TEDxSaskatoon

I can't think of a better way to spend my Sunday evening on the day after Christmas (aka Boxing Day here in Canada) then watching TED videos on my new laptop. Lucky for me, all the videos from TEDxSakatoon (held November 13, 2010) have been uploaded to You Tube so I had a lot of great presentations to watch. Hopefully I will be able to go to a TED event sometime in the future. I sure wish I had been able to go to this one. Here's a playlist of all of the TEDxSaskatoon presentations for your viewing pleasure:

Project Based Learning Explained - Common Craft Style

I couldn't resist sharing this video. I love the Common Craft Style video and use them often in my classes. Here's a new one from the Buck Institute for Education that does a great job explaining the concept of Project Based Learning.

A new way to get your news

I've been noticing on Twitter that people are posting "their daily news" using a site called paper.li. I decided to try it out and discovered a new way to read the news coming through in my Twitter feed. You can also set up your own "paper" based on a search for a topic or to follow a group. This "paper" can also be set up to read your Facebook feed as well. I know that it won't replace my Tweetdeck, but I thought it was an interesting way to read what is going on today in your network.

Here is what my personal "paper" looks like based on my Twitter account:

Here's a great e-book for educators to check out when wanting to learn more about how to use technology in the classroom. A great place to start if you are just beginning to integrate technology or a great refresher for those who are more advanced.

Thank you to all of the contributors who made this book possible and to Steven Anderson for hosting it on his blog: Web 2.0 Classroom.


Super Book Of Web Tools For Educators -

RSA Animates Changing Education Paradigms

I wish I could animate my lessons like this. A great message from Sir Ken Robinson illustrated by RSA Animate.

Cell Phones in the Classroom? The Classic 21st Century Debate

Photo: Dru Bloomfield, Flickr

How do you feel about the use of cellphones in the classroom? Should these devices be banned? How can they be effectively used in education? In the ever-evolving world of technology and its place in the classroom, this debate is still quite heated.

At my school, cellphones are turned in by our senior (Grade 6-8) students every morning to the office and picked up at the end of the day. This practice was put into place when students were caught texting inappropriate messages to each other and also phoning parents without the teacher's knowledge. This in turn caused a problem when a student was being picked up at recess by their parent (without informing the office or the teacher) and the student then being thought of as missing. This extreme case might make one question the need to collect all the phones on an on-going basis, but the measure was put into place to prevent future problems.

I would be interested in finding out more about how these devices are used "for good" in schools. Do educators use sites like Poll Everywhere and Wiffiti to gauge student interest or to get feedback on lessons? Do you let students phone into their online persona such as a Voki to leave feedback or leave thoughts. How can these powerful devices be used effectively in education?

I was busy marking and doing other report card related tasks Saturday morning, and missed the Classroom 2.0 live session. Thanks to my PLN on Twitter, Lisa Nielsen, the Innovative Educator's blog was shared with me. (Thanks @parentella for the link.) On her blog, I found an interesting article from November 3, 2010 about the use of cell phones in the classroom that was co-written using Google Docs by George Engel, Rob Griffith, Scott Newcomb, Lisa Nielsen, Jason Sutter and Willyn Webb. In their article "10 Proven Strategies to Break the Ban and Build Opportunities for Student Learning with Cell Phones", a comprehensive guide is shared outlining the steps to use cellular devices in the classroom. I also appreciate the number of research articles that this group has shared in their article and will be checking out their list. If you are interested in the use of these devices in your classroom, you should check it out.

K-12 Online Conference 2010

This year, I was busy juggling too many projects at work and home to attend the wonderful K-12 Online conference live. As I received emails and tweets during the conference, I saved them for a time when I could spend time watching, learning from and thinking about the many ideas shared by the many presenters at this year's conference. If you use iTunes, you are able to look at the sessions as podcasts, which I find quite handy, given my new love for the iPad. There are far too many wonderful presentations to mention. Check out the speaker list and schedule here and discover for yourself the numerous learning opportunities this online conference has to offer.

Here are a few that I found interesting:

Presenter of interest #1: Pre-conference keynote: Dean Shareski, The Moral Imperative
Shareski questions and presents the need as educators to share. Isn't that the moral foundation of being a teacher? He questions: Is sharing an obligation? Does my institution see the value in sharing? How will it help my students? After watching this video, I would like to know what you think. Obviously, if you are a reader of my blog, you will see that I am a very open educator who likes to share what I know and learn with others and provide as many opportunities for my students to do the same. This opportunity to make learning real and connected has made learning authentic for my students. I would love to know the opinions of others on the importance of sharing in education.


Cool tools I learned about in Dean's video that I need to check out were how to use my iPad as a teleprompter using iPrompt Pro and the around the neck microphone.  

Presenter of interest #2: Tony Vincent, Project Based Learning in Hand
This video was very inspiring to me. As a user of the ipod touch in my classroom and a frequent creator of authentic project based learning opportunities for my students, I couldn't help but be inspired by Tony's presentation. He managed to bring two topics together that I'm passionate about and inspire me to pursue new ways to use these devices with my students this year. This is a must see:



Presenter of interest #3: Britt Gow, Teaching Science to 21st Century Learners
As a Science Teacher to students in Grades 6-8, I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. In her video, Britt showcases how she integrates Web 2.0 tools into her lessons and includes student perspectives on the use of these tools.


There are many other speakers and topics to explore in the K-12 Online Conference. Check it out! I know you won't be disappointed.

Some Reading and Viewing to add to your To Do List

I have had these tabs open in my Firefox for awhile (actually since the summer - yikes!) and have been meaning to post them on my blog for others to check out. Here are some interesting blogs and videos to check out when you have a spare moment. If you have others to share, please do!! Post your links in my comments.

8 Must Read Ed Tech Posts from SimpleK12:

• Elizabeth talks about Jing, PLN's, Classroom Blogs, Firefox, Evernote, Empowering Students, Learning Styles and Online Communities. What more could you want?? Take a minute to check out her list.

Top 10 TED Videos for Educators (via Parentella):

• I love TED videos. I could watch them all day if I had the time. Here are a few any educator can appreciate. Maybe you will be inspired too. This list was generated by the blog Parentella. If you have other suggestions or ideas for a Top 10 TED video list for educators, please comment. Maybe we can make our own list!

7 Videos all Educators should watch (via Free Tech for Teachers):

• Some of these videos I've posted about before but I had to include this in my list of things to watch when you have time. Richard Byrne has done a great job compiling videos that I've seen in different venues or on different blogs around the web. Here they all are in a handy collection. Do you have one you would like to add to the mix?

Inquiry Learning at the SSLA Conference

Presentation by Carol Koechlin
http://sslalearningcommons.pbworks.com

The renewed Saskatchewan curriculum has inquiry-learning in the middle of it. The chance for students to wonder, reflect, evaluate, etc.

Saskatchewan Curriculum Aims & Goals

Inquiry is a lot more than assigning a topic. If students are engaged in their inquiry, they will construct knowledge for deeper understanding. They are involved in the discovery of new knowledge and encounter differing ideas. They will also transfer new knowledge and skills to new circumstances. (Saskatchewan Curriculum)

The metacognative piece also needs to be added so that students understand that they are learning to be better learners. The collaborative piece and the power or potential needs to be added as well.

Carol Kuhthau, Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century

Carol Kuhthau, Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century "Inquiry learning is a social process in which students learn from each other in a community of learners."

Shifts to Watch:

• Information seeking and reporting to indivudual and collective knowledge construction
• Teacher directed learning to self and participatory learning
• classroom learning to networked and global learning
• Standards driven to exploring big ideas and concepts
• Teaching to Facilitating process and active learning

Resources to consult:
SSLA Learning Commons Resources

Steven Johnson's video on Ted.com about Where Good Ideas Come From

A new year and a new role

The new school year has begun. Students have been back at school for two weeks now and Teachers for a few more days than that. This year is a new adventure for me as my role in my school has been redesigned. I'm now serving as half-time Teacher Librarian and half-time Social Studies and Science Teacher for 6/7/8. I'm thankful to still be in charge of my inquiry studio where I deliver my classes for Social Studies and Science. I'm hoping that my new role will compliment my teaching and give me more opportunities to work and share with other colleagues.

Although my role has changed, my interest and passion for integrating technology into my teaching has not. This week, my library will open up to students for the first time to do book exchanges. Instead of preparing a formal presentation on the dos and don'ts of the library, I made an orientation video. I was fortunate enough to work with a fellow teacher librarian, Terry Pon, five years ago on an orientation video for his library at the time. I revamped some of his video and made it current for my students and situation. (Thank you for the footage Terry!) Now that we are a French Immersion Centre, I had to make the video in French. I still need to find some copyright free music to re-edit the music track, but I will post if for now and replace it when I have a final version. I hope you enjoy the draft version of my video. Welcome to the Resource Centre at École Wilfrid Walker School.

Twitter for Educators

There is a lot of chatter and sharing on Twitter right now about how to use this social media in education. I have noticed a number of lists of ways to use it in the classroom being shared on Twitter so I thought that I would share a few of them here with my readers. Some links and ideas are better than others but you may find some of these ideas useful:

• Twittercure - Kathy Schrock's Presentation at ISTE 2010 on Twitter
• The Ultimate Twitter Guidebook For Teachers - a blog post found on EduDemic
• 50 ways to use Twitter in the classroom - a link sent to me by Samantha Miller
• Twitter for Learning - 55 Great eLearning Articles - by Tony Karrer at eLearning Technology

What is Twitter? - Animated Explanations

Science Apps in an Inquiry Classroom

I had a great comment left on my blog tonight by Marshall who gave me a link to his recent post on iPod Touch apps for use in a Science inquiry classroom. The list is very well done and Marshall did a very good job evaluating these apps and providing his recommendations. I just had to share: http://getrealscience.com/marshallh/?p=47

Thanks Marshall!

Wednesday Closing Keynote at ISTE 2010

The closing keynote for ISTE 2010 was delivered by Dr. Jeff Pionteck who is an Author, and currently the "Head of School" of the HTA.


Bio from the ISTE 2010 Program:

"After many years in the New York City area as a science teacher and Director of Instructional and Informational Technology, Piontek is now "Head of School" at the Hawaii Technology Academy (HTA). A unique state charter school, HTA has been transforming public education through a hybrid model of individualized learning that combines classroom and virtual learning across the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, the Big Island, Lanai, and Molokai. The school performed at the top of Hawaiian public schools its first year, and doubled its enrollment to 500 students by its second year"

He is also the author of Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh, My! Electronic Media in the Classroom.

The theme of his keynote was: Global Learners = Global Leaders and he began his presentation with a video about his school in Hawaii that was created by some of the students at his school. It was fantastic! Here is the longer version of the video that was shown:




 Pionteck's keynote was everything a keynote should be and more. It is no wonder he was chosen through a "crowd source" type selection process by ISTE members to be the keynote. He was visionary and thoughtful and had an inspiring delivery. He was a great wind up speaker for ISTE 2010 as his message summarized the themes and messages I had heard throughout the workshops and keynotes I had already enjoyed these past few days.

Here are a few of my notes from what Pionteck said during his keynote address:

• Change over the last 25 years will appear slow, compared to the next 25 years.25 Years form Now: What will be emerging?
• Social networking and mobile devices are what students are using today to connect. How many of us can use these tools in our classrooms?
• "Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." -Prensky, 2001.
• A standardized test is a snapshot of the day the student wrote the test, when in reality, it follows them around for a whole year.
• S.T.E.M.: (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) S.T.E.M. needs to integrate into classrooms around the world. Classrooms need to get reorganized to make learning social.
• S.T.E.A.M. is the new STEM - (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Arts is important to teach creativity and innovation that drives the other parts of education. It helps us find our passion.
• Networking of this conference is important. It is essential to keep in touch with those who you met this week at ISTE. You are now educational technology leaders in your schools.
• It is not important what you look like or what you are wearing, but how you are engaging your students in your students.
• What is your Passion? What drives you? What do you want for your future? What do your kids want for the future?
• People under 20 are living a digitized world. Have your students create a blog or a wiki about their passion.
• All children should have a chance to give it a GO. After Grade 3, students are no longer given the chance to give it a go. To learn from their mistakes and to be creative and explore life.
• All children should have access to technology and the internet.
• ...it's innovation ... it's creativity
• There's no longer an excuse not know how. Students today need to know how to use the tools to find the answer. Eventually they will find what they are looking for. Students need to be culturally aware and remembering where they came from and where they are going.
• What do you consider excellence yourself? When people know that you really care about, they will come and do whatever they can to help you.
• It is time for a revolution in education. We need to give our students the tools they need to learn 21st century skills.
• Another great video made by the students in his school about exploring excellence. Fantastic!
• If you start a project with your students, finish it. Start something small, something you know you can complete. Take an idea that you saw this week and run with it.
• Have students take the information, immerse themselves in it and then create something with that material.
• Blue Mars - program to use to create videos.
• Final thought: It's a challenge- Our job is to nourish the dreams of our children - to make them all that they can be. Those dreams are our future.

Thanks for a great keynote to wind up another fabulous ISTE! I have a lot to digest this summer as I review my many notes and continue discussions with my PLN. Thanks to everyone for making this a fantastic learning opportunity for all!

Congratulations Dean Shareski - ISTE Outstanding Leader Award of the Year, 2010

I just wanted to pass on my congratulations to fellow Saskatchewanian and this year's winner of the ISTE Outstanding Leader of the Year Award, Dean Shareski.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Dean over the past few years by attending his workshops in person and following his contributions to learning online through his blog and on Twitter. His work has inspired me to open up my classroom and network with others by Blogging and Twittering. He also sparked my passion for digital storytelling and I have created many "stories" since I took his workshop many years ago, one summer in Moose Jaw. Thanks for your work and your willingness to "share"ski, Dean! I look forward to learning more from you in the future.

Gadgets for Everyone - Leslie Fisher - ISTE 2010

http://www.lesliefisher.com/

Link to the handout/presentation on Leslie's site: handout

 

Gadgets, gadgets gadgets: Here's my notes on Leslie's quick lowdown on some cool tools and gadgets to check out...

Some cool Web2.0 tools:

• http://www.eventbrite.com/ - allows you to set-up an event and allow people to register online
• Google voice - you get a google phone number that you can then attach to the number. You can then ask it to call certain number at home, office or cell depending on what number you want them to call you at.
• http://www.tripit.com/ simply send your travel info to the website and put it together for you that you access it on your phone
• Twitter.com - take a free twitter account and use goodies, then widgets to run an rss feed on Twitter to your home page
• Tweetdeck - allows you to control multiple account
• Remember the milk (rememberthemilk.com) allows you to organize your to-do list
• Evernote.com - use to take notes and then synchronize between all of you devices. You can even do text recognition
• Etherpad/ typewith.me - live session you can play back
• http://www.zamzar.com/ - simply send the zamzar account to submit a file or URL that you can have converted and then downloaded
• Ustream.tv - allows you to set up a free account and post videos live as they happen

 Data protection/back-up:

• http://www.mozy.com/ - back-up online encrypted online
• Cisco media hub
• Apple time capsule for Mac
• www.orbicular.com/undercover - helps you get you your machine back and safe guards your Mac against theft

 

Images on the web (free use/copyright compliant):

• Clipart.com for clip art
• Novadevelopment.com for photos
• Istockphoto.com 15% discount off for educators
• http://www.smugmug.com/ you can protect them with a password. You can also sell them. You can also get a free account for your school

Audio, video portability:

• Pinacle pctv HD prostick
• Eyetv hybrid
• Sling box - personal media server
• Netflix streaming - instantly deliver video to your tv
• http://www.hulu.com/
• Boxee
• Logitech harmony one - universal remote that is smart

For humour:

• "Demotivators" are available at http://www.despair.com/

Google: 25 Things You Did Not Know It Could Do at ISTE 2010

Dr. Howie DiBlasi, C.I.O. "Emerging Technologies Evangelist"
howie@frontier.net
www.toolsfortheclassroom.com
www.drhowie.com

Documents will be available on Thursday, July 1st, 1:00 PM EST on his website.

Google has many special features to help you to find exactly what you are looking for.

Advanced Searching:
Compare and Contrast: Use advanced search to look at only a specific domain (2 letter country code) so that students can compare different perspectives.

What to do if you don't want something to show up in your search (advanced search)

Scholar search: locate materials from educational institutes or universities.

Google Custom Search Engine: http://www.google.com/cse/manage/create

Google Language Tools: google directory (similar to the Yahoo homepage)

Special Commands
Link: list pages which link to a page, sample link:www.broward schools.com

Google Reader: get all your blogs and news feeds fast (RSS feeder)

Google Labs: find out what is new, in development (beta) and trends in Google.

Wisdom of Crowds: The Truth About Content-Driven Collaborative Learning Spotlight Presentation at ISTE 2010

Presented by: Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet  yvonne@gsn.org

Internet Projects Registry: Over 3000 archived projects and many more upcoming projects you can join. You can also post your own projects to find collaborators.

Organizations that run collaborative projects: Global Schoolnet, sigol, iEARN, ePals, CILC, Taking it Global


Different types of collaboration:

• Pooled Data Analysis: collection of data at two or more sites
• Social Action: action-orientated, multicultural humanitarian projects that seek to accomplish beneficial results in specific locations
• Information Exchange: Collect and exchange information on a specific topic or theme: animals, etc.
• Travel Buddy: The exchange of one or more stuffed animals or toy characters, i.e. teddy bears or Flat Stanley
• Sequential Creation: classes create something, text, photo album, etc and pass it along to be added to in a sequential fashion
• Electronic Publishing: product creation by numerous students in different areas, such as a newspaper or shared stories, etc.

Collaborative Tools: don't put an emphasis on the tools because they change. Ex. Photo Show, Google Aps, Twitter, Facebook YouTube, Wikipedia, Edmodo, Sakai, Meez (create student avatars)

Facebook in Education: problems with IT Departments blocking many applications. If you can show a specific purpose (ie Fairfax Public Schools Facebook Page)
Photoshow: can broadcast in some states around the US
Collaborative Learning Centre:  List of many places to start and to run a project


Filtering is Critical: Don't Get Side-Tracked

Audience Favourites:

• Voice Thread
• Ning
• Skype
• Popplet
• Diigo
• Wiki

Computational Learning: Create Interactive Learning Modules for Your Students - BYOL at ISTE 2010

ISTE Description
Presented by: Dave Anderson, Logan City School District, Utah with Megan Beavers and James Porter


What is an ILM (Interactive Learning Module)?
Interactive online units that target objectives identified as important in state and national stands, include lesson plans, interactive learning activities and  provide online assessment.

CS ILM: http://csilm.usu.edu


We went through the steps to create our own modules for our classes. Will have to check it out later.

Mobile Wireless Devices That Empower Engagement, Learning and Assessment at ISTE 2010

presented by Chris Dede, Chris_Dede@harvard.edu,  www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech
(who now feels like he looks like a 35 year old device called "the little professor")

ISTE Outline from the program

co presenter: Marie Bjerde, VP Qualcomm

Dede was part of the U.S. 2010 Educational Tech Plan
http:/www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
The plan talks about learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity.

Mobile Wireless Infrastructure - what does that mean? - There are many mobile devices and there are many more to come. From small cell phones to large e-books & ipads.

There are many problems in 1 to 1 in schools:

• They only hold a charge for a short amount of time
• They take time to boot up
• They are heavy to carry around
• They don't know where they are (location aware)

Cloud Computing - Mobile Connected Devices on Multiple Networks

There is a migration to Cloud Computing. Students are the first to understand and discover this infrastructure. This would be meeting them on their own terms. Next Generation Interfaces for Immersive Learning are multi-user virtual environment.

Wireless Reach - a global initiative - 56 projects in 26 countries that strengthens social and economic development.
Mobile Opportunity provides 24/7 connectivity in learning- as we see 24/7 connectivity in business.

Project K-Nect, Wireless Social Networking and Teaching Enhances Student Math Development: Education that has students partner, execute and innovate.  This was in North Carolina where students did math activities using modules loaded on cell phones to help boost engagement and retain or absorb information.

Wireless Reach - The Friday Institute: Building Learning Progress Profiles for Rational Number Reasoning with Socially Networked Devices.

San Diego State University: Mobile Learning A Community Engagement Project (Bernie Dodge)

High Tech High, Blended Learning with 24/7 Connected Devices - focussed on Project Based Learning

Alliance for Digital Equality: Learning Without Walls - One-2-one laptop program in Atlanta

School in the Park: Augmented Reality Enables Students to Explore New Worlds: Dr. Patrick O'Shea, Price Charities, Sandiego Museum of Art, Schools in the Park
:

Creating Student Sleuths - Primary Source Investigation (BYOL) at ISTE

Presented by:
Stevie Kline, Intermediate Unit 1- klines@iu1.k12.pa.us
Joyce Mason, Canon-McMillan High School - masonj@cmsd.k12.pa.us

Welcome and link to resources used during workshop: Jog the Web link

Primary Sources Help Students:

• ask questions
• acknowledge various points of view
• establish the context for historical events
• allow the discovery of evidence
• see cause and effect relationships
• compare and contrast evidence
• understand continuity and change over time
• consider and recognize bias
• question the source of the information
• realize the importance of referencing multiple resources

How do our students become sleuths?

• LOTS & HOTS: Interactive New Blooms  Romano and Gates Blooms.ppt
• Lots (Lower Order Thinking Skills): Remember, Understand, Apply
• Hots (Higher Order Thinking Skills): Create, Evaluate, Analyze

 Intro to the US Archives website and an activity with a speech by FDR about the Declaration of War Against Japan on December 8, 1941 and then showed the revised version with FDR's changes written on it. in handwriting . The feeling you get from the primary source was very powerful.

We used WORDLE to analyze text. We also posted our own poems on Wall Wisher.

Using Digital Vaults: Over 1200 digital images and content to make a movie or a poster. It encourages creativity and historical thinking. It has a powerful image connection tool and gives you links to primary sources.

We used the Digital Vaults at the US National Archives to create a poster or a video.