Things from my mind...

Imagine Your Kids on This

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:53:10 -0700

Imagine doing a presentation in class using this..
the ultimate Smartboard.
Although it is just a proof of concept right now, it is a working OS...can;t be too far away.

Make some data driven decision making on this:

Live Blog of TUT Dinner

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:31:03 -0700

The Weakest Link

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:23:32 -0700

“The weakest link in the chain is also the strongest. It can break the chain.”- Stanislaw Jerzy Lec (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

Today, I saw what truly is an example of the weakest link causing the failure of an entire system. While walking around a campus, I asked if they had any Smartboards and if they were being used.

Well, my companion said, They do have a Smartboard, but no one is using it.

Why not? I asked.

Well, they lost the cord that connects it to the computer. They haven’t gotten it replaced.

How long has the cord been lost?

About a year.

A YEAR!

And there you have it.

A $50 cord, the most insignificant of the pieces of equipment needed run an interactive whiteboard causes the entire use of a great piece of equipment to be stopped.

The weakest link.

This got me thinking about what other “weak links” are out there. A missing power cord. A battery that goes out.
A dirty mouse.

How many of these “weak links” cause an entire system to fall apart?

And these are the smallest of all of the system pieces to cause an entire system to seize up.

So, I wonder how many laptops are not being used because there is a bad battery? Or a Smartboard not being used because of a missing cable? Or a desktop not being used because the BIOS motherboard battery is dead?

Anyone ever heard of a study that looks at this kind of data?

Reflections of the iNACOL VSS 2008 Conference

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:08:07 -0700

I attended the NACOL Virtual School Symposium in late October and blogged all the sessions that I attended. After about a week or two, I thought I would write about what has stuck in my mind, my take-aways from the conference.

Main Conference theme:
Every conference has a theme, some are written, some are unwritten.
I think that the theme of this conference was that Virtual Learning is a train coming down the track and that the US is woefully unprepared to handle it. Cardinelli called it the “Sputnick Syndrome.”

Thinking back on the three days at VSS 08, I think that the theme of the conference could be be summed up by looking at the words of the keynote speakers: Fabrizio Cardinali CEO of Giunti Labs and Mike Horn, Author of Disrupting Class.

Cardinali spoke a lot about what the rest of the world was doing in terms of online learning. He, along with Susan Patrick
President & CEO of NACOL, presented a pretty interesting global view of online learning.

The US is far behind much of the world when it comes to online learning, broadband access, and virtual classrooms. Turkey, for instance, has been able to scale a single online class to ten thousand classes. China has digitized their entire curriculum

Singapore has 100% of their teachers teaching at least one online course, with teachers being taught how to tech in Second Life.

India needs to build 200,000 schools! There is no way they can afford it, so they realize that the only way to educate everyone is through online learning.

There was an interesting idea about modular learning: the thought that learning was not something that happens in set times in set locations and in set environments, bit rather when the mood hits.

For instance if you need to learn how to fix a pipe, log on and learn.

Need to learn when how the Battle of Gettysburg was fought, log on and learn.

The learning is becoming nonlinear in other parts of the world.

Modularity is a big idea. You pick what you need and it fits into the larger curriculum schema.

We have been talking a lot in the past years, at NECC and TCEA and such about how students should be taking a more active role in their learning, and it appears that the idea of modular learning would allow this to happen. The learning is

Modular learning. Students can earn partial credit on classes instead of having to complete a full course in one fell swoop.

Micro learning and modular learning seem to be inter-related.

Essentially, Cardinelli and Horn both said that if we do the same thing we get the same results...That virtual learning is a much better model of education and of the business of learning.

In several of the sessions I attended, the theme was not about when Virtual Learning was going to happen, but rather how soon.

Lawsuits seemed to be spoken about in several sessions, and in every case, the speakers skirted around the issue that it was the teacher unions in the states and not the politicians that seemed to be against virtual learning. That was interesting, because when Cardinelli spoke about what countries were really taking off with virtual learning, I wondered how many of those had strong governments, that could dictate it?

I liked the size of the conference, about 1300 people. I had gotten used to attending 12,000+ person conferences, and this was a refreshing breath. Not too hurried not to large. The organizers built in plenty of time for attendees to network, both between sessions and during lunch. I hope that they keep it that size and don’t get too big for their britches.

Of particular interest were 45 minute breaks in the day that had snacks located in the exhibit hall, forcing attendees to visit the vendors.

Very clever, and a good use of space and vendors. They all should have been happy with the turnout.

Many of the sessions are archived here:
http://vss2008.wikispaces.com/live

Join the Movement

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 16:52:05 -0700

Earlier, I posted a blog entry called “The Student Reduction in Paperwork Act of 2008.” In that post, I suggested that there should be some kind of legislation like the old Reduction in Paperwork Act but for schools instead.

Don’t know how successful I’ll be in that regard, but I think that we can, as a group, at least begin to start a movement.

I propose that we all begin to spread the word that we, as technology infused educators, make a pledge to reduce the number of paper assignments that we give our students, and encourage our peers to do the same.

Here are the beginning steps to start the movement:

Download the logo on the right.
Put the logo on your blog site/website (or even tattoo it) and link it to the wiki: http://nomorepaper.pbwiki.com/
Go to the wiki and add to the list of assignments that normally are done on paper, but can be done digitally.
Share the wiki with teachers and administrators that are paper-prone. Show them that digital is often better and does not require more work.
Remind them of the slogan “Instead of, not in addition to.”
Revisit the site as often as possible. The more lessons on the site, the better!

The more assignments that we can show have digital equivalents, the better.

I think that one of the major reasons teachers shy away from technology is because they don’t know of technology equivalents.

This site should help.

Join the movement.

No More Paper Assignments.

The Student Reduction in Paperwork Act of 2008

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 21:58:14 -0700

http://nomorepaper.pbwiki.com/

“If a classroom or homework assignment has a digital equivalent, then the student shall complete the assignment without the use of paper.” StRIP-A 2008

When I walked through campuses and see student work I’m amazed at the enormous use of paper. Everything is on paper.
Paper reports.
Paper pictures.
Paper graphs.

Everything is paper.

I remember back in the 1980s the Feds passed something called the Paperwork Burden Reduction Act, which was supposed to get rid of paper or at least reduce the amount of paper in the workplace.
The Reduction in Paperwork Act never really took off because it came about the same time that computers and printers came into being. So instead of making one copy slowly, or by typing or by hand, I could now use a computer to make 50 copies and send it to everybody I knew. Technology strikes again. The PBRA worked so well, that the sequel, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 came about. It of course has had about the same effect as the original..but hope springs eternal.

I am sure you have seen how paperwork has been reduced in your life.

I sure have seen how paperwork has been reduced in schools.

Yep, kids sure don’t do a lot of paperwork anymore.
Nope.
No paper assignments.

We sure are saving trees.

Perhaps it is time to rethink the reduction in paperwork act.

Perhaps we should rethink of it in terms of students.

Perhaps it is time to introduce the
Student Reduction in Paperwork Act of 2008. (StRIP-A 08)

I propose legislation that would, by the year 2015, eliminate all paper assignments in every classroom in the United States of America.

Here is the simple wording for this act:

“If a classroom or homework assignment has a digital equivalent, then the student shall complete the assignment without the use of paper.”

Simple. If you can do it digitally, then you can turn it in that way.

No beating around the bush.

Of course I know that getting this piece of legislation passed would be probably as possible as getting a Republican elected mayor of San Francisco California, but at least it’s something to think about.

So consider the following: I think that teachers use paper because it’s easy because it is fast, because that’s what they’re used to, and it’s what the students have come to expect, so why change?

Parents like to see paper hung up on the walls, administrators like to walk through buildings and see student work, and everyone is happy with paper. Paper is easy, paper is fast, paper is paper.

But I also think that teachers use paper assignments because no one has ever shown them that there are equivalents. For each analog assignment, I bet that there is a pretty close, if not better, digital equivalent.

So here is the deal:

I have created a wiki that anyone can add to, that will, hopefully, become a source where teachers can see that there is a digital equivalent for an analog lesson.

Doing mind maps? Great, here is a lesson that shows you how to use Inspiration.

Doing charts? Great, here is a lesson on charts using spreadsheets.

The motto of the site: "Instead of, Not In Addition to.."

The wiki is called the No More Paper wiki.

Here is the link: http://nomorepaper.pbwiki.com/

I hope that you can add to it.

No more paper. That is a cool goal huh?

Texas Edu Bloggers

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 21:43:42 -0700

Incredible blogmeister Miguel Guhlin has created a list of education bloggers in Texas.

His list includes the following blogger:
http://tinyurl.com/5ee7zr

A Flowing River (Miguel Guhlin) - http://itls.saisd.net/blog
2. A Piece of My Mind (Scott Floyd) - http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/
3. Around the Corner-MGuhlin.net (Miguel Guhlin) - http://mguhlin.net
4. Educational Games Research (John Rice) - http://edugamesblog.wordpress.com/
5. Eduwrite (Miguel Guhlin)- http://eduwrite.blogspot.com
6. Embracing Technology for Powerful Conversations (Miguel Guhlin)- http://intouch.saisd.net/users/guhlin/blog/
7. Final Curve (Kyle Stevens) - http://kstevens77.wordpress.com
8. Intended Consequences (Tim Holt) -http://snipurl.com/ic
9. Roughneck Instructional Technology (Scott Floyd) - http://vr.woisd.net/users/floyds/blog/
10. Texas Teacher Law (Pamela Parker) - http://teacherlaw.blogspot.com
11. TWAIN - Technology Without An Interesting Name (Techxas - Joel Adkins) - http://techxas.edublogs.org
12. VC Rox-Interactive Videoconferencing in K-12 (Roxanne Glaser) - http://www.edlink12.net/vcrox
13. Learning 2.0 (John Maklary) - http://john.maklary.com
14. Technology Education Know-How (Greg Smith) - http://www.techedknow.com
15. Not So Distant Future (Carolyn Foote) http://www.futura.edublogs.org
16. think:lab (Christian Long) http://thinklab.typepad.com/
17. twitter (does microblogging count? glovely (Gail Lovely) http://twitter.com
18. Web 2.0 and Beyond (Scott Laleman) - http://web20andbeyond.wordpress.com
19. What is your IT vision (Paul R. Wood) http://whatisyouritvision.blogspot.com
20. Change Agency (Stephanie Sandifer) - http://ed421.com
21. Random Notes from a High School Teacher (Mark Dunk aka Unklar Klaar) http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/phs-dunk
22. Divalatte: Caffeine and Computers (Kim Estes) http://divalatte.com
23. My Blog of Potential (Kathy Gryta) http://ibloghere.edublogs.org

Thanks again!

Inspire Me with Technology

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 20:18:36 -0700

“My brain hurts
I'm suffering from a pure overload
I need some time to get away
Before my thoughts take over me
I need some time to reminisce with a vacant mind,
so tension free
Help me find away to;
Cure myself,
I'm falling off the edge;
Disarm myself,
I'm falling off the edge;
Shout out loud,
I'm falling off the edge;
Hold on tight,
I'm falling off the edge

Oh please no, this isn't the way I wanted it
I can feel my veins pulsating in my head
The walls are slowly caving in,
dilapidated in a sense,
slipping in and out of this state of disrepair
The fix comes knocking at my door and I am not around
Missed opportunity to cry
Its like I have no mouth and I must scream
in time to cure myself...
I'm falling off the edge.”--Closet Monster

Imagine being caught in a body that does not allow you to move or to speak. You can see your family, you can see what is going on around you, you can hear everything, yet you are unable to tell anyone anything or move. You can’t tell your family you love them. You have to rely on someone to eat, to move, to live.

Such may be the case with over 5.3 million Americans that have symptoms or complications from TBI, or Traumatic Brain Injury.

I think of the title of an old Harlan Ellison story, “I Have No Mouth Yet I Must Scream.” when I hear of the plight of our fellow sapiens. Surely there are not too many people that are more heroic in the world while there can also be nothing closer to a living hell than living a life where you want to say something but have no way of communicating.

So what happened to people with TBI? I suppose in the past, in less enlightened times, they would be hidden away, awaiting for someone to care for them, or waiting just for death to come early. Waiting for time to take them away.

Can you imagine being the parent of a child with TBI? All the hopes all of the dreams...all trapped. I think I would go insane.

I myself had a paralyzed mother, and while she had her faculties about her, she could not move form the waist down due to the ravages of the polio epidemic of the 1940’s. I always wondered, always hoped that if she had lived “just a little longer,” some cure would have surely been discovered that would have allowed her to walk again.

Alas, no such cure came along, and she passed away, probably not knowing that she had inspired me to think that everyone had capabilities far beyond the physical.

I always thought that probably everyone could do more than what we thought they could. My mother showed me that.

Perhaps my background in science, and my background in technology has always made me a romantic hopeful that those less fortunate of us, whether economically handicapped or physically handicapped can have a fighting chance of equality through technology.

Technology is the great equalizer. the OLPC people know that.
Parent of exceptional children understand it, but I wonder how well understood that is with the general educational technology community?

“Every year, new technology comes on the market that can enhance the learning of students with exceptionalities. The right technology can provide a student with a disability access to learning opportunities few dared to dream of just a decade ago and provide the means for academic success.” according the Council for Exceptional Children.

Two recent stories have shown me that perhaps our understanding of what the human mind is capable of with just a little help is far beyond what we may think.

Consider a recent episode of 60 Minutes that showed how a device that can actually read what the is the case with computer-brain interfaces; those devices that actually read brain waves from various parts of the brain and translate them into the some type of function.

These devices have the promise of being able to read thought, not just those of the well, but of the disabled as well.

If that doesn’t blow you away, consider the case of Elke Wisbey, a 6 year old that was born with the symptoms of TBI. Being unable to communicate or move, her parents could only watch as she got older.

Her community in England raised the money to buy her a device called a Mytobi Smartbox. The Smartbox allows people with no mobility to use a laser to point at icons on a screen in front of them to communicate.

The $27,000 MyTobii Smartbox tracks Elke's eye movements with tiny lasers. The device includes a screen with various icons representing words or phrases. When Elke's eyes settle on an icon, a computerized voice speaks the corresponding word or phrase for her.

No communication for years until technology.

No communication for years until the Mytobii.

She learned how to control her eyes.

She pointed to the icons on the screen.

Her tiny eyes movements pointed to the icons on the screen.

Technology became a part of her world.

Her first words to her parents?

I love you mum.

I love you.

I love you.

Elke will likely never walk or feed herself, and may not survive to adulthood because her condition makes her vulnerable to secondary illnesses like pneumonia. However, the Smartbox allows her to communicate with her loved ones and has improved her quality of life greatly.

Technology.

I wonder what else children with severe disabilities might be capable of, once technology catches up with them?

I am so glad I am alive right now, so that I can see the effect of technology on the lives of those less fortunate.

I can’t wait to see what is next.

10 Questions: Joe Moody Responds

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:09:25 -0600

Q1: Do you favor the current method of funding schools in Texas? Why or why not? ( If you do not favor the current method, what method would you suggest?) 
ANS. The current method of funding public education in Texas is fine. It is a system based on the number and types of students served and the wealth of the district. The problem with the current system is we are not using it. Since 2006 most school districts are not receiving state funding based on the formulas in law. They are frozen at the 2005-06 level. Costs for personnel, utilities, gasoline, buses, etc. have all gone up in the last three years and yet the state funding system has not increased to meet those needs. The state legislature needs to utilize the foundation formulas in law and then needs to increase most of the formula amounts to reflect the current cost of services.
 Q2: Both of you, according to your websites suggest new programs. For instance, Mr. Moody suggests K to University programs, and Mr. Margo suggests incentive based pay for teachers. How would you both propose to pay for such programs?
ANS: According to the Texas Comptroller, the state will have a budget surplus of $10-15 billion when the next legislative session convenes. We should use part of those funds to invest in K-university programs and pay increases for all Texas teachers.
 Q3: El Paso area schools, through no fault of their own, are notorious for being behind other areas in the state in spending for technology. How would you suggest that the state help El Paso, or for that matter any property poor school district, get up to the same level of technology spending that other districts in the state have been at for years? 
ANS: All school districts should be adequately and equitably funded. Every district should have enough resources to provide the basic program required by the state and some local latitude to meet regional needs. The response to question 1 spoke in part to the need for greater funding for all districts to meet the adequacy requirement. As a poor district El Paso is acutely interested in the equity issue as well.   IF the district had the necessary resources then the local school board and administration would have some flexibility in how they deploy those resources. At that point increasing the local commitment to technology is a good idea. Currently, the state provides to every district a technology allotment at the rate of $30 for each student in average daily attendance. This amount can be more if appropriated by the legislature in the budget process. My position is that more money needs to be provided for this technology allotment by the state in an amount that equals what other districts are able to pay without state assistance.
   Q4: In our community, there are many families without access to the internet. Yet, much if not all of the state educational information is located on the internet. We are effectively not allowing these parents to be part of the education of their children. How would you address this issue? 
ANS: This is a long term problem. With sufficient resources the state, the city and the school district could make a number of public buildings, all libraries and all schools WI FI accessible. The bigger issue will be making the population more computer literate and comfortable so they would choose to take advantage of those opportunities if they existed.
   Q5: School districts across the state must respond to unfunded mandates from both the state and federal levels. For instance, in a few years, the state will require all student statewide testing such as End of Course and TAKS tests to be administered online. The state is not providing any additional monies to districts to make sure they have the equipment to provide for this. Can you address exactly what you would do to help districts with unfunded mandates, both from the state and the federal levels?
Mandates from the state need to be funded adequately, and in this instance, more money needs to be funneled to public education. Funding levels for education are currently at 2005-06 levels. No accommodation has been made for inflation and rising energy and fuels costs. The state can no longer sit on its laurels, and must provide additional revenue streams to fund mandates that benefit public education.
  Q6: How do you plan to address the continuing teacher and administrator shortages? Which of these are viable plans in your estimation: Recruit teachers from other countries. Rehire retirees with few restrictions. Help districts reimburse individuals who go to or return to school to become certified teachers. 
ANS: Let me begin by questioning the premise of the question that we have a teacher/administrator shortage. There are ample programs to train educators though traditional college programs, alternative certification, hiring from out-of-state (country) and even troops to teachers. The core problem is teacher retention. Statistically about half of all new hires leave the profession within five years. If we could reduce the attrition rate it would go a long way toward solving any teacher shortage we might have.   Part of those people leave because of low salaries and benefits. Others leave out of frustration because teaching is much harder than most people realize. A good mentoring program to assist some of these people during their first years in the classroom could help. Many leave because of the lack of administrative, community and parental support.   The best way to retain and recruit quality educators is to provide a compensation plan that encourages the best and brightest to entertain a career in public education and to stay in public education. Starting teacher salaries in Texas are well below the national average, there is only limited assistance for appropriate health insurance, and educators are asked to do more and more administrative work which interferes with the one true objective of educating our students. The retention of educators is also problematic as salaries stagnate at around the fifth year of teaching providing zero incentive for teachers to stay in the profession. Starting salaries need to be elevated to the national average, and the salary schedule needs to provide better career earnings to encourage the quality educators to stay and teach.
  Q7: One of the greatest expenses in any school district is the installation of technology followed by the refreshment of said technology. What is your plan to give districts relief from the costs associated with these instructional and administrative tools? 
ANS: Technology is a great tool to help students learn. However it is not one of the greatest expenses for any district. The greatest expense in public education is the employees, administrators, teachers, aides, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, etc.    If El Paso area schools were adequately and equitably funded then the local school board and administration could decide whether to spend those resources on technology or not. However, I would work to increase the technology allotment funded by the state to supplement and provide relief.
   Q8: What is your stand on electronic textbooks as opposed to traditional paper texts? 
ANS: Electronic textbooks and traditional paper texts both have a place in the classroom. With electronic textbooks, the information we teach students would be more up to date and relevant in today's society. However, the traditional paper texts can improve student skills as well.
   Q9: Student Assessment like the TAKS test has mutated over the years from a simple student diagnostic to a high stakes program where people's jobs are place din jeopardy if scores are not met. Do you support high stakes testing such as the TAKS test? Why or why not? 
ANS: I do not support the continuation of high stakes testing in Texas. While accountability is an important part of any educational program, a single test on one day out of 187 days of instruction is not the best measure of student performance. The teachers who work with those students every day, test them periodically, and tutor them as necessary can provide a much better evaluation of performance, progress and success. The legislature is already moving toward replacing the TAKS system with end of course exams to measure student performance.
   Q10: What can you do specifically, as a new representative in Austin with little experience and little clout, to help El Paso schools?
ANS: First, I will stay in close contact with my constituents to give me a clear idea of what's needed. Second, I will work closely with the El Paso delegation members, all of whom are backing me in this race. Three, I take this responsibility very seriously, and I will work hard day and night to make sure we meet our legislative goals.

The Joe Moody Campaign website

9 sessions, 2 days: VSS

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:40:39 -0600

I am going to go to the NACOL Virtual School Symposium in Phoenix on Monday and Tuesday next week. I am going to try and live blog ALL 10 SESSIONS that I have signed up for. This may work really well, or it may be a disaster.
So here is the deal:
On the blog, I have set up a Cover-It Live session for all ten events. From this page, you can link to any of the events coming up.

So click on the link at the time of the event, and hopefully, if the technology Gods are on my side, you can see what I am seeing in Phoenix.

Here they are:

All Times are Pacific Time

Monday October 27, 2008

8:30 AM
Keynote “Innovating E-Learning for the Knowledge Society: Global Challenges, Threats and Opportunities” with Fabrizio Cardinali:

10:30 AM
Keeping Pace with Online Education
Get the latest scoop on the online learning landscape across all 50 states – plus emerging trends and important policy moves that could affect your state, school or district. The author and guiding sponsors of Keeping Pace, representing state-led supplemental programs, full-time programs, and state education agencies, will lead an interactive discussion of the leading and emerging policy and practice issues.

1:30 PM
Virtual Learning: Steps to Success, A Practitioners Manual
To create a successful Virtual Learning Environment the follow steps are necessary:
1. Develop Professional Learning Community
2. Create research, best-practice based pedagogy
3. Select responsive, reliable vendor: rubric
4. Ensure transparency in teaching and learning
5. Differentiate instruction
6. Establish effective communication networks
Engage students through interactive, collaborative partnerships

3:00 PM
Online Professional Development for Virtual School Instructors Using New Web Tools
Virtual School instructors need ongoing professional development to refine online teaching skills, address online teaching standards and 21c skills, and incorporate new Web 2.0 tools. Learn how Virtual Virginia partnered with EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online to provide ongoing online professional development for their in-service online instructors to meet specific goals. Explore new Web 2.0 tools incorporated into this training and engage in interactive discussion and activities to identify ongoing PD needs of virtual school instructors.

4:15 PM
Online Learning 2.0: Moving From Flat Courses to Rich Interactive Learning Experiences Using Web 2.0 Tools
Orange USD is a leader in online secondary education in California, offering rich, interactive online courses. Today’s high school student participates daily in many online activities. OUSD has developed 21 online classes which served over 700 students in 2008-09. These courses use similar tools, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, guided readings, electronic review games, synchronous meetings, voice boards, etc. Two online teachers will demonstrate learning units and activities they have created for their classes.

TUESDAY
8:00 AM
Keynote: Disrupting Class: How disruptive Innovation will change the way the world learns.
Michael B. Horn is the co-founder and Executive Director, Education of Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank devoted to applying the theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector. He is the coauthor of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
9:15 AM
NACOL Standards as a Framework for Staff Development Program
The February 2008 release of the NACOL National Standards for Quality Online Teaching provided an excellent framework for a newly developed professional development program of initial training, ongoing support, and professional evaluation for one 6-12 online program provider. Learn how one company focused on standards as a way to ensure quality AND satisfaction among its teachers by featuring the standards in professional development planning.

11:00 AM
Going Virtual II: Identifying the Unique needs and challenges of K12 Online Teachers
The first phase of the Going Virtual! research series completed in 2007 provided a national overview of the status of professional development for K-12 online teachers. Phase II identifies the unique needs and challenges of K-12 online teachers at a national and international level, and how those needs vary according to the contextual factors associated with virtual education (i.e. type of school or program model, amount of prior teaching experience). This research is critical for informing standards and professional development opportunities for K12 virtual teachers.

1:45 PM
Why Reinvent the Wheel? Sharing and Adapting Online Courses and Learning Objects
This interactive session will focus on international efforts to develop and share online content. We will discuss quality measures, collaborative development models, and ways of adapting open content to meet program needs. Together we will explore new models of sharing as participants learn how they can participate in the open education resources (OER) movement to increase quality and access to knowledge worldwide.

VSS: Why Reinvent the Wheel? Sharing and Adapting Online Courses and Learning Objects

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:43:50 -0600

This interactive session will focus on international efforts to develop and share online content. We will discuss quality measures, collaborative development models, and ways of adapting open content to meet program needs. Together we will explore new models of sharing as participants learn how they can participate in the open education resources (OER) movement to increase quality and access to knowledge worldwide.

VSS: Going Virtual II: Identifying the Unique needs and challenges of K12 Online Teachers

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:36:41 -0600

The first phase of the Going Virtual! research series completed in 2007 provided a national overview of the status of professional development for K-12 online teachers. Phase II identifies the unique needs and challenges of K-12 online teachers at a national and international level, and how those needs vary according to the contextual factors associated with virtual education (i.e. type of school or program model, amount of prior teaching experience). This research is critical for informing standards and professional development opportunities for K12 virtual teachers.

VSS: NACOL Standards as a Framework for Staff Development Program

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:35:09 -0600

The February 2008 release of the NACOL National Standards for Quality Online Teaching provided an excellent framework for a newly developed professional development program of initial training, ongoing support, and professional evaluation for one 6-12 online program provider. Learn how one company focused on standards as a way to ensure quality AND satisfaction among its teachers by featuring the standards in professional development planning.

VSS: Keynote: Disrupting Class: How disruptive Innovation will change the way the world learns

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:33:13 -0600

Michael B. Horn is the co-founder and Executive Director, Education of Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank devoted to applying the theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector. He is the coauthor of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (McGraw-Hill: June 2008).
The book uses the theories of disruptive innovation to identify the root causes of schools' struggles and suggests a path forward to customize an education for every child in the way he or she learns. In his keynote address, Horn will share the main ideas of this book to inspire change in today’s online learning field.

VSS: Online Learning 2.0: Moving From Flat Courses to Rich Interactive Learning Experiences Using Web 2.0 Tools

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:31:35 -0600

Orange USD is a leader in online secondary education in California, offering rich, interactive online courses. Today’s high school student participates daily in many online activities. OUSD has developed 21 online classes which served over 700 students in 2008-09. These courses use similar tools, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, guided readings, electronic review games, synchronous meetings, voice boards, etc. Two online teachers will demonstrate learning units and activities they have created for their classes.

VSS: Online Professional Development for Virtual School Instructors Using New Web Tools

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:29:52 -0600

Virtual School instructors need ongoing professional development to refine online teaching skills, address online teaching standards and 21c skills, and incorporate new Web 2.0 tools. Learn how Virtual Virginia partnered with EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online to provide ongoing online professional development for their in-service online instructors to meet specific goals. Explore new Web 2.0 tools incorporated into this training and engage in interactive discussion and activities to identify ongoing PD needs of virtual school instructors.

VSS: Virtual Learning: Steps to Success, A Practitioners Manual

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:28:17 -0600

To create a successful Virtual Learning Environment the follow steps are necessary: 1. Develop Professional Learning Community
2. Create research, best-practice based pedagogy
3. Select responsive, reliable vendor: rubric
4. Ensure transparency in teaching and learning
5. Differentiate instruction
6. Establish effective communication networks
7. Engage students through interactive, collaborative partnerships

VSS: Keeping Pace with K12 Online Learning

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:24:03 -0600

Get the latest scoop on the online learning landscape across all 50 states – plus emerging trends and important policy moves that could affect your state, school or district. The author and guiding sponsors of Keeping Pace, representing state-led supplemental programs, full-time programs, and state education agencies, will lead an interactive discussion of the leading and emerging policy and practice issues

VSS: Keynote

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:19:47 -0600

Keynote with Fabrizio Cardinali: “Innovating E-Learning for the Knowledge Society: Global Challenges, Threats and Opportunities”

Tech Integration is more than a Computer

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:21:46 -0600

I am continually amazed at the number of people in education that believe that integrating technology is the same as putting a kid in front of a computer.

Technology integration is of course, so much more than that. Digital images, collaboration, new media, blogging, 21st Century skills...it is all so much more. Yet, I still think there are a whole heck of a lot of people that think putting kid in front of a computer is “good enough” for tech integration.

Frustrating because that maybe was Tech Integration in...1975...maybe.

Wes Fryer’s blog said:
My sense is that most educators and researchers think too narrowly about technology integration. For some, the focus is on access and infrastructure (i.e. we've integrated technology if we make it a part of our teaching and learning space). For others, the focus is on curriculum and teaching (i.e. we've integrated technology if it is used to support teaching and learning in the content areas). For me, technology integration includes both of these aspects...and more.

The Tech-Trainer website defines it as:
Technology integration is use the use of computer-based or electronic media resources as tools for student learning.

The use of technology in the classroom can effectively impact student learning when the technology is integrated fully into the teaching. Technology enables the following:
- Students to become motivated, engaged and learn actively
- Authentic learning
- Collaborative learning
- Explore, discover and produce knowledge
- Meets the multiple learning styles and intelligences students have
- Students to become proficiency in technology literacy skills
- Performance-based assessments

So true. I see many districts even today, purchasing canned online programs that students merely sit in front of and
Unfortunately, the term “technology integration” is so broad, and is so ambiguous, that no one can agree on the term. What is integration in Texas is not what it is in Kansas. What it is in 12th grade is not what it is in 3rd..and what it was in the 1990’s isn;t what it is in 2008.

So, what we need, is a slogan.

A slogan that can easily explain what technology integration is, or maybe what it is not.

I remember that Brian Grenier over at Bump on the Blog designed a logo for the “I’m Here for the Learning Revolution” and seemed to have a pretty good time trying to create one.

Wes Fryer and Scott McLeod had a contest asking people to come up with a button for distribution at some conference like NECC or such. They got a lot of responses.

So, I am calling on all of us in edu-tech-blog-wiki-integrate land to come up with a slogan about what tech integration is.

The rules are simple:

• No more than 10 words
• Cannot be from another organization or company
• Can be either what tech integration is or what it is not
• No jargon allowed
• You have until 12:00 PM Friday, October 24, 2008 Mountain Time to enter

Remember, the purpose here is to let people know what technology integration in education is all about.

Post your entries on this site, and I will create an online poll for everyone to vote.

Here are some examples to get you going:
From the Computer Science Teachers Association:
“IT, it’s all about me.“

From Technology and Learning magazine:
”Transforming Learning through Technology“

Okay, your appiitite has been whetted.

The prize? Perhaps we can start a movement where the winning slogan becomes the official slogan of all of the edubloggers out there and is posted on as many edu-blogs as possible.

Other than that, you can claim you are clever.

I will post the link to the poll once we get some entries.

Good luck.