Technology In Education Online

There were four sessions throughout the day. Here is a brief review of the sessions:

 Session 1 – Project Based Learning That Works - Great Ideas for You – Thematic Planning – The LEADS model (Literacy is Essential to Adolescent Development and Success ) is built around thematic, cross-curricular units.  The core reading materials, novels and expository/informational text are utilized to incorporate this cross-curricular approach.  The presenters gave an example of Project-based Learning by presenting YouTube videos showing this model in action.  Integrating curriculum through ideas – LA teacher, SS teacher, and Math teacher are thinking of ways to integrate these themes/ideas.  They pointed out that collaboration time is essential.   

Session 2 – Drop-in Time- Web 2.0 tools- They spoke of how they could be used in the classroom with students. The presenters demonstrated interesting sites:

For more information go to: http://dropintimewithweb20.wikispaces.com/

Session 3 – I presented “The Project-Based Web 2.0 Buffet! Eating It All Up! I spoke about the collaborative 6^th grade project. I’ll be posting my presentation on my website.

Session 4 – Developing and Supporting Teacher Leaders – The Academy of Teaching and Learning – http://southjerseyacademy.com/. It is run by teachers for teachers and started in 2000. 

All sessions are free. The only responsibility of the school districts are providing teachers with substitutes while attending.

There are 4 components -

1. governance committee – gets feedback from others to determine who are speakers, i.e. teacher leaders in the area then plan/organize
2. EIRC – take care of cost, meeting place, etc.
3. Quarterly meetings – meet on a specific topic – teachers drive the topics based on feedback
   1. Keynote in AM, breakout, lunch, return for big group activity, burning issues
4. Website – collaboration, professional growth

Once again a very enjoyable day at this annual conference. Thanks to all the folks at SRI – ETTC for putting this together!

OK, it’s time to vent a little…

My list at conferences is a small one but one I need to state:

1. Not enough plugs – I know I can run on battery power but running from presentation to presentation, going through the main gathering hallways, it’s a bit of a mad scramble and dash to see who gets to the plug first.  Please, please, please more places to plug in.
2. Hotels charging for Internet service – I get nickeled and dimed to death with additional services. Come on now!  I know it can be done at no charge. I’ve stayed at many hotels around the country that offer Internet service for free. So stop charging me $12.95 per day!
3.  Another network bug – Please provide consistent network connections during the conference. Yes, I like being able to be wireless wherever I go around the conference, but when I keep getting dropped off the network or have a really slow connection it makes it frustrating.

So there you have it. I’m done. Just some things I had to let go of.   Has anyone else had these issues? Let me know.

Continuing my random thoughts theme from my first FETC 2008 post, I’ll continue on.  I’m waiting the opening session to start and thought I’d put down my thinking from conversations today. So here they go:

I like wireless wireless access where ever I go.  I don’t like when I keep getting dropped off. It makes working while at the conference so much easier since a lot of my work these days is web-based. I just have to get over my need to plug-in for electricity. Can we have some type of solar or self generating power supply?

We need to move away from our fear factor.  Why do I say that? While sitting down for the opening session <strong>The Journal</strong> sitting on my chair listed on its’ cover “Handle With Care” In the wrong hands school PCs can be agents of improper even unlawful activity.  I’m not discounting the need for security, but when our focus is on this fear factor we lose track of the positives and focus on the negatives.  This is true of many of the Web 2.0 tools students use.   We must move away from this if we are to keep up with today’s students.  We can flourish using these creative, interactive, student driven tools.

Educational Leaders must be just that!  I had a great discussion with another presenter today discussing this issue.  How can we move away from NCLB and teaching to the test mentality if our educational leaders of our schools only perpetuate the status quo? If they only focus on test scores or padding their own resume then they have lost focus on what educational leaders should be.  If we are truly going to move towards a more constructivist approach to education, with technology integration being one of the many tools, then we must expect more.

Appearance is nothing. This piggy-backs off of #3.  If technology is about what looks good rather than how to better integrate technology then we are missing the boat.  Is it about show, how it appears to the community?  If this is true, then what are we to expect of our students?  As I walked around the vendor area I have a whole new outlook on how I assess what they are selling.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m one of the first ones to jump at the “cool” stuff. But when I take a step back and assess what value it has my perspective has changed dramatically.

Technology isn’t just about standards, security, test scores, cool devices and nice looking reports.  Again I refer to #4 above. I don’t dispel these things I just don’t think they are the end pieces.  If we purchase these types of programs that generate these great looking reports with graphs and charts are we simply presenting them to our BOE to make it look good?  I don’t mean to be a cynic, I’m just a little tired of how people bend and twist technology into being the pacifier of accountability.

And so ends my latest random thoughts for the day.

As I left the cold rainy weather of New Jersey, I was happy to arrive in Orlando and feel the warmth.  Often before a conference many random thoughts go through my mind, especially at a conference I’ve never attended.  What will the presentations be like, how will the conference go, will it be informative, what new things will I learn, and the list goes on. I even haven’t got to those random thoughts about my own presentation.  Being the last session of the conference I wonder what the turn out will be like.  Do you know you’ve made it regarding conference presentations when you move up the schedule? Time will tell.

The one thing I’m really happy about (OK, sometimes the little things make me happy) is being able to access the Internet from my hotel room for free!  There is nothing worst when you make reservations and the hotel states that they have “free” Internet service. Free! Yes, if you want to hang out in the lobby.  I like access directly from my room. I can stretch out, relax, and work in my own space.

I will be a correspondent for eSchool News during the conference and will include links to my reviews during the conference. Stay tune! Enough random thoughts for now!