Day 2 ISTE Conference 2011 6/27

This morning started out with a visit to the Student Showcases. It is always packed and full of chaos. It's difficult to focus on one particular project so it is better to go with a destination in mind. I was looking for the Universal Design for Learning Using Data Analysis- 7th Grade presentation...that was my main focus and I was not disappointed!

Implementing New Curricular Learning with Universally Designed Experiences....

Perth Amboy Home Page and Link to Grant - http://www.paps.net

ISTE Presentation: https://sites.google.com/site/istepa11/home

Next, Cameron and I hit the EXPO center and hit a lot of presenters - got our Tshirts and freebies, but learned a lot! For example, we can request that the CSPAN bus visit our school....AND...what Google is "presenting" we already know and our doing in our LebApps already....AND later I will post a video presentation from GenYes - and yes, I will be looking for someone who would like to be a GenYes advisor!

Yikes, it's almost 11am already and I've got to get to the BYOL session "Technology for Improving Staff Morale.." You don't want to miss BYOL because you have to register in advance for these babies and you are only allowed 1 per day.

11:00am Staff Morale Rushton Hurley, Next Vista for Learning - focused on being creative and finding creative approaches to pd - for kids and teachers. Keep 'em motivated! Ok the biggest value is the link to his website: http://www.nextvista.org/ - he believes in sharing so get those ideas and use them.

12:15pm - Great Discovery @ the Games and Simulation Playground. We were introduced to MathTappers.com! Wow~ Apps for IPAD to help with math facts and more! Cannot wait to share with Judy Ross - we were just discussing this last week! These programs are free and I can envision putting IPOD TOUCH in the classrooms that kids can use during rotation times, etc... just another way to engage! I will post a video on this later as well!

Quick get to Google to the MAX!

12:45 - http://www.drhowie.com and http://www.toolsfortheclassroom.com

Check out the links above for more info on Howie's presentation. I left his presentation early to get to the exhibit all because it was just one slide after another of things you can do with google- like book lit trips, etc. Not really engaging or stimulating for specific ideas so I took down the links and scrammed where the action is in the Exhibit Hall!

Collaboration Fluency: Creating a Learning Environment for the Digital Age Classroom Ian Jukes, 21st Century Fluency Project with Lee Crockett Collaboration isn't a digital age skill, it's a digital age essential. This session examines fluency and how to teach it in a problem-based learning environment. Watch the recorded session


1-2:30 - Exhibit Hall - Toshiba, Vex,

2:30 - Collaborative Communities with Google Sites..
We are doing it in Lebanon already! But we can do more - here are some of my notes from the session.

Collaborative Documents - to build projects/plan itineraries together; student writing, dynamic seating chart (google presentation)
Forms - Formative and Summative Assessments - Pre Assessment, - Formative - Modify your instruction as you go along; Student Surveys - HS has already done this!
GROUPS - Groups is a Google version of a listserv; Use it for class discussions...; Embed the group into your classroom site; Easily send out emails to students and have them send them out as well; Teach students how to use email for productivity!

The bigggest FREE online course is starting now. If you are interested in blended and online learning I suggest you look at this course.... a FREE course... has the most members ever... https://sites.google.com/site/edumooc/ if you are interested in online learning.

SITES FOR PORTFOLIOS

• Both teachers and students create a portfolio
• Students be required to create a portfolio to demonstrate their projects, competencies, extracurricular, job shadowing, elo etc

Check out this video on how students have become the IT trainers for Google Apps for Edu!

3:30 - Exhibit Hall - I never did find Haiku but we were inspired with Robotics and programming:

Brainpop has new "games" added to the mix and special pricing for "districts" - we should find out what we are paying for Brainpop and see if we can pull it into at least a K-8 license. Also, I would trade Atomic Learning for Brainpop in a heartbeat - it is CHOCK full of things for teachers, students and even parents! Here's a little video presentation from the Brainpop booth:

Did I mention that "Blended and Online" Learning are all over the place? Blackboard, Edline - there's learning3.com which has content built into it...it just makes me crazy with all of these options!

Check this out: www.worldleadershipschoolcom

Funding Factory! I signed up the district for fundingfactory.com - non-profit, fundraising through recycling program... cartridges, cell phones get you tech equipment, sporting goods, other stuff...Each school should make a "club" or get PTA to organize...

Special Ed still looking for IEP writing resource? Check out www.iepwriter.com

There were tons of resources for math - online based programs K-12. Education City was kind enough to give us a video demo TBP