PNAIS 2009 TechShare Conference -- Day Two

Session 1 -- All Attendees

Developing Best Practices around Digital Citizenship

Presenter: Jimi Robinson (Evergreen School)

Using the ISTE definition as a starting point (“Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of behavior with regard to technology use.”), Jimi took us through the highlights of a presentation he uses on this subject. Other subjects he helped us explore included what specific behaviors constitute digital citizenship, the notions of digital etiquette and netiquette, what responsibilities fall to technology leaders, informational literacy, as well as copyright/fair use and the Creative Commons initiative.

We spent some time reflecting on the question of Internet Safety including some of the findings of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force and their report, Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies (from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University). We took a look at some of the important central findings posed by this report with respect to what parents can use to keep minors safe on the Internet (e.g. technology can play a role but cannot be the sole input to improved safety for minors online; the most effective technology solution is likely to be a combination of technologies, etc.).

The message in this session for me was all of us in schools can do much more to inform ourselves, along with parents and students, on the issues surrounding Internet safety. More than an opportunity to further inform ourselves, perhaps we are obligated to do this.


Session 2 -- Educator Track

Tech Training for Teachers: A Technologist’s and Librarian’s Story

Presenters: Lillian Godreau, Harold Johanson (Lakeside School)

This was the presentation that Lillian and I put together to talk about, reflect on, and gather suggestions for tech training for teachers.

Our focus was to tell our “story” of the TechTalk Thursday series we put together during the ’08-’09 school year. Through the mechanism of a PowerPoint presentation, we explored the issues we faced and the challenges in trying to come up with an effective (and, we hope, well-attended) series of technology trainings that would bring new tech tools and practices to the teachers in our building. We shared some of the content we presented and the things we thought worked well and the things we plan on tweaking for next year.

Our “story” seemed to be well-received and, in the discussion/Q&A period, we did get some useful suggestions and reflections based on what others at the session had tried at the respective schools.


Session 3 -- Educator Track

Web 2.0: Embracing the Monster

Presenter: Cheryl Wolotira (Northwest School)

The subtitle of her presentation was: Social Media in Schools. Cheryl did an effective job of showing us the many, many tools available (that fall within her definition of Web 2.0). She began by talking about wikis, blogs, social networks, RSS, IM, and the notion of personal learning networks (PLN).

This latter concept is quite intriguing. The idea is that, with the wealth (or, better yet, torrent) of online information from which one can choose every day, it can be useful to think about what places one uses on a regular basis to sort through the deluge. We all develop habits of finding the information that we think we need to know. Knowing those specific sources/tools you come to rely on can be helpful in analyzing what information is of value to you. Being aware of your PLN may help you let go of sources that end up not repaying your time and attention and moving on to better sources. Reflecting on this whole notion of a PLN seems to have potential in some of my work at the Middle School in the coming year.

I was glad to see that Cheryl took time to point out some of the potential down- and upsides of this informational onslaught, not only on adults but also on kids. Three downsides she talked about: a) inappropriate content; b) the distraction factor; and c) potential for cheating. Upsides included: a) like-minded people can readily share and communicate; b) communication is easy and quick; c) collaboration, collaboration, collaboration; and d) none of us is as smart as all of us.

In addition, Cheryl highlighted the following specific tools:

Wordle -- http://www.wordle.net/
Eyeplorer -- http://eyeplorer.com/show/
VoiceThread -- http://voicethread.com/#home
Animoto -- http://animoto.com/
Tidyread -- http://www.tidyread.com/
Free Tech 4 Teachers -- http://www.freetech4teachers.com/


Session 4 -- Educator Track

Video Chroma Keying

Presenter: Ethan Delavan (Seattle Country Day School)

Ethan gave us a demonstration (with a partial hands-on component) where he set up a green-screen, lights, and video camera to demonstrate the relative ease in video taping people in a technique that allows one to make those people appear to be various places on the globe though the subjects were actually taped in a studio and the pictures were overlaid on the green-screen area.

The technique is used routinely by TV weatherpeople. In schools, chroma key can be a useful technique for placing students in places without having them actually having to travel there for a wide variety of video projects and presentations.

PNAIS 2009 TechShare Conference -- Day One

Session 1 – All Attendees

Global Education

Presenters: Vicki Butler (SAAS) along with other members of the TechShare planning committee

Vicki started us off thinking about the ways in which the integration of technology can enhance involving our students in the issues of the world we live in. We watched a PowerPoint presentation she used to help identify the issues.

Soon we were invited to break up in groups and accomplish a couple goals. One was somewhat practical in that organizers had brought with a clutch of video cameras (most were Flip) and wanted us to have our own opportunity to have some “hands on” experience using this video technology. A second goal was to use those video cameras to record images or scenes that, in our small group’s view, somehow identified the global connection we saw in the things around us.

These exercises were a nice way to bring focus to the group on our coming days together since many of us had spent a significant chunk of the day traveling by car to get to Welches.


Session 2 -- Educator Track

SmartBoard Presentation and Demo

Presenter: Jimi Robinson (Evergreen School)

Jimi had brought a portable SmartBoard to the conference and used it for his presentation.
This, admittedly, was pretty much all review for me. However, based on the amount of energy and interest displayed by others in this session, there apparently are a number of people still unacquainted with SmartBoards.

There was also brief mention of some alternate hardware (i.e. Mimio, Promethean Activboards) which were used by some of the other attendees in their schools.

PNAIS 2009 TechShare Conference -- Introduction

This year’s TechShare Conference (sometimes referred to by organizers as an “un-conference” to suggest its relative informality and friendly spirit) was held at a resort in Oregon. Alla B , Lillian G, and I carpooled from Seattle to Welches, OR. The conference sessions started at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28.
As has been true in other TechShare get-togethers, an attempt was made to offer a thread of subjects to appeal to two of the primary groups who attend these conferences: educators and network and/or technology administrators. My plan was to attend those sessions with an educational focus.

Our National Parks

I hate to start out any post by saying something like.....the older I get the more I appreciate.....but when it comes to our system of National Parks here in the United States, I would have to say that I am growing more and more appreciative to those who made the effort and took the time to bring about this set of national treasures.

A Ken Burns PBS series called: The National Parks: America's Best Idea will air in September, 2009. Click here to visit this great website.

Fremont Solstice Parade 2009

I simply can't help putting up at least one thing about the 2009 version of the Solstice Parade in dear Center-Of-The-Known-Universe Fremont. Saw some of it live and in person yesterday and was once again smiling big time most of the day just from the palpable fun and enjoyment on the part of the many, many, many Seattleites there. Click here for some photos (thanks to the Seattle P-I)

Earth Day 2009

What better way to mark another Earth Day than to visit a site like Encyclopedia of the Earth. Their goal is to be "a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society."

What a wonderful resource!

Trying Windows Live

I’ve just downloaded and begun experimenting with the various components of Windows Live.  This bundle of programs – including Mail, Messenger, Writer (which I’m using now to post this to my blog), Movie Maker [beta], and more – that will apparently be part of the upcoming version of Windows, Windows 7.

Fun to give things a whirl!!!

My First Post About Banking

As of today no one can any longer say that I never posted about a banking system, let alone the one in Switzerland.

I've had some fun (and learned a thing or two) at the HowStuffWorks site. Here's their "how" on how the Swiss banking system works.

For Fans of Mark Twain

Guess what? He has an official website and it looks both interesting and funny (his memorable quips, for example). Well worth an amble into the world of Twain.

Click here.

Protecting the Liberty Bell

If there's any enduring symbol of the founding of the United States and the freedoms that we value, it's the Liberty Bell.

The National Science Foundation has this website which documents the efforts being made to protect this important part of our heritage.

You'll learn something!

We Have A New President!!

What a great day! One place to read about what just happened is here.

Photos from Life Magazine

Google and Life Magazine have teamed up to make available decades worth of photos in Life Magazine's collection. One place said that many of these photos have previously not been available. I'm dating myself, I know, but I remember the days when a Life Magazine rack was right there next to the grocery counter checkout line.

Well, checkout this photo collection here.

Amazing Molecular Animations

The site is called Molecular Movies and, boy, does it have cool animations. You'll get hooked just by watching the one on clonal selection and antibody production in the human immune system. Amazing doesn't cover it! Wow!

Click here to go to Molecular Movies.

Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates 2008

Tonight is the long-awaited Vice Presidential Debate with Senator Joseph Biden and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

MSNBC has a site dedicated to the series of Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates. A lot of interesting information, including earlier examples of presidential candidates debating each other.

Click here to visit MSNBC's Presidential Debate site.

How Do You Spell That?

Over the years, I've heard some references to previous attempts, organized and not-so-organized, to reform (or simplify) spelling in English. What I had no idea of is the number of reform movements out there that have put together systems for re-doing the whole approach to spelling and pronuncitation in English.

Click here to go to a page that lists a number of specific spelling reforms that have been made. If you start delving down into some of these you'll be amazed at the detail and differences in approach taken by various reforms.

Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Gas Station

Yes, Frank Lloyd Wright did design a gas station in addition to all the magnificent homes and office buildings he created. This station is located in Cloquet, Minnesota.

Minnesota Public Radio did a story about it. Click here to read and listen. The gas station is celebrating its 50 anniversary this year (2008).

School Supplies

This is the time of year when we're all thinking about the start of another school year. And what's on the minds of all students? School supplies.

One constant in all the years I was in school in my 3-ring binder or Pee Chee (remember those Pee Chees??) was the ever-reliable pencil.

If you've ever wondered who made all those pencils -- and how many companies still make them -- take a visit to Bob Truby's Brandname Pencils site. Fascinating!

Why Write?

That question seems particularly apropos for a blog, don't you think. Well, a lot of interesting answers to that question are available at a site by the British Library as part of their Learning website.

Check out Why Write?

Online Videos For Students and Educators

One of the many discoveries from my time at Tom Daccord's Web 2.0 workshop last month was SchoolTube. We were discussing Web 2.0 tools such as YouTube but were weighing the up- and downsides of using such a "public" resource, one where we all have seen the most amazing and useful video but where we also realize much debatable or absolutely inappropriate content is accessible to one and all (which includes our students).

TeacherTube was mentioned, of course. But I had never heard of SchoolTube, which was described as a place where students can post video (not to worry, the content is also monitored and subject to moderation by educators and site administrators).

In case you hadn't heard of SchoolTube, now you have. As an enticement, I offer a sample below which I thought was very well done. SchoolTube seems like a "keeper" site.

Web 2.0 Workshop with Tom Daccord -- Day 3

Tom started our final day with a mini-demo of Skype. He doesn’t necessarily use Skype a lot with his students, but as a tool (also free) that allows direct, real-time communication and collaboration to pretty much anyone who can access an online computer that has a microphone and/or built-in camera. Fire up Skype, dial the Skype-capable person at the other end and chat away! I suspect we’re already using Skype here at Lakeside with our GSL trips. But the potential for teachers or students talking directly with fellow scholars all over the world with a tool like Skype is pretty exciting.

Tom used Skype to call Patrick Woessner. He talked to us about social-networking tools. The focus was on two specific social-networking sites: Twitter and del.icio.us. Twitter provides a way for people to let other people know what they’re doing. Not only can you leave notes about what you’re doing, but you can ask to follow other people who are signed up with Twitter. By following other people on Twitter, you get to receive their “twitters” which keeps you apprised of what they’re thinking about or doing. I had heard of Twitter before this conference – it seems like one of the current buzzwords – but I had never taken a look at it. I decided to join and right away subscribed to the postings of a number of Twitter folks who are connected with educational technology (including Tom and some of the folks listed above). I’ll be interested to see where the twitterings take me.

del.icio.us is a website where one can store, tag, and provide access to lists of URLs. Because URLs you store in del.icio.us are online, it allows users to access their personal collection of URLs (bookmarks) with any computer that offers online access and a browser. Beyond simply listing URLs one wants to keep, del.icio.us invites the user to “tag” each site with multiple one-word descriptors (i.e. biology, useful, humor, instructional, grammar, podcast, tutorials, Web 2.0, etc.). One’s entire URL collection is organized with these descriptors so that by clicking on, say, “Web 2.0”, all the URLs that were tagged as Web 2.0 will be listed. It’s also possible to attach a lengthier description to each URL stored on del.icio.us. All of the above is handy enough, but an additional thing del.icio.us offers is an indication of how many other people have listed each URL in a person’s collection. So every URL indicates how many other del.icio.us members have chosen to save the same URL. The thinking here is that, by social networking people’s bookmarks, the more people who store and tag the same URL, the more likely that that particular site will prove to be especially useful…..right? In del.icio.us it’s also possible to view other user’s entire collection of stored URLs (bookmarks), as long as the user allows her/his collection to be shared. This can give one insight into where other people are finding useful information. With del.icio.us it’s not so much the ability to store bookmarks -- though that’s really handy -- it’s the sharing of sites and information that can be so powerful in learning and research.

After the Skype conversation, Tom moved into a sort of gadget phase, showing us some hardware that is on his radar.

First came the FlipVideo camera. We have actually FlipVideo camcorders at my school this past spring for a 7th grade English script-writing/movie-making project. Therefore, I have some sense of the Flip’s many strengths and some of its possible downsides, at least based on our experience. However, one can’t escape the handiness factor: the small size, no-more-DV-tape-hassles to deal with, and pretty rugged construction.

Next he showed us a Kindle (an eReader from Amazon). I believe Tom indicated that he doesn’t use the Kindle in class so much but does use it for some of his reading and/or studying, particularly in his travels.

The last item in today’s hardware show-and-tell was an iPod. It sounded to me like they have class-sets of iPods at Nobles and the school equips each with a microphone (such as the Griffin iTalk Pro [around $50]). He shared some imaginative uses of the iPod such as a language teacher hanging pictures/paintings in the hallway, having verbal descriptions recorded (in the foreign language) on the iPod, and students having to listen to the description and match it with the picture they see before them. Clearly iPods are not only handy in storing songs or simply used for entertainment, but can have many uses in the classroom.

Returning to online Web 2.0 resources, Tom next showed us VoiceThread, another free tool. This one allows a picture (or multiples to form a slide show) to be uploaded. Then commentary, instructions, or whatever you wish can be added to accompany the visuals. Then others can be invited to view and listen to a VoiceThread and, if they so choose, record their own response, observation, or comment. VoiceThread collects all the comments for each “thread” and each user can listen to the comments of all the other contributors to the VoiceThread. One obvious use for a VoiceThread might be in art courses, where samples of an artist’s work make up the slideshow. Students are then asked to view each painting and record their personal observations about each work and listen to the comments by their classmates. Historical pictures could prompt VoiceThread discussions in History. It would be pretty easy to produce a how-to tutorial with a series of screenshots for technology. And so on. VoiceThreads can even be imbedded in a blog making it easy for people who view a person’s blog to access content such as a VoiceThread.

From here, Tom moved us on to a GarageBand tutorial. GarageBand is a Mac application, part of the iLife suite that comes as a bundle of applications when you buy a Mac (so, in a sense, it’s free, too). I had access to an iMac in the lab we were using for the workshop, so I followed along with the tutorial. However, at my school, we are essentially a Windows OS site only. Unfortunately, there is no comparable tool in Windows. So, while not a tool I can readily use in my school situation, it was very interesting to get an idea of what GarageBand can do. Tom took us through the steps to create a podcast using GarageBand. In addition to recording our narration, GarageBand makes it incredibly easy to add music and various effects. Unlike producing a podcast using Audacity, adding the soundtrack is easy to do with the built-in sound tracks that come with GarageBand. And it’s important to note that the music/sounds that GarageBand can provide are copyright-free. Therefore, there are no worries about checking for permission to use the music or searching around online for public domain music, as you need to do if you’re wanting a soundtrack for the podcast you’re producing using an application like Audacity. Audacity is a great (free) sound editor, but it doesn’t come with any music of its own. Tom pointed out how to configure iTunes to convert incoming files to .mp3, which means it’s very easy to produce a podcast in GarageBand and listen to it in something like iTunes.

For those of us who are PC users, Tom next gave us a short tutorial on Audacity showing the relative ease of recording and editing. He pointed out some of the useful tools when producing podcasts, such as adding silence, but the emphasis was the fact that Audacity (yet another free application) is pretty easy to use if not as versatile (in Tom’s opinion, at least) as GarageBand.

By now our last day of the workshop was nearing its end. Tom returned to some topics from earlier in the sessions and a few additional new ones.

He reminded us about Classroom 2.0 which built as a Ning. I’m not quite sure I fully understand what a Ning is but I know that it apparently allows people to create online social networks of their own around areas or subjects of interest. This is certainly intriguing and I will want to explore what a Ning has to offer soon.

Tom showed us Bubbl.us and Gliffy which can be thought of as alternatives to Inspiration. In both cases there is a free version available.

A social-networking, research, and bookmark site called Diigo made a brief appearance. Though we did not devote much time to Diigo in our waning minutes, I think this will be something well worth revisiting.

Tom started winding down with another brief “check this out”……this time for Google Earth. I’ve heard quite a few references to Google Earth already and know that this amazing resource is prime territory for my further exploration.

To some extent, the last three days are a blur. As I re-read and reflect on what we did and where we “went” (online, of course!), there is so much we’ve been exposed to and explored thanks to this workshop. Tom Daccord is a gifted and very effective teacher. I’ve not read his and Mr. Reich’s book cover to cover yet but I have read through sections. I’m not quite ready to pronounce Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology the educational technology book of the year yet but I must say that my initial impression is that this book is filled with ideas, strategies, websites, and lesson plan ideas that pass the “this will work” teacher test. Plus I find the book to be written in such a way to get me to think of my own take on how to use the tools they write about. In other words, it stimulates new thinking about teaching, learning, and curriculum. What more could one ask for?

I count myself lucky to have been able to attend Tom Daccord’s Web 2.0 workshop. As I’ve already noted, Tom is a very effective presenter. This workshop was very well-organized; Tom thought-through carefully what he wanted to cover and how best to do it (workshop agenda available here). It was a great three days at the Noble & Greenough School under Tom Daccord’s tutelage. I learned a lot!!

People of interest mentioned by Tom during the workshop whose writing and thinking about educational technology is worth tracking:
• Ben Schneiderman
• Daniel H. Pink
• Kathy Schrock
• Will Richardson
• Andy Carvin
• Nancy Willard
• Patrick Woessner


Sites we used or were introduced to in this workshop:

Wikispaces -- http://www.wikispaces.com/ -- free wiki sites. Registration required but otherwise free for educators(and no ads).
Flat Classroom Project -- http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/ -- a Wikispaces wiki founded by Vicki Davis (Westwood Schools, USA) and Julie Lindsay (Qatar Academy, Qatar). To quote from their site: “One of the main goals of the project is to 'flatten' or lower the classroom walls so that instead of each class working isolated and alone, 2 or more classes are joined virtually to become one large classroom. This will be done through the Internet through Wikispaces and Ning.”
EdTechTeacher.org -- http://edtechteacher.org/index.html -- a new online initiative by Tom Daccord and Justin Reich and dedicated to helping teachers use technology in their teaching with lesson plans, publications, workshops, and much more
Blogger -- http://www.blogger.com/ -- free blogs from Blogger (owned by Google; requires Google account)
Tumblr -- http://www.tumblr.com -- free “tumblelogs” which are “short form blogs” -- Tumblr says “if a blog is a journal, then a Tumblelog is a scrapbook”
Google Page Creator -- http://pages.google.com/ -- free web page editor and website creator (owned by Google; requires Google account)
Classroom 2.0 -- http://www.classroom20.com/ -- “the social networking site for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education”
YouTube -- http://www.youtube.com -- a repository for millions of videos available online anywhere anytime on all possible subjects (not all of which are appropriate) but there are a number of treasures here!
TeacherTube -- http://www.teachertube.com -- a site dedicated to sharing instructional video with an online community (content screened for appropriateness and pulled if deemed inappropriate)
SchoolTube -- http://www.schooltube.com/ -- to quote their site: “SchoolTube provides students and educators a safe, world class, and FREE media sharing website that is nationally endorsed by premier education associations.” Content is monitored and approved before posting.
PageFlakes -- http://www.pageflakes.com/ -- a “mash up”….in other words, a site where you can assemble on one web page content and updates from an array of websites covering news, sports, entertainment, technology, etc.
iGoogle -- http://www.google.com/ig -- offers similar “mash up” type format as PageFlakes (owned by Google; requires Google account)
Odeo -- http://odeo.com/ -- an online directory and search destination website for RSS syndicated audio & video which also has tools so that users can create, record, and share podcasts with a simple interface.
Gcast -- http://www.gcast.com/ -- offers free tools to create podcast
iTunes -- http://www.apple.com/itunes/ -- client for accessing multi-media, including subscribing to podcasts
Skype -- http://www.skype.com/ -- a program making it possible to make calls between online computers
Twitter -- http://twitter.com/ -- a service that allows people to communicate and follow other subscribers to Twitter
del.icio.us -- http://del.icio.us/ -- online bookmark/URL storage with options to tag, add descriptions, view other members’ bookmark collections
VoiceThread -- http://voicethread.com/#home -- create a thread from pictures, documents, or videos; comment on thread; share thread online
GarageBand -- http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/ -- part of Apple’s iLife suite, a program that can create soundtracks and record podcasts (and more)
Audacity -- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ -- free audio editor with quite a few features; available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Ning -- http://www.ning.com -- a resource to create online social networks focused on particular subjects of interest (see Classroom 2.0 above which is an example of a Ning)
Bubbl.us -- http://bubbl.us -- a free online site offering brainstorming and mind-mapping tools (a possible alternative to Inspiration)
Gliffy -- http://www.gliffy.com -- an online site offering mind-mapping and design (i.e. floor plans) tools -- free and for-pay-subscription options
Diigo -- http://www.diigo.com -- a bookmark organizer and research tool, which also offers social networking with many options for sharing content and collaboration


Other Tools:

RSS/Atom feeds -- can subscribe through browsers, programs such as Outlook 2007, or sites such as Bloglines
Flip Video Camcorders -- http://www.theflip.com/ -- highly portable, easy-to-use hand-held camcorder that stores video on memory card not DV tape
Kindle -- http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA -- hand-held eReader from Amazon
iPod -- http://www.apple.com/ipodclassic/ -- highly portable, highly popular personal stereo player -- can also record with microphone accessory such as Griffin iTalk Pro -- http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/italkpro