Technological Learners
Professional development can be a week long immersion at a conference or as simple as sharing a website. Use this section to exchange ideas, tips, and tricks you have collected through the years. Creating an interactive and interesting dialogue is essential to the success of this section. Need help with a technological lesson plan for the week? Post a comment and ask for suggestions.
Tekkie Talk 
Leading by example, I want to share a website I just recently learned of:
http://www.wordle.net
What fun this site is! You can use it for spelling words, chapter summaries, or anything you can imagine! If you have used it, what have you used it for?
Kay
I also added a comment in the Teacher Resource section about Wordle for the time we are ready to release this blog for primetime.
I have seen a couple of our classes using Wordle in this way: analyzing the importance of the words in a scripture passage; hearing what the politician was “really” saying in his political speech. I used it in Spanish class to compare preterite vs imperfect use within a story.
But my most fun adventure has been to use Wordle personally as an affirmation tool: I picked all the words that my daughter has used to describe her life; put them in a Wordle; and then framed it for a Christmas present! This could be used in the classroom as an affirmation activity for your students.
I have not tried wordle.net. Do you think it would be useful to highschool students?
We are teaching all of our teachers to use http://www.Weebly.com to post their teacher websites. Its a versatile, free site and the teachers are quite creative using blogs, file downloads, comment boxes, and YouTube videos for interacting with their students. We compared the features of this site to many others and it will do much more than most. Check it out! It would even make a great personal free website. Anybody else using it?
Just got an email from WHRO about a webinar sponsored by PBS. Here is the text:
Join PBS Teachers Thursday, October 22 at 8 p.m. EDT for
“Welcome to the NEW PBS Teachers Site!,” with the PBS Teachers team.
PBS Teachers is hosting a free webinar for educators to showcase its recently updated website. PBS Teachers relaunched during the summer of 2009 and continues to roll out new Web 2.0 functionalities and new and reorganized content. The redesigned website makes it easier and quicker for educators to find appropriate instructional and professional development resources from across all PBS’ education services.
During the webinar, PBS Teachers staff will provide a tour of the site, including search and browse functionalities that let educators access resources related to PBS on-air and online programs and information on exclusive content such as the PBS Teachers Activity Packs and Media Infusion blog.
Background
PBS Teachers is the national Web destination for preK-12 educators to access PBS’ educational services and a searchable database of more than 9,000 free local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, on-demand video assets, interactive games, and simulations. Many of the resources feature PBS’ award-winning programming and content, including on-demand streaming video from select PBS programs. PBS Teachers hosts an online learning community for educators to share ideas, collaborate, and discuss technology and digital media integration in the classroom. Within the community, educators can search for instructional resources that fit their needs; then easily bookmark, annotate, share, and manage their tagged content. New digital media resources are regularly added to the PBS Teachers site and designed for use in school and home-based learning environments.
To Join the Webinar, Click the Link: Online at Elluminate Live!
The link is
Note: You will need to install the latest version of the Adobe Flash player to view video for this presentation.
Please check out the first draft of our survey at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QJ6FGVF
for our meeting on Thursday at 3:00.
My only suggestion on the survey might be in the 2 questions with the choices “today,” “next year'” etc. Should we offer a fourth choice like “Not in our future plans” or something that will let us know whether a school has just eliminated that selection from further consideration?
Can definitely add NOT IN OUR FUTURE PLANS as a column.
I agree with NOT IN OUR FUTURE PLANS and for number 2 about how many people are in your technology department, I would add a .5 (for the part-time technology person doing it alone)
Of course, I can add a 0.5 person. Thanks for thinking of it.
At the VSTE conference last week, we were introduced to new and exciting tools to give students a creative outlet in every class. One such tool is Glogster (edu.glogster.com). Glogster allows students (and teachers) to make digital posters about a topic. I saw this as a great fit for my class learning about PowerPoint. I let them create a Glogster on one of their passions and have had more dynamic and exciting results than I ever thought possible…2 thumbs up for Web 2.0 tools like Glogster.
Melanie,
I will have to check out edu.glogster.com I am always looking for cool new websites to use with the students!
Hey Melanie, copy paste your entry about Glogster under Teacher Resources so that all the teachers in the Diocese can use this great site!
We have a Religion teacher using Glogster in this way:
‘They are going to create a a “glog” called “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” where they will have different media that represent the good, bad and ugly images of sex and sexuality in media.’
In my Spanish class, my level 5 students are creating Glogs for Exhibition at a Health Expo with each student having a different topic regarding health: recipes; mental health; nutrition and healthy habits; exercise/sports; natural remedies. On each Glog, they will have video, voice recording, “poster” information, pictures, and music.
In the survey, I’m not sure we would get an accurate feel for WHO is actually doing the Technology work in a particular building/school unless we ask. The Survey asks for Employee, Consultant, Volunteer–is there any way we can differentiate Employee as Teacher vs IT Employee?
Also, I recorded that 1 Person maintains, etc. but it is acutally two Teachers who work part time–one doing IT stuff and the other doing Teacher training…so from our survey I don’t know if we would get an accurate picture of the technology situation at our school.
Lastly, there’s no question about the level of computers in the building or how many there are (student/computer ratio). It could be a general question (I know we want to stay away from counting computers…), something like What is your level of satisfaction with the performance level of the computers in your building? below our needs…satisfies our needs…above our current needs allowing for progress.
What is your student/computer ratio?: unacceptable…needs improvement… satisfactory…excellent.
I just took the survey today and see that everyone else’s suggestions have already been incorporated into the Survey. We can talk about my concerns when we meet today via Skype.
Just looked at the survey today – quite comprehensive. Some possible additions: for #6 what the students are doing, add research (Find it VA, World Book Online, etc.), OPAC, spreadsheets and charts, databases, presentations, Accelerated Reader and STAR reading assessment. For #7 what the teachers are doing, add research, gradekeeper, Teacher web (posting homework, announcements and grades), presentations.
I just read this list of ways to help manage all the Technology that is at our fingertips. Some times it is too much and sometimes it is overwhelming. I find this list really helpful. Yes, it is a bit of a read but I hope you enjoy it too.
***************
So what do you do….to make this manageable, workable, and productive??
…………..Well, I am glad you asked……..here are my thoughts.
1. Stretch yourself by 10%. Invite more people to be your friend on twitter, join a ning and comment on a forum, participate in a project, try a new option in your classroom.
2. Don’t hesitate to share an idea which you think everyone always knows about. Not everyone is online 365/24/7 and ideas get missed, overlooked, or not seen for a variety of reasons. So go ahead and share….I can promise you that someone will say “wow, I had never seen that before and thank you for sharing.”
3. In total contradiction to #1, it is also wise to occasionally weed through your PLN….it is okay to stop following someone, it is okay to remove names from your blogroll, it is okay to trim your delicious feed.
4. Wander through your twitter friends to see who their twitter friends are and see who their twitter friends are. This is not stalking, instead your twitter friends have given a silent recommendation of people they think are worth listening to.
5. Next time you are at a conference, walk up to a name you recognize, introduce yourself, and then join in the conversation or start a new conversation. Don’t keep your PLN at a virtual arms-length.
6. You don’t have conquer everything. At times, on twitter, on delicious/diigo, and blog posts come pouring forth like a waterfall and you simply cannot grasp everything that has been shared. That is okay. If it proven to be educationally sound, it will come around again. One nice thing of waiting is you let the others conquer and you can read how they did so.
7. Join in a conversation…..but backtrack a bit in case you are joining midstream to catch up with what has been already said. Also, follow a chat. The #edchat conversation on twitter is something I just don’t have time to join yet. But because they use a the hashtag (#edchat — http://twitter.com/search?q=%23edchat), I can search that tag and go back and reread the conversation when I have time.
8. Walk away. Do something other than tech every so often. Have a conversation that does not include the words Web 2.0, twitter, PLN, google, flickr, 2.0, Tech, etc. (Just fyi, it is okay to turn off your phone sometimes!)
9. Be yourself and find one name that sticks. Don’t be TechGal47 on diigo, JenW49 on twitter, and Hoping4Snow on flickr. Find a way to merge yourself into one name that people will know.
10. Remember, just like the lines in spirograph, at times your PLN will seem distant and far away, conversations will dwindle, and you might post something that gets ignored. Don’t give up. The conversations will return, your comments will be noticed, and your PLN will seem very close…..and without a moments notice….it might all seem far away again. That is fine.
It is normal and its part of being in a PLN of people with lives, families, papers to grade, etc etc etc.
And always remember that like a spirograph, with the single twist of movement the conversations, the contributors, the possibilities might change. Always something new, something different, something crazy, and something beautiful. All the overlaps contribute to make you better at what you do best……sharing the possibilities of edtech with others.
So take a spin — and enjoy your PLN!!
Jen
This post can also be read at http://jenuinetech.com/blog/?p=1298
http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_jon_orech/new_years_resolutions_teachers
Interesting article about New Year’s Resolutions for Tech teachers.
Did you know that there is a national movement toward a National Educational Technology Plan?
Look at this site to see what is being discussed out there.
Share Thoughts on the Future of Educational Technology
The U.S. Department of Education is developing a new National Educational Technology Plan to provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research, development and innovation. On its Web site, the department is seeking recommendations from educators and technology experts in four areas: assessment, teaching, learning and productivity. Share your thoughts and see what others have recommended. A draft plan is expected in early 2010.
Click Here to Contribute Your Recommendations
I added this link to our Wiki page because I think it has components we need to consider when developing our Standards for the Diocese. This is a great site–thanks for sharing it!
Our Wiki: http://tekkietalk.wikispaces.com/
Forums or Threaded Discussions are a very powerful tool for learning for myself. In all the online classes I’ve taken, I usually get most of my ideas and resources from my colleagues/peers through a Forum/Discussion Board.
I have been using a free Forum for the past 3 years with my upper level Spanish classes where students can just talk with one another. They are graded on including the essential elements to their Posts and then moving the discussion along in their Responses. This is their favorite part of the class.
A Biology colleague has been using another free Forum to drive in-depth discussions regarding Invasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay. It took the kids a couple of tries, but she remarked recently (after reading student posts) that they finally “get it” and are having great, indept conversations regarding Biology!
I have guidelines she has developed if anyone wants copies. (No ability to post the documents here.)
The Biology Forum is: http://www.pchsmarinebio.proboards.com (ProBoards)
The Spanish Forum is: http://z15.invisionfree.com/SraLambSpanish (InvisionFree)