KSU ETTC NECC Blog

>маси и столовеmach-zehnderмебелиie Dodge (The Web Quest Guru) presented a session posing the question “Can Technology Make Us Wise?” He focused on the fact that the world today is filled with engaging things like YouTube, games, Second Life, Google, and other technologies. These technologies do not make us wise, though, but instead divert us from the things that may do so. I found the data that he shared regarding the ability to track wisdom and its growth. A person reaches their ultimate level of wisdom in their twenties. When people hit thier mid-twenties, the increase in wisdom flattens. This makes it even more important in the middle and high school years for educators to provide students in these years as many chances as possible to develop wisdom.

How does one go about helping students develip wisdom? Present them with different case studies/desisions that were considered wise.

The NECC Conference was very exciting.  I had the opportunity to be at the “Ask Me” station and answer various questions.  This helped me because, I was able to interact/network with different people from systems all around.  

1. Taking Booktalks to the Next Level: Creating Video Booktalks:  This session was very interesting.  The presenter used MS Photostory, MS Movie Maker or iMovie to create booktalks.  This software will allow me and my coworkers to engage our students in writing and reading.

2. PowerPoint Magic:  This session describes the use of MS PowerPoint in the classroom to enhance student learnging.

3. The MSCE Morning Show Magic:  This table was awesome!  The teachers demonstrated how they allowed students to host their own morngin show.  They showed us how the students plan for the show and actually apply for the jobs. 

4.  Ever Picture Tells a Story: Using Digital Photographs as Tools:  During this session, the presenter explained how to first teach students how to use digital cameras (the correct way) and then allow them to take pictures.  The pictures can be used to tell stories, incorporate them into writing or help with geometry lessons.

5.  Using Technology to Support Learning for All Children: During this session, the presenters demonostrated how to use Kidspiration to create graphic tools/organizers and also how to use another program I was unfamiliar мебеликомпютриrent a car bulgaria with, 2Connect.

6. I Didn’t Know You Could Do That With and iPod:  I really didn’t know an iPod could be used to enhance learning the way that it can.  Now, I have so many ideas of how we can incorporate the use of iPods to enhance the learning of students who are not on grade level and ESOL.

Exibit Hall:  The exibit hall enabled me to network with people from various locations on what types of programs they are implementing in their schools and if the programs are/are not working.

I really enoyed the exhibit hall there were a lot of companies represented at this conference. They provided valuable information, and  goodies.  There were so many vendors there that I didn’t know where to go first.

Wow! I have to say that I’ve never been to a conference like this before and am thrilled by the many resources and information that I walked away with.

On Monday, after my first experience with MARTA , I attended Using Technology to Differentiate by Interest in the Upper Elementary Classroom. The overall presentation was wonderful and I learned about 4 inquiry based strategies that I will be able to take back and share with my team at school.

Then it was on to another session, Reinventing Project-based Learning: Your field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age which was described in the program that we would “learn about new approaches to project based learning” and “preview a new resource”. Well, there was more sharing of their upcoming book than sharing anything about how to use project based learning in the classroom. I was disappointed as were others, almost half of the room walked out once we realized they were walking through the book chapter by chapter. An audience member was also told to buy the book when asking a question, it was a joke that I didn’t find funny.

My friends and I then had a chance to go check out the Exhibit Hallwhich was a unique experience. There were people everywhere and everyone wanted free stuff. I was overwhelmed by the crowds of people on that first day that we decided to come back later when it calmed down.

To finish off the first day I attended Applets to Zeta: Making Math More than Fun. I loved it! There were so many math resources given to us literally A-Z that I’m going to be able to take and use with my students. What I loved the most is that many of the activities I’ve seen and heard of before, but now can connect them to technology!

Tuesday brought a new day as well as a new plan. My day started off by attending the Keynote Panel. When reading the description in the program, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I thought that bringing in a panel of people each with a unique variety of experiences allowed for an entertaining morning. Creativity and Imaginative freedom I think was an overall theme, but I wasn’t sure how throwing yourself up against a glass wall was related to education…….

I then decided to walk around a check things out both on the Exhibit Floor as well as with the Poster Sessions. Because there were limited sessions that morning, the posters were packed and I only had a chance to walk around and observe as well as get information to take back with me. I wanted to get a chance to see everything so I either grabbed handouts or wrote down website information so that I could go back to it later. It was nice to be able to browse what was there and pick and choose what to listen to. That afternoon I was able to volunteer in the Poster Sessions where I again was able to observe more closely the available resources and exhibitors. I made sure that everyone found their tables, had what they needed to decorate their boards as well as meet their technology needs. Can you believe that at a technology conference I had some people who couldn’t connect their laptops to a monitor! Being there early to assist with the set up allowed me to get an up-close opportunity to see what the exhibitors were presenting before the crowd came in. Although I walked away with swollen feet, I had a blast – and a glow in the dark T-shirt!

On Wednesday morning I attended Way Beyond WebQuests with Gary Stager. He was hilarious and showed us how to use the web in a way that will definitely get my students curiosities flowing!

This time we went back to the Exhibit Hall and were on a mission! Of course some of us had a particular shirt in mind, but we knew exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. The crowds were not nearly as large and we were able to participate in many presentations and hear about the products that were out there. I wish that I had tons of money and could buy it all, it was like being a kid in the toy store!

Now that I had seen all of the cool gadgets and upgraded “toys” that I know would be a wonderful addition to my classroom, I attended Write a Winning Grant Proposal: The Eight Step Grant Proposal Model. I have been interested in possibly writing a grant, but it is a bit intimidating. After hearing about the 8 steps, I feel a more comfortable and will look more into the process.

It was time for NECC to end and although I had heard Dr. Tyson speak before, I wanted to hear what he had to say at the Closing Keynote. Words cannot describe what he has done with integrating technology into education and his presentation was wonderful. It is proof that technology used in the educational setting has a huge (positive) impact on students and those who have watched their work.

This week has been a great experience and guess who will most benefit from my attending – my 3rd graders!

As I spoke with the presenter of this session, she was very helpful with explaining ways to use MS Photostory, MS Movie Maker or iMovie to create booktalks. She explained that this really encouraged her students to read and become more involved in class and language arts assigments.

Jennifer Lott

HIGH TECH KIDS

This session enable educators to image themselves as students.  We were able to understand how to integrate technology within a classroom for the future as well as now.

THE ART OF MATH

This was a fabulous display of artwork that can reinforce math concepts.  Such methods included videoconferencing tessellation exploration and other ways to access teacher resources.

PODCASTING

This session targeted the middle school learner, but I could see it use being for elementary students as well.  Finally, I was able to experience how it can be used as a classroom aid to share ideas.  Also, students can learn to develop ideas to share.

FREE IS GOOD

All teachers love free stuff!  This session help find shortcuts and reviews to software.  It enable teacher to have more helpful resources on the Internet through productive websites of resources.

USE YOUR NOODLE

I had heard about the learning management system, however my school did not have it available.  The exhibitor displayed creative ways that Moodle can be used for the students as well as the community.

READ AROUND THE PLANET & MYSTERY QUEST

This was a combined session that displayed some popular projects that included videoconferencing.  As a social studies and science teacher, I found that it was interactive and a good way to infuse specialized curriculum standards.

PROMETHEAN

How amazing to see an interactive world inside a classroom.  This is the next wave of technology integration in our classrooms.  After the experience I pondered how my district can afford such technology and the training for teacher usage.

The conference was unlike any other confererence I have attended as a teacher.  It provide useful and current strategies to incorporate technology for all learners.  Great time as a participant and volunteer!

I really didn’t know that you could do all of that with iPods. Tony Vincent talked about using iPods as a motivating learning tool in the classroom. A lot of students and teachers have iPods but are only using them to listen to music or look at videos. iPods can be used for RSS feed, address book, dictonary, quizzes and much more.  He stated that schools are spending money on this piece of technology and is not using it to its fullest potential. 

My adventure began on Friday stuffing the green bags that thousands of people carried with them for four days. It was also an opportunity to view the blinding ‘volunteer’ t-shirts!

Volunteering on Friday gave me another opportunity to meet new people, see familiar faces, and get a sneak preview of the upcoming week.

Sunday, I managed to get into the Georgia Aquarium, a feat that seemed impossible when I first arrived. Although the Aquarium was packed, I still managed to see people I met on Friday, co-workers, and mentors from KSU.

Monday, I attended ‘Using Technology to Differentiate by Interest in Upper Elementary Classrooms‘ and liked the quote that ‘humans learn best with moderate challenge’. Presentation/document files are available at: www.everythingDI.net

I also attended ‘Fictional Blogs of Historical Figures‘–this was a bit disappointing as it was basically a TypePad demonstration. The presenters did good job, but it wasn’t what I was expecting according to the description in the program.

My last session on Monday was ‘Math A-Z‘–this presenter was passionate about math! One idea that I will use in my classroom or staff development was her ABC grid on the back of her resource page. It was a great graphic organizer. This presentation can be accessed at: http://core.gilbert.k12.az.us/testmoodle/ I won a binder of Power Point game/review templates.

I spent a little time in the Exhibition Hall on Monday—WOW!!!! Sensory overload and crowd overload!!! Decided to return another day…

Tuesday–attended the Keynote Presentation. I was a bit confused by Ms. Strub’s connection to NECC and education, I enjoyed her unique approach to life. The other participants were inspiring because they believe in what they are achieving.

I volunteered for three hours at the POSTER sessions. Initially, I attended to presenters needs, then assisted attendees with questions and often answers. I was surprised that three presenters did not show and did not call. The global participation was impressive and I especially loved the student involvement. It was obvious that they were proud of themselves. Volunteering also afforded me the opportunity to ‘look official’ with my volunteer t-shirt while gleaning wonderful information from my peers at the same time.

Tuesday afternoon, I attended ‘Supporting Non-Fiction Vocabulary and Comprehension using Visual Learning and Inspiration‘. A great sense of humor goes a long way in a crowded room and Mr. LeMoine used his to the fullest. He provided great resources and examples of using Inspiration. He also gave attendees a copy of his Inspiration template CD, which is a time saver and idea generator.

Wednesday– I attended ‘Making the Most of Online Math Explorations‘. Her presentation had many resources that I have not utilized but am anxious to try. Visit her site: math.com/mathexplorations Ms. Petti is very open to suggestions and new links/sites to include on her site.

Back to the Exhibition Hall and this time it was a lot less crowded. I sat in on a few demonstrations, but by far, the most entertaining was Quizdom. I would love to attend NECC with the ability to purchase whatever is needed for district. It would be wonderful to actually have a say in the software or Student Information System before they are implemented. I must admit that I did sneak out of a grant writing session to attend a drawing for $2,500! Although I didn’t win, a co-worker did….right before my eyes!!!!

As previously mentioned, I did attend (except for the drawing part) a ‘Grant Proposal: The Eight-Step Grant Proposal Model‘. The presenter stressed that the most important aspect is to write EVERY goal around student outcomes. He also said to involve all stake holders in the learning community. More information is available at:

www.rapides.k12.la.us/necc2007

Finally, I attended the closing Keynote speaker, Dr. Tim Tyson. If he and his students do not inspire us, nothing will. If we don’t take risks we only exist, and he is living!! He was a guest speaker for my KSU co-hort and he was just as inspirational then. His contributions and encouragement were the perfect way to end the conference.

KSU…thank you for providing the opportunity for me to attend NECC. I’ll go with you next year to San Antonio if you pay my way. I’ll even volunteer EVERY day and will wear whatever color t-shirt is provided!

The Exhibit Hall can be categorized in two words, sensory overload.  It was very difficult to navigate the hall with the size of the crowds and to locate some of the vendors.  It would have taken me almost a full day to visit most of the vendors and get information from them.   I did manage to sit in on three presentations and to get print information about the Thinkfinity site, interactive white boards, and Elmos.   

     Wow, where do I begin?  I attended so many insightful sessions including, Cooking Bytes, Toys in Space, Engaging Professional Learning Using Whiteboards, The Longest Mile from Media Resources to Successful Learning Plans, Blogging for Understanding of Universal Design for Learning.  The list goes on and on.  I also had the privilege of attending and working Dr. Williamson’s, Dr. Hearrington’s & Dr. Redish’s presentation on Developing Principals’ Vision for Instructional Technology (think class last Saturday).  I found this to be the most interesting probably because I was involved with the discussion as a student helper at a table. Leaders from schools around the country were amazed by the Mabry Video of engaged learning. Insightful observations were made of what qualified as authentic learning.  Observers had many questions and were excited to discover Edutopia as a resource for project based learning.  Bravo Kennesaw staff on a great presentation!!    My two other favorites were the Cooking Bytes and Toys in Space Presentations because they were shown through video conferencing.  Very cool!!  Both connected to content areas in interesting ways but the power of the interactive presentation was very 21^st Century! The Toys in Space presentation can link students to real NASA scientists who work with them on a gravity project. I don’t how realistic this would be (expense) to use in everyday classrooms but it did make me wonder how students would react to such a presentation.  My school struggles with the idea of having guest (famous) author visits.  This could be a solution that would allow students to experience meeting a real children’s book author without the author actually being there in person.        I spent a great deal of time in the Exhibit Hall talking to the Scholastic representative about the software “BookFlex”.  As a primary teaching tool this software presentation impressed me as something students at my school could benefit from.  The unique teaching qualities of this software allows students to cross genres by reading a fiction book followed by a non-fiction book of the same topic with an overall concentration on vocabulary.  This falls right in line with primary reading standards. I was sold and plan on pitching this to the people in charge of purchasing at my school. Also in the Exhibit Hall I was thrilled to meet the creator of “The Flat Stanley Project” Dale Hubert.  This is the EL project I have chosen to do. He was wonderful and gave me insights into the project and how it is used through out the world.       I also was able to attend the Keynote Panel Presentation on “Creative Classrooms”.   Four movers and shakers from different aspects of society shared their insights on creativity and how teachers can harness this power to use in their classrooms.   Mary Cullinane’s presentation on thePhiladelphia
School of the Future Project.  Partners with Microsoft, this school was designed as a model of what learning will look like in the 21^st century.        Overall this was a very exciting and educational experience enhanced of course by the free stuff.   

Unlike most on this blog, I had an adverse reaction to the exhibition hall.  I felt so overwhelmed and did not enjoy the experience.  I couldn’t get into running around and getting the exhibitor card punched, like some NECC attendees.  I would also rather visit a classroom and speak with a teacher that uses a Promethean board rather than speak with someone, even if they are an ex-teacher, who works for the company about the product.  I am suspicious that I am not getting unbiased information.  Most of the vendors there could be contacted via the internet and I personally feel more comfortable researching them and contacting them away from the carnival atmosphere of the exhibition hall, even if it means I don’t get a stress ball or a free pen

Erica

I volunteered in the Playground-Music Area; the Groovy Programs are geared toward elementary school students. The program comes with 3 different components, Shapes, Jungle, and City. I am a high school careers and technology teacher and know absolutely nothing about music. Even though it is geared for elementary students, I found this to be very interesting, fun, and addictive, and I also learned a lot about music such as: (chords, baseline, melodies, tempo, and rhythm).

This was one of my favorites sessions. This was truly an awesome presentation. Shaun Owen talked about the next generation of teaching, 100% paperless classroom, everything is taught by using multimedia. She showed how to incorporate sounds, video clips, music, animation, etc. into your everyday PowerPoint presentation. Using the strategies that she uses, every teacher can implement this into their classrooms; all that’s needed is access to the internet, and LCD Projector and PowerPoint. I would definitely like to have her come to my school and present this to the entire faculty.

Scott Merrick is an educator for the Vanderbilt Outreach and University School of Nashville, TN. He was very informative. I enjoyed his style of presenting material for 21^st Century Teaching and Learning.

Even though you may not have Garageband, you can still create a podcast using Windows. He gave step-by-step instructions on how to set up a podcast using Windows. He also gave a lot of different websites that we could utilize and access. I will definitely start playing around with podcasting and once I’m comfortable with it, I will incorporate it into my classroom.

Even though I had to sit in the overflow section, I thoroughly enjoyed the opening session presented by Andrew Zolli. He kicked off the rest of the conference making you want to come back for more. He talked about the impact of education in technology, where education has been, where it is now, and the direction that is going.  He captured my attention by being hilarious, but he gave a lot of interesting and useful information.

Open Source Blogging Solutions for Publishing Student Writing by Chris CraftCraft presented a useful session on Blogging and different options for blogging depending on the needs of the classroom/assignment.He suggested that you first dig through the school’s Acceptable Use Policy to determine what is acceptable based on preset regulations. Then develop guidelines for your staff and students when using Blogs and posting. He pointed that it is virtually impossible to censor what students post on blogs, especially from home; hence the reason why setting guidelines are so important. He then shared with us 4 types of blogging sources:1.      WordPress (www.wordpress.org) which is designed for one blog, one installation, and one person. It is free and works well with Podpress. It is easy to install and administrate.

1. WordPress: Multi-User (http://mu.wordpress.org/) is very similar to WordPress but allows for more than one person to use and blog. It is free but a bit harder to install than WordPress. It also has more options to configure.
2. DrupalEd (http://drupaled.alphabetademo.org/) is more versatile. You can create formal class spaces; podcasting; wiki; personal and class blogs; create calendars; RSS feeds. The benefit as a teacher is that it filters blogs into one feed making it easier to read.
3. Moodle (www.moodle.org) great OpenSource lab. Various forums; allows for content managing; blogs can be privatized to class only; surveys; chats. Course creation can be complex and installation is more difficult (technical) than other forms discussed.

This was quite a bit of information shared in a short period of time. I wish he would have pulled up examples of each so I could visualize the difference in capabilities. Tech Savvy Superintendent of the Year Shares His Secrets to Success

This session was presented by Dr. Larry Buchanan, Grant Joint Union High School District Superintendent in
Sacramento, CA, along with Sarah DiRuscio, the Senior Ed. Tech. Coordinator. He began the session by stating what he envisions to be the purpose of education: To free people from their personal limitations. I thought that was interesting purpose. It was food for thought. In this school district there is a Curriculum Integration Specialist at each school site who provides 15 minute tech tip of the day each day to the faculty. The computer:student ration is 1:2.5. Dr. Buchanan presented 7 steps to success:

1.      Create a Lasting Vision

2.      Network Infrastructure

3.      Recognize Technology can be the catalyst for systemic improvements

4.      Technology is integrated into the district’s curriculum system: not in isolation

5.      Professional Development for Teacher is key 24x7x365

6.      Personalized Instruction for each student 32 thin clients per classroom

7.      Non traditional Leadership

There is more on the district’s vision available at www.grant.k12.ca.us/offices/OSuper.asp (Technology Vision for GJUHSD)

Free Is Good: No-Cost Programs, Web Sites, and Shortcuts

“Free” Enough said. Of course this session was beneficial. Frank Miracola is now a learning consultant. He provides a plethora of resources that are FREE! for teachers and schools to use to enhance their technology integration into the curriculum. First he began by sharing  sites that were focused on Teacher Productivity such as Turner2 where you can play music right off the internet. Check out www.sky.fm/.  There are also sites such as Picasa which I think I will use to organize the many pics I have of my students over the years. For Student Productivity, he shared certain websites for various content areas including links to virtual online manipulatives and other math resources available at www.nctm.org, Google Earth, and ReadWriteThink, a website that I first heard about during this conference (www.readwritethinkorg).

Another thing I liked about Miracola’s presentation was his practical integration of information about shortcut keys. I use many shortcut keys, but I didn’t know how to create more nor did know about all of the other shortcut keys already existing. These are free tools and resources that we can teach our students with that will develop their technological skills and effectively prepare them to succeed in the 21^st century.

For teachers (and other faculty) like myself, who work with teachers who aren’t as technologically savvy, I like the format of  this presentation. I could use this in a quick technology session with my staff and be confident that they would come away with practical skills and resources they can integrate in their instruction.

Problem/Solution Panel Implementing Professional Development Based on Individual Needs

This panel presented four solutions to establishing professional development that meets the needs of individual teachers and administrators.

Solution #1
Belmont Day Pioneer Program

This program was created in 2000 by the Director of Technology and supported by the Head of School (this support is key). It is an incentive based stipend ($1000) given to six participants who provide a technology proposal. The program is diversified and open to nursing staff, athletics, and maintenance staff and to both experienced and novice technology users. For more information contact Matt Brooks at mbrooks@belmontday.org or visit web.mac.com/brooksmatt/iWeb/NECC2007/Podcast

Solution #2Stafford
County
VA Public Schools’ Technology Resource Teacher Program (TRT)

They have a licensed teacher at each school. The criteria for teacher selection is first/foremost be an excellent teacher and secondly have a willingness and desire to learn about technology (not necessarily be experts). The TRT offer “just in time” training of any new programs rolled out to the staff at their respective schools.

Solution #3 Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools first assessed teacher literacy based on NETS working with a private company. It then placed each individual teacher on a professional development track based on the test results. PD training tracks all began with I-safe, a free program available at www.isafe.com, focused on internet and technology safety, regulations, etc. From then the teachers follow his/her respective course schedule. The more novice users have a few more courses (5-8) to take throughout the year. They also have more face to face courses; whereas the more advanced users have fewer courses (4-6) and more courses offered online. They provide incentives such as classroom equipment and credit hours (which effect pay) for course completion.

Solution #4 My eCoach

My eCoach (http://my-ecoach.com) was developed by a teacher. It’s purpose is to assess individuals and teach them how to imbed technology in their job.

They offer individual plans. Each person is assigned an eCoach. Through the program you are able to create an ePortfolio. This program is very popular in the
California area and gaining clients throughout the nation. You can sign up for this as an individual or through the school/district.

Incorporating Technology Into K-12 Classroom

This session was presented by Amy Walker, a first and second grade looping teacher. In her presentation she shared how she structures her curriculum to build and develop students’ technology skills while developing their core and content area knowledge and understanding also. She begins with introducing the students to Microsoft Word functions such as Clip Art, Font/Formatting, and Word Art.

She creates templates that she saves as document templates and the students use. By second grade the students are using the internet via programs such as Webquest, and they are creating powerpoints, using Microsoft publisher, Storybook Weaver, Inspiration (whole group), and Kid Works software.

Her structure is to work with the computer lab person each week and teach each program one at a time. The students then practice what they learn throughout the week via center activities and projects.

The information presented in the session was extremely helpful because it gave me a vision as to how I can introduce technology integration to the primary grade teachers at my school.

Closing Keynote: Dr. Tim Tyson

I guess we could call him the Principal Heavyweight of Technology. His closing presentation was both amazing and inspiring. He shared with us his vision of School 2.0 where the students are engaged, empowered, and participate in self-directed learning, project driven, part of a learning community, and independent problem solvers. The technology integration at his school focuses on meaningfulness, connectedness, and significance. This focus was evident through the projects the students were able to create and produce themselves. You can see some of the students’ contribution to the world at http://mabryonline.org and even www.itunes.com. Dr. Tyson stated that “the effective educator in this age of hyper-connectivity is the teacher that collapses the distance between the children and meaningful contribution”.

What a powerful way to close out this conference and set educators ablaze to make meaningful changes in our schools!

Exhibit Hall

At first I was overwhelmed by the Exhibit Hall. I should have walked by the windows on floor 2 so I could see what I was walking into before I walked into what felt like a Technology/High End Flea Market. I got so caught up in the exhibits I missed a session I planned to attend the first day. Yet, the information shared at the Exhibit Hall was worth it. I collected materials from different vendors and information booths to share with my faculty in our own Technology Exhibit Hall so that they get a glimpse of what is out there. Some of the software, such as Inspiration, we have at our school, but I didn’t know how to use it. Others, I was well familiar with such as Nettrekker. I even learned a little about Network security in the EH. I wish more people from my school and district participated in this Conference. The knowledge imparted was priceless.

Poster Presentations

These were great. One in particular that I liked to highlight is iEarn. It is an international education and resource network that connects youth around the world. Classrooms are connected and they share learning via a variety projects and technology tools. I am really excited about bringing this resource back to my school and sharing with teachers that I know who already are into pen pal programs. iEarn brings pen pals to another level. The information disseminated at the poster session has a plethora of examples at a variety of grade levels ranging from Origami exchange and Dolls for computers to Peace/Justice project and Solar Cooking Projects. Though the services are not free, the meaningful connection and contribution made available through iEarn makes it worth the investment.

Dr. Tyson illustrates the type of creativity,critical thinking, and motivation we can unleash in our students when we give them an authentic stage to present their works.  By using an “Oscar” presention format he challenges students to work together to chose global topics which they research and present using a movie format.  The students get our attention with their movies and show us their passion for the topics they have chosen with the short student lead ins to the movies.  The “Oscar” winning movies are placed on Mabry’s website where they are available for the world to see.  The “WOW” factor is certainly present as these students show us how they use technology. 

Funding for technology is not always fully provided by our districts, therefore it is necessay, at times, to find alternate sources of funding.  Bill Morrison from Rapides, LA, presented an eight step process for writing grants.  He teaches grant writing, writes and reviews grants, and has been awarded several grants so he is very knowledeable in this area.  In addition to this process he shared other tips for securing grants.  The question and answer session which followed his presentation gave even more information for writing successful grants.   

Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns presented ideas for use in social studies and writing classes.  She not only showed how Neighborhood Map Machine and Community Constuction Kit could be used to foster critical thinking skills but showed how these projects could be completed to a lesser degee using other programs and cut and paste methods as well.  The segment of her session which dealt with writing was mostly a promo for her new stationery software, Stationery Studio therfore it was not as useful .   

Eric LeMaine’s session was very informative.  He illustrated several ways to use Inspiration to teach, and review ,not only vocabulary, but lessons concepts as well.  He shared samples of student work, illustrated a variety of shortcuts when using Inspiration and gave each participant a CD with thousands of templates already created.  It will take me some time to review all of his material but there will definately be some that I will use and share with my team this school year.

Posters were a unique presentation format.  They were valuable than the sessions for attendees who wanted to get information on tried and true classroom activities from  numerous presenters located in a central area in a short amount ot time.  Most of the posters were presented by individuals who used the ideas, software, or other media in their classrooms.  In many of these sessions students explained their projects and also helped present the ideas being shared.  One of the posters I found interesting was the one which showcased a program available from Renzulli Learning’s website.  It is a unique way to differentiate especially for gifted students. It is currently being used by a school for gifted students in Marietta, GA.  At times the area around the poster sessions became very crowded which did not allow for good viewing of or listening to the poster presenters. 

This was a lively keynote panel discussion.  Elizabeth Streb, a choreographer, showed us that creativity is possible when you think outside of the box.  Her unique “dances” are evidence of this.  She also demostrated how one must challenge any obstacles placed in the way of an idea, for they are not unsurmountable.  Michael McCauley, a communications agency executive, discussed the role of creativity in his business.  We must foster creativity in our students if we want them to succeed in the world of tomorrow.  Mary Cullinane, technology architect, shared how she worked with the city of Philadelphia to create a school of the future.  The school was created using the same budget used for building a traditional high school.  Dr. Francesc Pedro, a senior analyst at CERI, added the international perspective.   The discussion presented much food for thought.

Julia Lott presented a very informative session.  She has spent a great deal of time locating math resources on the web.  The resources are organised according to the alphabet, hense the title of the session.  Her entheusiam for the topic premiated the presentation.  The presentation and all of the links she shared will be available at core.gilbert.k21.az.us/coreweb.  She also invited session participants to email her with any questions they may have.  I will use material from this session in my class this year.

I was really excited to attend this session since I will be creating some of these types of projects for this school year.  I was vastly dissappointed.  The entire session was a promo for a book of the same title that Jane Kraus wrote and that will be available in the fall.  The description of the session in the program stated that you would learn new approaches to problem based learning.  That might be the case if you buy the book.  This was the most useless session that I attended.

Dr. Grace Smith and Dr. Stephanie Throne presented a session which was full of ideas to use in the classroom.  They began the session with the definition of differentiation and explained the ways one can differentiate.  One thought which they shared was that “Humans need a moderate challenge to learn.”  If a task is too simple one will not learn from it, too difficult and one will give up.  Some useful sites shared were, Create a Graph found on e-learning for kids.org and Bommerang a site for surveys which can be used free for 10 days.  They mentioned a feature of Nettrekker that I was not aware of, if you highlight the text it will be read for you.  A feature which would be valuable when working with ELL students.  These ladies have written a book, Differetiation Instruction with Technology in K-5 CFlassrooms, which will be avaiable from ISTE in the fall.  Their handout indicates that the presentation is available at their website, however I did not locate it when I visied the site.  Hopefully it will be added to the site soon.

The Open Source display tables had a working model of the “$100 Laptop Computer”. The representatives from Red Hat were demonstrating the computer. I was completely surprised by the level of sophistication and detail of the model. Based on what I had heard, I had envisioned a somewhat crude model with a hand cranked power supply. What I saw was a small, child sized laptop with a swivel LCD screen, small but serviceable keyboard, built in microphone, video conferencing camera, speakers, a peer to peer network with internet access when present, AMD CPU and a solid state hard drive. The power supply was a conventional plug-in energy transformer, with a “push-pull” type of generator, rather than a cranking device, that would plug into the power supply port. This “push-pull” device was not present at the display, but was described by the representative. Not your father’s computer! They are waiting for final approval from several countries, with a minimum order of one million units. They plan to eventually market this in the
U.S. when production levels are established. My one suggestion was to change the from lime green to something else. I suggested red to the Red Hat rep.

Microsoft Agent: Free, Easy Way to Bring PowerPoint to LifeJohn Schreiber,

Midwestern
State
University (TX) 

Microsoft Agent is a PowerPoint add-in. Agent was developed for programmers to create scripting environments for end users. Through scripting, users can select screen personalities, input text for speech output, change “emotions” of the personality, animate, and position the personality on the screen. The purpose of this personality, such as a “genie”, “judge”, or other predefined figure, is to act as a tutor or guide in a self directed PowerPoint presentation. These guides add interest as well as provide on-screen instructions that provide step by step directions to a student.

Keynote Panel

Moderator: Andrew Zolli. Panelists: Elizabeth Streb-Choreographer Michael McCauley-Creative Director, Mary Cullinane-Technology Architect, Dr. Francesc Pedro-Senior Analyst 

The panel, led by Andres Zolli, discussed the role of creativity in education. Each panelist introduced themselves and described their backgrounds and the role creativity plays in their life. Elizabeth Streb described how she presents and teaches modern dance in her
New York studio. Michael McCauley encourages and fosters creativity as a creative director in an advertising agency. Mary Cullinane, a former teacher, works with Microsoft and the

Philadelphia
School of the Future Project to develop 21^st century teaching and learning. Dr. Francesc is a senior analyst for the Center for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), and conducts research that studies how countries are addressing and innovating digital learning. One of the more interesting aspects of the discussion, Dr Francesc revealed a surprising situation. In the
US, students with classroom computers have a negative correlation in achievement tests compared to a positive correlation with students with home computers. I’m not sure what assessment was used, but it seemed to give a good insight into 21^st century teaching and learning in the
U.S. The overall theme of the discussion was that creativity and innovation are essential elements in a successful technology environment.

Adam Frey, founder of Wikispaces.com, and Vicki Davis, a teacher, ran this session on Wednesday.  They started off by explaining that a wiki is a webpage that anyone theoretically could edit.  Wikis are easy to use, they have a history where one  can track the changes made to the page, and they tend to be used by groups. 

Why use wikis?  They told us that they are free, run on older computers, slower internet, are easy to use, and are a technology that enable coopertive learning.  If they dispensed hundred dollar bills, they’d be about perfect, eh?

Vicki gave a list of ways to use wikis in the class room:

• Lesson summaries
• Notes collaboration
• Cooperative learning
• Introduction and exploratory projects
• Individual assessments
• Rewards
• Classroom organization

Vicki also offered hints for using wikis:

Master Wikis

1. Small edits, please; it’s not Word
2. Communicate with partner on discussion tab
3. Use the history: makes sure everyone participates and gets the credit they earned
4. discuss
5. refresh before writing

At the end of the session, Vicki and another teacher, Julie, explained projects they had been working on a half a world apart.  Their classes used wikis to communicate and collaborate and it really was amazing.  You can see those collaborations here:

http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com

http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com

Erica

I enjoyed the presenter, Gary Stager, immensely.  He was funny and made the time go quickly.  He raised a good point that we may be relying too much on using computers for information rather than building wisdom and understanding. 

He encouraged the audience to let themselves and students roam more.  He wanted teachers to allow themselves to wander away from sites like “100 great Reading sites”.  He discouraged teachers from thinking a worksheet on the internet was anything but a worksheet.

We did an activity where we were given a photo of an Iraqi election poster found in Melbourne, Australia.  No translation, no context.  We had to figure out who the poster wanted us to vote for, what the vote was for, and anything else we felt was important.  It was a great activity.  I wouldn’t exactly replicate it with my fifth graders, but it started the wheels turning in my head about better ways to use the internet with my students.  Check it out here http://www.stager.org/whoshouldivotefor/index.html

 Erica