Maps to Preconference Workshops
Wednesday, February 6, Sessions listed in strand order. Registration opens 7:00 a.m. Conference starts 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Apple Strand
Mac OS X Leopard and Leopard Server
Bret Siegel, Morrie Reese
Find out what's new in Mac OS X Leopard, the world's most advanced operating system. This session ncludes tips and tricks for getting around in this newest version of Apple's operating software.
Intel Processor-based Macs
Bret Siegel, Morrie Reese
Get a detailed look into the newest Intel processor-based Macs. Learn how to run Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp and Parallels. These applications can turn your MAC into a PC-like computer, and you will be able to switch at will between platforms.
Imaging and Lab Management with Apple Remote Desktop 3
Bret Siegel, Morrie Reese
Apple Remote Desktop 3 is the best way to manage the Mac computers on your network, and has more than 50 new features that deliver improvements in software distribution, asset management, and remote assistance. If you manage Macs, you'll want to attend this session!
Hands On!: Podcasting in Education with iWeb and GarageBand
Bret Siegel, Morrie Reese
Have you been wondering why there's so much hoopla about podcasting, and how do you do it, anyway? In this 2-hour session we'll introduce you to podcasting in education, and share some examples of how podcasting can enhance learning. Then you'll see how easy it is to create a podcast by creating one yourself.
Curriculum & Instruction based on Assessment & Data Strand
How Do Digital Tools Support “Classroom Instruction That Works”?
Christine Tomasino
Does your school improvement plan deploy Marzano’s nine strategies from “Classroom Instruction That Works”? Are you interested in increasing student achievement? Come learn how to leverage your classroom technology resources to support this initiative. In this session, administrators, curriculum specialists and instructional leaders will see examples of how interactive whiteboards, handhelds, and computers support student learning activities. By using these tools, students can identify similarities and differences, summarize, take notes, give nonlinguistic representations to content and concepts, generate and test hypotheses and provide cues, questions, and advance organizers. These ideas will help mobilize your professional development by blending technology use into “Classroom Instruction That Works”!
Developing a Sustained Vision for Technology: Shifting Perceptions to Action
Rem Jackson
How do you increase collective thinking, develop new patterns of relationships and create powerful instructional practices through technology-driven schools when these same schools are feeling tremendous pressures to adjust to an era of standards/ accountability and accelerating complexity? Educators are struggling to infuse technology into daily classroom instruction. Meanwhile, students attend classes that do not excite their thinking or creativity. For most teachers, even those wanting to use technology to teach core subjects, infusing technology into daily instruction is still a difficult goal. Why? Lack of appropriate curriculum that seamlessly integrates technology and the Internet. Lack of access to technology resources for teachers and students. Antiquated models that do not and cannot support a technology rich school and classroom. Educators and students are living in a transitional period where the old models are not longer working and the new models have not yet emerged. Join Rem as he presents his ideas about how we CAN infuse technology while at the same time maintain accountability and meet curriculum standards.
Data to Go: Student Information Always at Your Fingertips
Bill Harmon
In this presentation, Educational Technology Consultant Bill Harman will draw upon his extensive hands-on experience in discussing how the convergence of data management tools and mobile devices can provide school administrators and security staff with immediately-accessible student data contained in fully searchable databases.
Enhancing Student Information Systems to Ensure No Child Left Behind
Greg Walker
In this case study presentation, Data Solutions Administrator, Greg Walker, will describe how the Pinellas County school system implemented a database system to interact with its Student Information System (SIS) and expedite analysis of student data for assessing individual and grade level performance results.
Using Acuity Software for Student Assessment
Stephanie True
Hear the experiences of one small school district's (Bayless) use of Acuity, an affordable, online assessment by McGraw Hill. This session will introduce the assessment and describe how the data is used to guide instruction by individual teachers and teams. Writing Roadmap 2.0, another online assessment based on the six traits, will also be presented.
Using Technology to Analyze Data to Improve Student Achievement
June Wilson, Judy Straatmann
Technology allows efficient gathering, organizing, and analyzing information to improve student performance. This session will show how one district is utilizing a variety of methods to improve instruction and student performance. DIBELS and Pearson Benchmark tests record student mastery of state/local standards, and Excel and Access are used to correlate MAP, Gates, and Benchmark test results. Moodle PLCs provide teachers with an important collaborative tool to review student performance and plan for improved instruction.
School Improvement: Student Assessment & Data Analysis
Bill Harman
Learn how the presenter uses a database administration program to create powerful student data analysis tools and how other schools can use this approach to help monitor student achievement. He will examine how schools have successfully devised plans that focus on improving student achievement through effective and responsive teaching and learning programs.
Differentiated Instruction Strand
Using Video for Differentiated Instruction
Buzz Brown
Video can be a powerful tool in motivating students and making learning fun and interesting, especially when the videos used are popular shows. The participant will learn how to use video programs to stimulate students' thinking in everyday subjects. This technique uses Webb's Depth-Of-Knowledge (DOK) and learning styles, and even helps with classroom management.
Audaciously Audible: Improve Literacy Skills for ELL
Mary Mueller
See how to improve the literacy skills of English-language learners by integrating technology into the classroom. By downloading audiobooks and incorporating unitedstreaming, teachers build vocabulary and increase reading fluency. Mueller will also discuss how to teach structural patterns in reading and writing, how to include outlining in paragraph organization and how to blog written assignments.
When Does One Size Fit All Really Fit All?
Shelley Ahner
When it comes to education, one size or strategy of leadership or instruction does not fit all students and staff members. Educators can find what "fits" utilizing differentiated strategies and techniques that are centered on students' strengths, utilize technology and create success for each student.
Two of You in the Classroom
Annette Rau
Have you ever needed to help more than one student in the classroom with lab directions? Sometimes a sheet of instructions does not cut it, especially for visual learners. This session will present a simple way to digitally record yourself and upload it to a media player or to a website. This will allow you to direct students who were absent or need to watch the presentation again on their own.
Using Technology to Differentiate Math Instruction in the Classroom
Susan Ryan
Technology has always held the promise of delivering instruction geared toward the unique needs of each student. Learn about two math software programs that support the goals of math fluency and word problem comprehension, using self-paced, structured, and motivating environments that automatically adapt to the progress of each student. This session is ideal for Grades 2 + up!
KidCast: Podcasting in the Classroom
Dan Schmit
Podcasting has democratized the mainstream media landscape and provided an amazing new platform for student research, writing, and publishing. We'll take a look at understanding how this new medium works and how to participate in it from a technical point of view. More importantly, we will move the discussion forward into the curricular realm where we can consider the strengths and opportunties that podcasting can bring to teaching and learning efforts.
Digital Media Strand
ITV-Iveland Television: Hear It From the Students
Barbara Morris
Fifth grade students at Iveland Elementary School videotape, log, storyboard, edit and critique to create a news show about their school. They will tell you how they accomplish this and share information to help you implement a similar program in your school. Handouts will be provided.
3-2-1 Action!
Melissa Kirchoff, Katie Nikodem
Participants will see examples and work with multimedia tools and leave with the knowledge of how to create digital movies and how to utilize them in the classroom with students. After they bring this knowledge back to the classroom, their students will be able to demonstrate their learning through creating a movie.
Digital Story Telling with Adobe Flash
Mark Pennycuick, Glenn Hancock
Learn the skills for creating Movie Clips inside of the main timeline in Flash. These Movie Clips will contain the text of a story and corresponding animation/image/video. This session is for the intermediate to advanced Adobe Flash user.
Deliver Video Content Over the World Wide Web with Adobe Flash
Mark Pennycuick, Glenn Hancock
Learn the skills for delivering Flash encoded video over the World Wide Web. Import video in some of the more popular formats such as .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .wmv, and .avi. This session is for the intermediate to advanced Adobe Flash user.
Do You Know Copyright Basics? Do You Follow Them?
Roger Bower, Cindy Marston
“As a teacher in the classroom using intellectual works, what do I need to keep in mind about copyright law?” Refresh your awareness of copyright as it relates to your classroom. This session will look at these questions. 1. What is an intellectual work? 2. What are the 6 rights of copyright holders? 3. What are the four points of fair use? 4. What are some common misconceptions about copyrights? 5. What are some resources for learning about using intellectual works in the classroom?
Distance Learning Strand
e-Mission™: Space Station Alpha – Distance Learning at Its Best!
Kathleen Frank & Tasmyn Front
Come participate in a live, hands-on, simulated learning scenario during this session! You will be asked to actively take on the role of an Emergency Response Team member as you use math skills and science knowledge to solve problems in a practical way with Challenger Mission Control! The International Space Station is in trouble and the astronaut crew needs your help! Experience the engaging learning environment of an e-Mission™ for yourself and see how this curriculum package will motivate the young mind to higher levels of learning while you meet standards and integrate technology into your classroom! More information about the Challenger Learning Center® e-Mission™ programs can be found at http://www.e-missions.net.
Videoconferencing 101: Team Teaching with the World A,T
Diane Tinucci, Bill Stewart
In its second year of commitment of integration of videoconferencing into its curriculum, Lafayette High School has learned lessons and developed procedures to share with others interested in positively and productively bringing videoconferencing into their schools. Information on hardware consideration and staff and student responsibilities and training will be shared, along with tips related to assurance of efficient, effective, and excellent videoconference experiences.
Handheld Computers
Using the TI-Nspire to Show Multiple Representations
Donna Stallings
Learn how the Texas Instrument-Nspire brings math to life. Using TI-NSpire calculators, this hands-on session will provide participants with the opportunity to create three representations of the same problems on the same screen (graph, algebraic, table). Participants will also use the split screen option to investigate two sets of data.
Instructional Technology Integration Strand
DOK - Developing Opportunities for Knowledge by Integrating Technology into Classroom Instruction
Carol Kliesen
Participants will see how to use clips from educational movies/media as a tool for engaging students in learning. A description of Norman Webb's Depth of Knowledge will be provided, along with how this information can be used to focus questions and activities to go along with the video clips.
Capture the Student's Voice
Jenny Robins
StoneSoup is a free, digital, portfolio system that uses customizable, Internet forms to collect short student writing assignments. StoneSoup has separate interfaces for administrators, teachers, and students, helping teachers individualize instruction and track performance. Attendees will be introduced to the system, work with it in the roles of teacher and student, and discuss ways to use it in their classrooms.
Book Backdrops: Bringing Historical Fiction to Life with Primary Sources
Gail Petri
Enrich students' reading experiences! Increase their historical understanding! Spark their curiosity! Develop their research skills! Discover the wealth of primary source materials available online at the Library of Congress and create curriculum connections that will make history come alive in your classroom.
Using QuizStar to Give Formative Quizzes Online
Doug Adams
This session will demonstrate the features of QuizStar, a Web-based free tool that allows teachers to create online formative quizzes. Items can be true/false, multiple choice, or short answer, and can include images, sounds, and movies. Students take the quiz anywhere, using a Web browser. The teacher can receive reports on the performance of each student, including item analyses and histograms.
Internet Tools and Resources for Math
Diana Dell, Vince Szewczyk
Explore all of the best K-6 math tools the web has to offer! From basic addition to geometry and fractions, from virtual manipulates to interactive games, from online calculators and converters to graphing tools. You will leave this session with resources for every math topic you teach. A laptop would be beneficial in this session, but not necessary.
Technologies That Are Changing Education
Dan Schmit
Looking for some new tools to ramp up the learning environment in your classroom? We'll take a look at a number of free and low cost software applications that allow your students to get creative and constructive with technology by building virtual worlds, producing videos, writing collaboratively, and much more.
Supplement Your Textbooks with Digital Tools to Increase Comprehension
Christine Tomasino
Are students having trouble comprehending your classroom textbook? As instructional leaders, we are always looking for alternate texts for students. This session will identify some Internet sources for finding new texts to use in learning and strategies for annotating or marking them up to help increase student comprehension. Great ideas for helping struggling readers!
Student Technology Leadership Program: How Students Can Lead a School to 21st Century Learning
Anthony Chivetta, Elizabeth Helfant
Hear how MICDS' Student Technology Group operates to help other students use technology more effectively. It encourages the use of web-based tools in learning, making suggestions about applications students might use to help them study and learn and it serves as a basic help desk for students having trouble with either hardware or software. This student group managed a school server that supported blogs and wikis and maintained support documentation for students and teachers.
Electrify Your Classroom with ELMO
Colin Davitt
Come learn how to transform your classroom with this innovative tool. The ELMO is a revolutionary document camera that allows you to visually project anything onto a screen, chalkboard or TV. It is a modern day overhead on steroids! See how this visual device will enrich your classroom and engage your students like never before. You will experience modeling which will enable you to easily implement this high tech gizmo in your own educational setting.
The Paperless Classroom
William Bass
In the paperless classroom students submit all of their work electronically via email and Moodle submissions. There is no exchange of papers between student and teacher and feedback is given through in text comments and email. Students are engaged in their work and become self-directed learners. Learn how to make your classroom paper free!
Making Learning Transparent
Katie Voss, Elizabeth Helfant
Many tools are currently available, like DyKnow, that enable educators to collaborate and share work with students either collectively or individually. These tools can serve as powerful windows into the way students learn and approach problems. DyKnow's replay panel allows teachers to see the steps students used and the mistakes they made when they solved a problem. DyKnow also allows for instant feedback either as a specific answer to a content question or as a general "do you understand?" prompt. Shared wikis, Google docs, and Google notebooks allow teachers to interact with students outside the classroom and allow teachers to see how the project is developing. Librarians and technology coordinators can view projects in progress and make suggestions about the appropriate resources and tools to utilize to create the best product and best learning experience.
From Audio Files to Podcasting: Some Practical Examples
Bill Bass, Eve Diel, Christian Goodrich, Drew McAllister
Drawing from examples in the classroom, this presentation will focus on implementing a digital audio project in place of a typical research paper or poster. Presenters will address relevant issues surrounding implementation, including unit design, using Audacity software, library resources, fair use, publishing on the web, and taking audio to the next level with RSS feeds.
Senteo - Not Your Parent's Response System
Christopher Klein
Come get a closer look at the new student response system that is changing the way clickers are being used in the classroom. The new Senteo Student Response System is the latest addition to the classroom productivity suite of products from SMART Technologies.
Web Resources for the Elementary Math Classroom
Peter Larson
Learn a large variety of math websites that can be used for instruction or extra practice for students, both at school and home. There are also sites for assisting teachers in planning their math instruction. A brief overview of the sites will be given along with advice on how to best use them.
SmartBoard, Computers, & Mathematics
Mary Jude Schmitz
See how one math teacher integrates computers (both in and out of the classroom), projectors, and Smart Boards in her mathematics classroom. Learn how the SMART Board, websites, message boards, chat rooms and other interactive computer activities can be used in mathematics instruction to enhance teaching and student learning.
E-Passport Project
Kendra Reif
At Villa Duchesne, grade seven geography students create a year-long digital portfolio. Using tablet pcs, a digital camera and scanner, and a variety of applications, students incorporate artifacts into an "E-Passport," and reflect on their learning throughout the year. In this presentation, teacher and student will share their experiences using technology to empower student learning.
An Easy Way to Use Technology to Create Student-Oriented Projects
Elizabeth Blanton
See an easy website for webquests. Teachers learn to create individual webquests or how to select existing webquests that compliment their subject. The presenter will demonstrate her WebQuests which result in student PowerPoints. These webquests integrate technology with student exploration followed with student presentation. See web-based means of assessment and other free web-based activities.
The Three E's of IWBs (Interactive White Boards) Educate, Empower and Engage
Jennifer Johnson
"If I don't learn the way you teach, why don't you teach the way I learn!" Come and explore a truly interactive educational environment where teaching is far from ordinary and learning is exciting and fun. We will be using a Promethean interactive white board to explore a variety of ways to effectively integrate technology throughout the curriculum.
Engaging Students: Let the Games Begin!!
Zach Lancaster
Electrify your students with interactive games customized to your curriculum! Learn how to create several different games in a matter of minutes that will make learning any subject an interactive experience. Let the games begin!
Integrating Technology Tools into the Music Classroom
Rhonda Fischer
Teach a musical concept differently by integrating a variety of technology/media tools from SMART Board programs, available free software downloads, keyboards, computers and videotaping to just tape recorders and scoring guides. These lessons will assist those students that need hands-on and/or visual stimulants for better learning, as well as those students who want to expand their talents beyond the expected.
Technology Infused History Classrooms
Scott Small, Leslie McIntire, Colleen Gildea, Matt Hizenbaugh, Elizabeth Helfant
Online Portfolios, Social Networks, and Electronic Museums! Find out how MICDS history classrooms have transformed to make learning collaborative, networked and transparent. Students and teachers use a variety of tools including xTimelines, Ning, Squarespace, and Google's entire suite of applications to explore history in an increasingly performance based environment.
From Chalkboards to ACTIVboards: Transforming Teaching and Learning
Allisa Parrish, Kerry Arens
Are you bored with the same old PowerPoint presentations? Do you wish learning could be more hands-on for your students without being a ton more work for you? Are you looking for a way to intrigue your students, energize your teaching, and simplify formative assessments? Well, look no further. You'll leave this presentation with the knowledge of how to create flipcharts, annotate over websites and other documents, and generate simple formative assessments.
Library Tech Integration Strand
Inspiring Literacy and Learning with Digital Primary Resources
Gail Petri
Explore the Library of Congress Lifelong Literacy initiative, highlighting and promoting the joy of reading. Get a guided tour of the Library's free online resources, including author webcasts from past National Book Festivals, lesson plans, digitized rare books, and more. Participate in a hands-on model activity promoting literacy, see a demonstration of possible teaching strategies, and join a discussion of how to use the resources in a library setting to enhance and promote literacy.
School Library Websites: Information Landscapes for 21st Century Learners
Joyce Valenza
Explore practical ideas for building student-centered learning spaces promoting information fluency. Joyce will tour us through the state-of-the-art and share how a rich library website can become a knowledge management tool, a whole-school learning portal.
Changing the Questions; Changing the Culture: Elevating and Improving Student Research for the 21st Century
Joyce Valenza
Ban reports from your curriculum. Your old research culture won't work in a 2.0 landscape. Explore new ideas for student work. Explore new roles for teachers and librarians in delivering skills in information access, evaluation, synthesis, and communication and in inspiring a culture of improved questions, problem solving and decision making.
Web 2.0 Meets Information Fluency: Translating 21st Century Library Practice Across the Curriculum
Joyce Valenza
Two threads—information fluency and Web 2.0-- can be beautifully woven into rich 21st century cloth as teachers and librarians who value thinking skills, inquiry, ethical behavior, and innovative student work hone their craft on a funky and vibrant 21st century learning loom, with learners as collaborators. Together we'll examine new formats for student projects, projects that foster information fluency and exploit the potential of the interactive and media-rich "read/write Web."
Being "SMART" in Your Library
Eve, Diel, Chris Johnston, Vickie Miller, Gloria Pettijohn
A panel of experienced Parkway Librarians will showcase examples and strategies for using the SMART Board in the library. These strategies will enable librarians to incorporate interactivity into library lessons, increasing student motivation and achievement.
Integrate Technology with Britannica Online School
Nancy Kopka
Come see Britannica Online School Edition's latest features! Come DISCOVER the Learning Zone, the NEW Pk-2 interactive learning environment! Explore Britannica's collection of encyclopedias, images, multimedia and video clips, and more, including a new alignment to the Missouri Standards. Britannica also includes curriculum materials such as lesson plans, student activities and assignments, research projects, sample quizzes, and more, for Language Arts.
Tech Leadership Strand
Legal Issues for School Personnel: Technology, the Law, and the School District - Recent Developments and Practical Guidance (2 HR)
Celynda Brasher
Hear the most recent developments in technology law, especially as these developments apply to school districts. The topics will include policy development, compliance with electronic discovery rules, responding to a litigation hold notice, recent statutory and case law, and other legal issues related to rapidly changing law and science. The goal of the session is to provide information and strategies that may be tailored to and applied in accordance with each school district's individual needs. Be an active participant and ask questions and share experiences.
Leveraging Your Technology Investment: 24x7 Access
Gregory Partch
To meet the K-12 accountability demands of NCLB, we needed an effective way to use our instructional technology to improve student achievement cost-effectively, offering home access to students and staff to their educational applications and school generated content (home folders). This approach lowers the total cost of ownership of technology while easing the learning return on our investment.
From Simple to E.L.I.T.E.
Cindy Lane
Come and be Energized, Learn, Investigate, see the Technology and Evolve! Lindbergh School District is embracing a new professional development program utilizing ISTE standards, as well as, effective Web 2.0 tools. Come learn how this school district is taking K-12 teachers and transforming them into E.L.I.T.E. instructors!
The Art and Science of Leadership
Rem Jackson
What makes a good leader? Are some people just born to lead? Do the times we live in create leaders or can we make an intentional choice and become leaders at work, at home, and in our community? An organization is only as good as its leader, and the secrets to effective, powerful, transformative leadership aren't taught in school. In this session, participants learn how to uncover the leader in themselves even if they've never seen themselves as one before.
Dragon Metamorphosis: A Transforming Experience
Trish Burkeen, Mary Ann Vaughn, Mike Pope, Deana Pope, Debbie Leeker & Christina Logan-Hollis
Through the establishment of teams we can collectively gain knowledge and harness are energies toward the same goals. The DeSoto School District established a Technology Leadership Team of 32 staff members with representatives from elementary and secondary campuses. This session will share the teams three purposes: 1) To assist with Decision Making with regard to purchase, use, and evaluation of techology, 2)
To assist with establishin policy and regulations and 3)
To train staff in the integration of technology to improve student achievement.
Technical and Networking Strand
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Overview
Chuck Enstall
Windows Server 2008, with built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter. Powerful new tools like IIS7, Windows Server Manager, and Windows PowerShell, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements like Network Access Protection and the Read-Only Domain Controller harden the operating system and protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your business.
Microsoft Windows Vista Overview
Chuck Enstall
Windows Vista is designed to help you achieve cost and operational efficiencies in desktop image deployment, management, and security. PC users can experience improved connectivity with advanced integration across technologies, networks, and systems in addition to quicker access to better organized information.
The Onion Router (TOR) and Anonymous Surfing
Beth Young
The Onion Router (Tor) was created to help people in oppressed countries like China get around censorship. We will look at Tor, how it works andhow students are using it to get around your school filtering products.
Backup Best Practices
Randy Raw
Join this session as we discuss best practices for backup. We will look at the variety of strategies that can be deployed to help backup your critical data. We will also discuss options for starting a DR/BCP plan using your backup data.
Problem Solving and Troubleshooting IT issues
Randy Raw
Come and learn some problem solving and troubleshooting tips for your IT
issues. We will look at some basic issues to begin with and then move
quickly into ways that you can solve problems on your network. We will
explore some network troubleshooting tools and show you how you can use
them in your system to determine what the problem is and how to solve
it.
Email Archiving for Legal and Regulatory Compliance
David McAlister
This session discusses the need for email archiving and how it appliance specifically to the education market.
Web 2.0 Strand
Making Web 2.0 Connections for the Digital Natives
Ralph Olliges, Cynthia Graville-Smith
Hear a debate about using Web 2.0 in the classroom. Then see the presenters demonstrate sound pedagagical reasons for using Flickr, del.icio.us, and instructables. The second hour will be hands-on using some or all of these tools
Digital Storytelling 2.0: What¹s Next?
David Jakes
You've started using digital storytelling with kids. You've had success. But what's next, and how can you grow your use, or program? This session explores the new tools, the new media, and the new networks of digital storytelling that will enable students to further extend their voice, develop their message, and engage in a lifetime of contribution.
Your Passport to Educational Blogging
Steve Dembo
The word "blog" is on everyone's lips, come find out why! This session will provide you with your passport to the world of Educational Blogging. Learn what a blog is, see examples of how blogging is being used in schools around the world, and learn how to get your very own blog. Come get a glimpse of what's going on in the EduBlogoSphere and what it means for you and your students.
Using del.icio.us to Organize Your Bookmarks Online
Karen Montgomery
del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website that allows you to store and share your bookmarks on the web. Using tags, you can organize and remember your bookmarks and access them from any computer. del.icio.us can be used by both students and teachers to tag, share and back up bookmarks for research and collaboration. Other social bookmarking sites such as Furl and Diigo will be briefly explored.
The 10 Best FREE Web 2.0 Sites
Steve Dembo
Web 2.0 has brought online versions of most of the programs you use on a daily basis. Alternatives to Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop and others are now available for free. Discover the 10 best Web 2.0 sites and how your school can save thousands by using them.
How Are Blogs Used in the Classroom?
Stacey Franks
Blogging is all the rage these days. Are you a blogger? Do you want to be a blogger? Session participants will be introduced to the world of blogging. Come and see how the new "Read/Write" web can transform the way you teach and how blogging can become a powerful tool. We'll show you how RSS works, how to find useful blogs, and how to create your own blog
Dynamic Professional Development Using RSS
Steve Dembo
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is the backbone of many popular new web technologies, such as blogs and podcasts. Learn what RSS is and learn how RSS can be used to create individualized professional development and learning communities. Explore built-in browser tools and aggregators and gain an understanding of how you can control your blog's RSS feed as well as how to use other feeds to drive dynamic content throughout your site. See diverse ways RSS can be used.
Free Content + Open Tools + Massive Collaboration = Learning for All (2 HR)
Karen Fasimpaur
Learning and information should be free and accessible to everyone! Come learn about how the Open Educational Resources movement is reshaping education by providing free, high quality learning resources. Open Source tools, like wikis, blogs, course management systems, graphic organizers, and productivity tools, are just the beginning. We’ll also look at a variety of repositories of free textbooks, images, videos, music, lesson plans, and other resources. You’ll learn how to access these and use them to enrich your own lessons. We’ll also show you how to contribute your own resources so others can use them. Copyright issues and “copyleft” licenses, such as Creative Commons and GFDL, will be discussed. You’ll leave this session with lots of great ideas and resources you can put to immediate use in your school.
Web 2.0 For The Special Education Digital Native
Lance Huebner
Special Education students have all forms of differing disabilities, but they all share the fact that they need to have information presented in a different way. This session will look at ways that technology can be used to address these problems and help students be more successful in the classroom.
Return to Conference Program information.
Designed for K-12 educators, METC 2008 has designated three presentation levels to make our educational technology sessions count for your teaching and learning experience which are: Awareness (exploring and gathering), Training (developing new skill sets), Systemic (systemic change agent)
