High Techpectations

Breakthrough Learning @Google: Day 1 Video

Get a taste of the Breakthrough Learning education summit that was held at Google at the end of October. I had the great privilege of attending this historic event and I'm glad to see that the ideas discussed are shared this way with the general public. As a friend noted afterwards, this stuff needs to go viral in the way TEDTalks have.

I've been involved peripherally with Google's education efforts since 2006 as a blogger for the Infinite Thinking Machine and as a Google Certified Teacher. It's been exciting to watch their education initiatives develop, and this event was significant as it indicates that Google plans to continue its role in conversations about education at a national level. The fact that both CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin addressed this audience was not lost on me, and I can't wait to see what develops as a result of this two day convening of people influential in the world of education.

I love education conferences in general, and could soak up the ideas of others forever, so I enjoyed 99% of the speakers at Breakthrough Learning. I was particularly struck by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who apparently really knows education through his involvement with the California State Board of Education and KIPP. He's clearly a brilliant guy who understands that there aren't quick fixes to our nation's educational woes. I also loved NYC principal Jason Levy's story of turning around his school with computers and Google Apps. As one of the few practitioners represented in the speaker line up, his presentation was truly compelling.

Here's the official Google video from day 1. More to come!

 

Also, check out Esther Wojcicki and Jason Levy in these videos:

 

Educate the Fear Out of Them

Thank you, Cheri Toledo, for this phrase.

In Google Wave, several educators have been discussing the fact that all the great tools and learning environments that we regularly explore are blocked in many districts.

This blog post by Ewan McIntosh also has me thinking:

http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2009/10/why-backward-socialnetworkbanning-education-authorities-are-wrong.html

I think we need a significant repository of schools where Web 2.0 technologies are welcomed and used in a safe and thoughtful manner. These stories would serve to educate the districts out there who are grappling with implementation and safety issues.

I was part of a team that created such a space last summer as part of an Apple Distinguished Educator project last summer. This online network was created for the purpose cited above, but I also think that we need a simple directory of schools as well. So I am also creating a Google doc form for this purpose: http://tinyurl.com/web20inK12institutions

Please fill out this form or pass it on to someone who might want to share their information. All fields are optional. To see the results, visit http://tinyurl.com/web20inK12institutionsresults. 

It's time to embrace innovation and networked learning, people!

 

Friday 5: Cool Sites

For the past month, I've been babbling about interesting web sites for kids and teachers at Vocalo.org (http://vocalo.org/), Chicago's first user-generated content radio station. It's an initiative of our local NPR affiliate and it broadcasts on the internet and at 89.5 if you're in the Chicago/Northern Indiana area. The station is a really interesting concept and I think a sign of the ways things will go with radio. Anyway, I thought I'd share 5 of my favorites from this series with you today. Enjoy! 1) Eduweb's Portfolio http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/portfolio.php Interactive games for kids 2) Sumo Paint http://www.sumopaint.com/home/ A free online image editing tool 3) WildEarth.tv http://www.wildearth.tv/home Great webcam tours of a wildlife reserve in South Africa 4) The National Day of Writing http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting Starting in October, you can contribute to your own gallery of writing! This is a great initiative to focus on all kinds of writing. 5) Interactive Exhibits from the Library of Congress http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/Pages/default.aspx Explore primary source materials and much more at this very cool and creative site.

Another Good Quote

This comes from research cited in Future Lab's Opening Education: Towards New Learning Networks. 

"If academic standards are to be raised in a sustainable way, and broader educational aspirations achieved, then educationists will have to see their role in creating social capital rather than just improving classroom practice."

George Otero and John West-Burnham

Educational Leadership and Social Capital

Futurelab - Resources - Publications, reports & articles - Opening Education reports - 2020 and beyond

Futurelab - Resources - Publications, reports & articles - Opening Education reports - 2020 and beyond.

I'm going through several FutureLab reports for a project at work, and I found a quote worth sharing in this document:

Why, then, should educators consider some of the current predictions of developments in digital technologies?

If educators are to shape the future of education) and not have it shaped for them by external technical developments) it is crucial that we engaged with developments in digital technologies at the earliest stages. We need to understand how best we might harness these changes. Without this early engagement we risk, as always being the Cinderella sector of the technology world - constantly receiving the hand-me-downs from the business, defence and leisure industries and then trying to repurpose them for educational goals. Withouth this early engagement, we also risk designing educational practies and approaches that will be rendered obsolte and anachronistic in the context of new human-technology capabilities."

Well put!

Midwest Tech Forum 2009 Handout

Check out the handout for my portion of the Web 2.0 panel at Tech Forum Midwest tomorrow! This is intended to be a short overview of Web 2.0 and its implications for education. I've also included some web sites and readings for further exploration. Lucy Gray • Tech Forum - Midwest 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu web2.0 tech

Lucy's List: March Update to Interesting Twitterers to Follow

I published a list awhile ago of recommended people to follow if you are just getting started with Twitter. I'm appending that list in this post and my suggestions reflect a wide variety of Twitterers, not just people involved in the field of education. I find it fascinating the many ways people have chosen to use this tool.

Have fun exploring and feel free to list any other recommendations in the comments section of this blog! I've posted these suggestions in no particular order.

http://twitter.com/pbslearningnow

http://twitter.com/garystager

http://twitter.com/cogdog

http://twitter.com/cnansen

http://twitter.com/AngelaMaiers

http://twitter.com/paulawhite

http://twitter.com/presentationzen

http://twitter.com/KathySierra

http://twitter.com/johndavitt

http://twitter.com/OERCommons

http://twitter.com/cshirky

http://twitter.com/digidirections

http://twitter.com/mwesch

http://twitter.com/ISTEGlobal

http://twitter.com/tackychristmas

http://twitter.com/CelebSightings

http://twitter.com/WildEarth

http://twitter.com/Twitter_Tips

http://twitter.com/nytimestravel

http://twitter.com/mmuir

http://twitter.com/iPhone_alerts

http://twitter.com/newmediac

http://twitter.com/tedtalks

http://twitter.com/NOW_on_PBS

http://twitter.com/pbsengage

http://twitter.com/librarycongress

http://twitter.com/google

http://twitter.com/googlereader

http://twitter.com/cchausis

http://twitter.com/SJQOTD 

http://twitter.com/TheOnion

http://twitter.com/teach42

http://twitter.com/newmediajim

http://twitter.com/acarvin

http://twitter.com/zephoria

http://twitter.com/kanter

http://twitter.com/ewanmcintosh

http://twitter.com/shareski

http://twitter.com/SantaClaus

http://twitter.com/Techmeme

http://twitter.com/Riptide_Furse

http://twitter.com/mashable

http://twitter.com/jonnygoldstein

http://twitter.com/willrich45

http://twitter.com/edtechtalk

http://twitter.com/fastcompany

http://twitter.com/coolcatteacher

http://twitter.com/Pistachio

http://twitter.com/mscofino

http://twitter.com/UstreamTV

http://twitter.com/mediasnackers

http://twitter.com/TwitterLit

http://twitter.com/MacLife

http://twitter.com/TwitterMeThis

http://twitter.com/kathyschrock

http://twitter.com/langwitches

http://twitter.com/edubloggercon

http://twitter.com/smartinez

http://twitter.com/BeckettsDad

http://twitter.com/Lifehacker

http://twitter.com/ekornblut

http://twitter.com/QueenofSpain

http://twitter.com/digitalteacher

http://twitter.com/Westleyf

http://twitter.com/guykawasaki

http://twitter.com/KidderLit

http://twitter.com/torres21

http://twitter.com/joebjr

http://twitter.com/senatorgrant

http://twitter.com/vbek

http://twitter.com/alexanderrusso

Cover It Live: Quest Atlantis Training

Your Personal Daring Dozen ?

   

The Daring Dozen 2008: Our Heroes | Edutopia

•    

  tags: globaleducation, educators, innovators

  
  

Just a quick post today (I'm using the bookmarking service Diigo to bookmark and annotate this link simultaneously) to point out Edutopia's 2008 edition of its annual Daring Dozen list. It reminds me of a friend currently reading Rafe Esquith's Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, who recently announced to me that this particular book makes her want to be a better person. This list sparks the same inspiration in me; it makes me want to be an innovative thinker and activist. I particularly like the interviews at the bottom of each profile in which the dozen discuss their own sources of inspiration, uses of technology and advice for others.

If you could make your own Daring Dozen list, who would make your cut? Who are others out there that we all should know about?

Cross-posted at the Infinite Thinking Machine and  High Techpectations

A Call to Action

I normally am very into TED (Technology Entertainment and Design), an annual invite-only conference that takes places in Monterey, California. I was so busy a few weeks ago when the conference took place that I vaguely noticed that Dave Eggers was one recipient of the TED prize this year. Previous winners include Bono and Bill Clinton, and basically they are honored by having a world-improving wish granted. It's idealism at its highest. Check out Dave's TEDTalk below; besides the prize winners, various presenters do 20 minute presos on their life's work throughout the conference. I would love to be a fly on the wall there!

   

 

Via Twitter last night, a friend pointed out one outcome of Eggers' wish: Once Upon A School. This web site is a repository for people's ideas for getting involved in public schools. I love this idea and think the structure of the initiative itself and the examples lend themselves to a brilliant simplicity.  It makes me think that all will be well in this world when I see people leading efforts to make real change happen. It's not easy to pull off something like this on a large scale, so kudos to Eggers and company doing so. I'm very excited to see what comes out of this, and around midnight last night I immediately emailed info to friends and colleagues! I was so jazzed I couldn't sleep!

 

If you haven't read Eggers' first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, you must. He has a great style to his writing, and what struck me about the book was his descriptions of the town where we both grew up.  Although we went to the same high school (he may have entered after I graduated), I did not know him, although his sister was in my Latin class. I thought I was the only person that felt a certain way about our conservative town, and it was a relief to read his articulate words that echoed my thoughts. I must re-read that book! Anyway, I'm very happy for Eggers and glad that he's enjoying so much success in such a meaningful way.

Here are a few other things to check out related to his TED Prize work:

TED Prize >> Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers' Wish Blog

Dave Eggers' Wish Discussion

826 Valencia National Seminar - learn more about the writing tutoring center started by Eggers

 

So what are YOU going to do to change the world? Pass this info on at least!

 

Women of Web 2.0 Show 58 | EdTechTalk

Link: Women of Web 2.0 Show 58 | EdTechTalk.

Check out this week's web cast featuring my boss, Nichole Pinkard!

Social Entrepreneurship

I've been traveling like a madwoman to various conferences and speaking engagements. I could write a book on what I am learning, but for the sake of brevity, I'd like to post on the idea of social entrepreneurship. The keynote of the NCTI conference last Wednesday was Jim Fruchterman, a literal rocket scientist, who's decided to do good in Silicon by founding a company called Benetech. He clearly was a brilliant fellow and I was impressed with his Bookshare initiative, which digitizes books for the learning, hearing, and visually impaired. His efforts extend to helping human rights causes via technology, too.  I think his organization is well worth following.

Secondly, on the plane ride home, I met a young woman who works for TOMS, a company that makes cute espadrille-type shoes to benefit shoeless people in other areas of the world. The head of her company is now in South Africa, doing a shoe drop for people in need. Krissy also told me about two other organizations that she's involved with in which they sell merchandise to raise money: Invisible Children and To Write Love on Her Arms. Combined with the purchase of a laptop for my daughter via OLPC, thinking about the sense of energy and hope these groups bring to the global table makes me hopeful for our planet! I'm glad idealism still exists. Anyone know of similar groups that they want to share?

NCTI: National Center for Technology Innovation: Annual Technology Innovators Conference

Here's the PDF for my portion of our panel discussion today. For info, on this conference, check out their web site. Hopefully, I'll be blogging about today's events as well!

Download NCTI.pdf

Fast Company Blog Post on Education & Technology

Education: Technology -- Academic Godsend or Demon?  Annotated

 

"At age 55, Professor Nazemi stands on the far shore of a new sort of generational divide between teacher and student. This one separates those who want to use technology to grow smarter from those who want to use it to get dumber."

   
• I follow Fast Company's Twitter feed, and tonight I followed a link to a blog post entitled Education: Technology -- Academic Godsend or Demon which gives a good, brief description of the dilemma faced by most ed tech professionals: What makes the use of technology compelling? Why engage in something that can be done just as well in a low tech way? I think I'll refer to this post in my preso next weekend in Palm Springs. I particularly like this quote, "At age 55, Professor Nazemi stands on the far shore of a new sort of
      generational divide between teacher and student. This one separates
      those who want to use technology to grow smarter from those who want to
      use it to get dumber."
     
      Incidentally, I highlighted this quote and wrote annotations to myself using Diigo. I am now posting these annotations directly to my blog! I think I am going to like this tool.
      - post by elemenous

Another Hit: Google Docs in Plain English

Friday 5: Ning

Hey Everyone -

A year or two ago, during the early stages of my foray into Web 2.0 applications,  I was introduced to a web site that I really didn't quite get called Ning. My vague recollection of the original Ning was that one could create various items to share with others such as a list of books. I recall exploring it a bit, not finding it particularly user friendly or compelling, and setting it aside for other Web 2.0 tools.

Fellow ITM blogger Steve Hargadon revived my interest in Ning last spring. Using Ning, he created two online communities that I joined, and I found that this social networking tool had completely changed since my initial exploration. In a nutshell, anyone can create a customized space online, make it public or private, and invite others to participate via threaded discussions, the sharing of multimedia, and posting of blog entries. Ning communities can be further embellished with all sorts of web widgets that are available from third party developers as well.

I am fascinated by how quickly Steve's Classroom 2.0 Ning caught on. Since March 2007, nearly 3000 educators have joined this group which focuses on using Web 2.0 tools (Flickr, del.icio.us, Google Docs & Spreadsheets are examples of this). For some reason the format put forth by Ning seems conducive to participation by others. Several worthwhile communities have since developed and I thought I'd share them with you this week.

I think Ning is a powerful tool because it makes it easy for educators to take charge of their professional development by interacting virtually with other like-minded souls. For instance, I've had answers to questions within hours, been directed to great edtech resources, philosophized with online colleagues about the state of education, and even met many of my fellow "friends" on Ning in person at conferences. My personal network has grown substantially because of this.

Keep your eye on Ning as it is still being developed and additional features are frequently announced. Recently, Steve started another group that focuses just on the uses of Ning within education. Ning wasn't necessarily developed as an education tool, but it seems teachers have found their Ning experiences worthwhile and are eager to try it out in their classrooms. Something has to be done about advertising within Ning sites before I will try it out with younger students, but in the meantime, it's a great tool for working with adults or maybe even high schoolers.

I hope you'll check out the following Ning groups and consider joining one or two! Let me know if you know of any other good Nings!

Thanks,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

------

1) School 2.0
http://school20.ning.com/

This is one of Steve Hargadon's original Ning sites and it focuses on rethinking schools under 21st century terms.

2) Classroom 2.0
http://classroom20.ning.com/

Here's a very active group in which people explore the use of emerging technologies in education.

3) Ning in Education
http://education.ning.com/

4) Global Education Collaborative
http://globaleducation.ning.com

Yes, this is a shameless plug for a Ning that I started and have been nurturing. If you're interested in global education related topics, this is the Ning for you. Many educators from around the world have joined this adventure and are in need of global collaborative partners. If you are looking for resources, projects, and ideas, this is the place for you! We will be holding our first online meeting this Sunday evening CST. Email me if you're interested in participating.

5) Literacy Coaches
http://literacycoaches.ning.com/

Matthew Needleman's new literacy site is designed to support coaches in his district using the Open Court reading series, but it is open to everyone and growing! Literacy coaching is a fairly new concept to me and I'm interested in it as its practiced in my new set of schools.

6) Open Education
http://openlearn.ning.com/

Learn more about Open University's open source courses and materials here.

7) Library 2.0
http://library20.ning.com/

A plethora of librarians have gathered here to share ideas and resources.

8) Learning 2.0 Conference
http://learning2cn.ning.com/

This event is taking place right now in Shanghai. Isn't is amazing how we can now follow along and learn virtually? This is the Ning that interests me the most right now!

Global Education Collaborative Meeting #1

I'm playing around with this very cool video conferencing tool called FlashMeeting. It's sponsored by Open University, I think, which hosts all sorts of open source content and courses. FlashMeeting is used for research purposes, so you to submit an application to be able to book through them, and meetings are recorded. Anyway, I'm hosting my first FlashMeeting this Sunday evening (September 16th 8PM CST)to discuss global education efforts; please consider joining and sharing any ideas that you may have. The meeting will be available for viewing when we're finished, too.

If you need more info, please contact me or check out the Global Education Collaborative ning.

Blog Action Day 2007 : Remix This Idea

Field Trips 2.0 Project

I am part of a group of teachers working on a project that we plan on submitting to the Apple Learning Interchange. Specifically, this project focuses on the idea of reinventing field trips as we traditionally know them. We'd like to show teachers how to plan effectively for mobile learning experiences, what great excursions look like, and help them kick field trips up a notch by taking advantage of collaborative opportunities, digital tools, and web-based resources.

Interested educators are welcome to join our project. There are a couple of ways you and/or your colleagues can help:

1) Add bookmarks to our resource collection in del.icio.us by tagging any great links with the tag: Fieldtrips2.0.

2) Let us link to your educational blogs, blog posts, and Google Earth files that deal with your own field trip experiences. We also would love links to geocaching projects. We will post your name and school along with any links you send.

3) Participate in a group audio and/or video. We want to record a conversation, preferably using iChat AV, between multiple educators on how to make a field trip work, particularly when using Apple stuff and other digital equipment.

Send any of us an email indicating strands of interest if you'd like to participate. Additional details will then follow.

Thanks in advance,

Lucy Gray - University of Chicago Charter School
Judy Beaver - Punahou School
Andrew Gardner - The School at Columbia
Julene Reed - St. George's Independent Schools
Mike Searson - Kean University

TwitterLit is genius » Slacker Manager

Link: TwitterLit is genius » Slacker Manager.

First we had Jerome Burg's GoogleLit Trips... now we have TwitterLit. This seems like a way to drive people to purchase books through an Amazon affiliation, which is all fine and good, at least for the person who's profitting from this. What if we educators used Twitter in this manner? Maybe to have students match quotes to authors or to recall trivia? Any other ideas out there? My Twitter name is elemenous, if you care to add me as a friend!

Not Invited to the Buffet

Link: Not Invited to the Buffet.

There has been some response in the blogosphere to Tim Holt's musings about diversity in ed tech leadership, and I suppose his post could be considered timely as many well known ed tech leaders will be strutting their stuff at NECC next week.

I've thought often about the fact that there are very few compelling women on the ed tech speaker circuit, and I have a couple of theories, based on nothing scientific. As I am co-organizing spotlight and keynote speakers for the Illinois Technology Conference for Educators this year, I can tell you that there are many more men then women on my short list for presenters. What exactly is the problem? Are men more self-promoting? Do men like to hear themselves talk more than women? Are more men usually sitting in the educational seats of power and thus are more likely to be asked to speak at events? Generally, on the issue of women, I find it  interesting that there's a dearth of women in educational technology leadership positions, given that the field of education is composed mostly of females. Feel free to jump in and correct me if I am wrong... again, my thoughts are not based on specific, conclusive research, but observations rather.

And, as a person who reads others' blogs and attends a fair amount of professional development events, I also admit to being tired of the same spiels generated by many ed tech speakers. Their messages are important, and I suspect there are still a lot of people who need to be called to action, so their work is not done. However, I really would like to discover some new and exciting ed tech voices, or at least hear some fresh and innovative ideas. Who are the ed tech leaders who are really mixing things ups, who are truly thinking outside of the box, who are truly brilliant? Edutopia has an annual feature called the Daring Dozen which provides a good place to start and its focus is on education in general. If you were to compose a Daring Dozen list for the field of educational technology solely, who would be on it? 

While I am in a critical mode, I also might add that I most admire ed tech leaders who are still working with kids. Staying close to the classroom adds a tad more credibility in my eyes to the messages carried by ed tech leaders. It's not a prerequisite, but I guess I have more respect for those who have not completely given in to hustling for their next speaking gig. I suppose I should keep this mind myself, as I probably will look to do more consulting work in the future.

Tim ends his post with a great line which cracked me up with the Dionne Warwick reference:

We need the David Warlicks of the world. But we also need Jose Warlicks, and a Jane Warlicks, and Dionne Warlicks. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.) We need Wes Fryer at age 45, but we also need Wes Fryer age 25, and 35.

Big News!

Well, today I did something that I did not think I would do for a very long time. I resigned from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in order to take a new position still within the university environment. Starting July 2, I will be working at the University of Chicago Center for Urban School Improvement as a lead technology coach. I'll be working for fellow ADE Nichole Pinkard, and my new job will entail helping students and teachers with technology integration efforts at the Center's North Kenwood/Oakland Charter School 2.5 days a week. The other part of my time will be allocated to developing and implementing a technology professional development plan for the Center's four charter schools and potentially other affiliated charters. Additionally, I will have some flexibility to do consulting work on the side. I'm very excited about this opportunity, but also a bit sad because I really do love my current job and will miss my colleagues and students. I just think it's time that I expanded my skill set in terms of leadership and managerial skills, and I am going to learn so much about other facets of education while working at the Center. I'm really grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way while at Lab, and I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with others. Wish me luck!

NECC 2007 Workshop Resources

Excuse multiple crossposts -

Julene Reed and I are teaching a workshop at NECC on global collaboration, and I've set up a series of resources to demonstrate during this class. I hope that these resources will live on as people become interested in sharing resources used to teach global awareness concepts. Please consider jumping in and joining any of these groups. Some of them are already seeded with material, but others are just getting started. Feel free to pass this info on to anyone you know that also might be interested.

If you are presenting on a simliar topic at NECC, please think about "crosspollinating" material in these spaces as well.

1) Global Education Ning group
http://globaleducation.ning.com/

2) Global Education Flickr group
http://flickr.com/groups/globaleducation/

3) Global Ed Google Group
http://groups.google.com/group/globaleducation

4) Global Education Collaborative Wikispace
http://globaleducationcollaborative.wikispaces.com/

5) I'm tagging any resources I bookmark with the tag globalawareness in Furl and in del.icio.us.

6) Google Calendar for Global Education - enter your NECC global awareness events here, for instance.

If you think of other similar resources we should include, please send me suggestions.  Thanks!!!

Friday 5: Best of the 2007 Webby Awards

Hi All -

The Webby Awards were recently announced, and here are a few of my favorite sites culled from the long list of nominees and winners. Check out the entire list here if you would like more!

Thanks,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

-----

1) Poetryfoundation.org
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/

This site has a great search tool: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poetrytool.html. One feature includes searching for poetry-related images within the foundation's Flickr groups.

2) Best Stuff in the World
http://www.thebeststuffintheworld.com/

#2 and #3 on this week's list fall under the category of social networks, sites that revolve around user generated content. Best Stuff in the World has people rate and compare anything and everything.

3) Last.fm - The Social Music Revolution
http://www.last.fm/

Listen to and buy music here at this site.

4) The Gapminder World 2006
http://tools.google.com/gapminder/

I think I've mentioned this site in a previous Friday 5, but it's worth another mention. This site uses graphics to represent data in interesting ways.

5) Smithsonian Photography Initiative
http://photography.si.edu/

This site has search capabilities which allow one to easily browse photos, create a personalized collection, and share it with others.

Friday 5: Will Richardson Workshop

Friday 5: Best of Will Richardson

Hi All -

On Friday and Saturday, teachers and administrators from several area independent schools gathered at the Francis Parker School here in Chicago to learn from classroom blogging guru, Will Richardson. Will is a former high school teacher and early adopter of Web 2.0 technologies, now consulting in school districts across the country. His blog, Weblogg-ed, is widely read by many educators. All in all, it was a productive and enlightening workshop; this week's list represents a handful of sites that were discussed.

Take care,

Lucy Gray

_______

1) Gcast

Gcast is a podcast hosting service. Users can make recordings via phone amongst many other features.

2) Wikinomics

This is the accompanying web site to a popular book written by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams. Will recommended this business book as its message apparently has potential implications for education. Interestingly, the web site includes a blog and a wiki where community members are authoring additional chapters of the book.

3) Remote Access blog by Clarence Fisher

Will referenced Clarence's work several times during the workshop. There's an interesting graphic on emerging technologies and services included in Clarence's May 5 post.

4) 21Classes

Will consulted on this student-friendly blogging service.

5) A Web of Connections: Why the Read/Write Web Changes Everything

Will relies on wikis for presentations nowadays, not slideware.

While browsing sites during the workshop, I found two others worth sharing that were not directly a part of the workshop:

6) Using Google Earth for Earth Science and Remote Sensing

7) Celebration of Teaching and Learning: Multimedia Resources from Thirteen/WNET and WLIW

This conference had a great line-up of speakers. For those of us unable to attend in person, videos of several presentations are online for viewing.

The Global Education Collaborative

Link: The Global Education Collaborative.

Excuse the multiple cross-postings on various listservs etc....

Please consider joining a Ning community on global education: http://globaleducation.ning.com/

At the National Educational Computing Conference to be held in Atlanta, Georgia this June, fellow Apple Distinguished Educator Julene Reed and I will be hosting a workshop on global collaboration. I plan on utilizing a variety of tools and resources throughout this hands-on class, including Ning, a service that allows one to establish a custom social networking site. I am hoping to seed this site with people and content in preparation for this workshop, and I would like to invite anyone to jump in and participate.

I've made a few prior attempts at creating an online meeting space for those interested in global collaboration which included the establishment of a .Mac group and a blog. While I still plan on posting to these resources, I think this environment might be more inviting because it allows for the posting of photos, videos, and RSS feeds. Users can make their own custom personal pages, contribute to discussion forums, network with other like-minded individuals, and comment on these features. I've been inspired by the success of Steve Hargadon's Classroom 2.0 and School 2.0 Ning communities, particularly by the forum conversations in the Classroom 2.0 one.

I also hope that this will also serve as a hub for anyone who will be presenting at conferences on various global education topics. Please consider uploading any relevant files including presentation slides. You can upload slides to sites such as SlideShare and Scribd, which I think, will give you the html code to embed videos in a Ning community. If you need help with any of this, just let me know.. it's pretty easy. Of course, you can probably also save slideshows as Quicktime files and upload them directly, too.

Please let me know if you have any questions...

Friday 5: Using Chat and Instant Messaging in the Classroom

My students have found me online. I haven't decided if this is a good thing, or not, quite yet, but it definitely has me to thinking about using chat and instant messaging to communicate with students.

In my sixth grade computer science class, our discussion about instant messaging started when a student asked me about my user name for a class wiki project. I explained that I use the same user name (elemenous) for all my accounts, including the AOL Instant Messaging service (AIM), and my students perked up immediately. They were surprised that a teacher, of all people, actually used AIM, and I bet one class that many more teachers use an instant messaging service than they realized. I also explained that I use chat regularly to communicate with other teachers around the world, and that it's been wonderful tool for exchanging files and learning from other educators.

So, since this discussion, the number of kids instant messaging me after school has jumped from 1 kid last week to about 8 kids last night. I think I had 4 different chat windows open on my computer, and it was difficult for me to multitask. I noticed that the conversations are markedly different than the ones I have with adults. When I chat with an adult, I usually am pinging them for a specific reason such as tech help or to share a resource. With kids, however, it seems as if they are sort aimlessly IMing each other and me. This is a social tool for them, and they must be chatting with lots of other people because often our conversations go dead as if they were busy elsewhere. Sixth graders, IMHO, have not learned the fine art of  carrying on an online conversation. Interestingly enough, though, one of my students told me that most of the grade-level "drama" happens within instant messaging conversations after school. One kid said he's learned to hit certain keys to quit IMing quickly when his mother approaches as he's not supposed to be online during homework time. Another kid said his mother took away his keyboard because she thought his computer habits were too distracting for him. (I'm making a mental note of this tactic for when my children hit middle school.) It's fascinating to see how important this tool has become to kids; I feel like I've been let into the club a bit as they have been reaching out to me via IMing.

Generally, I think using instant messaging and chat rooms in the context of learning is not something most teachers want to incorporate into their curricula; it's a matter of digital natives versus digital immigrants. We immigrants have been slow to realize that this tool is wildly popular amongst adolescents, and that if we frame its use properly, chatting via instant messaging or inchat rooms might actually empower learning. So this week, I've compiled a slew of related articles that might help you understand this phenomenon.

Take care and have a great weekend,

Lucy Gray

1)   Strategies For Using Chat
Academic Distance Learning Center, Webster University, Saint Louis, Missouri

2)    Let's Chat: Chat Rooms in Elementary School

3)   Educause | Resources | Resource Center Abstract

4)   PC World - Internet Tips: A Grown-Up's Guide to Instant Messaging

5)   Moving at the Speed of Creativity>Blog Archive> The Case for Instant Messaging in the Classroom

6)   Experimental College at Tufts | Instant Messaging: R U Online! RU? | By Robert Farmer

7)     Spiral Notebook > IM in the Mood for Chat

8)     Apple - Education - iChat AV and iSight in the Classroom: Lesson Plans

9)     iChatCollaboration.pdf from Goochland County Public Schools

Friday 5: Green Friday

Everywhere you turn, green is in the limelight. Thomas Friedman, of the New York Times and A World is Flat fame, has authored a new green article for the NYT Sunday Magazine, Vanity Fair has devoted its entire April issue to environmental topics, and my local papers, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, both have turned out several articles that have caught my attention. Is this a fad or are people really getting serious about our environment? Only time will tell, but I am certainly more interested in learning about what I can personally do to make this world a better place. This week's list consists of sites that I've found in my online explorations... a little late for Earth Day, but I suppose every day is Earth Day now.

Take care,

Lucy Gray

------

1. The Power of Green | Thomas L. Friedman | New York Times
(may have to register to read this article)

2. Living the Dream | Chicago Sun-Times
The Sun-Times is running a series on the green movement; check out this article and others to discover a variety of resources.

3. Making It a Green Sweep This Spring | Chicago Tribune

4. The Green Guide

5. Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch Program - A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Seafood.

6. Treehugger

7. North American Association for Environmental Education: Student Programs
    and Choice Picks for Teachers

8. EEK! Environmental Education for Kids

9. National Environmental Education Week

10. The EnviroLink Network

11. Sustainlane

12. Grist: Environmental News and Humor

The Friday 5 Search Engine

I've made a customized Google search engine using sites I commonly use when compiling Friday 5 lists. It's now listed on the left-hand side of my blog along with a box that allows people to subscribe to the Friday 5 in Google Groups. If you ask to contribute to this search engine, you can add relevant sites. It is also possible to add the search engine to your blog, homepage, or Google start page.

I can see teachers using Google Co-Op to make customized engines for various units of study. I think it's a pretty handy way to direct students research instead of just letting them loose on the Internet.

Sylvia Martinez « Ed Tech Journeys

Link: Sylvia Martinez « Ed Tech Journeys. I've been tagged! I discovered this as I browsed my Technorati feeds stored in my news reader this evening. Funny that Sylvia Martinez of GenYES named me in her own meme entry... It's a small blogosphere as I just noticed this new equivalent of an internet chain letter while browsing Henry Jenkin's blog today.  FYI, the original post was created on March 7 by an Australian life coach.

Here are my responses....whether or not I am really that successful remains to be seen, but I'll give this a go.

Things I Do Almost Every Day to Be Successful

1) Read newspapers. I skim the Chicago Sun-Times, and sometimes the Chicago Tribune as I eat breakfast. I never thought I would prefer the Sun-Times over the Trib, but that's they way it's been recently.

2) Track blogs and news sources in my news reader. I use NetNewWire as my main news reader to track about 500 different feeds. Obviously, I don't have time to thoroughly read all of these, but I do scan my favorites every day. I usually do this while I am eating lunch at my desk. I also have a few email news alerts set up. For instance, I get breaking news alerts from CNN and I have a Google News alert set up to send me mentions of the Infinite Thinking Machine.

3) I learn from and respond to others in some way. I participate fairly actively in online communities for Apple Distinguished Educators and Google Certified Educators in addition to maintaining my own blog and contributing to the Infinite Thinking Machine.

4) I bookmark useful and interesting web sites. I use both Furl and del.icio.us. I am starting to like del.icio.us more and more every day. I'm intrigued by the social aspects of these services, and I learn a lot from the bookmarking habits of other people in my network. My username in most of the social networking sites I use is elemenous, by the way.

5) I read magazines. I love magazines, and my husband is highly annoyed by the piles I seem to accumulate. My favorites are Fast Company, Vanity Fair, National Geographic Traveler, Real Simple, and Wired. I don't always read them cover to cover, but I do get a lot of ideas from most of these magazines.

6) I try to read something for pleasure every night before bed. My reading rate hasn't been fabulous recently, which is frustrating to me. I think I just need to get into the right book. I'm about 3/4ths the way through the Green Mile right now, and I'm pretty into it. I also like to read biographies, and my next book to read is Anthony Boudrain's No Reservations.

7) Make lists. I usually use stickies on my Dashboard, Google Notebook, or to do lists in iCal.  Sometimes I need a list of things I must do in order to stay focused.

8) I take a lot of pictures and spend time organizing them. I love my Nikon D50, iPhoto, and Flickr!  It's important to me to catalog my family's life.

9) I record a few television programs I don't want to miss. I record a local news program called Chicago Tonight, but usually only watch the Friday news round up edition. I also TiVo Oprah, Inside the Actor's Studio, Entourage, and Grey's Anatomy. I know Sylvia is a Grey's fan too... she didn't mention that program in her post!

0) My family hits the health club just about every Saturday night. We all go out to dinner and to our health club on Saturday evenings. I usually get a workout in and then we all swim for about an hour. I should work out more, and my health club is open 24 hours, but I am not that much of a maniac. 

Okay, now for the fun part... I'm tagging Larry Anderson, Christian Long, Tim Lauer, Westley Field, Kathy Schrock, Rae Niles, Lisa Harrison, Lucie delaBruere and my long shot response ... David Pogue.  How he accomplishes as much as he has is beyond me and I'd be curious to hear about his work habits. Anyway, it will be fun to see if the aforementioned people find this and share their secrets. Don't forget to check out the original post for instructions!

Friday 5: More Web 2.0 Sites

If you've followed the Friday 5 for awhile, you probably already know that I am a fan of an internet phenomenon known as Web 2.0. According to Wikipedia, Web 2.0 is, "a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004, [that] refers to a perceived second generation of Web-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users." The second coming of the Internet includes web sites that you might have heard of, such as Flickr, Blogger, del.icio.us, You Tube, and MySpace. Each of these sites serves a different purpose; what they have in common is that they depend on user generated content. This content is easily shared with others using something called RSS feeds, and interaction with others is encouraged via comments, tags, ratings and linking to other sites. Web sites that fit this Web 2.0 genre bring people to together, allow others to collaborate, and help distribute content that can be used in new and different ways. I encourage you to try out one of these services to discover the power of Web 2.0. Flickr, a photo sharing site, is a great place to start.

This week's Friday 5 contains a few sites that are new to me. If you are really into these kind of web applications, make sure you check out this comprehensive list of other Web 2.0 sites.

Take care,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

-----

1.    Swivel
http://www.swivel.com/

Swivel allows users to upload data, make charts and graphs, and share it with other in multiple ways. I first read about Swivel in Wired magazine, and it appears like it's not quite perfect and still in beta testing. Because it is so new, there's not a ton of data to look at, but I imagine this will change over time. Here's some data on Chicago Public Schools that can be viewed in different charts and graphs, for instance. It will be interesting to see how educators adapt Swivel for classroom use.

3.    Quimble
http://quimble.com/poll

Quimble lets you develop online polls that can be made public or private. I heard about this service recently on the EDTECH listserv.

4.     Scribd
http://www.scribd.com/

Kathy Shrock recently blogged about Scribd, which lets you upload PowerPoint presentations and other files. I like the nifty feature that reads this material to the viewer. Other similar sites worth checking out are SlideShare and ThinkFree.

5. ToonDoo
http://toondoo.com/Home.do

This site was mentioned on Steve Hargadon's new Classroom 2.0 Ning site, where educators are discussing how to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into classrooms. ToonDo allows users to create and share cartoons using a bank of clip art. It's definitely nifty, but I'd hold off referring kids to this site as I ran into a cartoon that was not particularly kid friendly that was featured in the archive section of this site. As with any site where material is shared, it's wise to take a look around before deciding whether something is appropriate for kids. ToonDoo, however, is very handy for teachers looking to create a graphic for a newsletter, web site, presentation, etc.

Join the Classroom 2.0 Wiki

Link: classroom2dot0 - home . Steve Hargadon, a fellow Infinite Thinking Machine blogger, has started a collaborative document known as a wiki that focuses on using new technologies in the classroom. These web sites and applications are known collectively as Web 2.0 technologies, meaning that they represent the second coming of the Internet. This wave focuses on user generated, collaborative content.  Check out this wiki and think about how you can incorporate things like Google Docs and Spreadsheets, social bookmarking services, and video conferencing into your curricula. This site is definitely worth exploring. Steve has also started a social networking site for Classroom 2.0 stuff at Ning and the link is here. His goal seems to be to bring practical ideas for implementing these interactive and powerful technologies into classrooms, so please consider exploring,and possibly contributing to, his forums for making this happen!

The New Yorker Conference

Link: TNY: Conference.

Even though this event is sponsored by Microsoft, I'd attend if I lived in NYC. Well, maybe not for a $1200 registration fee, but that's way cheaper than TED and this seems to be fairly reminiscent of that event. Yet, somehow an announcement about this event ended up in MY mailbox... how exclusive can it be? :)

Friday 5: Online Teacher Networks

Friday 5: Online Teacher Networks

Dear Readers –

Last week, I spent a glorious day at Google’s New York office assisting with their new education initiative, the Google Teacher Academy. Participants in this day-long professional development event are now part of the Google Certified Teacher learning community, along with teachers from the first GTA held in Mountain View, California, late last year.

Google Certified Teachers are actively sharing ideas in a Google Group created just for them, and this has reminded me of the potential power of online communities. Virtual places can serve as support for teachers at any level, and it’s a huge convenience to participate in a professional development activity at anytime from any internet-connected computer. Judging from the enthusiasm of these Google Certified Teachers, educators are truly yearning for opportunities to connect and collaborate.

While the Google Certified Teacher program is open only to those who’ve participated in academies, there are many other places where teachers can find similar opportunities. For instance, my professional life has indelibly improved by my participation in the Apple Distinguished Educator program, which is currently taking applications for a new class of ADEs. The deadline is February 28, so consider applying as soon as possible! Please note that some of the communities cited in this week list do not require application for membership, however. There is something for everyone out there!

I suspect that Second Life probably also has some learning communities for teachers, too, but I have yet to dive into this virtual world. Maybe this summer I will take the plunge!

Have a great weekend,

Lucy Gray

1.    Tapped In
Create a virtual office in Tapped In and participate in various activities in this space.

2.    National Geographic Education Network

3.    EdWeek
EdWeek has several community tools within its extensive web site. Check out:

• Teachers with Cameras
• Ask the Mentor
• Teacher Blogs
• Teacher TalkBack

4.    Discovery Educator Network

5.    Golden Apple Foundation’s Teaching Excellence Network

Live From New York...

Link: Google For Educators.

I'm sleepless in the city that never sleeps as I'm visiting New York to help with the second Google Teachers Academy. I'm holed up in my cozy little hotel room at the Pod Hotel, which reminds me very much of the hotel in which I stayed in Berlin last summer. I suppose I am just too wound up after a stressful day of travel which included losing my luggage.

Pictures to come....

EPIC 2014

Link: EPIC 2014.

My co-presenter at the NAIS conference, Ann Hamel, sent me this movie today, and it's an interesting timeline of recent trends and speculation on what the future holds in terms of media... definitely food for thought in light of the video I posted yesterday and everything else that's been reeling through my brain as of late.

Friday 5: Video Games in Education

Hi All –

 

Today’s list is inspired by an event that took place last night sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation . The foundation recently announced a fifty million dollar initiative to investigate digital media and learning, and this panel discussion is the first of several regional events planned.  The following links are related to the panelists and the ensuing conversations that took place after their initial comments.

While many may be dismissive of the value of video games in education, I would recommend that educators keep an open mind to the possibilities. Engaging simulations, not the drill and kill types of games,  can potential immerse children in new experiences and problem solving situations. In his remarks to the assembled group, Jonathan Fanton, President of the MacArthur Foundation, cited statistics from the Pew Internet and American Life Project  that indicate that our kids already deeply engaged in digital media and communication. It is clear, to me at least, that education must roll with and adapt to these changes.

I found last night’s discussions to be inspiring, yet I still have a few questions.  For instance, David Williamson Shaffer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison noted that computers are very important because they have caused the transformation of information. I agree, but I wonder how many other educators would share this view. I think many people believe that face-to-face interactions with their students cannot be replaced with technology, and others simply have not stumbled upon the potential power of computers in a personally meaningful way.

Secondly, it was clear to me that the panel participants are forward thinking people who are not challenged by change. I wonder how they expect schools to adapt to new models of learning when traditionally, most schools change very slowly. Does technology change too rapidly for schools to keep up? And if so, why is innovation not embraced more in schools? And, how does school change affect students? Those are just a few of the questions that come to my mind.

Anyway, I hope you are as interested in this topic as I am, and that you’ll take some time to explore the following links. Hopefully, I will blog more about my thoughts on this topic...

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

David Williamson Shaffer, The University of Wisconsin-Madison
Epistemic Games

Sasha Barab, Indiana University
Quest Atlantis

Games mentioned by Sasha:

• Animal Crossing 
• Trauma Center
• Bully
• World of Warcraft

Nichole Pinkard, Center for Urban School Improvement, University of Chicago
iRemix

 Spotlight Blog on Digital Media and Learning | Ecology-of-Games

Games for Change

The Video Game Revolution: “Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked” by Henry Jenkins | PBS

This specific site wasn’t mentioned by the panel, but the author of this piece, Henry Jenkins,  and his work at MIT with media literacy was cited. He also has a blog: http://www.henryjenkins.org/.

Second Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

The directior of information technology at my school, Curt Lieneck, passed on this video today. I showed it to both of my sixth grade classes, although it might have been a bit over their heads. It explains web 2.0 pretty well and is cleverly produced. My classes definitely preferred this video to the one that inspired it in the first place.

Friday 5: Special Mystery Guest: Google SketchUp & Architecture

Hi All -

I am pleased to present our first Friday 5 Special Mystery Guest, Fred
Bartels, Director of Information Technology at Rye Country Day School
in Rye, New York. Fred is an innovator and is constantly exploring new
ideas involving the uses of technology. For more information about him, please visit this link. He has also been instrumental in the development of the
School Computing Wiki.

Various friends and acquaintances will be making similar special
appearances on the Friday 5 during 2007.  If you are interested in
contributing a list of sites devoted to your interests or areas of
expertise, drop me an email and I'll send you additional details.

Enjoy,
Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

Fred's Friday 5:

Google SketchUp is a wonderfully accessible 3-D design program that is available for both Macs and Windows. Even better, there is a free version. With SketchUp, students can easily and quickly develop all kinds of designs. My particular interest is architecture and what follows are 5 of the best websites to support using SketchUp to learn about and create architecture.

1. Google SketchUp's home page and Google SketchUp Pro's home page. On the second URL, under the Education tab, you can find many examples of student work.

http://sketchup.google.com/
http://www.sketchup.com

2. The Google SketchUp Warehouse. A huge and rapidly growing collection of free-to-use SketchUp models submitted by SketchUp users from around the world.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse

3. The Designing with SketchUp Infowiki. A wiki resource for teachers and students interested in SketchUp and architecture.

http://dws.editme.com/

4. An excellent video podcast with clear explanations on how to design with SketchUp.

http://go-2-school.com/podcasts

5. Architecture Week, a great online "magazine" about architecture. They have very good pricing for educators.

http://www.architectureweek.com/

Welcome to Jim Collins.com

Link: Welcome to Jim Collins.com.

My friend and co-presenter at NAIS this year, Ann Hamel, recommended this book to me tonight. I'm entering this into my blog because I don't want to forget to read this. While checking out the bio page on this web site, one statement struck me:

Jim Collins is a student and teacher of enduring great companies -- how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies

I want to be more of a student of great schools... and I think my next step in life is to start working on a doctorate with the goal of exploring change and innovation in schools. And, it seems that educators kind of bristle when people start comparing schools to corporations. I think there's a lot to be learned from businesses in terms of innovation, not in terms of the bottom line, and that we shouldn't be so quick to write off business as potential role models. Just a few random thoughts....

3 Favorite Companies

What follows is an unabashed endorsement of three companies....

While visiting a bookstore yesterday with my two kids, I was reminded that I am consistently impressed with the products of three publishing/gaming companies, DK Publishing, Inc., Cranium and Klutz. If you don't have children, you might not be familiar with them, but they generally publish some interesting and innovative material. Usually I find their products in independent toy stores, which I am always combing for unique playthings for my kids, but increasingly, you'll see their stuff in places like Target and Toys R Us.  Incidentally, I have to commend Target for developing a nicely balanced toy department... lots of toys that help children develop their imaginations balanced with the inevitable crap like Bratz dolls.

Anyway, I checked out their web sites and there's some interesting stuff out there that you might not know about.  At DK Publishing, which is known for publishing well designed tomes with amazing graphics, there is a section on one of their books I purchased yesterday called PIck Me Up. I found it in the reference section at Borders when I was browsing for nothing in particular. It's really different, divided in to general sections with articles on various topics which in turn are linked by page number references to other topics. It sort is a hyperlinked encyclopedia without being published on the internet.  There's an accompanying interactive web site if you're interested in checking this out. On the main DK site, check out their clip art section which features free images.

Cranium mainly produces games which are clever, fun, and innovative. When my daughter was little, we liked this treasure game and we've also been fans of Hullabaloo. We have a couple more games, too, that we haven't broken out yet and I noticed that they've expanded their line to include more learning activity oriented things such as this talking picture book which I purchased for this Christmas for my daughter. Cranium seems to be coming out with new games all the time, and there's one on pop culture called Pop5 .  On their web site, you can a round of the game, which includes video clues, and even submit your own video clips for consideration. Even if you're not into the game, I think this creative idea has implications for those of us into moviemaking with our students. Also, you can sign up for a newsletter on fun activities. I wonder if teachers are using Cranium games in classrooms; it would be nice if they had a Cranium for Educators section to their web site.

And finally, Klutz is a company started by two Stanford students and eventually was acquired by Scholastic. My kids love their activity books that come with everything you need. For instance, my son received a Super Hero Starter Kit for Christmas, which comes with a red satin cape and a slew of masks, badge stickers and paper bracelets for creating your own SuperHero persona. It's been a big hit with Henry. My daughter loves their velvet art book and a paper stained glass one, too. I'd much rather have her spend time immersed in these books than playing with the overpriced and poorly made Polly Pocket Cruise Ship that she wanted so desperately.

Kudos to these companies for making quality things that appeal to children as well as parents and that promote criticial thinking and creativity.

Friday 5: Online Collaboration

This week’s list was inspired by a workshop led by GlobalSchoolNet founders at NECC last summer. While I’ve been aware of this web site for some time, I previously hadn’t taken the time to explore its great resources. I am just now starting to, and in the wake of my recent  Google Earth extravaganzas, students in my afterschool program and I have come up with a project to share. Please feel free to join in any time between now and June.

Clearly, one of the benefits of today’s technologies is the ability to connect and learn from others around the world. Hopefully, you’ll find one project or idea from the following list that will inspire you to reach out!

Stayed tuned in the coming weeks as we will have some special mystery guest authors of the Friday 5... I've invited some friends and acquaintances to share a bit of their interests and expertise with us. If you'd like to participate, shoot me an email!

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

1)    Education World’s Internet Archives – Site Reviews – Collaborative Projects

2)    ED Teacher’s Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet

This list contains many links to established and well regarded programs that promote online educational collaboration.

3)    A Sampler of International Web Projects from Edutopia

4)    Technospud Projects

Check out the calendar page for upcoming projects that seems pretty manageable.

5)    The International Telementor Program

This sounds like a great way to connect students with a virtual mentor. There is a cost involved of $200 per student.

6)    The GLOBE Program

This looks like an amazing science program, and it appears that there needs to be some commitment on the part of participating schools to regarding training.

Supporting Families Who Travel

During my lunch duty stint yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with my colleague, Mark Wagner (no, not the ITM one...) about students missing school for travel. When I taught in the public school system, "perfect" attendance was such the mantra, and now I look back and see how unrealistic and undesirable that really is. I suppose some of that propaganda is important with families who don't send their kids to school for not so great reasons, but here at Lab, it's a different story.

Because of our connections to the University of Chicago, many students hail from various countries or their parents' work involves a great deal of travel abroad, so it's not surprising that we have students who accompany their parents on trips, especially at this time of year. Mark and I discussed how easy it would be for parents to keep in touch with school matters if they had access to a laptop while traveling. We then moved on to thinking about kids blogging about their experiences from wherever they were and then we topped that by musing about providing a generic set of open ended digitally oriented assignments for kids on the road. Mark really capped it off by thinking that we actually give families a laptop to borrow in these cases. We have loaners for teachers' computers that are taken in for repair, why not have some available to families to record their experiences while traveling?

While I don't know the feasibility of all of this, I like the "thinking outside of the box"  aspect to such an idea. What a concept.. we actually accommodate our students instead of throwing a slew of busy work at them. I think that this could definitely work if we ever adopt a 1 to 1 program. Just wanted to jot this idea down before here before it escapes my brain.

Friday 5: Google Earth

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I just looked through my group archives, and I can’t believe I have never compiled a Friday 5 devoted to Google Earth. It is such an amazing application, and once you’ve experienced it, I think you’ll agree that it has great implications for enhancing teaching and learning.

A couple of projects have occupied me during the last couple of weeks. I’ve been playing with Google Earth and I have even started collaborative projects using Google Earth files. Inspired by a fellow Apple Distinguished Educator who collected holiday greetings in audio format and podcasted them for the ADE group, Ken Tuley and I came up with the idea of posting New Year’s resolutions from around the world using Google Earth. Several ADEs created a file of a Google Earth place mark indicating where they currently live or work, and put New Year’s resolutions into the description field of the place mark. Files were emailed to me and I compiled them, simply by dragging and dropping .kmz files into a folder. I then emailed the main file back to all participants. It was great fun to “fly” around the world, seeing people’s homes and gathering inspiration from various New Year’s resolutions.

I’ve started another similar project, and this one is geared for all teachers and students. Participants again will create a place mark indicating their home, workplace, or other special location. In the description field, they are supposed to write a paragraph or two about their favorite teacher and/or learning experience. I’ll collect these files via email, and put them into one file that will be posted on my blog and in the Google Earth Community. Follow the link below if you’d like to participate… detailed directions are included.

Have a great weekend,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

THE BASICS

1)    Google Earth
http://earth.google.com/

Download the free software here.

2)    Google Earth – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Earth

A little background info on GE.

3)    Google Earth Community: Teacher Meme
http://tinyurl.com/yfnfux

This is the link to my current project. Join the fun!

4)    The Good Earth
http://www.edutopia.org/1661

Read about how teachers are using Google Earth in this Edutopia article.

NEXT STEPS

5)   Google Earth Education Community
http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/dherring/ge/googleearth.htm

6)   Juicy Geography’s Google Earth for Teachers
http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googleearth.htm

5)    Tom Barrett’s Classroom Google Earth Wiki
http://classroomgoogleearth.wikispaces.com/

Lots of great resources can be found here and if you feel inspired, you can add your school’s location to a collection of files from other schools.

6)    Google Earth Users Guide
http://googlearthusersguide.blogspot.com/

7)    Google Earth Wikipedia Layer
http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2006-12-10-n72.html

This is a blog post about a relatively new feature in Google Earth.

8)    Virtual Globetrotting
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/

9)    Google Earth Blog
http://www.gearthblog.com/

Click on the links labeled GE to download the file and view in Google Earth.

10)     Google Sightseeing
http://googlesightseeing.com/

11)     Official Google Blog: The Illuminated Continent
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/illuminated-continent.html

National Geographic naturally has content viewable in Google Earth.

DEEP CUTS

12)     GeoGreeting
http://www.geogreeting.com/

Send a fun message to a friend using satellite images. Thanks to Charlene Chausis for this link!

13)     Geography 2.0: Virtual Globes: Google Earth Education Initiative
http://geography2.blogspot.com/2005/12/google-earth-education-initiative.html

Get a free copy of Google Earth Pro for your school. Follow the instructions posted in this blog.

14)     Google SketchUp
http://sketchup.google.com/

Create 3-D models in SketchUp and import them into Google Earth.  You thought Google Earth was mind blowing? Wait until you try this!

15)     Google 3D Warehouse
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/

Store and share SketchUp files here. Check out Fred Bartel’s collection of designs for 21st Century schools:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=21st+century+school&btnG=Search
and his Designing with SketchUp Infowiki : http://dws.editme.com/.

Iconoclasts

Link: Iconoclasts.

I love to know more about visionary people, and I finally sat down tonight and watched an episode of Iconclasts, a series on the Sundance Channel in which two societal standouts are paired together to discuss their work and vision. In this particular episode Dean Kamen, inventor of numerous things including the Segway, meets with Isabella Rossellini, the actress. I've caught a few minutes of episodes featuring Eddie Vedder and Laird Hamilton as well as Quetin Tarantino and Fiona Apple as well, but tonight marked the first time I've seen close to an entire episode. I found it to be quite inspiring and probably of interest to anyone who is curious about innovation.

A couple things I'd like to note about this as I don't have much time to write an indepth review:

-Iconclasts reminds me very much of the intent behind the TED conference, sort of meeting of the minds in television format.
-Dean Kamen notes that creating solutions to problems is not hard; it's changing attitudes and finding people with courage to enact solutions that is hard. He has created inventions that can bring fresh water and electricty to underdeveloped areas of the world, but to get the powers to be to take advantage of such technological advances is amazingly frustrating.
-At the end, Kamen says something along the lines of he feels the need to put more back into the world than he takes out. He clearly felt the need to make every minute count on this planet, and this came from his father who is an amazing artist.
-Isabella Rossellini is truly luminous. She raises dogs for the blind, which I thought as interesting and has invested time and money in wildlife organizations. She said that curiousity drives her. And she also mentioned something about acting and storytelling. Is storytelling just a big buzz word these days or a theme that runs through so much of humanity?

Just thought I'd post about this as reminder to myself to TiVo this program... the web site is okay (too many mentions of sponsor Grey Goose) but it could be so much more...

Friday 5: Flickr Groups

Happy Friday!

I’ve been stewing all week, trying to decide on a theme for this week’s edition. While browsing the Edublogs Awards blog, I discovered a great entry in the Best Audio and/or Visual Blog category called Classroom Displays. The author, Linda Hartley, also runs an accompanying wiki  and Flickr group . 

This Flickr group inspired me to search for other education related ones, and these groups make up this week’s Friday 5. While I have used Flickr for a year or two to manage photos, I haven't explored it as much as I probably should. It dawned on me while viewing Linda’s group that this is a superb way for people, and teachers in particular, to share their experiences and ideas visually. Take a look and I think you will agree. I would have appreciated seeing examples of other teachers' work when I was new to the profession!

If you are unclear on the Flickr concept, check out these links for a little background info. Also, keep in mind that Flickr membership is free, although I recommend the Pro memberships for added benefits which is a reasonble $25 per year.

Flickr – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flickr

MediaMazine: Flickr Tutorial Series http://www.indezine.com/mediamazine/2006/05/flickr-tutorials-series.html

5 Steps to Getting that Flickr Group off the Ground – PaulStamatiou.com
http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/02/24/5-steps-to-getting-that-flickr-group-off-the-ground/

Also, browse the aforementioned Edublogs Award site and you will notice that the Infinite Thinking Machine is nominated for the best group blog category. Consider voting for the ITM as it’s a new project with which I am involved!

Take care,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

1)    Montessori Education Flickr Group
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flickr

This group is not particularly active nor large in terms of membership, but there are a fair amount of pictures to view.

2)    e-Artcasting Flickr Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/e-artcasting

This project is not directly related to education, but the idea here is document museum visitor’s experiences. I think I am going to add some of my Louvre pictures from last summer to this collection.

3)    Educational Bloggers Flickr Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/35034348234@N01/

This group is larger in size with about 160 members, and there seems to be a fair amount of discussion on the group Flickr site.

4)    Flickr For Education Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/33384223@N00/

5)    Elementary Art Flickr Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/78198665@N00/

6)    NECC 2006
http://www.flickr.com/groups/necc2006/

7)    Illinois Technology Conference for Educators Flickr Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/il-tce/

I’m on the organizing committee for this conference, so please excuse another shameless plug. There should be many more photos in this pool in March!

1:1 Laptops Transforming Classrooms: Yeah, Sure

I found this article by Stanford professor Larry Cuban in the TCRrecord enewsletter today, and while I am a proponent of laptop programs, I do understand Cuban's point. He urges us to look to higher ed in order to learn some important lessons. The message here seems to be not to look at 1 to 1 programs as a panacea if one is looking to reinvigorate pedagogical practices. Cuban's main points based on his research and observations of higher ed technology integration practices are:

1. Professor and student use of new technologies is widespread in doing assignments, preparing lessons, Internet searches, and email, but lags far behind in daily classroom use.

2. Even with abundant access and slowly increasing use among professors, few marked changes in pedagogy have occurred.

We're very tentatively investigating 1 to 1 programs at my school and one thing I discovered from a recent site visit to the Avoca school district in Wilmette, Illinois, was that laptops do not need to be this glamorous symbol of educational transformation in a school. At Avoca, laptops seem to be a normal, integrated part of the school just as textbooks, microscopes, televisions, and gym equipment. It's important for a school to keep their expectations in check regarding such programs. Why start with the goal of transforming the teaching and learning experience? Is there still a place for laptops in a school if we "lower" our expectations? It doesn't seem to be a natural use of these machines in the context of expecting massive educational change, and maybe the magical transformation we are all looking for in education will happen in unexpected ways. I'm beginning to think that the approach should be to look at laptop programs as a methodology for giving our students tools in order to access the best educational content and 21st century communication tools. If pedagogy is something we want to change, then we need to dive deeper beneath the surface of laptop programs and focus on innovating basic teaching practices.

Also, as a counterpoint to Cuban's seemingly lack of enthusiasm for computers in schools, I found this study by Henry Jay Becker that seems to indicate that more constructivist oriented teachers are more successful at integrating technology into their classrooms in meaningful ways.

read more | digg story

1.4 million get a virtual life | Chicago Tribune

Link:
1.4 million get a virtual life | Chicago Tribune
.

Am I late to the Second Life party? I searched my NetNewsWire feeds and pulled up 34 references to Second Life, an online virtual reality experience that sounds similar to a role-playing game. I guess I haven't been paying attention, but this website found in someone's del.icio.us bookmarks made me start trying to get my brain wrapped around this concept last week and then amazingly enough, this front page story appeared in the Sunday Chicago Tribune. It turns out several of my ADE colleagues are into Second Life, too, and I've been warned that Second Life is very addictive. I've made a character, Lucy Daffodil, but I've yet to get past the tutorial stage and I'm not doing very well navigating! Anyway, I am intrigued by how real life companies are doing things in Second Life and how excited people are about the potential of this environment. I must learn more! Oh... and one of my students tells me that there is a teen version for kids thirteen years old and up.

tags technorati : secondlife

Friday 5: From the Blogosphere

Friday 5: From the Blogosphere

Hi All –

I am an avid fan of keeping track of web site content via a newsreader. Examples of newsreaders include Bloglines, Google Reader, and my personal favorite, NetNewsWire. Web browsers such as Safari and Firefox have built in newsreaders, too. I subscribe to web sites, blogs and podcasts and headlines from these sources appear in my newsreader. After reading a headline, I  can choose to read  a full entry by clicking on the headline. It is a time saving, powerful process that makes it possible for me to monitor information without visiting a gazillion individual web sites.

Recently, I had a chance to catch up in my usual daily perusal of material stored in my newsreader and today’s list are highlights of interesting things I came across.

Enjoy,

Lucy Gray
elemenous@gmail.com

1)    Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0: Part 1
http://www.solutionwatch.com/512/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-1/

Web 2.0 refers to the second wave of the internet in which there are many web based applications allowing users to interact and generate their own content. There are a ton of Web 2.0 tools listed here that could potentially be used in your classroom for free.

2)    Slideshare
http://slideshare.net/login

There are sites such at You Tube or Google Video that allow users to share short video clips. Now, there’s Slideshare where one can post and share PowerPoint presentations. I haven’t tried it yet as it’s still in beta testing, although I have requested in an invitation to join.

3)    bgblogging: Books, Books, Books
http://mt.middlebury.edu/middblogs/ganley/bgblogging/2006/08/books_books_books.html

Middlebury professor Barbara Ganley has a great post about books that have moved her. Other bloggers should answer the same questions posted here with their own selections to keep this meme going. I am going to have to think about what I’d post! I think this is a fun blogging activity; it's interesting to see the impact of books on people.

4)    Introduction to 90 Online File Storage Services – lifehack.org
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/introduction-to-90-online-file-storage-services.html

Here you can find a solution to storing and sending large files in this long list of mostly free services.

5)    TagLoops.com
http://tagloops.com/

Make online web movies using images, audio and text at this web site. Again, it’s still being tested, so you need to request an invitation.

Global Education .Mac Group

I'm interested in continuing the conversation about global awareness, and I've taken the liberty of starting a .Mac group on this topic. I've never really taken advantage of .Mac groups before, so this provides an opportunity to explore this tool as well.

My goal is to provide an inclusive forum for ADEs, informal external partners, and other interested educators to discuss and share anything related to global education. Many ADEs who attended this year's institute consulted outside resources in preparation for the trip; this forum may be a way to include these groups. I see this .Mac group as a vehicle for sharing resources, collaborating on projects, and for possibly garnering feedback on our various curriculum projects. I am sure there are other ideas that we can come up with regarding how to best utilize this resource.

If you'd like to join this group, please send me an email at elemenous@mac.com or lgray@ucls.uchicago.edu, and I'll send you an invitation with instructions on how to join. Feel free to pass this on to other people that may be interested as well. Participants do not need an active .Mac account to join, only a .Mac ID.

tags technorati : adeinstitute2006 global education