors on the floor are trying to answer the free Web 2.0 tools and Google services with their own products. At least one or two, primarily vendors aiming services at Information Technology folks, seemed to make a point of espousing getting away from Google services and using theirs. Seems to me they're taking on a pretty big gorilla. It also makes me think they are afraid. I guess they're afraid of losing sales. Free trumps pay services, everything else being equal.

I'm not seeing issues that IT folks should be concerned about, at least with Google anyway. But then again, I'm not qualified in that area.....

Now, let's see if I can keep the blog rolling again from here.

See you in Washington!

New Literacies for Early Elementary: Web 2.0 Tools to Support Literacy

They're using a wiki to guide students in research. The students are to complete a worksheet with info the wiki guides them into.

Here's a link to their materials:
http://www.greenlocalschools.org/15672036193255720/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=56337

Too long! Here's a tinyurl: http://tinyurl.com/3l7ats

Same link, just a shorter way to get there!

They had a great teachable moment. Someone accidentally edited the wiki page and they had to roll back in the history of the wiki! No big deal!

This looks to be a great model lesson on he Presidents for 2nd graders.

Audio is Great! Video is Cool! iPods Can Do More!

Make flash cards in PPT & save as images for photo sync. Use areas of the screen for student to keep thumb over to hide answers on multiplication questions.

Here's a useful link: http://learninginhand.com/ipod/

For putting quizzes on iPods:
http://learninginhand.com/ipod/quizzes.html
BrainQuest- content for iPod- $20

Using the iPod in disk mode opens up the possibility of running apps from it. Here's a wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_portable_software

Another tool for using notes:
http://www.ipod-notes.com/

Preformatted Notes for your iPod
http://www.ipreppress.com/
http://manybooks.net/

Interactive: iWriter: http://www.talkingpanda.com/iwriter/

RSS feeds can go into you iPod: iFeedPod for Mac
iPodSync for Windows.

iQuiz software comes built in. It's a game. His podcast has info on it, episode #7.

Del.icio.us Research: Redesign Assignments with Social Bookmarking

http://lucie.typepad.com/

A review- bookmarks got a start, then one to many (Backflip, PortaPortal)
http://learningwithlucie.pbwiki.com/NECC2008
Now, one to many: del.icio.us, furl, stumbleupon.com, google toolbar, diigo.com

diigi,com may be the next step- It's del.icio.us on steroids.

One use is a class account, where they can all tag as they do research. When a Flickr picture is tagged, it shows that picture.

There are some nice tutorials noted on her wiki.

Luci is showing some great ways to network professionally and see what others are looking at. Specifically, adding people to my network.

On to tagging; she's logged everyone into a common account and had us add a bookmark from a page that represents us. She is tagging it with intro and other tags that have to do with our role.

Feed, Tag, Research: Remixing for School Library 2.5

www.futura.edublogs.org

tinyurl.com/38srmj

wiki: necclibrarians08.wikispaces.com

The Media Center, or Library, is a bit different today. We loan cameras and jump drives, etc. One issue is the vendor databases. Kids don't know what EBSCO or Facts or File or any of those other databases. The vendors need to provide the info via a gadget or widget- an RSS feed.

Why shouldn't what this years project from a class not be there for next years class to add to or improve?

Aren't there other ways to give students the same services, regardless of what tools they have at home? Are there open source of free solutions that can serve the same function? We certainly need to be aware of copyleft and how to share our own content.

It's important for us to embrace the tools and use them ourselves. http://technotuesday.edublogs.org

The key for the Media Specialist is advocating for the students first. What is it that the library needs to provide for the students? To advocate with the principal, learn how they learn & share with them in this way. Make the Media Center not just information central but innovation central.

Librarians should be functioning as a co-learner. She suggests using terms that learners are already familiar with. A blog is an online journal. Make the journey with them.

Librarians sometimes get caught up teaching info literacy and forget to promote reading. On a personal note, I have typically seen it the other way around.

Neat idea- add a note to the back of the book with a list of links to more info on the book, author, or characters. She has extended the book and made it simple for students to find more info, as well as lead them into other books.

del.icio.us is also shown as a way to share more info on books. Interesting wiki shared: http://readingtech.wikispaces.com/

Suggested that our students are not digital natives, but are simply digital. http://heyjude.wordpress.com/

If anyone has any doubt that the world is talking launch twittervision. A quote from Newsweek; cyberspace is a place we go. The web is where we live. Computers and the internet are more than just tools. Information Literacy Meets Web 2.0 from Facet publications was suggested as a book. flickrcc is way search images with Creative Commons licenses.

Whole presentation is up on the wiki, noted above.

From iPods to MIDI: Transform Learning through Music Technology

They're from a magnet school. She shared the classroom and it's very cool! Macs, keyboards, external drives. Our music teachers would be jealous.

Let's begin with 21st Century learniing- students working creatively, self directed, adaptable and accountable. This is true in the music classroom. What's different about these students?

Music and technology are a perfect marriage! Therese is suggesting http://ti-me.org/- the The Technology Institute for Music Educators.

They have some great resources.

There are 7 areas that Therese feels important:
electronic musical instrument
midi sequencing
music notation software
computer assisted instruction
multimedia & digitized media
internet & telecommunications
information processing, computer systems, & lab management

Notation: Finale or Sibelius, either one.

GarageBand- whether beginner or pro, they can go! Take a loop and add his own instrument. Podcasting. Look up Boys Night Out on their podcast.

Here's a link to their podcast: http://web.mac.com/omahanorth/Omaha_North/Podcast/Podcast.html

She shared with us something called the Earth Harp: http://www.tribtowns.com/multimedia/2008/062608%20Earth%20Harp/index.html

School 2.0: Combining Progressive Pedagogy and 21st-Century Tools

We work best & learn best when it matters to us.
We teach kids, not subjects. We must be student centered. It's not about the teachers. We're there for the kids and the work the kids do. What it is we're doing has to matter to the kids. The kids have to think about thinking. Technology infused, understanding driven and project based. Projects demonstrate understanding.

The tool that is the best is the tool that we use. The tool(s) must allow us to: research, collaborate, create, present, network

They change the way we teach. The question is what do you want to do, not what tool do you want to use.

Chris did a great review of Understanding by Design. It's on the wiki: ubd21c.wikispaces.com

A great point- authentic assessment may not end with the test. On the wiki above, he has a showcase of units.

His school will be up on iTunes U- SLA.

Chris modeled a lesson, and I had no hope of keeping up with him, contributing to the chat associated with it and blogging at the same time. His presentation will be up on Wes Fryer's ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/moving-at-the-speed-of-creativity-live

That's the live link, but it will be archived, so I expect you can find it from his link. He is also putting the lesson up on the wiki.

You may find it here: http://ustream.tv/wfryer

Marzano & Web 2.0

Adopted Classroom Instruction That Works, Marzano
Notes web2thatworks.com a Wiki, go to search, type necc & hit enter
There's also a discussion forum in the NECC ning

Important to speak the language of effective instruction. She used jumla (sp) rather than a wiki, installed MediaWiki on her server. Stephanie asked that we contribute during the session and later on the wiki.

She believes we need to start with the pedagogy. PowerPoint is an expensive overhead transparency. Interactive White Boards are expensive chalk boards. Bet she didn't get a shirt from Promethean or SMART ; )

What do we hear from teachers when we try to go forward? Blocked sites, not enough rights on hardware, time, student time, not enough time in curriculum, not enough equipment, training not differentiated- meet their needs, and this too will pass!

We have to model use of the tool, speak the teacher's language, make it fill their needs. Provide ongoing, embedded, and one on one support. Give it to them in bite sized bytes.

Keychain- title of tool, url on the back, with the name of one person on campus who could help them with it.

The wiki has web 2.0 and non web 2.0 tools. You must sign in to use it.

The wiki can be used for personal learning, professional development sessions, & faculty engagement.

Examples:
wiki for collecting & organizing research notes
wiki for a hall of fame
flickr to display student artwork
google docs for collaborative research papers
google spreadsheets, (forms) for surveys, exit tickets, quick assessment for learning

Google Hack add a plus to your gmail account and some other text to allow kids to use blogs, etc ex: macedtech+mattie@gmail.com

Anywhere you need an email account.

Connectivity, Connectivity....

The Hotel Mimosa network is still flakey. I was not able to blog this morning, because of network flakiness here at the convention center. Let's hope it gets better.

Tuesday Keynote

The Keynote today was inspiring! The stories of the folks that won awards were amazing! As I heard them, I couldn't help but think about all the great things going on in our district and how much they sounded like the stories of these folks. Before I walked in, I spoke with a gentleman who teaches at Nebo ES in neighboring Paulding County and how he should be nominated. I hope somone will do that for him, because his work certainly seems deserving.

The story of Jim Carleton and Mali Bickley was just as amazing. The way they and their students reached out around the world was incredible. When they ran into a problem, they just kept asking for help until they got what they needed. At one point, they needed to get a package Fed Ex to the other side of the world and just told their admins to do it, that the cost didn't matter. Sometimes you just have to say it and it happens!