EdTech Avenue

Cool Tools!

http://garrisonsites.blogspot.com/

BLOG ON! SOCIAL NETWORKING IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM - Jay Monson

http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/073

Classroom Blogging - BlogMeister: Write On!  (Michael’s also used BlogMeister)

Commoncraft.com – Blogs, Wikis, Social Networking in Plain English (nice place to explain it all-especially to adults)

CLASSROOM BLOG

Student Requirements

-Used daily or multiple times a week w/students

-Usual writing process (pre-write, rough draft, edit, rewrite, publish)

-Writing sent to teacher for approval – same amount of time as paper/pencil

Starting out: Obtain teacher code from David Warlick to set up blog, Initial set-up time of 1/2 hr – can spend MUCH more time to set it up

CLASSROOM WIKI

Uses wikispaces.com /   http://monsonclassroom.wikispaces.com

Student Requirements

-Used monthly or more with students

-Use paper/pencil writing process

-Works w/6+1 Traits 

Teacher Requirements

Create an account; 30 minutes to set up; 15 minutes commitment to check weekly

Select responsible, tech savvy student to help!

Out Classroom Wiki monsonclassroom.wikispaces.com

-Different questions for world-wide audience

Our Classroom Bookmarks

Uses Delicious.com/monsonclassroom

Out Classroom Bookmarks: Jay Monson’s Bookmarks

Our Classroom Photos – http://flickr.com/photos/monsonclassroom

District policy: opt-out policy?

Uses iPhone to take classroom photos of working kids – uses it to wrap up a unit and use as a review     No identifiers other than the year, upload smallest size possible, lock down photos from being downloaded

Podcasting

*Weekly phenology observations w/John Latimer from KAXE radio

*Audio versions of kids’ writing

*Other audio-based learning opportunities from around the world

*Google Calendars-uses it for scope & sequence

*Library Thing.com  (online library of books they’re reading)

*Voice Thread

Flashy stuff and meaningful stuff out there

Obstacles

*CIPA Internet Filter

*Knowledge and Tech support

*Tech staff

*Computer access

Negatives of Social Networking: inappropriate use (give ownership and raises level of responsibility), inappropriate postings

Positives: global awareness, tech bluence, just a browser, increased appropriate use of social networking tools, mostly free!

Collaborates well w/ISTE NETS

Future of Social Networking

-Need to be able to communicate their creativity ideas & slutions

-Need to use it?

-Use it with or without us?!

Web 2.0 & Widgets http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/053

Ann Nicholson – Cedar Rapids, IA 

Blog Tools:  BlogMeister, Blogger, more

Wiki Tools: WetPaint, PBWiki, WikiSpaces

Social Networking & Tagging: Delicious, Diigo, Wordle

Presentations and Picture Sharing: Flidkr (Yahoo), Picasa Web (Google), Slideshare (upload PowerPoint, etc), VoiceThread, myPlick (search for Letter C!)

Collaborative Documents: Google Docs, Zoho-chat, Windows Live

Writeboard, My Webspiration-Inspiration online (Beta), Skrbl, Skype, Animoto - http://education.animoto.com/

Google Form – survey that goes right into Google spreadsheet

Use blog/wiki to pull together separate blog/wiki/collaboration tools!

Widgets: small html code – can imbed into Blog/Wiki, etc

Embedding Widgets: look for html code in Web2.0 tools that can be embedded 

ProProfs – create quizzes

Flickr-can annotate on top of photos

ThinkQuest   http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/030

Presenters from R-AV-E: Tony - Technology teacher@? STEM school , admins 120 students or so; Michelle – 5th gr teacher @ Diamond Path; admins 25 her own students

www.thinkquest.org sponsored by Oracle

Think.com and ThinkQuest are together – 2-3 days to register

-Need to demonstrate that you are an accredited school

Think.com levels – Administrator / Classroom teachers / students

It generates a uname/password handout to give kids directly

Can lock it down so outsiders can’t get in 

Can put in vacation settings – login warning is no one logsin over 14 days

Has a “Review content” function which will delete from the student’s page if you as Admin delete their content – requires student to review a quiz before getting into 

*An intro to appropriate way to use a social-networking site

Students are very careful about what they post-do NOT want to lose access

Sections on cyberbullying, netiquette, safety, etc

Students create their own page for just themselves

All other pages are academic!

Can upload files, multi-media, pictures, write text, IM-Admin&teachers can see EVERYTHING! Can delete, flag, etc.

Easy to upload photos – can add a question for a poll, can make a list a websites, can create a K/W/L chart, can create a project w/pages

I arrived this evening in San Antonio with my family.  We didn’t get in and settled at our hotel until about 6:00, so I just went to check in at registration and that was it.  I look forward to reading about the keynote but decided to have a quiet evening instead of braving the lines at the reception.  After all, with this being the first time we’ve taken our four-month-old on a trip, I thought maybe having him get to bed at a decent hour would be a good start to the week.

I’m looking forward to a busy, possibly overwhelming conference day tomorrow.  I am going to try to make it to an 8:30 session.  Right now I’m debating between Wonderful World of Wikis, Quick and Easy Computer Activities for Kids, or Everyone Needs a Little T.L.C.  I think I’ll decide in the morning.  I’m too tired to look them up now.  I have two choices for the 11:00 session: Moovin to Moodle or Web Site Investigator.  Then I have to choose between three sessions for the 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 sessions, if I last that long!  I’m leaning towards attending Using Blogs, Podcasts and Other Tools in the ESL/EFL Class at 2:00, and Energize Your Classroom with Google Tools at 3:30.

Network with other tech coordinators from small schools in the group I created on the NECC 2008 Ning network.  I’m trying something new – you should too!

This year’s NECC will be slightly different for me as I get back into the groove of work. I’ll also be bringing my family with me for the first time, including our new little one. It’s been a few days of getting packed up, but I feel like we’re just about ready! We will not be arriving until Sunday so we can attend a friend’s wedding tomorrow, so I’ll miss EduBloggerCon once again. Maybe next year…

I’ll be live-blogging my sessions as I did last year and will try to get my tentative schedule posted before the sessions start on Monday.

I also joined the online NECC 2008 community and created a group called “Small School Tech Coordinators” in hopes that I can network with others in our similar situation of low enrollment and tiny budgets.

View my page on NECC 2008I do feel a bit more connected this year after having a full year of blogging and reading blogs under my belt. I started my blog in February of 2007. I haven’t posted nearly as often as I want; I always say I’ll try to do better, and I will keep trying. I have found that I probably need to have a posting-day and or time to get used to posting on a regular basis. I frequently start with my RSS feeds in Google Reader and end up not posting myself because I either run out of time or figure someone else has already covered it. I have to just get over that.

Stay posted here for posts and photos from NECC 2008! I will likely also be using Twitter – I’ve had an account and followed others for a while but haven’t sent Tweets myself!

My laptop battery ran out during the session, so I waited to post until I had transcribed all my notes. 

There were no presenter resources for this session, but as I was waiting for the session to start, Jessica Pater approached me from the Georgia Tech Research Institute.  This program publishes grant and funding resources once a month (?) at http://http://www.f3program.org.  You can contact her at Jessica.Pater@gtri.gatech.edu for more information.

My notes on the session follow:

Keys to Great Grants

• Integrated program elements
• Aligned components (what’s going on in your district, city, state? how will the funding support this?)
• High quality and continuous improvement, professional development, evaluation
• Tied to high standards
• Innovation
• Coordination of resources
• Program ties to local needs
• Buy-in

Volunteer to be a grant reader to see what happens on the other side of the door.

People who have money are looking for strategic people to give it to.  How can I showcase my work in a different way than others?

We often think about buying “stuff” but funders need to see demonstration of that stuff being supported by professional development and continuous improvement after the funding is complete.

You only have to earn the last grant, not be the first and best.

Evaluation process is key – no one will give money if there is no proof of it making a difference.  Evaluate EVERY component, not just pieces.  For every piece that is left out, your place on the list will drop.

You’re not going to get a grant to do what you’re already supposed to be doing.  It must be an innovative program.  This might be slightly different in private schools where funding is not necessarily supported by the operating budget as it is in public schools.

Motivate funders with programs they will want to talk about and promote, something they will be proud to fund.  Remind them of the tax write-off.

Community data such as a survey of computers and internet in homes will give sample information for the digital divide in your community.  Library usage patterns are also helpful.  These will show how the proposal can contribute to the economic stability of the community.

Questions Reviewers Ask When Reviewing Proposals

1. Does the proposal tie into the school’s overall plan?
   –team effort, support within the school
2. How will technology be used?
   –team’s vision for how technology will be USED to improve student learning
3. Will the proposal impact student learning?
   –team’s plan to improve student learning BEYOND THE NORM
4. How will desired outcomes be developed?
   –describe SPECIFIC indicators, how curriculum development might change; must be measurable and tied to standards
5. Does this initiative have the potential to be replicated or ourtreached to a larger community?
   –be prepared with a way to do this!
   –how it might have a more far-reaching impact
6. Does the proposal tap creativity in tapping other resources already available in the community?
   –library, women’s shelter, tutoring program
   –must be INNOVATIVE
7. Is the budget clearly defined?
   –make a case why private funding should be used
   –funders will not support what should be already supported by the school, district, state or federal government
8. Who will benefit from this initiative?
   –be very clear about this
   –it’s ALWAYS about the kids!
9. How well does this proposal replicate what the grant funder is looking for?
   –how well do you know the funder, know the corporation/organization funding the grant?  learn about them and their goals and make it work to your benefit; make it personal
10. How committed are you?
    –they want to see your passion in this proposal
    –they want to be your PARTNER

A Grantwriter Should Be A:

• Gambler: taking chances that what you produce will hit a jackpot somewhere
• Masochist: resubmitting proposals after being rejected over and over again
• Diplomat: standing by quietly supportive, encouraging the grant team to “re-think” and “re-work” the proposal over and over again
• Squirrel: savign every article about grants and every scrap of paper on which notes are written just in case they might be useful someday
• Inventor: always seeking news ways to solve the age-old problem of fundraising
• Rhinoceros: be tough so rejections “bounce off your hide”
• Magician: crafting a proposal that appears to meet EVERY requirement of the RFP and just what the funder asks for
• Butcher: always cutting the proposal making it more and more concise and to the point; give a copy to someone unrelated to your work to get an objective viewpoint – can they understand what you want?
• Financial Wizard: stretching every dollar, doing more with less and garnering matching funds from every imaginable source
• Night Owl: requiring little sleep to work non-stop to meet numerous deadlines – NEVER miss one!  Pad your schedule by 2 weeks to avoid missing deadlines.
• Party Animal: always prepared to celebrate receiving a grant

**Do NOT change formatting to fit your needs – failure to comply with formatting and other requirements put forth by the grantee could disqualify your proposal.

**Don’t even START before being able to draw a line between what you’re doing and what students will be able to do.

Persistence pays off!

Share websites not already on www.cpsb.org/scripts/abshire/grants.asp

www.schoolgrants.org
–Bring Home the Bacon listserve ($30)
–Index of Sample Proposals

www.quinlan.com

www.eschoolnews.org/erc/funding

Session Resources: Mia Murphy presentation

Problem: How to assess

Sylvia Martinez – Generation YES
Looking for authentic assessment of kids being center of technology called “Tech YES.” Assessment is always the tail that wags the dog. Student guides the process (peer assessment), they use criteria that matches the ISTE NETS standards. Talks about sharing, writing, creativity and project-based collaboration skills. Students should be using real technology for a real purpose – personally meaningful. Authentic assessment is hard, takes time and teacher focus. Working in a number of states. There is only one way to perform assessment. Each school and grade may be different.

“The test means it’s over.” Technology literacy should open the doors, not indicate you are done.

Mia Murphy – NC Dept. of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention
Mia Murphy presentation

Kate Kemker – Florida Dept. of Education
Built their own Florida assessment – outsourse with separate company. Years ago created inventory for teachers with performance-based assessment. Skills performed are scored as the test progresses. Worked with researchers to get standards. Broke into six sections similar to NETS, came up with performance indicators to track proficiency in those areas. Survey to make sure others agreed on the important issues. Pilot allowed for feedback from various teachers with different researchers (design and focus groups). Also involved the teacher’s union. Implemented, aligned with their professional development plans. Teachers could do the assessment at their leisure, taking different sections at different times if they wanted. Then teachers can take their results into building their professional development.

Student Tool for Technology Literacy then developed that mirrored the same process using NETS. Framework has five sections: essential operational skills, missed, missed, independent learning, independent ethical issues.

Discussion is Open

How do we know we’ve reached the point where students are technologically literacy?

Why is it important that we do this?

The process needs to start with professional development.

If we don’t get students on board with what we are doing with technology, in appropriate and instructive ways, we won’t move forward. Some teachers may need to follow after students.

Florida Digital Educator Program teaches teachers how to perform tasks we want them to use in their classrooms – not just Word, PowerPoint, etc. Two-day program is more inclusive and means more to teachers when they return to their classrooms. Everyone needs to be using same vocabulary and have the same access.

NC has a state-wide assessment for 8th graders.

Silly to assess the proficiency instead of the literacy, and if we assess the tools we are also missing the point.

Why are we assessing something that is not being funded?

We have to first define what exactly we want the outcomes to be — media literacy? technology literacy? information literacy? What are these?

Kids have the technology proficiency, we need to take them further.

Drilling is not the only way to teach low-performance students.

We start with assessment and it drives classroom practice.

NCLB has very little about technology literacy. ETAN (EdTech Action Network) is here at the conference – get involved – we can change the direction with our voices.

Technology can not be the barrier to students achieving.

Are there technology literacies for lower than 8th grade? NC is moving it back from 8th grade progressively.

Could digital portfolios be used for assessment?

Some states mandate the same assessment and testing in every school, but others do not and leave it more open-ended.

Let the discussion continue…

Resources: The Landmark Project
Handouts http://handouts.davidwarlick.com
David’s SL Office http://landmark-project.com/sl

My notes from the session follow:

Introduction to David’s Avatar.

Password for David’s Wiki is “teacher” – feel free to add to and edit handouts.  In Second Life, go to David’s office for resources.

MySpace is “so 2006″ – we’re going to talk about Second Life.  SL has almost 7.5 million residents, over $1.6m in transactions a day.

First Radio Shack computer changed the way he looked at things.  Couldn’t believe the computer was talking to him – and he could talk back!  He taught himself how to write programs, started with a stock market simulation for students to make decisions on buying and selling stocks.

Digg is online newsletter collaborations between readers – we are the editors!  Articles are recommended – more recommendations moves articles higher in the list.

We drive the information landscape.

What is 21st Century Learning?  David puts four pictures on the screen, asks audience if anyone knows all of them.  Take 2 minutes then, and talk with your neighbors, share the information you have.  Marie Curie, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Margaret Reed. 

How many learned one by sharing with your neighbors?  LOTS!
How many learned the wrong one?  Some.

Wikipedia had to block IP addresses of computers from Capital Hill because candidates were manipulating their opponent’s listings!  How is Wikipedia different from print media – is print media ALWAYS right?  Wiki has warnings when information seems to be inaccurate in some way.  Who is more interested in us getting access to the most accurate information?

We were taught to assume authority.  We need to teach kids now to PROVE the authority.  Literacy skill to show appropriateness and accuracy of information.

Find it – in a digital networked landscape
Decode it – regardless of the format
Evaluate it – to determine its value
Organize it – into personal digital libraries

Demostration of RSS aggregator (NewsFire) – FIND IT

Reading is not just reading anymore – it is exposing the information.

Math in SL – source of weather data.  Everything there is based on numbers, to create weather patterns that describe and express what those number say.  It’s about employing information, not just reciting or memorizing mathmatical equations.  We use numbers in audio editing, photo editing, etc., to solve problems.

Writing – example is decisions in a grocery store, too much information.  How do I develop a message that will compete for the attention of my audience?  Expressing compellingly with: text, images, sounds, animation and video.  Example from Beacon School – teacher assigned students to create a movie trailer for the book Othello.  She didn’t say anything about a grade – she gave students a problem – create a product that will get next year’s students excited about reading Othello.  Students had a real purpose to create a real product to solve a real problem.

Anatomy of The Long Tail – Rhapsody, Amazon.com, Netflix.  Discovered by blogger Chris Anderson.  Although sales at these sites for hits was high, less-lucrative products don’t sell as many but are there.  This has allowed for more sales for media that may not have survived in offline stores.  Lulu.com – you can publish your own work and sell it!  Create cover art, web page that becomes storefront, and it’s for sale!

The nature of information is changing:
Reading > Exposing
Arithmetic > Employing
Writing > Expressing

Spam costs the world $50 billion in 2005 (U.S. $19b), expected to double by the end of 2007.  According to the Copenhagen Consensus, we could bring HIV/AIDS under control for less than $35 billion.  This is what we’re sacrificing.

Ethics
Seek truth and express it
To minimize harm
To be accountable
To respect and protect information infrastructure

Who is responsible?  Students need to be made responsible for their own work and actions.

Stop integrating technology!  Integrate Literacy!  What are the basic skills to prepare our students for THEIR information landscape?  Technology will come along when we teach these skills and tools.

What do we know about the Workplace of the Future?  We cannot clearly describe the future for which we are preparing our students.  Two things we know:

1. We are preparing our children for an unpredictable future.  Need to teach our kids how to teach themselves.
2. Nature of information has changed.  Contemporary Literacy – today’s literacy and information skills.

These ideas converge at Learning Literacy.  Kids will be learning for the rest of their lives.  We need to give them the right tools to do that.  Kids learn because they are connected – they know how to find the people who can help them learn to do what the want to do.  These kids are part of a community of people who can help each other accomplish their goals – the true digital divide is the chasm between these people and those who are alone.  Kids carry conversations with them beyond the walls – they don’t “say goodbye” when they leave for college, etc.  We disconnect them when they enter our classrooms.

A Master Facilitator: teacher Bill Edwards was David’s industrial arts teacher who taught by having students build things.  Students developed their skills while building something that would be valuable to them instead of practicing skills like driving nails, etc.  Today it makes just as much sense to use the same process – help students be participants in today’s information landscape.  Pay attention to your world, to your kids, and to the information landscape.  Kids have an incredible experience to share.

Blog created one day after London bombings – WereNotAfraid.com.  Photos posted by many people all over the world.

When has it been more important to be thinking and retooling our classrooms and environments?

Will Richardson (the Tools)
What are the types of literacy and skills students need as they are leaving schools today
Educators need to understand that in many cases we are using technology but the pedagogies have not yet changed.  We have taken only the first step.  Now we need to develop new pedagogies to prepare our students.

(Staff Development)
The kids are different, but we’re not.  It’s about respecting your audience, which brings Web 2.0 tools into play – respect for ourselves and others for the information we have and can share.  People are constantly inventing new ways to facilitate our learning.  Right now it’s blogs and wikis, but that will change.

Lynne Schrum (Research and Pre-Service Teachers)
Technology is great, but does it increase student learning?  We need to be able to document learning with technology.  If we as teachers believe something is good for our students, we will do it.  We need collaboration.

Gwen Solomon
We need models.  There are some wonderful teachers out there using technology effectively, but not a lot of them.  We need viral marketing.

Tim Magner (Starting the Conversation)
New initiative for starting the conversation about Web 2.0.  Opportunity and Challenge lie in what is unknown and not yet talked about.  There’s no big picture of what this could look like.  Learning Ecosystem/School 2.0 image.  Communication and connection between schools and their communities.  We need to articulate our needs to empower our education system.  It’s a community conversation – not just for the school.  This image is a catalyst for a conversation with hopes of leading to systemic planning and implementation, will need to edit and change and transform as the information changes.  Image is available at school2.0.org, and more tools will be available as well.

Send your stories and experiences to Gwen_and_lynne_book2@yahoo.com.

Conversation is open.

Teachers are looking for ways to expose students to these powerful tools in a safe environment.  One looking for a MySpace-type space for students under 13 to share and collaborate on a smaller and safer scale.

David Jakes comments that where it will begin is in professional networks and for professional development for teachers.  Informal learning takes place, and this will create authentic experiences for teachers, will in-turn give teachers ability to teach the tools.

My wireless keeps going in and out, so unfortunately I’ve missed getting a lot of the conversation typed out. 

Scriptovia.com by students at University of Washington to share study guides, notes, etc.

Parent wants to put more pressure on teachers to get information online about their courses instead of that pressure coming from administration.  Parent group has created a site called www.thegroupery.com.  Another parent concurs that she wants more teachers to communicate electronically – this needs to start with pre-service teachers.

Resource for professional development: Library 2.0 (Google it) has self-paced experience for librarians on Web 2.0 skills.

Community Walk – mapping tool being used for Geography and History, tour of Ellis Island, personal work for students.

Downer’s Grove using digital storytelling (David Jakes).  Digital Diplomacy Project – you have 2 minutes to tell us what it means to be an American.

Spanish tool called eboca (?) for assessment

I think Edutopia.org recorded this session?

Sorry for the sketchiness of this post – it was a little tougher to take notes while following this very quick-moving discussion!