Random Ramblings

Whew!  Been a few weeks since I have blogged.  Seems like everything that could have happened has.  But, we’ve been dealing with a few things in my department that I just needed to share and ask for opinions.

We are struggling with the idea of how much do we protect the students from the Internet and how much we allow them to grow.  I’m assuming that by that statement you can figure out where I stand.  I am all in favor of teaching students the positives and possible downfalls of the Internet.  If we don’t teach the students, how will they know?

Is it better to shut everything down and shelter our students or teach them the correct way to surf the Internet?  I’m afraid there are some who are of the opinion that it is better to shut everything down.  Hmmmmm, and what do the kids do when they are given a few freedoms? They won’t know how to work the Internet safely.

So, where do we stand?  Do we shelter or do we teach?  I, of course, am definitely standing on the teach side of the road.  Where are you?

If you get an opportunity, check out a couple of new sites and let me know what you think:   Glogster and Animoto.  I’d like to share these with my teachers and would like your opinion first.  Both are wonderful resources, but are they safe enough for our students?  Are there truly any sites on the Internet that are 100% ’safe’?

Until next time ~ Danita

    Flickr

WOW!  Remind me never to apply for 3 session at a conference again! I thought I would apply for 3 sessions in hopes that NCAECT would accept one. Surprise!  The good thing was that we presented back to back to back in the same room and all on the first day.

Our best session was our first one, Digital Photos, now what?.  We had people sitting on the floor.  Kim and I were expecting maybe 20 tops.  You can only imagine our surprise when people kept coming in.  It was great! Of course, we had a few stumbles, but since it was our first time presenting on digital photos, it went very well.  Our Animoto didn’t load in time, but Kim was a huge hit with Gogofrog.  If you haven’t tried Gogofrog, you have to - it’s great!

We then presented Wiki This Way.  We have done this particular session before, so it went off fairly well.  I hope everyone learned something.  We had some great comments from the teachers.  Again, we had a huge turnout, but not standing room only.

Finally, we ended with Creating Magic with Web 2.0 Tools.  Again, this was a rerun for us, but it still went well.  Not as many people this time since it was also during Tammy Worcester’s session.  She is so good, that I really didn’t blame people for attending her session.  In fact, I suggested that a couple of teachers go there and view our wiki later.  But, we did have a good turnout.  I think that we need to refocus if we use this session again.  Web 2.0 tools is just too wide open.  Skypeing with a NASA trainer was the highlight.  The teachers loved that!

Even though we didn’t get to attend many sessions on the last day, there were a couple of teachers presenting their lessons on SmartBoards in the hallway that I thought was one of the most beneficial I have ever attended.   Susie and her partner, whom I’m sorry I have forgotten her name, had some great ideas!  I’m so glad that she made a wiki.  I volunteered to make one for her is she would send me her lessons.  They are great - check them out!

The NCAECT conference was really good this year.  Scott Smith and Marlo Gaddis did a wonderful job.  It was one of the best conferences I have attended in recent years.

Until next time ~ Danita

NCAECT

Hubby brought home bad news.  His plant, Pilgrims Pride, is closing in less than 60 days.  Ouch!  What does that mean for us?  Moving to another state probably.  Figures doesn’t it? I have my dream job and we are heavily involved in our church that treats us like family.  Well, God only knows what He has planned for us next.

Until next time ~ Danita

   Flickr

I had an aha moment this afternoon. I was speaking to one of the teachers at East Lee about East becoming a STEM school next year, when she offered one of the best analogies I have ever heard.  As we were discussing how to get the teachers involved, Misty offered this:

“You have given us an ocean of opportunities this year, but we need to learn the swim first. Start with very basic ideas and how to use them in the classroom, then when we’re ready, we’ll jump in and tackle some of those waves.”

Wow! I’d never though of it like that. She’s right. I have offered an ocean hoping that someone would like to try to find one fish, but if you’re afraid of the water, you’ll never jump in. I was approaching it so wrong. I was throwing so much out there that I was overwhelming everyone and not giving them a life preserver to grab onto.  I should have listened to Jen Wagner’s Baby Steps post. What I thought were baby steps were actually giant leaps for many people.

Hmmmm…. so many things to reconsider. When you’re an avid swimmer, it’s hard to relate to people who fear the water. I need to go back to that first time I saw the ocean and start from there. To feel the excitement of the sand between my toes - the first time I saw a blog or a wiki.

Misty very kindly told me that I need to come up with step by step ways that teachers can use technology in their classrooms.  As she put it, “just like the end of grade test manual tells you what to say and when”. That might be a challenge, but I think I can do it.

So, I think I will begin next year with wikis. I’ll show the teachers specific ways they can use them in their classrooms and write a lesson idea for each of the four core curriculum areas.  That way they will have something they can read from a script if they need to do so.

Thank you Misty for opening my eyes.  Hopefully, we’ll all be swimming in the ocean by this time next year.

Until next time,

Danita
Flickr

Last week I was fortunate enough to accompany several other Lee County Schools employees to Baltimore, Maryland to visit Woodlawn Middle School. Woodlawn is a STEM school - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. East Lee Middle is looking to become a STEM school next year.

STEM schools integrate math, science, and technology into the other curriculum areas. If we want our kids to be competitive in the global market, we must emphasize more of these areas. I’m excited to watch the future unfold! It’s wide open for all our kids.

One of the eye openers I encountered was that Lee County is a leader in technology. We are fortunate to have a lot of technology in our classrooms. Woodlawn was just now getting SmartBoards in their classrooms. West Lee has had SmartBoards for a few years. This is mainly because of the forward thinking of the previous principal Paige Murphy. He made sure that the teachers received the technology tools they needed. For this, we are thankful.

This forward thinking has caused a ripple effect. Even the teachers who weren’t around when we were first receiving the tools are now benefiting from the experience of the veteran teachers. It’s also helped me perform my job better.

I really gained a lot of great information and ideas. I love visiting other schools. I only wish we’d had more time there. I would have liked to have spent more time with the kids. I believe that’s how you find out the inner workings of the school by talking to the kids. I wanted to hear what they thought worked and what didn’t.

An interesting fact about Woodlawn, 5 years ago Woodlawn was the school that everyone ran from.  Teachers didn’t want to teach there, students transferred to other schools, and gang violence was prevalent.  Brian Scriven became principal and completely changed the climate at Woodlawn.  What a visionary!  He was one of the most positive administrators I have ever met.  That’s what we need - more positive and forward thinking administrators.

Look out Lee County - I see wonderful things coming from all three middle schools!

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

Not me, thank goodness, but Chloe - the Great Dane pup.  She gained 20 pounds LAST MONTH!  She’s now up to 71 pounds and still growing.  When she stands on her hind legs, she’s as tall as I am.  Okay, okay I’m only 5 feet tall, but it is a bit intimidating.

Update on Baby Bracey:

He’s still on a ventilator, but the doctors are optimistic.   Torrey and Angela are being as brave as possible.  But, all the prayers and good thoughts going their way are much appreciated.  He’s now up to taking a cc of food. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

As for the little pony we have living in our house, let’s hope she doesn’t gain another 20 pounds by next month!

Until next time ~ Danita

I know this is an education blog, but there are times that I need to bring in my personal life.  Torrey and Angela are a young couple that recently left our church and moved back home to Indiana.  Wednesday, they had a beautiful baby boy.  Unfortunately, there were numerous unexpected problems.

Bracey was born with a rare birth defect called Vaters Syndrome.  He has no thumbs, several various bones in his body are missing, problems with his vertabrae, esophogus, and anal/renal alformations.

They have asked all their friends to pray, and we assured them that we would.

Our youth pastor, Joel,  talked to Torrey last night and they are heart broken, but holding up.  They have transported Bracey to a hospital in Chicago to be treated.  He has had two surgeries with many more to come.

Please keep Torrey, Angela, and baby Bracey in your prayers.  They are a very special young couple that are devoted to the Lord.

God can, and does, perform miracles.   Let us pray that He touch them.

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

Are you a networked teacher? I had never thought of that term until I saw the Edublogs Magazine.

I loved the visual. So, how many of the connections do you make??

From the Edublogs Magazine:

Visualizing the Networked Teacher

Published by Lorelle VanFossen on 2 Feb 2008

This popular flickr image by courosa, called “The Networked Teacher”, is a strong visual representation of the modern teacher, showing how educators today are more “interconnected” with resources than a teacher not even ten years ago could imagine.

To many, this is overwhelming. To others, it’s just how it is. To a special few, it opens up a whole world of the possible, finding creative inspiration, support, collaboration, and strength in each connection.

What does it mean to you? And does this represent you?

About the author: Lorelle VanFossen is known for her work on Lorelle on WordPress, covering blogging and WordPress, Taking Your Camera on the Road about travel and photography, Lorelle’s Family History Blog, as well as her work on the Blog Herald and Blogger and Podcaster Magazine. Read more magazine posts by Lorelle VanFossen.

We MUST be connected if we are to reach our students. I feel I preach on this a lot, but I am very passionate about this topic. Our kiddos see the world through completely different glasses than we. Unfortunately, there are some of us who haven’t even put on the glasses. What can we do to “catch up”?

I have several people ask how I find the time to stay up to date on new Internet occurrences. It’s a passion I have. I want to be able to talk to my students on their level. I want to understand when they are talking about a new social networking site. I want to learn. I don’t want to be left behind. Do you?

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

My good friend, Vincent Pienaar, a 6th grade Math teacher at West Lee Middle School, won a very prestigious award.  He was awarded the VIF (visiting international faculty) of the year award.  This is a well deserved honor.  Vincent has gone above and beyond to introduce diverse cutlures to our students.

Vincent has not only taught math, but also has planned and coordinated many cultural activities with the other VIF’s.  He has also been instrumental in integrating technology within his classroom and with the 6th grade.

I am proud of Vincent’s award, proud to have him on our faculty, and proud to call him my friend!  Way to go Vincent!

From Lee County Schools

Pienaar Wins National Award

An international-exchange teacher from South Africa, Vincent Pienaar, has elevated the art of teaching Math by linking coursework to culture and finding innovative ways to cultivate a broader world view in his young students at West Lee Middle School.

Pienaar has been named National Cultural Educator of the Year for excellence in providing students an international education to help prepare a new generation for success in the global economy. The award is from the Visiting International Faculty Program, the largest international-exchange program linking U.S. schools and teachers worldwide.

Vincent was chosen for the award from among the 1,800 teachers from 52 nations that the VIF Program is sponsoring in nearly 1,000 schools in 10 states, providing schools highly qualified teachers to give students a world-class education.

Until next time ~ Danita

  Cape Town, South Africa

Cute little story (and oh so true) from Stephen’s Untold Stories.  You can tell by the picture at the end of the blog of my girls which side I’m on.  :o)

Anyone with a dog or cat can relate to this:

Seen on Craigslist.

The Dog’s Diary

• 8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
• 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
• 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
• 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
• 12:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
• 1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
• 3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
• 5:00 PM - Dinner! My favorite thing!
• 7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
• 8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
• 11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat’s Diary

• Day 983 of my captivity.
• My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
• They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
• The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities.
• However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. Fools!
• There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
• Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
• I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
• The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now.

Until next time ~ Danita

  The girls

It’s a terrible feeling when you realize that you are getting older. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am blessed beyond belief. I have my health, a fabulous loving husband, a wonderfully supportive family, a Christ centered church family, many friends, a job I love, and material “stuff”. So, what’s my problem? I’m not as young I my mind still thinks I am.

Coming home Saturday I forgot that I’m not 20. I was lifting suitcases I had no business lifting and I paid for it on Sunday. I spent all day and night Sunday and Monday night on my back with the heating pad. Makes me realize that at 42 (shhhh, don’t say that outloud) isn’t 20. Hopefully, I can get better before my NC Wise training with West Lee on Tuesday.

It started with the wrinkle correction lotion. Next, it will be reading glasses. Ohhhh, to be as young as our minds want us to believe!

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

We are at the closing session of FETC. It has been a tiring, but good conference. There were great sessions and the vendor area was good.

John Kuglin

• S.W.I.M.

• “How William Shatner changed the world” from History Channel

• Route 21 partnership for 21st century learning

• IPCC - won Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for global warming

• Lay overlays on top of Google Earth to show current weather map
  • can do Hurricane KatrinaUSGS volcanic activity
    • Lewis and Clark expedition
• Saturday Night Live parody of iPod - really cute
• www.kuglin.com

I won a student response system! Wow! I’m soooo excited! We only have a couple of these in our county. I will definitely put it to good use!

Until I land from the clouds I’m floating on ~ Danita

Flickr

Cross Curricular and Across the K-12 World with Google Earth with Cindy Lane

Lane.cindy@gmail.com

www.googleearthgoods.pbwiki.com

Langwitches notes from same session - GREAT notes!

• password for wiki is Cindylane
• thanks to Kathy for ustreaming the session
• most in audience know a bit about Google Earth
• geogreeting.com
  • create spelling words
  • can find and graph words from all over world
  • shows letters on world map
  • good for elementary school
• Math
  • instant chart in Excel highlight data and then F11
  • KMZ file in geometry
    • measure in smoots (5 ft 7 in)
    • measure polygons
    • go to tools and click on ruler
    • measure a line or a path
    • can change from miles to yards to smoots
• Science
  • can link live volcano pics into googleearth
• Language Arts
  • Jerome Berg
    • Lit trips
  • www.googlelittrips.com
• Social Studies
  • insert image from United Streaming
  • added buttons on top of each image to make a writing assignment
  • on wiki
  • GREAT idea!!
  • go into Google Earth to see all the Civil War battles
  • each one has info and has a hyperlink of the battles
  • can view where the battle actually occurred
• Foreign Language
  • on youtube using google earth in the foreign language classroom
• KMZ or KML
  • Google Earth Community
  • Google - more - even more -earth - Google Earth community on left hand side
    • click on GE community
    • click on education
      • 11000 posts
• Google - advanced search - kml or kmz file format
  • automatically opens in Google Earth
  • make sure you SAVE so you don’t have to go hunt again
  • KMZ is a zip file
  • KML is a language (one file)
• All Google Earth images are at oldest 3 to 4 years
• Peggy White also has a similar presentation - all info is on Cindy’s pbwiki
• basic navigation tips
  • GD and GE links in pbwiki
  • make a folder first

Until next time ~ Danita

Creating the Integrated Classroom by Cathie Chapman

Great Resource List

• 1 to 3 mobile laptops
• things to think about:
  • equipment
  • teaching basics to the students
  • developing a routine
  • classroom arrangement
  • managing hardware
  • lesson planning
  • creating a support system
• what you need:
  • laptops
  • power strips
  • projectors
  • internet access
  • software
  • headphones & microphones
  • digital and video cameras
  • digital presenter - document camera
• the basics
  • create procedures
  • emphasize proper use
  • get the students’ attention
    • give lesson instruction before turning ON the computer
    • monitor off/lid half-closed
    • hand signals and visuals
  • learn what works for you
• developing a routine
  • unlock the cart: protect the combination
  • emphasize gentle handling
  • assign student supervisors and helpers
  • assign laptops to students
• set up and tear down:
  • set up 5 to 8 minutes
    • student supervisors in charge of smooth transitions
    • student helpers hand out laptops
    • limit number of students at cart
  • tear down 5 to 8 minutes
    • reverse set up procedure
    • each student is in charge of his/her own laptop to student helpers
    • student supervisors calls tables and maintains order
  • consider leaving out overnight
• power source management
  • charge overnight
  • 2 to 3 hours battery time
  • power strip for battery
  • visibility to screen
• classroom arrangement
  • locating near power strips
  • circulating the classroom
  • cooperative grouping
  • independent work
  • what works for hardware
• Zig-zag
  • classroom arrangement is in a zig-zag pattern for easy accessibility
• Circle configuration
  • power cord in middle
  • shoulder partners
  • moderately easy for teacher to circulate
• long rectangular
  • power strips in middle
• rectangular/square
  • power strips at end of table
  • shoulder partners
  • easy for teacher to circulate
• flexible
  • lots of freedom
  • more difficult to manage power strips
  • ideal for cooperative work
• glitches and bugs
  • if something goes wrong
    • plug it in
    • restart it
  • always have a plan b
    • network outages
    • sometimes things just don’t work
• hardware management
  • think about how to deal with hardware failure
  • updates
  • virus protection
  • software installation
  • network controls
• time for kids
• Don’t do what we did:
  • ALWAYS test sites before the lesson
• rules of thumb
  • mostly independent cooperative
    • not teacher led
  • create a support system
    • informal and formal meetings
• Chapman Science wiki
• Brainpop
• Moodle
• Teacher Resources
• Largo Middle School
• Cathie Chapman Chapmanc@pcsb.org

Until next time ~ Danita

Whew! I’m in day 3 of the FETC conference. I have learned a lot, but the absolutely coolest thing was meeting face to face (F2F) with some of my twitter friends. If you haven’t read my blog before, Twitter is a social networking site that allows you to update yourself/your activities in 140 characters or less. When I first started on Twitter, I was VERY doubtful. Who would want to know what I am doing? Why would I want to know what anyone else is doing?

Well, I was more wrong than you can imagine. I now have “friends” from all over the world. We share ideas, share websites, share inspirations, share conundrums, share advice, and share triumphants. The key verb there is share. I have learned so much! This is my personal learning plan. I am learning daily and contributing to others learning. You choose who you want to follow and others can follow you. At this moment, I am following 252 people and 193 are following me. That means I have a learning opportunity for professional development from 252 people from all across the globe!

Yesterday, I was able to meet Kathy Shields. She and I share a mutual “friend” Jen Wagner. I have gained so much from these ladies. Kathy and I met so she could make a uStream of what we have experienced from the conference thus far. uStream is an online live stream. Kathy was able to interview the presenter and several participants live.

Several other teachers were uStreaming sessions. That means that teachers from all over the globe had access to FETC even though they couldn’t virtually attend. They also have the opportunity to type in a chat windows so the viewers can ask questions and make comments. This is completely amazing to me!

I’m excited to see what today brings. I hope you continue reading and find something that is beneficial to you.

Until next time ~ Danita

Delivering Technology Training in a Manner that Works! by Marty Bowe

• hold professional developments on Saturday
  • how do you get people there on a Saturday?
  • offer prizes and pay
  • started with giving away computers for home use - then running out of money so now giving away 1Gb flash drive
  • any employee can come to the pd - cafeteria workers, bus drivers, aides, custodians, admins
  • ask high level curriculum folks to fund professional development
  • his school has 485 certified employees
  • presenters and attendees are voluntary
    • would this work in a larger district?
  • classes:
    • advanced ppt
    • advanced word
    • basic ppt
    • buying or enhancing a computer
    • cool internet sites
    • digital cameras
    • digital photos and photoshop
    • ebay
    • elementary pinnacle gradebook
    • excel
    • searching the internet
    • groupwise email tips/tricks
    • distance learning
    • mac 101
    • legally downloading music
    • multi-media / moviemaker
    • paperless classroom
    • paperless office
    • project based learning
    • pinnacle gradebook
    • smartboard beginners
    • smartboard advanced
    • technology in the classroom - middle school
    • technology in the classroom - elementary
    • technology in the classroom - high school
    • united streaming
    • My comment: NO WEB 2.0 - WHY NOT???
    • has opening keynote and then go to 3 sessions
      • keynot by Tech director and Tech facilitators
    • asked teachers to teach sessions when he didn’t have enough IT folks
    • added to teacher contract that teachers must attend at least one day
    • going to add web 2.0 this year
      • wikis, blogs, podcasts, second life
• didn’t have resources for followup
• email Marty and he will send the powerpoint and Millionaire slides
  • Bowe@perry1.sparce.org

Until next time ~ Danita

Who can make a video in 10 minutes? You can! by Rushton Hurley

• I have found the secret to having a full house for a presentation - add to the bottom of the description “This session fills up fast - come early!”
• Non-profit Next vista for learning
• Video will get student’s attention
• use video as a tool
• you can make a wonderful without a camcorder - all you need is a microphone
• video editing
  • like word processing with video
• Windows Moviemaker
  • get pictures in one place
  • put “stuff” in timeline
  • get pics from shared picture locations - Flickr
  • move pictures into editor - or import video or pictures
  • add the pics to the bottom of the timeline
  • drag to put into whatever order you want
  • can change length of the picture
  • add title page
    • same as with word processing
  • drag the video transitions between the pictures
  • add voice over with microphone
    • cheap microphones work just as well
    • click on microphone icon to add voice
  • go to save to my computer
• make sure you tell your kids not to use violence or “action scenes”
• short videos are much better than longer videos
• discuss at the beginning - copyright
  • use copyright friendly or creative commons
  • have kids make their own music
  • pod safe music
  • podsafe audio
• Morgue file free photos
• flickr
• good for ESL and special ed kiddos
  • kids push pause when they get to a part they don’t understand
  • teachers can do individual instruction
• why does quality improve?
  • audience grows especially if you post it on the web
• rules for videos:
  • no copyright material
  • 5 minutes or less
  • appropriate for young audience
  • curriculum appropriate
• nextvista.org
• rh@nextvista.org
• curriki.org
• photobucket.com
• bhphoto.com
• morguefile.com
• podsafeaudio.com
• www.prometheanworld.com
• www.einstruction.com

Until next time ~ Danita

CSI with Adriane R Peters

• adrianerpeters@mac.com
• www.moore.leon.k12.fl.us
  • all handouts and presentation is on the site
• wanted to get secondary teachers involved
• had to do something inviting to get teachers to come
• wanted PD to look interesting and not what it normally looks like
• the strategies
  • creativity
  • planning
  • funding sources
  • implementation
  • evaluation
  • fun!
• teacher achievement just like we work on student achievement
• Creativity
  • use Title 2D funds to purchase digital microscops
• Planning
  • Master Technology Teachers
    • recruit teachers to implement technology in their schools
    • gave them laptops
    • paired older teachers with newer teachers
  • Curriculum Integration
    • get vendor sponsorships
  • Participants
    • focus on the teachers
  • Location
    • utmost important
  • Equipment
    • build a working relationship with the IT
• Implementation
  • 4 day tech institute
  • held at a local elementary school
  • cross platform - mac and pc
  • online registration
  • project based learning
    • something they can use on day 1
  • train the trainer model
• Process
  • Days 1 & 2
    • preassigned onto small groups of 5-7 teachers
    • digital tools 101
      • 30 to 35 minute sessions
    • 2 days to solve the crime
    • creating a project with the applications learned
      • digital cameras
      • podcast
      • video
  • Days 3 & 4
    • groups reformed by content area or grade levels
    • use the tools to create something that could be used in their classroom
    • assessment rubric
    • group sharing
• Funding sources
  • enhancing education through technology entitlement grant
  • Title 2 Part D
  • Vendor contributions
  • local business contributions
  • “You have not if you ask not”
  • took a picture at the end that said thanks from ____ County Schools
• Evaluation
  • formal project evaluator
    • paid $3000
    • talk to the teacher everyday
    • interviewed the participants and did an opening and closing survey
  • informal daily debriefing sessions
  • attended the workshop
  • interviewed and surveyed participants
  • gave written feedback to the trainers
• What’s next?
  • CSI was this year
  • The Amazing Race is next year
    • put a technology clue in local businesses for teachers to discover
    • can ride the trolley to the businesses

Until next time ~ Danita

Stem Stuff with Bonnie Bracey Sutton

• George Lucas Foundation
• Super computing initiative pays people to go to conferences to learn about technology
• Underachievement grant - Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• Real Life STEM - is reading about the real technology and science - cell phones, computers
• NASA will pay teachers to study science
• Thornberg Center
  • all the links are here
  • will be up within the week
  • tcpd.org
• Math Forum - tutoring for students - free
• Project Interactivate - SHREK is done with computational math - applets to teach kids the math behind movies
• We are spending more time on American Idol, Dance Factory than we are on 21st century learning
• A lot of parents don’t understand the technology that the kids are using
• Norm Augustine “Is America falling off the flat earth?”
  
• Knowledge divide
• Supercomputing - check out what California is doing
  • join this so you can work with researchers talk to teachers
  • SC08
• Technology tools we use can level the playing field in education
  • Problem solving math
  • we shouldn’t be fighting about whether or not to do fractions or if the kids need to do 200 problems to master the content
• Shodor.org
• www.youinnovate21.net
• Resources are a click away
• 2millionminutes
  • number of minutes in high school
  • trailer on youtube
  • great to show at pd
  • www.2Mminutes.com
• should we raise the bar and teach to those who want to learn????
• Join a Ning for STEM schools

Until next time ~ Danita

One to One Learning with Jeff Mao

• All across Maine
• Apple supported
• Know what you want to do with your 1 to 1
• Don’t try to fit in what you are already doing
• Apple installed wireless networks
• Bandwidth was a problem - everyone wanted to be online at the same time
• Professional development is ongoing and never stops
• Teachers need upgrades just like computers need upgrades
• Important that you have a support team in-state (Apple set up a team in Maine for them)
• A device without support is useless
• Don’t log into a server - IT folks not happy
• Device needs to be:
  • generic yet personal
  • secure yet flexible
  • customized
  • stable base
• Machines need to be able to be moved when kids move schools/districts
• State-wide so all machines have the same programs
• Keep the same image for ALL the computers so that the help desk that the parents/kids can call knows the image
• All computers have a log in and out time stamp
• Teachers have iChat, but kids don’t have access
• Maine educators want to enable it, but there is a lot of resistance from the community
• Kids, teachers, and admins all have a different color background color
  • good for techs so they can walk around and see the backgrounds and know the log in rights of the user
  • good for users so they know if they are logged in correctly
• Digital Hub
  • access
  • productivity
  • creativity
  • communication
  • collaboration
• All students have email - can set it up for school only
• In contract that no student will be without a device for more than 24 hours
• All students can back up work to an off-site location
• Repair center in state
• In contract that the battery lasts a school day
• We need to help teachers move from one level to the next easily

Until next time ~ Danita

Here I am in Orlando, Florida for the Florida Education Technology Conference. I am so excited! I have been looking forward to this for months! Other technology educators in my personal learning network have said that this conference is better than the National conference that I went to during the summer. WOW!

Tonight we heard Jeff Corwin speak. I was so hoping that he would bring some animals, but alas, he didn’t - darn! He spent his time sharing his story and speaking on environmental conservation. The statistics he gave us were stunning. The number of species that we are losing forever is amazing. We HAVE to do something soon!

More to come!

Until next time ~ Danita

FETC

Many congrats go out to my friend, Kim Collazo for winning a NCAECT grant for 12 digital cameras and 2 video cameras for her classroom! I am very excited for her and her students. I can’t wait to see what the kids do with these tools. Kim is a leader in technology in the classroom. Add Kim’s blog to your aggregator and witness her passion.

Way to go Kim! Keep up the great work!

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

A couple of summer ago, hubby and I visited his parents in Atlanta and we took our friends from South Africa. While we were there, we visited CNN. Great tour! One of the best parts was when I was able to try my luck at being a news anchor. Okay, so it was a green screen and only for the people in our tour group, but nonetheless, I still had the opportunity to read from a teleprompter and be projected onto a screen. What fun!

Now, thanks to my Twitter friends, I have been introduced to a home news production program. This is from Mogulus website:

A Revolution in Live Television

• Mix Videos In Real-Time To Create Your Own Live Broadcast

  th Mogulus, you can blend your webcam, video clips from YouTube, and your own original content into your own unique TV program - and you call all the shots. When you’re not broadcasting live, turn on the auto-pilot and let it drive your playlist.

• Animated Television Graphics

  Make your channel look like a major network broadcast using our graphics library. Mogulus gives you a wealth of broadcast graphics including ticker, bumper, lower third name, and logo bug. Additionally, you can customize these graphics using your own logos and colours. Best of all, you don’t need to be a designer to style your channel - you’ll be amazed how simply Mogulus operates.

• Multiple Producers, Multiple Locations, One Channel

  The Mogulus studio is a true multiuser application. Invite your associate producers from anywhere in the world to login, and you can mix with them in real-time. You can even broadcast their camera on your show, or they can broadcast yours. Let your imagination flow - brainstorm new ideas, invent a new television format, or just fine tune your broadcasts. You’ll be in complete control.

The ideas I have are flying. Is this something our kids could do for a school broadcast? What about ballgames - can’t the kids do reports on ballgames like they did the podcasts last year? I’m definitely going to have to look into this - the possibilities are endless!  Does anyone have experience with student broadcasts?  I’d love to hear your advice.  When I taught in Kentucky, I did work with 8th graders for a semester on producing a newscast. Hopefully, this could be something we could begin in our schools.  What a great way to keep parents (and relatives that live outside of our town) informed.

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr

Wow! It’s been over a month since I’ve blogged (thanks to Kim C for reminding me ). I have 100’s of excuses, but I’ll share the 2 most relevant - NC Wise training and Wii.

Yep, hubby got a Wii for Christmas and we haven’t stopped playing since he opened the box. Guitar Hero is GREAT! Before we got it, I thought, what a dumb idea. Well, let me tell you - it’s fun! Hubby also likes his Godfather game. Can’t say I enjoy that too much.

The other time consumer has been NC Wise. Boy oh boy, have the ITF’s in my county spent a ton of time preparing and training the teachers. If you aren’t from North Carolina, NC Wise is an on-line attendance, record keeper, grade book, and endless other programs. It’s going to be great, but you know how teachers don’t like change. So far, the schools I have trained have been positive except for a couple of exceptions. One teacher slammed her mouse down and exclaimed she was more frustrated than I could ever imagine. Another just completed ignored me and talked during the entire training. But, you have to smile and be patient.

I know I only gave 2 excuses reasons for not blogging, but there is one more small reason. Chloe, our 4 month old Great Dane puppy, has been, well a handful. She’s doing very well on her housetraining, but she’s all puppy. She gained 16 pounds in 4 weeks! She was 51 lbs at her last check up on January 4th. We have enrolled her in puppy obedience class at Petsmart. We’re in a class with a 4 lb yorkshire terrier. It is for lack of better words, interesting.

I’m leaving on Wednesday morning to fly to Florida to attend the FETC. I am so excited! I hope that Edublogs will stay up so I can live blog. Everytime I’ve tried that though, Edublogs went down on me. I might have to add it to my wiki first, then upload it to my blog. Stay tuned - I hope to have some great info to share!

Until next time ~ Danita

Flickr