Randy Rodgers
Dwight Goodwin

Remember the Milk:
task organizer. iPhone/iTouch app and webpage. High school student as a tool to organize themselves.

Evernote
Notetaking tool. Webpages, Photos, Type notes, audio notes. Webpage and iTouch/iPhone sync. Also downloadable app for Mac and PC.
WE USE THIS WITH A SINGLE LOG-IN FOR TECH DEPT.

Drop.io
Way to share files with anyone you want via the internet. Web, email, phone, fax and more. Aides in file too large for email attachment

Remobo
Create private network between invided computers. Alternative to Go2MyPC, but free. Remote control, private file sharing, creae a rivate network, run any app.

Mindmeister
Mind mapping tool. Collaborative mind mapping tool.

myWebspiration
same company as Inspiration. Webbased.

Diigo
On-line bookmarking. similar to Delicous. Randy has switch since NECC last year. Can create good by school, dept, etc. Can import Delicous bookmarks. Can also annotate webpages.
I BOUNCE BETWEEN DIIGO. ALSO GREAT FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GROUPS.

MeBeam.com
video conference room. multi-location video conference. cannot share desktop. simply video conference and simple tool. teacher afraid of tech at Birdville enjoy.

Viddler
video hosting site.

Selfcast
Similar to uStream. can create a custom channel. powerful medium.

Mogulus
similar to uStream. multiple camera can be used. a bit more advanced. great for high school use of news broadcast, etc.

Qik
live stream via cell phone.

Now switching to Dwight, Google king.

Google Custom Search Enginge.
Built own custom search engine.
Only searches website you deem as safe.
No ads in the search, for non-profits

Google Doc
Presentation, Spreadsheet, Word Document. Survey.
Survey is like free version of Survey Monkey.
I AM IN THE PROCESS OF IMPORTING ALL MY DOCS TO GOOGLE DOCS. PORTABLE AND SHAREABLE

Google Sites
Wiki. Good for classroom use.

Google Picasa
If making Photo Story, use Photo Story
Uploading photo, this is a great app. Able to tag photo, can make movie. Post to site. Can open of limit who can view.

Google Image Search

Google Knol
Wikipedia by Google. Wikipedia still better resource. Knol still being developed. This good be incentive for students to publish.

Google Video Conferencing
Better quality than previous version of Skype. Has not tried 5.0 version. Less features, but better quality.

Google Texting
Text message from Google account. Send a text from Gmail account to cell phone.

Google News
news archive search. some cost but you can get 1960s NY Times for $3.  Similar to microfish. Can scroll through news paper.

Google Book search
Can put in line from book. Locates the book. If past copyright, you get the entire book.

Back to Randy
posterous
blog by email. publish post automatically. photo, links embedded.
when you get a comment, your email gets a comment

Yammer
Twitter type application. Can create group based upon email addresses. If someone creates account with email address, they automatically become part of group.

Bookglutton
Create a conversation on a book. You can upload your own material if you have an online book.  Some books that are already in school curriculum.

The Broth
Create artwork collaboratively.

Snapily.com
photo site. DID NOT GET TO WRITE DOWN INFO, BUT GREAT CROWD RESPONSE.

Pixelpipe
Instant sharing of images to multiple accounts. Twitter, etc.

Sliderocket
Enhance presenations. Things PPT can not do.

VerbaLearn
–SAT work practices

Forvo
–ability to hear words in the native tongue of language across the globe.

Cloudo
–cloud computing.  vitual desktop. a must if you are tyring to stay ahead of the curve.

Popfly
–programming languages, mash-ups, games

Tikatok
–children book publishing site. can create their own book, illustrations, etc.

Flogram
–presentation combining text, images, PPT, audio,etc

OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION AS ALWYAS. LOTS TO REVIEW AFTER THE CONFERENCE. OR MAYBE ONCE I FINISH MY PRESENATION FOR TOMORROW.

What is “Online Learning”
–uses technology, typically by way of Internet
–some cases, no live teacher

How many Online Students
–Sloan Consortium says 1 million K-12
–4 million college students took at least one on-line course in 2008

MIT, Open Courseware Consortium, started in 2001
Abilene Christian U, iPhones

21st century learning environment blend physical and digital infrastructures to seamlessly support learning.

SCORM
-Sharable Content Object Reference Model
-collection of standards and specifications for web-based e-learning
–Originally developed by US DOD, standard by which most online courses follow

CMS
-Content Management System
Examples include: web hosting company software, WordPress, Joomla

Creating Your Own Website
–insert your course into existing virtual school structure
–can also go your own direction, using your own website

Learning management System
–software for delivering, tracking, and managing training.
–Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle
WE USE EDLINE

Overview of Kilgore’s admin view of Moodle course
–view when students access and their use of site

Exams
–students can log-in and take exams
–can restrict time students can log-in
I AM USING QUIA TO DO THIS SAME TASK WHILE I AM AWAY AT TCEA CONFERENCE
–Can review the time each students took to complete the exam, review if students rushed through exam
–Randomize questions and answer options each time exam is taken

Course Design
-eLearnig Authoring Tool
–Adobe Learnign Suite
–CouseLab
–Joomla
–Lectora

CourseLab
–Russian site; however, good use of English
–Free, but templates limited
–Add-ons, but cost money
–Building questions and resoruces within page

SitePal
–online virtual talking head
–animated with audio

Discover Education
–able to download videos useful to individual courses
ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE QUIZZES DIRECTLY IN DISCOVERY WEBSITE DIRECTLY

Moodle
–entire course contained within CMS
–PowerPoint lecture

Kilgore’s references

Linroy Kilgore, John Paul II Houston

lki

A couple of weeks ago my Kansas Jayhawks traveled to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I was quiet excited for this game since we have not won in Lincoln since 1968. I had good expectations for the game after the past two seasons. Two years ago we came close, only to lose at the end. Last year was the storybook year for KU Football with an Orange Bowl title and a solid beating of Nebraska at home. Because of all of this I made a friendly wager with a friend, Eric Langhorst, who is a Nebraska man.

Well the short of it is that we lost. And to pay up for the wager I am posting a picture from the game and am linking to the Nebraska fight song as well.

Picture via Huskers.com

Fight Song

Enjoy,

Click Here

Now that I am getting settled in the new school year and my new role, I now work half my time with students and half my time with teachers, I am getting back into being active in my blog. While I have be planning a big reintroduction, I decided this weekend that reintroduction was delaying several good ideas. Therefore, it will have to wait. I’ll work on that in the near future because I am sure it is eating at you.

I want to share my thoughts on a conversation in which I participated last toward the end of last week on Twitter. Stephanie Sandifer inquired via Twitter if anyone had done a Wordle Tag Cloud on the nomination acceptance speeches by John McCain and Barack Obama. Following the posting of these clouds several of us noted the differences in those tag clouds. As someone with an interest in politics dating back to elementary school, I am familiar with the close detail that speech writers place in both the words used and the repetition of those words. This conversation then led to a discussion of how these tactics could be used in education.

Political speech writers always kept close watch to the language used by politicians. Since the emergence of the twenty-four hour news cycle and more news channels than news papers the sound bite has become even more conscious. Now, with Youtube and various Social Networking people seem to again pay close attention to all of the words spoken not just the sound bite. If you look at the Tag Clouds of past presidential speeches you can see an interesting, but not surprising, pattern. Little policy words and more rhetorical or general words.

Presidential nomination speeches:
Republicans:
McCain
GW Bush
Dole
Reagan 1980
Eisenhower

Democrats:
Obama
Kerry
Gore
Clinton
Carter
Kennedy

Past speeches

The Twitter conversation I was involved in with Stephanie, Scott Floyd, and others turned to educational uses of this application. We spoke of how students could create a word cloud of their papers or speeches to see the frequency of words. How would this awareness change the way students write? Would it change anything at all?

Some examples of lesson ideas:

Speech class and Oral presentations: Assign a Tag Cloud and require students to write their speeches conscious of the Tag Cloud. Does the tag cloud represent the intended topic? You could assign specific words that should be the largest words in that tag cloud. After listening to the speech have the audience identify those words they believe to be the most frequently used. Following the listing of these five to ten words show the tag cloud and see if the lists match up.

Written Reports: This could be for an English class, a History class, or any course requiring a written paper. Create a tag cloud and see which themes dominate the tag cloud. Similar to the oral presentation, does the tag cloud represent the writers intended purpose. Assign a topic and sub-points and require students to structure the paper so that those sub-points reach that status of being top five in the tag cloud. Additionaly, assess the paper based on how many words of substance populate the top tags in the tag cloud.

Current events: A final idea comes from news articles. Students can search for a news article on a given topic for Science, Social Studies, etc. and create a tag cloud for that article. Analysis of the article can be directed from the tag cloud in addition to or in substitute for the actual article.

We all sould be aware of the words we use when trying to engage and inform an audience. Most people are aware that people have different styles in which they learn. Most of our students are visual learners. By making use of tools such as Wordle, we can visually see what our ears perceive.

Enjoy,

Powerful Learning Practice: Creating Online Communities for Professional Development
Will Richardson and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

Tuesday 2:00 session

As a parent Will says how are my kids being prepared for the world

Why we need to change professional development

Person notes on communication today

Twenty-Fvie days to Make a difference blog
-wanted to do a good deed everyday before Christmas after her grandfather’s passing.
–5th grader
–donating books, clothing, etc to charities
–asked her readers whom to donate the gifts
–Will showed Custr map of viewer ship
–OUTSTANDING

Ustream
–decompressing New Hampshire primary
–Ustreaming, chatting
–person running the show was 13 year old running the show in his basement

Teachers on the same bus as students, but in the back
Realistic goal is to sit next to students, maybe someday sit in the front
Teach student how to use these tools well and properly

Summer Reading–Clay Shirkly Here Come Everybody
Changes will transform groups …everywhere

No doubt that change will continue and not stop
–how do we work with this information and tools

Beyond a unit on-line or information literary
It is Networks
–every connection provides an opportunity to learn

At this point school’s should have as a goal:
students will create personal learning networks in which they can flourish safely and effectively
–if this is not something we can say
–problematic
–do not know how to leverage this network for their benefit

Anyone can blog, tools are available to everyone
–can create wiki, podcast in minutes
–was is hard is what happens after you create
–how do you use this to gain knowledge
–this is how professional development fall short
–THIS SHOULD BE THE MOVEMENT OF PROF DEVELOPMENT
–TOWARD THIS MODEL
–this is where we fall short

Sheryl asking crowd the definition of community

unknown speaker
–any group of people working toward a common goal
@coachnorm said
—community like your house, safe and develop a relationship
—learn from success and failure, both

Sheryl
Def of Community
–soldier sitting in a shack by himself
–connected Sheryl to people around the community
–express different literature for children
–teacher able to use first hand expereinces from people in other countires
–diverse ideology
Wikipedia def

Many approaches and deagogical frameworks for building and sustaining social networks and communities of practice, certain trends and patterns of best practice do exist.
–walled garden
–you know who is in your group

empowering community
–learners who lurk and whom you may not know

Regardless the focus is on interaction
–impacts intrinsic interaction

Emergent Design Model–professional dev model
Conception and Launch
–focus group and needs surveys on design and functionality
–role out and announcement
–assist in helping educators find the community
Emergent design
–community begins to buld shared vision and design
__simple framework of collaborative tools introuced, including profile tools for connection
–multiple options for feedback on design and tools
–sense of trust and development
Engaged
Active
Adaptive Shift

Social communities of practice need to be designed in such a way that they evolve over time.
what develops is co-created and collaborative multiple opportunities for member feedback and owenership
–very import aspect is ownership
–not a top down thing

Team based
PLCs are our best hope for reculturing schools.
Focus on shifting from a culture of teacher isolation to a culture of deep and meaningful collaboration.

Characteristics of a healthy community
–clear purpose
–active and consistent participation
–shared history and culture
–participant to participant collaboration

How do convince faculty of lasting impact on learning community
–draw in lurkers
–quickly grew
–started w/ 40 schools
–now statewide
–others now replicating model
http://abpc.wikispaces.com
–picked up by Business Week

Powerful Learning Practice Delivery Model
Workshops
2 all day workshops that  build capacity, community and develop 21st century skills
–build in celebration time, excitement
Elluminate
–live meetings, webinars
VLC
–deepen understanding, network, share resources and grow as a community of practice
–growth of professional community

PLC Conceptual Framework
1) solid foundation of collaboratively developed and widely shared vision, missio, mvalues and goals that align with the 21st Century learner’s needs.
2) Collaborative teams that work interdependently to achieve common goals
3) a govus on results as evidenced by a committment to continuous improvement
–Will notes this can be done locally and globally
–work within district
–many do not know what the teacher down the hall is doing
Basic experiment design…
Seek out schools willing toinvest some time inexploring the challenge of 21st Century Learning
–find some key leaders to put on the bus
–10 for every 100 learners to help the development
Ask the schools to identify small teams of educators who are ready for this exploration
With the support of the PLP Fellows, begin that exploration together
…with the eventual goal of “scaling up” the exploration

Outcomes
Knowledge:
understanding of the transformative potential of Web 2.0 tool in global perspective
Pedagogy:
understanding of the shifting learning literacies that hte 21st Century demands and how those literacies infomrm teacher practice
Connections:
the development of sustained professional learning networks for team members to being experimenting and sharing w/ other team members an d online colleagues from around the world. (Within school, districts, global)
–create feelilng of coaching/mentoring rather than evaluation
–50% of new teachers have never seen their mentors actually teach
Sustainability:
creation of long term plans to move the vision forward in participating districts at the end of the prgram
Capacity:
an increase in teh abilities and resources of individuals, teams and the community to manage change

Where are You:
Know Nothing
Newbie
explorer
Path Finder
Power Users
Know Everything
–at the beginning one nothing and mostly newbie or explorer
–at end mostly explorer, path finder, power user
–at end on know everything (wow)
–Will laughs

Questions:
How big is too big
–100 to 120 people to make an impact
–can break down in to sub communities
–send them out to larger community
–lose trust and become small town rather than community

Importance of Face to Face
–crucial to building and working these communities to grow

What about parent component?
–need to get parent buy-in
–can be powerful component
–some groups have taken this model and done so

Handouts available on both blogs and NECC site

Yvonne marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere
Google Doc Presentation
Monday Concurrent Session Four

1994 Cisco, IBM Came to Global SchoolNet to create Cyber Fair
Student collaboration and publish on-line project
Peer review of content produced by students
Few programs having student evaluate digital media
–key to learning, students understand the effectiveness of project

Global SchoolNet
-always been about collaborative learning
Message they have been screaming forever
Wisdom of crowds

Online Expedition
–Virtually follow along with explorers

Wikinomics Principles

Openness
–excel in any field
Peering
–create a community with our peers
–No longer is it possible for any individual to learn all they need to survive.
Sharing
–willingness to share
Acting Globally
–phrase has been re

How did this come about:
Technology
–cell phones, even grandparents own these now
–Always connected
–Web 2.0 Tools
Net Generation
–kids who have grown up collaborating
–kids who are texting to others who are not even in the same room
Global Economy

Always connected
–Web, iPod, Tvio, PDA ,GS, Cell phone, Wireless
–first it was nice, now we are annoyed when something is now availble on demand

Net Gen Ethics
Reality is that students are using collaborative tool at home with a lack of education on collaborative skills.
Schools block things because of fear.
SCHOOLS FEEL THAT IF YOU STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND THEN IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AND IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM

World is Flat
If you are not giving your students these skills they are lacking and behind.
Students should participate in a collaborative global environment in every grade level.

Mindmapping Wikinomics
Rottentomatoes
–collaborative site that rates movies

How Will Wikinomics impact Learning?
Flexbooks
–textbooks outdated by publication
–heavy
–students do not use them
–program is open, collaborative
THIS IS WHAT I LIKE
Co-created content
–music programs
–getting information from others with specialize experience
Virtual Field Trips
Global Competitions
–more winners of these competitions from outside the US
–not done enough within the US
–critical thinking trying to evaluate how other schools beat them
Collaborative Tools
–twitter, twitter, twitter
–twitter literacy, start of a book, student find book
Project Registery
–not fun to do a collaborative project alone
–find a group to collaborate with
Photoshow.com
—similar to PrintShop OLD SCHOOL
–multiple photo sharing tools
Social Bookmarking
–Del.icio.us
–Diigo
USE BOTH OF THESE

Blended Learning
Global Exhibitions

My wife also attended this session and probably did a better job at taking notes than I did.
Session also reportedly podcast and should be available.

Eric LeMoine, Beaverton School District
Monday 830 Concurrent Session

What do you think of this website?

DHMO.org

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division

Calls for the ban of water because of its high connection to death

Importance of Information Literacy

-Information literacy Defined

-Ability to identify, locate, evaluate information effectively (including presenting it..)

-Searching and critical thinking skills are vitally important

Ban news

-students lacking information literacy skills, especially w/ regard to technology

ETS reports:

35% of students selected correct revision when asked to narrow an overly broad search

Additional data telling us that students might know technology but they are lacking critical thinking skills in a technological environment to:

define

access

manage

evaluate

create

communicate information

Overviewed the difference between Search Engine v. Search Directory

–MANY PEOPLE IN THE ROOM DID NOT INDICATE THEY KNEW THE DIFFERENCE

Advancce seaches and Boolean searches

Evaluating Websites, consider:

Accuracy (verifiable, sources)

Authority (author, url domain)

Objectivity (goal, bias, advertising)

Currentcy (last updated, links current)

Coverage (viewable, fees, special software required)

Information Literacy Skills, part II

Managing Overabundant Information

-Give Students Clear Project Criteria

-PBL needs check-list

-Using Outline Modes, Inspiration/PowerPoint

BASIC MESSAGE IS THE CONTINUED NEED FOR PRACTICING WEBSITE EVALUATION WITH STUDENTS. CANNOT BLAME PREVIOUS TEACHERS, HAVE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.

URL to Page on NECC Website. From this URL you can locate PPT handout, Two TrackStar website that guide teachers through Information LIteracy process.

http://tiny.cc/LzoFB

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Two weeks ago I began a new series of weekly reviews of podcasts that can be used in education. While I did not do such a great job making the second posting, I am back on track. Last week was the final week of a graduate class, so I trust you will give me a little slack.

Classic Poetry Aloud

Classic Poetry Aloud is an excellent example of how audio can enhance what simply reading cannot. You can subscribe to the podcast by following linking to any of the subscribe buttons on the podcast page. Additionally you can view any podcast going back to May 2007 by following the link of the podcast page to the blog page.

The purpose of the Classic Poetry Aloud Podcast is “to add another dimension to the enjoyment of poetry: listening“. As a teacher that has previously taught English, students often lack the understanding that poets write poems to be read. I have compared it to reading music lyrics; without the inflection of voice it does not mean the same. While textbook publishers have previously released audio CDs of the poems within their texts, this limits the teacher to only those poems within the textbook. Classic Poetry Aloud makes use of any poem beyond the limits of copyright limitations. The poems range a large variety of authors ranging from William Blake to Thomas Wyatt with numerous in between. The poems are organized by themes including the Romantics, War Poems, Love Poems, and Season just to name a few.

The blog site also note a Top Ten list based on listener downloads. Many of these also make my top list.

“If” by Rudyard Kipling

“O Captain! My Captain!” by Walk Whitman

And a few of my personal favorite that did not make the Top Ten

“To a Poet a Thousand Years Hence” by Jame Elroy Flecker

“To the Virgins to make much of Time” by Robert Herrick

If you teach poetry, you should be able to find at least one poem you enjoy and would like to teach. If you enjoy poetry this podcast is in your corner. If you have never appreiciated poetry, give it a try for a week. You might find something new you like. Don’t worry, I won’t tell.

Enjoy your day,

During any election year it is common to hear the importance of making your voice be heard. Many in the educational technology community demonstrated this act last week when an unpopular and outdated policy came to light. The policy in question regarded the auido/video recording of presentaitons. As of last Thursday ISTE’s policy stated that the practice or recording presenations at NECC was prohibited unless the person recording the presentation has express writen consent from both the presentor (reasonable) and ISTE (???).  It is understandable to gain consent from the presentor. Eventhough these presentations are open to any registered atendee of the NECC conference with the goal of reaching large audiences, some people do not like to be recorded. I understand that some people like to control the availability of their presentations. What I do not understand is why ISTE would require consent. One would assume they have already approved the presentation and presentor as they have reviewed the submitted presentation proposal. This issue is not the focus of my writing, as this issue has be modified already.

The focus of my writing is the actions of those members opposed to this policy. I am not sure when this policy first became public, but I became aware of this policy last Thursday when the disucssion became lively by those I follow on Twitter.  With the conference beginning in just over a week, little time remained to follow old school means of addressing this issue. From my understanding this policy is a recycled policy from previous years. This policy was not clearly advertised last year as I recorded several presentations I attended last year in Atlanta. As I previously noted, I am not sure exactly when this policy was made public prior to last Thursday. I submitted a proposal at the beginning of the school year, my proposal was rejected but that is a topic for another post, and I do not recall any literature on this issue at that time. From the reaction of those on Twitter it seemed as if ISTE had only recently published this policy.

As a teacher one of my responsiblities is to teach my students to made use of all proper channels available to them. The limited time available prior to the start of the NECC conference stressed an immediacy to those opposed to this policy. As a result, many leaders in educational blogging began to publish postings clearly identifying their opposition to this policy. Example of these are here, here, here, here, here, and here. The previous is just a sample of the blog posting I read within hours of the orginial conversation on Twitter. In additional to the posting many of these bloggers addressed the proper chain of command and made good use of their ISTE memberships and emailed the decision makers within ISTE. I agree with the positions of these and other educational bloggers and intended on send an email and post the email to this blog on Friday. By the time I returned to my laptop and concluding a wrestling camp I was pleasently surprised to find out that ISTE had addressed the issue. As a result of the grassroots efforts, to rehash another election season phrase, ISTE changed the outdated policy.

To me, this is a great example of members of an organization who oppose the decisions of the groups leaders having a meaningful conversation. I am aware that some people do not full agree with the quick reaction of many of these bloggers, but to me this was a proper response. I do not agree with the claim that the changed policy was outdated and overlooked. I feel that it is the responsibility of both the leadership and the members of a group of bring awareness to policies that have expired their need. This incident reminds me of a website that my college roommates and I would use for entertainment. Dumblaws.com is a website that lists laws, according to this website, are still on the books in the indicated states. While some of these laws have lost their neccessity, others are simply ignorant and harmful to our progress. It is our responsiblity to bring awareness to our leaders when these policies exist in a time when they should no longer.

Enjoy your day,