Thursday, July 10, 2008
Space Date: 0710.08
I tried creating a wiki the other day. I don't believe I did a very good job on creating it. I don't really understand the ins and outs of a wiki. I am not as comfortable in the wiki environment as I am in the blog environment. If anyone has any advice on the wiki issue I would love to hear from you.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Star Date: 0709.08
I have found a very cool website I would like to share with you all. It is located at
http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/critical.html
Enhancing Learning with Technology is a site that focuses on how to use technology to help teach critical thinking skills. The site is well laid out with clearly defined links. The links are all working and titled appropriately so as to let the reader know the content of the link. The home page of this site is relatively short in content. Although the research, which the website is based on, is linked in the first paragraph and is 49 pages longs. Each of the links in the left boarder are full of ideas and lessons to help teach a specific topic to help promote critical thinking skills with using technology tools.
The site has a biography of the author, Priscilla Theroux, along with a link to contact the author with questions or concerns. Although the site was begun in 2004 it is updated with new and exciting links.
I have found the lessons to be well thought out and numerous. The lessons are created by teachers who have had the opportunity to try them and edit them as needed. There are lessons which promote critical thinking skills in all core areas of education as well as in a few elective areas. There are also links with research conducted by other people, companies, educational institute which supports that using technology to promote critical thinking skills address many of the different leaning styles. The research includes topics such as brain research, paradigm shift, educational theory and philosophy of differentiation.
http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/critical.html
Enhancing Learning with Technology is a site that focuses on how to use technology to help teach critical thinking skills. The site is well laid out with clearly defined links. The links are all working and titled appropriately so as to let the reader know the content of the link. The home page of this site is relatively short in content. Although the research, which the website is based on, is linked in the first paragraph and is 49 pages longs. Each of the links in the left boarder are full of ideas and lessons to help teach a specific topic to help promote critical thinking skills with using technology tools.
The site has a biography of the author, Priscilla Theroux, along with a link to contact the author with questions or concerns. Although the site was begun in 2004 it is updated with new and exciting links.
I have found the lessons to be well thought out and numerous. The lessons are created by teachers who have had the opportunity to try them and edit them as needed. There are lessons which promote critical thinking skills in all core areas of education as well as in a few elective areas. There are also links with research conducted by other people, companies, educational institute which supports that using technology to promote critical thinking skills address many of the different leaning styles. The research includes topics such as brain research, paradigm shift, educational theory and philosophy of differentiation.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Star Date 0706.08
Now that I am back in town I have the time and energy to talk, in more detail, about my participation in NECC. I have to say I learned more at this conference than any other I have attended in the past. The presenters were knowledgeable and the audience did a nice job interacting through asking questions and sharing information.
The Programs I attended are many. Listed below are a few of the most exciting and interesting sessions I attended. However, I am going to expand on the 3 I think you might also be interested in. If you want hand outs for or more information on the sessions you can go to the NECC website.
Assessing Students' and Teachers' Technology Skills: NETS as Benchmarks
Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Transforming Education
Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing
Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age
Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times
Improving Technology Facilitation and leadership Resources for Professional Learning
ISTE/NCATE Program Review Opportunities
The sessions listed above were 2 to 3 hours long. I really enjoyed the longer sessions as opposed to the TCEA conference, which are only 30 to 45 in length. The conference also had what they called "Table Talks". This is a time that allows people to set up a table to show what they have done over the past year, in technology. I attended two Table Talk sessions which were very interesting. The three sessions enjoyed the most were: Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing, Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age and Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times.
Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing.
Although this sessions was mostly lecture style, the ideas and information given kept me enthralled. I learned a lot about Vision 202o and he electronic STaR Chart web page, that I didn't know before. Here is a list of some of the more interesting tidbits of information.
Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age:
The presenter, Sheryl Abshire, has had years of experience writing and receiving grants for technology/education programs. She talked about where to look for grants and to never give up on a grant. She shared many ideas and tips on how to write a successful grant. She talked about the importance of deadlines, how to write a grant geared to the needs of the company supplying the grant. We touched on topics as obvious as grammar/spell check to more complicated issues such as budgets and writing out your long-term plan and how you intend to evaluate the success of the program which is being funded by the grant you are applying for at this point.
Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times: Presented by Tony Jongejan---
This presenter was funny and informative. I learned that as an individual I break copyright laws daily. Riping music from your CD to your computer into Itunes and then onto your iPod is not just one violation of the copyright law, but two. However, as a teacher I am doing a wonderful job in having my kids observe the copyright rules. I think I need to do a better job of teaching the copyright rules were it applies to the assignment we currently have going. Over the summer I am going to work on a more detailed lesson concerning ethics, on line bulling as well as copyright issues where technology is concerned.
The Programs I attended are many. Listed below are a few of the most exciting and interesting sessions I attended. However, I am going to expand on the 3 I think you might also be interested in. If you want hand outs for or more information on the sessions you can go to the NECC website.
Assessing Students' and Teachers' Technology Skills: NETS as Benchmarks
Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Transforming Education
Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing
Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age
Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times
Improving Technology Facilitation and leadership Resources for Professional Learning
ISTE/NCATE Program Review Opportunities
The sessions listed above were 2 to 3 hours long. I really enjoyed the longer sessions as opposed to the TCEA conference, which are only 30 to 45 in length. The conference also had what they called "Table Talks". This is a time that allows people to set up a table to show what they have done over the past year, in technology. I attended two Table Talk sessions which were very interesting. The three sessions enjoyed the most were: Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing, Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age and Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times.
Refreshing the NETS for Administrators: Moving the Texas Vision 2020 to Reality Takes Planing.
Although this sessions was mostly lecture style, the ideas and information given kept me enthralled. I learned a lot about Vision 202o and he electronic STaR Chart web page, that I didn't know before. Here is a list of some of the more interesting tidbits of information.
- It was never meant to be called Vision 2020...People started talking about the new plan and started calling it Vision 2020 so it stuck but the writers and editors of the plan did not give it this title.
- It is called Vision 2020 because it the Kindergarten class of 2007-2008 will graduate in 2020.
- The plan has only been in place about 18 months.
- The STaR Chart went electronic just a few years ago.
- The web site that allows you to download information about your school and/or district has been in place just under 2 years.
- The most current STaR Chart you can download will always be of the previous school year
- The deadline (window of closure) for the STaR Chart is June 30th of each year.
- The newest information is uploaded over the summer and can be accessed by the beginning of the new school year.
It was most interesting to hear the presenters: Karen Kaha, Anita Givens and John Lopez talk about the plan and how it was created. It was also very enlightening to hear about conversations they had had that very morning with Washington.
Funding Your Dreams: Grant-Writing In the Information Age:
The presenter, Sheryl Abshire, has had years of experience writing and receiving grants for technology/education programs. She talked about where to look for grants and to never give up on a grant. She shared many ideas and tips on how to write a successful grant. She talked about the importance of deadlines, how to write a grant geared to the needs of the company supplying the grant. We touched on topics as obvious as grammar/spell check to more complicated issues such as budgets and writing out your long-term plan and how you intend to evaluate the success of the program which is being funded by the grant you are applying for at this point.
Copyright & Technology: Helping Students and Teachers Understand the Times: Presented by Tony Jongejan---
This presenter was funny and informative. I learned that as an individual I break copyright laws daily. Riping music from your CD to your computer into Itunes and then onto your iPod is not just one violation of the copyright law, but two. However, as a teacher I am doing a wonderful job in having my kids observe the copyright rules. I think I need to do a better job of teaching the copyright rules were it applies to the assignment we currently have going. Over the summer I am going to work on a more detailed lesson concerning ethics, on line bulling as well as copyright issues where technology is concerned.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Star Date 0703.08
Welcome all to my new blog. The focus of this blog is to learn, reflect and investigate new and changing technologies in education. To start the ball rolling I am going to spend the next couple of postings talking about my trip to San Antonio and the NECC conference I attended this past week. The conference was full of new and exciting information both in application of technologies and in the theory of educational process and practices where technology is concerned.
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