Clif’s Notes

Noteworthy from NECC

I’m still trying to catch up from my recent trips to Kannapolis, EduBloggerCon and NECC. I have notes, pod/vidcasts and photos that I intend to share but more pressing matters (Family, research and writing, preparations for professional development workshops and 2nd summer semester courses) have kept my attention. Here are a few things that I want to make sure I at least go ahead and point out.

Measuring What Really Matters: The 21st Century Skills Assessment Project
“…a collaborative effort designed to create viable methods of assessing of higher order learning outcomes, and the higher-order skills required by independent, lifelong learners.”

• This handout provides a good overview of the project and includes the current iteration of the assessment instrument.
• SIGTE Forum: Assessing 21st Century Skills–Next Steps - NOTE: I’m interested in exploring this further with those sharing an interest in this. Perhaps we could set up an online discussion group or something. Drop me a line if you are interested.

ISTE’s Classroom Observation Tool (ICOT)
"A FREE online tool that provides a set of questions to guide classroom observations of a number of key components of technology integration."

Ed Tech Action Network
"ETAN provides a forum for educators and others to engage in the political process and project a unified voice in support of a common cause – improving teaching and learning through the systemic use of technology. ETAN’s mission is to influence public policy-makers at the federal, state and local levels and to increase public investment in the competitiveness of America’s classrooms and students."

Possible Federal Funding for Educational Technology
There is a possibility that we will see more funding for educational technology and perhaps even a large funding program similar to the PT3 initiative.

NECC This Afternoon

Here are the presentations/discussions that I attended/ participated in during the first half of this afternoon.

A Plan for Wiki Adoption by Ken Pruitt
Ken’s presentation was an adaptation of Stewart Mader’s Wikipatterns. Ken shared suggested strategies for implementing the use of wikis at all levels.

Educational Technology and the Law facilitated by Jon Becker and Scott McLeod
While preparing for the Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0 seminar I’ve realized how important it is that I become more knowledgeable about copyright, intellectual property, plagiarism, and related topics. I especially liked how they were able to pose existing IRL analogies for the virtual situations under discussion.

I’m off to the the much anticipated (at least by me) poster presentation of the ISTE Classroom Observation Tool. I plan to share what I learn soon.

NECC This Morning

I’ve spent most of today participating in the following sessions and meeting online friends in the Bloggers’ Cafe. I’m looking forward to the presentation of the ISTE Classroom Observation Instrument (ICOT) later today. I’m curious to see how it stacks up against similar instruments like LoTi. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to post my thoughts about it. For now, here’s what I’ve attended to day.

Diigo: A Swiss Army Knife for Your Browser by Maggie Tsai, Diigo Co-Founder
Maggie gave a crash course in the basic features and use of Diigo. After her presentation she asked to interview me on camera and I reluctantly agreed. I shared some of the most common ways that Diigo is being used by my students, teachers with whom I mentor in professional development, and by me. She also asked me to share ways that I thought their technology could be improved and I reiterated ideas that I’d previously shared on Miguel’s discussions (here and here) related to this topic. I was pleased with her responses to my technical and design suggestions (She even contacted the engineers about one of the issues while we were talking.) and she provided Diigo’s rationale for why the ads, for now, will continue to exist throughout the tool. She assured me that they are indeed considering

Creating a Ning Network from Scratch by Steve Hargadon
If you want to learn about setting up your own Ning you might as well learn from the master. I’m comfortable using this “tool” but Steve provided useful insight regarding design and implementation which I found valuable.

Using Understanding by Design (UbD) to Create Technology Rich, Deep Learning Unit Plans by Chris Lehmann and Marcie Hull
There are oodles of similar models out there but I found this one to be practical but thorough. I’m going to take another look at Understanding by Design when I return home.

When I become a Teacher

What kind of teacher do you want to be?

This Afternoon at EBC

Diving Deep into Google Earth and Google Maps

• Lucy Gray’s presenter notes
• Adding images in Google Earth
• Geotagging
• Maps, directions, and more
• Google Book Search Library Project

Web 2.0 in Teacher Education (Program Info)

1. My presenter notes
2. Alternative to the term Web 2.0 is the Read, Write Web
3. Teacher education and professional development that effectively helps teachers better integrate technology with teaching and learning
• Allow the teachers to select their own goals and help them reach them
• Online social networks can more easily provide the in-time assistance, coaching, mentoring, etc. that individuals during development/learning, but teachers often don’t think about using the networks
4. How do we prepare teachers to teach in the 1-to-1 environment?
   • The emphasis should change from "teaching" to designing learning that engages the students.
5. Resources for future teachers
   • Social Network
   • Bookmarks

Designing the 21st Century Global Learning Environments (Program Info)

1. Building on some online discussion that has been ocurring for the past year here and here.
2. If there were no barriers what would education look like? Brainstorming notes

This Morning at EBC

I’ll be updating this post throughout the day to alert you of things happening here at EBC San Antonio. The full list of sessions is here. I’ll be sharing information form the sessions that I’m attending. The session titles are in bold.

Social Networking for Professional Development

Scott Merrick is sitting next to me and streaming this discussion live.

1. Should it be organized or self-forming?
• Should the tool(s) be dictated?
2. An atmosphere promoting risk-taking is imperative.
3. Teachers know what they want to learn. Professional development should be tailored around them rather requiring them to attend PD in which they had no say.

Social Networking in the Classroom

Vicki Davis is sitting by me and is streaming this seession here.

1. Teachers in the room are using Ning, Elgg, and several private online communities.
2. Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis updated us about the Flat Classroom and the Horizon Project.
3. How important are digital citizenship and pedagogy in these decisions?
4. If someone says a curse word in the classroom do we close the school? If there’s a fight at recess do we quit having recess? Why do we over react to these problems in online spaces?

Learning to Change - Changing to Learn

Here’s something that will be of interest to all of us. Those with an interest in STEM areas like me should especially take note.

To emphasize the importance of education to the nation’s future and to drive home how much schools need to change in order to educate the children of tomorrow, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), and the National Education Association (NEA) have teamed up to develop a public service announcement (PSA) campaign aimed at the presidential candidates. [More...]

Source: eSchool News

Further Reading

Newsletter on Educational Technology

Throughout the years many of the preservice and in-service teachers in my classes, workshops, and presentations have requested that I start an email newsletter. They indicate that in addition to this blog they would like to receive occasional emails sharing rich resources related to technology integration. I’m excited to announce that I have answered these requests.

Clif’s Newsletter on Educational Technology focuses on the effective integration of technology with teaching and learning. Subscribers of this free service will receive occasional emails providing valuable resources and information about lesson plans, activities, technologies, research, etc., related to educational technology.

OPEN TO PUBLIC
Subscription to this newsletter is open to everyone. You are encouraged to share this with everyone with an interest in education (teachers, administrators, homeschooling families, friends, classmates, co-workers, etc.). Everyone is invited to receive this free newsletter.

PRIVACY POLICY
Your email address will never be shared with others. You may unsubscribe at anytime.

MANAGING SUBSCRIPTIONS
You may subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter as you wish.

1 Thing

I’ve added a new feature to Clif’s Notes called 1 Thing. This special section is an area where guest bloggers can communicate “1 thing” they would like to share, suggest, say, demonstrate, etc. about a particular topic. This section will forever be a work in progress, so feel free to suggest guest bloggers and topics anytime. You can easily access this section by clicking on the 1 Thing link in the main menu.

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NECC Buzz Has Begun

It is still more than two months away, but I am already excited about this year’s National Educational Computing Conference. Although I will be co-presenting a BYOL (bring your own laptop) session about integrating technology in elementary mathematics, I am much more excited about meeting and visiting with members of my online social network in real life. I virtually attended last year’s conference via the RSS river that flowed out of Atlanta and promised myself I would not miss all the fun and opportunities in 2008. So, San Antonio, here I come!!!

Here are some of the events for which I am especially looking forward.

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EduBloggerCon/Classroom 2.0 “LIVE in San Antonio” 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center

Pre-NECC Event following an unconference format. It is free and open to all.

See site for full details.

Tags: edubloggercon, ebc08, necc2008, necc08

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NECC 2.0
The Conference within a Conference. A Fringe Festival for NECC. Three days collaboratively created and scheduled by the participants, held in the open “lounge” areas during NECC.

See NECC 2.0 for full details.

Tags: necc2008, necc08

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Clif’s Blogroll

• A Day in the Life
• Among the Wildflowers
• And Yet It Moves
• Around the Corner
• AT Cubed: Assistive Technology Tools, Tricks, and Tips
• Be a Techie - Using Music and Technology Together In Education
• Beth’s Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom
• Bit by Bit
• The Blue Skunk Blog
• Changing High Schools
• Classroom 2.0
• Classroom Blogging
• Cloudy Tag Thoughts
• Common Craft
• The Connected Classroom
• Daddy Brain
• Dangerously Irrelevant
• Designed to Inspire
• dy/dan
• edtech VISION
• EdTech Workshop
• EdTechRoundUp
• EduTechie
• Effective Design.org
• The Elementary Teacher
• The Fischbowl
• The Four Eyed Technologist
• From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Schools
• Geek of the Week: Tools for Teachers
• Have a Good Life
• H I T
• ICT in My Classroom
• Ideas and Thoughts
• Infinite Thinking Machine
• Injenuity
• Innovative Educator 2.0
• International Edubloggers Directory
• John Connell
• KidCast
• Learning Is Change
• Learning Is Messy
• Light in the Woods
• Moving at the Speed of Creativity
• Moving Forward
• My State of Flux
• The Open Classroom
• Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy
• Opening Doors to Digital Learning
• Parents As Partners
• The Playground
• Random Ramblings
• Rick West
• Spotlight Blog
• Stephen’s Untold Stories
• Steve Hargadon
• The Strength of Weak Ties
• Successful Teaching
• Teach42
• TeacherJay
• Teachers Teaching Teachers
• TechChickTips
• Tech Learning
• Virtual High School Meanderings
• Weblogg-ed

Not Going to NECC?

I canceled my plans to attend this year’s National Educational Computing Conference in Atlanta, but I really wish I could attend. I bet many of you are in the same boat. Luckily, thanks to Web 2.0 technologies we don’t have to miss out entirely. Here are a variety of ways to have a virtual NECC experience.
	Dave Warlick’s HitchHikr Apple Learning Interchange’s Conference Connections podcast eSchool News A variety of free, podcasts, vidcasts, photocasts, etc. are available through iTunes. Search for NECC and subscribe to the feeds that interest you. NECC’s Podcasting Program NECC’s Video On-Demand Program Technorati’s NECC Feed

Draft of NETS-S

I read the following on ISTE’s site today. “ISTE has held Town Hall Meetings at many venues across the nation and globally to provide opportunities for public input on refreshing the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S).” You can view a PDF of a draft version of the next generation of NETS•S.

So, what do you think of the revised standards? Let the conversation begin.