Category: Free

Get Your Free Dr. Pepper

Dr. PepperSoft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper, which this past spring offered to send a free can of the beverage to “everyone in America” (excluding ex-GN’R members Slash and Buckethead) if GUNS N’ ROSES’ new album, “Chinese Democracy”, were to arrive anytime during the calendar year 2008, has revealed details of the plan.

“We never thought this day would come,” says Dr Pepper VP of marketing Tony Jacobs. “But now that it’s here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper’s on us.”

According to Billboard.com, interested fans are being asked to visit DrPepper.com on November 23, the day “Chinese Democracy” is released in the U.S. exclusively via Best Buy. After registering online, fans will receive a coupon redeemable for a 20-oz. Dr Pepper wherever the drink is sold.

The twist: the coupon is only available for 24 hours and will expire on February 28.

SOURCE: Free Dr. Pepper Day via Facebook

Technology Integration Showcase

There was a lot of interest in this particular session during the 2008 AECT Convention so we’ve made the recorded Ustream and presenter resources available.

Technology Integration Showcase: Strategies and Tools Worthy of Discussion
2008 AECT Convention
Orlando, FL

This session allows participants to see various technology integration strategies and tools. Participants will also discuss their effectiveness and implications related to their use.

Presenters

  • Kathryn Land – Georgia State University
  • Lloyd Rieber – University of Georgia
  • Clif Mims – University of Memphis
  • Tonya Amankwatia – DeSales University

    • Presentation Resources
    The presenters are compiling their handouts, PowerPoint files, notes, etc. here.

    Watch the Presentation

    Live TV : Ustream

    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.

    This Afternoon at EBC

    Diving Deep into Google Earth and Google Maps

    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

    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?

    Teaching Economics with an Educational Game

    What do a stranded alien race and microeconomics have in common? You just have to see this to believe it!!!

    Econ 2001, UNC-Greensboro

    Here are some random thoughts that I’d very quickly like to share.

  • This is a good example of an educational video game rather than a COTS game that has been adapted for/integrated into teaching and learning.
  • Learners will need to use their imaginations. That’s always a very good thing.
  • I can see curricular connections with math and science (time, space, measurement, money/budgeting), social studies and geography (historic relevance, how would the game be different when set in different time periods, travel), and language arts (critique, parts of a story, journaling and reflective exercises, and more).
  • I suspect we’ll be seeing more and more of this in the near future. Teachers and others with expertise in instructional design need to be heavily involved in such endeavors.
  • Why wasn’t my microeconomics class like this?! Why weren’t any of my classes like this?! I’m not a gamer AT ALL (ask my son or DC) but this looks interesting to me.
  • All things considered (likely resources available, instructional setting, purpose, etc.) it has nice graphics and a good user-interface.

    • Discussion

    1. What is your reaction to this instructional strategy?
    2. What other ways could this be integrated with the curriculum?

    Suggested Reading for 06/05/2008

    I would like to point out several really good items that I encourage you to read and reflect on.

    ———

    Marc Prensky’s Young Minds, Fast Times: The Twenty-First-Century Learner: How Tech-Obsessed iKids Would Improve Our Schools. – Edutopia

    Miguel Guhlin’s Diigo the Web for Education – From Telegatherer to Teleplanter with Diigo – Share More! Wiki

    Using Flickr with Students – Diigo Discussion

    Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software – Lifehacker

    Should Colleges Sell Adds to Pay for New Technology? – The Chronicle of Higher Education