ISTE 2010--Tuesday Afternoon

After a delicious lunch provided by the folks at SchoolCenter, I attended another BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop) session called "Getting Your Message Across: Exploring New Online Website Editors." Anastasia Treckles and Helen Jancich of Purdue University at Calumet shared several tools for publishing online that they discovered in part through their students in an Instructional Technology masters degree program.

• SquareSpace (http://www.squarespace.com/): Free for a 14 day trial, SquareSpace has an iPhone/iPad app that allows mobile updating; it can also aggregate data from social networks, and the display adjusts for small screens.

• Google Sites (http://sites.google.com/ ): If you have a Gmail account, you can easily start a free Google site. The interface is not really intuitive, but there are lots of training videos to support the site. Recently, blog functionality has been added, as well as the ability to create forms (linked to Google Docs spreadsheet). Many gadgets are available to add to your site.

• Wix.com (http://www.wix.com/ ) This site offers free flash-based website creation; it give your web designs a more modern look. There are no ads, even on the free version, but a Wix bar appears at the bottom of each page. Because it is flash-based, it won't work on Apple devices, and it may require more virtual memory during editing. These sites are not ADA compatible since reading devices are not supported, so you might want to add a print-off if this is an issue.

• Doodlekit.com (http://www.doodlekit.com/): Doodlekit includes photo album options and blog capabilities, as well as discussion board and shopping cart add-ons for a fee. However, the site appears to have problems on Apple devices, and there are reports of crashes in Firefix and Safari. There are a few ads in the free version.

• Jotform (http://www.jotform.com/ ): Jotform supports the creation of simple forms to collect data; results are emailed to the specified email address. Even the free account allows for the storage of forms you have used.

• Prezi (http://www.prezi.com/ ): This site provides users with the ability to create and store animated presentations by establishing a timeline to focus attentions on images, words, or sentences on each slide. Using the keyword search, users can also view and download shared presentations. There is also a fee-based desktop download that allows offline edition. Selecting the educational use option provides users with free downloading and more storage.

These sites can be used for student portfolios, for storing presentations, for connecting with parents, for organizing events, and even for limited online collaboration. Although some sites offer Web 2.0 features like blogging, these are not social networking sites, and student identities can be protected.

ISTE 2010--Tuesday Morning

This morning started early with a breakfast hosted by Learning.com with guest speaker Dr. Patricia Agatston, co-author of Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Her presentation was very impressive and research-based. Dr. Agatston focused on online high-risk behaviors, which she directly correlated to face-to-face high risk behaviors. She also stressed teaching positive online behaviors rather than using scare tactics as a means of reaching most students. As an attendee at this session, I will be receiving a video of her presentation, which I will share with you if you request it. I actually prefer this methodology, which is part of Learning.com's EasyTech Online Safety component to the material offered by iSafe, but I will be checking out the curriculum today when I visit the company's Exhibition Hall booth.

After breakfast, I popped into a Promethean instructional session, one of the many being offered every half hour here. McGraw-Hill has joined with Promethean to provide digital math support for K-6, with 7-12 coming in the fall. CINCH Mathematics provides options for teacher planning, as well as home access for student support. This math program looks like the direction that instruction is taking and is available on a subscription basis.

The CINCH program creates slides for instruction based on a teacher's selections, provides onscreen manipulatives, allows integration of Promethean software options and inclusion of other online resources such as videos or other websites--all in a seamless presentation that does not require a teacher to open a new window or leave the site. The goal is to present a chunk of information and then provide an opportunity for formative assessment (using ActiVotes or ActivExpressions) to allow the teacher to determine if he or she should continue or reteach a section. After a day's lesson, a teacher can customize an online session or homework assignment based on the student responses, individualizing assignments down to each student's needs.

Finally, since CINCH allows teacher to combine elements from different traditional textbook chapters, CINCH provides customizable subtopic quizzes that can be printed or completed online. They will also be adding tests that can be completed using ActiVotes or Expressions in the upcoming months, as well as adding more interactive activities to the CINCH slides.

Tuesday Morning's Site Suggestion: coming soon

ISTE 2010--Monday Afternoon (Late)

No time for lunch! There's simply too much to see and do!

At ISTE 2010, BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop) events are free but require advance registration to receive a ticket. My first BYOL session was entitled "Free and Easy Bibliography: Scaffolding Student Research with Zotero."

Zotero is a free Mozilla Firefox extension that I've been toying with for about a year. Developed by the Center for History and New Media through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this open source application can be used to simplify the process of collecting data from online and digital courses, of creating bibliography entries, and of inserting citations into documents (via add-ins for Microsoft Word). And, if I'm not mistaken, the presenter Trevor Owens was instrumental in its development.

This session gave me the push I needed to begin offering professional development in Zotero use. Since the library of resources created in Zotero is stored locally, I was particularly intrigued by the idea that students could use the portable version of Firefox on a flash drive if needed. I promise you will see Zotero introduced in our district in the fall. Thanks, Trevor!

The last session I attended today provided me with an unanticipated surprise. I stumbled into "Modern Web Design: A Door to Your Students' World" when my first choice session was unavailable, and I met Peggy Fisher (no relation to Leslie!), an enthusiastic teacher who shared her use of Microsoft's Expression Web to create web pages for a variety of classroom activities. She was supported in her efforts by Patricia Phillips, a teacher support specialist for Microsoft. Surprisingly, Patricia explained how I could get Expression Web and associated curriculum resources FREE for every district school. Since FrontPage has been discontinued, I assure you that St. Mary Parish teachers will have access to Expression Web to use with students just as soon as I can arrange for it. Check it out, and let me know what you think? Thanks so much, Peggy and Patricia!

The day ended with my first visit to the Exhibition Hall. I will post video tomorrow in this spot that shows you how immense this place--where vendors come to show educational technology folks their products--truly is. I know that I will never be able to visit them all, but I will take notes on new interventions and products that could find their way into your classroom.

I'm off now to a few receptions hosted by vendors. Getting to know them often opens doors to introducing new products for classroom use. It will probably be a late night, but Denver has a great transportation system that allows safe travel even at night.

ISTE 2010--Monday Afternoon (Early)

I know I can see Leslie Fisher at LACUE every December, but I just couldn’t resist seeing her at ISTE 2010. She is a dynamic presenter, and I was fairly certain that she had updated her presentation called “The iPod Touch/iPhone Application Support Group for 2010.”

Sure enough, Leslie has been dutifully analyzing apps as they are released, culling through them to suggest to her audience fun and (sometimes!) educational additions. However, even when the apps are for personal productivity or just for enjoyment, every app we use connects us to the type of technology our students are using, providing us with a bridge toward dialogue and understanding.

You can visit her site for most of them, but here are some she highlighted:
• Evernote: An oldie, this one allows you to create notes (written and audio) and sync them to the web, making them accessible on your PC, too.
• iVideoCamera: If you have an older phone, this app gives you a video capabilities at 10 frames/second.
• UStream: Video capture and broadcasting
• Smugmug: For geocaching!
• Ocarina: Turns your phone into a musical instrument.
• Balloonimals Lite: Use your iPhone microphone to blow balloons and create animals.
• iMagnifier: Use your iPhone to magnify that restaurant menu—good for aging eyes
• Dropbox for iPhone: Links your desktop Dropbox to your iPhone or iPad.

And, yes—of course—Leslie has an iPad, and she included apps that work in her presentation. I imagine that by LACUE 2010, she will have a presentation that focuses on iPad apps alone!

ISTE 2010--Monday Morning

ISTE 2010 provides bus transportation every 15 minutes or so from area hotels, making the trip each day much faster. Upon arrival today, I first explored the Poster area near the front of this monstrous complex called the Colorado Convention Center.

These particular displays change every day, and today’s posters share projects that have won HP (Hewlett Packard) grants. The “posters” are actually informal presentations with examples of student work, outcomes of the programs instituted, resources created, and data collected as part of the grant Seriously, many of you are doing project like this in your classrooms. The difference is that in most cases, the grants were funded to those that showed collaborative efforts, especially when the idea became a whole school project. I was a relief and excited to see that their work was really something that could be accomplished, even in our district schools.

I then moved on to a SIG (Special Interest Group) meeting for Online Learning (SIGOL). There are so many SIGs that form smaller groups of the ISTE family, and even if you are not an ISTE member, you can access the SIG wikis that provide information specifically designed for that group. The SIG meetings provide an opportunity to network and are similar to birds-of-a-feather sessions. This link contains a list of many ISTE SIGs, and here are a few wiki links you might want to explore:

SIGMS for Media Specialists
SIGOL for Online Learning


And finally, I was reminded in one presentation of Kerpoof. Check it out!

ISTE 2010--Sunday Evening

After attending a reception in which Learning.com announced its new Sky product (which allows a single sign-in for partner and selected sites), it was time for the true opening of the conference with ISTE's Helen Padgett, who gave a year-in-review report. The ISTE Affiliate Network now includes 81 countries, thanks to the recent additions of India, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Recognizing the limited resources available to the classroom teacher, ISTE has launched the first phase of ISTE Learning, where educator can get what they want how they want when they want: http://istelearning.org. Look for more additions in September!

Ms. Padgett reminded attendees that ISTE's goals are to improve student learning in a world in which all students can achieve their potential. ISTE's goal includes taking the best ideas and making them accessible to others. Maintaining the status quo is no longer an effective strategy. According to Padgett, if we are to make lasting change, educational technology is a non-negotiable.

ISTE’s conference theme is “Exploring Excellence.” Representatives from more than 78 countries are present at ISTE 2010, including the keynote speaker Jean-Francois Rischard.

Caution: Spoiler Alert! Do not proceed unless you are interested in problems of a global nature.

Rischard, former president of the World Bank, offered a presentation entitled Navigating in Turbulent Times, in which he reveals his belief that the world is in fast-forward globalization and that there are 20 problems that must be addressed and that we have little time left to act. These problems are unresolved because our current international system is paralyzed, but Rischard suggests that part of the solution includes improving our global problem solving.

Rischard reports that the change curve, rather than showing slow growth, is now showing dramatic change in areas as diverse as population, trade, finance, economics, and so forth. He demonstrated the change in copper use as an example, comparing the use of copper in the Middle Ages with the change in the past century, which he terms "hyper-change."

Two big forces, says Rischard, are producing this explosion in change and complexity and are testing the limits of our planet: population increases and a new economy. The new economy is based on an economic revolution and a technology revolution. New inexpensive communication technologies have transformed time and distance, and knowledge is the biggest element of production today rather than other raw materials. However, this mindless growth is producing new stresses. Both population and economic forces have combined to produce more change and complexity than we are able to handle. Human mindsets and institutions are not keeping up with these changes, particularly because solutions are being implemented only in what Rischard terms "bureaucratic years," the time required for politics to change.

Rischard lists the following as urgent global problems yet unresolved: dangerous climate change; deforestation, biodiversity loss, fisheries depletion, water shortages, poverty, global financial stability, and biotechnology research.

Rischard is quick to point out that these problems have solutions that aren't really costly. However, he insists that we have fewer than 20 years to act on these problems, especially with these four: the global credit crisis (2007 onward), ageing time bomb (2010 onward), conventional oil depletion (2015 onward), ecological footprint overshoot (2035 onward), and dangerous climate change (2035 onward). Unfortunately, he reports that none of them are being solved at this point:

• Treaties and conventions are too slow and inadequate for most problems.
• UN summits are too off-and-on and confusing.
• G8, G20-type groupings are too reactive and superficial.
• The 45 existing international organizations cannot handle global problems alone even though they are doing reasonable good work separately.

Ultimately, Rischard insists that the key to solving these problems is the cultivation of innovative ideas that are able to be implemented quickly and that would inject new forces that coax nations to become more planet- and long-term oriented. He suggests a three-phase approach, in which GIN (global issues network) committee members from governments, civil societies, and businesses converge--perhaps, Rischard jokes, in an isolated castle in Spain for three to five years--to examine problems and determine norms, or solutions, that could be implemented through a system of naming-and-shaming, in which countries are given medals based on their efforts toward solving these problems in their countries. Brown and black medals would be awarded to criminal states, and this embarrassment might promote spontaneous internal pressure from younger voters who have been introduced to the global effects of these problems in school.

Rischard's book High Noon is used as a teaching tool in many schools. The efforts outlined by Rischard are intended to produce spontaneous sanctions and to be influenced by younger voters. For this to occur, students must leave school with a global mindset, with an understanding that they are global citizens first, national citizens second, and local citizens third.

Perhaps Rischard's speech was too much for the end of a busy Sunday evening and for the opening of ISTE 2010. While Rischard is obviously very intelligent and thoughtful, some of the ISTE crowd voted with its feet. I found Rischard's ideas logical but a bit unsettling, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was somehow listening to a plan that might include some kind of indoctrination of school-age children. However, Rischard's ideas will no doubt promote much conversation at this conference, especially with the conference's global focus. I might have to read his book to help clarify my own thoughts about his ideas. I look forward to your thoughts!

ISTE 2010--Sunday Afternoon

The ISTE 2010 Conference kickoff address was delivered by Mario Armstrong, Digital Lifestyle Expert who reports for NPR's Morning Edition and for CNN. His presentation began as he assumed the role of a new teacher seeking to overcome hurdles associated with innovative classroom technology implementation--lack of funding, understanding, administrative support, equipment and the general fear of school districts to implement new technologies. In a dream sequence, Mario connects with great innovators of the past through Skype in a The Christmas Carol-esque parody to battle four monsters blocking his progress:

• Marconi introduced the The Locked Net Monster, the result of being shut out of Internet sites. An ISTE VIP (who, please?) arrived to assist Mario by providing him with an assortment of ISTE tools, including the announcement that ISTE books would be available for the Kindle--and then Mario promptly gave away a new Kindle as a session doorprize.
• Marie Curie introduced the Dollar and Cent-aur, the result of dwindling funds for instructional technology. Helen Pagett, ISTE President, arrived to provide Mario with the new FREE-to-members ISTE iPhone and iPad app, which includes NETS On the Go, to help him defeat the monster--and then Mario gave away an iPod touch.
• Amelia Earhart, concerned about apathy and mediocrity, introduced the horror of the Mediogre. Leslie Connery, Deputy CEO of ISTE, invited viewers to network and interact with people and technologies that could enhance learning using ISTE's online resources--and Mario then gave away a Netbook.
• Jacques Cousteau, with his focus on creativity, introduced his arch-nemesis The Abominable Noman. ISTE members who use the online community tools (Facebook, Ning, Second Life, Twitter) appeared with an iPad, representing a way to stay connected and defeat The Abominable Noman. Of course, Mario gave away the iPad--and of course, I didn't win any of those prizes.

However, I met some wonderful people from New Hampshire and Saudi Arabia in the keynote networking session, as well as Mark, the founder of Dulcinea Media, Inc., who shared with me some very neat sites that I'd love for you to comment on:

• SweetSearch, a search engine for students upon which all links have been evaluated by research experts--how nice!
• Finding Dulcinea, subtitled "the Librarian of the Internet," and the Spanish version
• Finding Education, a free tool for finding the best resources for your students

Let me know what you think about these resources . . . I think perhaps these were MY prizes from the first session! Thanks, Mark!

ISTE 2010 Begins!

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) hosts an annual conference that is anticipated to draw 20,000 technology enthusiasts this year. Formerly known as NECC (National Educational Computing Conference), the name change reflects a move toward a more global focus for both the organization and the conference. This conference is widely attended by technology coordinators, administrators, and library-media specialist--and especially teachers.

GoAnimate.com: Blue Bear in Space - ISTE10 Conference by null


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Thanks to gwyneth and to the ISTE Connects site for introducing me to the first new tool I will share with you: GoAnimate.com.

ISTE is my must-attend conference each year. I am always delighted by the absolute enthusiasm of attendees about the use of the technology to enhance learning and engage learners--including me! At this conference, I can see where educational technology in our district will be headed in a few years, and I am able to meet with and learn from so many who have already tread the paths that we will be traveling.

During the next week, I will be highlighted people, products, and plans that I think are directly relevant to our district's technology growth or are so interesting and exciting that I just have to share them. You can follow me . . . and you can attend ISTE yourself through the many virtual offerings that you can access from home. You can even use ISTEVision for video-on-demand of key sessions.

Blackboard Basics for LVS Instructors

This posting provides support for a workshop delivered for Louisiana Virtual School teachers at the LVS Faculty Summit in June 2010.

Clicking the title of this blog post will provide access to my handout on a few very basic skills that are necessary for successful use of Blackboard. While this handout is labeled "for Blended Instruction," the handout information about several key features that all instructors can use.

Links to other sites used in the workshop:

• For beginner-level course banners: http://www.cooltext.com/
• For an introduction to using avatars for course Announcements: http://www.voki.com/
• For adding images to Announcements: See blog post below
• For incorporating Calendars from Google: See blog post below
• Web. 2.0 tools for adding excitement to assignments:
  Create animated videos using your own images or those online: http://www.animoto.com/
  Create content-related comic strips: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
  Use free diagramming software for a wide variety of projects: http://www.gliffy.com/
  Create online web pages: http://poster.4teachers.org/ (An oldie-but-goodie)

Other topics:
Creating surveys in Blackboard
Using Groups for individualizing instruction; linking to Groups in Internet Explorer
Controlling Discussion Board (including Post Rating)
Using Gaggle to your advantage

Adding a Google Calendar to your LVS Course

Google Calendars represent a great improvement over the practically useless Blackboard calendars.

1. To begin, I created an LVS Calendar and a Course calendar for my class. Then, I clicked the "Setting" link that appears on the left beneath the list of calendars.
2. From the list of calendars, I chose my LVS Calendar and clicked "Share this calendar."
3. First, I clicked "Make this calendar public."
4. Then, I clicked Calendar Details from the tab menu. I scrolled down to the "Embed this Calendar" item and clicked "Customize color, size, and other options."
5. I then scrolled down, looking on the left-hand menu until I found my list of calendars. I added a check mark for my Course Calendar, and then returned to the top of the page and clicked "Update HTML." These actions combined the two calendars, changing the HTML code that appears at the top of the web page. Copy the HTML code that appears in the box.
6. I returned to Blackboard's Control Panel. I made sure that I deleted any existing Calendar menu items in Manage Course Menu. Then I created a new Content item ("Assignments" is fine) and named it "Calendar." (highlighted directions modified 09-01-2010) 
7. The word "Calendar" will now appear in your Control Panel's Content Area. Click that link, and select Item. Insert a name for your calendar, and then find the < > icon (Toggle HTML source coding). Clicking that icon allows you to insert the HTML code you copied from your Google site.
8. Click Submit, and your Calendar will magically appear.

BIG NOTE: If you change your mind, you will find it very difficult to delete your calendar (because it's a mashup). The best way I've found is to go back to Step Six and delete the Calendar menu item. Then, you can start over at that step.

If you find an easier way to do this, or want to add suggestions, please add your comments below. If this work, add a comment!