Three Cheers For Eccentricity!

Today I'm experiencing a bout of randomness.  In that spirit I offer a site that itself offers more than a few dollops of randomness:   Eccentric America.

If you have a few random moments, click here to take a look!

NCCE 2012 -- Day 4 -- Seattle

Soup to Nuts:  Teaching with Cloud Resources
Presenters:  Cindy Etherton

Although we haven't made any specific moves in the direction of moving our students to the "cloud" in a systematic way, the day for "cloud computing" for school-aged kids seems pretty much upon us.  Cindy offered a number of ideas that I will continue to explore and experiment with.  It goes without saying but say it I will.......nothing in educational technology is so certain as rapid change!  Never a dull moment!

NCCE 2012 -- Day 3 -- Seattle

Google Apps:  The Whole Kit and Caboodle

Presenters:  Marc Elliott, Director of Information Services; Tanya Narramore, Instructional Technology TOSA; Mike Sheldon, Manager of Information Systems; all from Bethel Public Schools

The story of this workshop was the story of Bethel's migration from a FirstClass system of tools to Google Apps.  By the end of the session, one could be pretty much sold on the superiority of what Google offers and the wisdom of leaving commercial services behind.

Opening Keynote -- Taylor Mali -- Poet

I'd have to confess to expending hardly a moment taking a look at who Taylor Mali was before it was time for his keynote.  I did take note of the name but little else.  Then when he was being introduced and he was described as a "poet" I did a mental double-take.  A what?  Wait a minute, am I at NCCE?  Is there some regional poetry slam going on at the WSCC right now and I wandered in the wrong keynote session?

Nope.  It turns it that 1) Taylor Mali *is* a poet and, 2) he was the keynote speaker at NCCE 2012.  It took a little while as he read some poems and did his opening shtick but it wasn't really that long before it became clear that Mr. Mali was not a very conventional poet and, furthermore, many of his poems were very entertaining and more than a few were quite thought-provoking.  He is a very effective performer, too.

In addition to his focus on poetry, he is also a dedicated advocate for learning and teaching.  He currently has a project to inspire 1000 people to make a commitment to become a teacher.  He is very close to reaching his goal and, actually, seems to have scheduled the fulfillment of this goal this coming April 7 (at which point he will cut off 11" of his hair [aka ponytail] and donate it to someone.....I forget who).

Like I say, many of his poems are very appealing.  Below you'll find a video version of his poem "What Teachers Make" from YouTube.

Best Web 2.0 for Online Learning

Presenter:  Katie Kotynski

A fairly straight-forward presentation that showcased a number of online resources that are useful in the classroom.  Katie anchored her presentation around her website called BestWebForEd Wiki site.

Integrate Computational Thinking Skills Using Scratch

Presenter:  Phil Big

The focus of this sessions was Scratch and Computational Thinking, just as the title suggests.  The main point was the set of four problem-solving skills/techniques that, it can be argued, our students need to be 21st century literate.  These skills include:  1) decomposition; 2) pattern recognition; 3) pattern generalization & abstraction; and 4) algorithm design.

Phil's contention is -- and it seems quite plausible -- that Scratch is a great vehicle to give students practice in developing, using, and refining those four skills.

NCCE 2012 -- Day 2 -- Seattle

Google Sketchup in the Classroom -- Part 1

Presenter -- Regina Cain

Google Sketchup in the Classroom -- Part 2

Presenter -- Regina Cain

These were long-form workshops (3 hours each; lasted all day with lunch break) taking a look at Google Sketchup.  Using a tutorial document from Google, Regina took us through step-by-step the various tools that Sketchup offers.

The non-pro version of Sketchup is free to all; the $400+ Pro version is available to teachers who go through an approval process in which they establish their bona fides as classroom teachers.

As a 3D design tool, Sketchup is indeed amazing.  Even I was able to create a couple structures -- including a fairly decent-looking schoolhouse with row upon row of windows, trees circling, and a bit of picket fence, too.  My doghouse was fairly decorative as doghouses go but I wasn't as proud of it as the schoolhouse I worked on in the latter stages of the workshop.

NCCE 2012 -- Day 1 -- Seattle

Kodu: Learn How to Excite Middle School Girls to Game Programming

Presenter:  Brad Gibson/Senior Program Manager
Microsoft Research FUSE Labs
This evening workshop was a great way to start my 2012 NCCE experience.  Kodu is a programming option I had never heard of.  The presenters, which included a panel of middle-school aged young women from two schools, made a fairly convincing case that Kodu is a must-consider option when one is weighing various options for teaching programming and the principles of computer science.
As valid as Scratch and LOGO are as options for giving students, especially middle-school aged kids, experience in this realm of computer science, the 3D and narrative possibilities offered by Kodu are difficult to resist.

Not to worry....I'm still around!

Guess what?  I'm still here!  Yes, I know that my most recent post is from eons ago but -- what can I say? -- I've been busy.

What's on my mind, you ask?  Well, I'm intrigued with a new (to me) service/site called Eyejot.  I haven't used it yet to communicate with my students but it sure makes it simple to post a quick webcam video and almost instantly send it out via e-mail to whomever on a subject of interest or import.  No dedicate client or app necessary on the recipient's end.  Video is housed by Eyejot and the vid is viewed in the browser.  Seems both cool & something with potential in the vidworld we live in.