David Pogue
Web 2.0, Social Media, and Other Buzzwords - What do YouTube, MySpace, Craigslist have in common? They're all part of Web 2.0, in which a website's material is supplied by its visitors. What do blogs, vlogs, and podcasts have in common? They're all new ways for individuals (or corporations) to express themselves online. In this head-spinning talk, David Pogue, the New York Times' most popular blogger (and video blogger), helps to make sense of the explosively expanding realm of Web 2.0 and all kinds of casting. He'll advise educators on how to exploit these live-wire technologies, supply some horrifying and hilarious real-world stories, and even hint at the future of these revolutionary new channels.
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Curtis Bonk
Wandering through the Wonders of the Web 2.0: Emerging Tools and Innovative Activities for the 21st Century - Free and open educational resources, as well as participatory Web 2.0 technology tools, are drastically changing educational opportunities for students as well as the expectations of their teachers, schools, and school districts. The learning world is flattening in front of our eyes! As this occurs, the role of professional development expands significantly and simultaneously becomes increasingly demanding and vital. Not too surprisingly, there is mass confusion and debate regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools. Battles reign regarding how to embed Web technologies for effective fully online and blended learning opportunities in K-12 education. Emerging participatory and interactive technologies (e.g., podcasts, wikis, blogs, social networking software, etc.) as well as online gaming and simulations, virtual worlds, collaborative technologies, open courseware, learning portals, and mobile computing are providing learning opportunities never previously imagined. When properly aligned with pedagogy, any one of these technologies can revolutionize education as we know it today; however, it is clearly time to ponder their collective effects. In this session, Bonk will discuss the implications of these technologies, while also detailing examples of their use in innovative educational activities (e.g., cross cultural blogging, online language programs, learning sign language from a video iPod, student radio programs, student-generated wikibooks, etc.) which motivate students and creatively engage them in rich and deeper forms of learning. Of course, the ultimate goal is to empower learners and give them more responsibility for their own learning. Bonk will also prompt discussions of what skills and competencies are required to survive in this age as well as how blended learning provides opportunities not only for students but also for timely teacher inservice training and professional development. The time is now for wandering through the wonders of the Web 2.0!
Podcasts and Wikis and Blogs, Oh My! Online Learning Is Not in Kansas Anymore - It is time to be honest about online learning. The continued emergence of online technologies has pushed us into strange lands not previously visited. Unfortunately, we have not all landed in Emerald City. It is not just about the pedagogy, nor is it about the technology. What matters is the thoughtful integration of both. One need not be a scarecrow, however. This fun-packed session will travel to Oz for a look at how online learning can be made intellectually and pedagogically rich, highly collaborative, and engaging. It will link emerging technologies such as podcasts and wikis and blogs to dozens of pedagogical uses. After participants click their heels three times, the session will provide many motivational, collaborative, and interactive uses of these technologies. It will also provide ways to address the learning preferences or styles of diverse learners, including millennial and Generation X and Y learners as well as that of the munchkins. Bonk will show participants the yellow brick road to follow in negotiating all the emerging technologies and pedagogies. Then, if the Wicked Witches of the East or the West do not interfere, he will turn these ideas into visions of where we should go next—toward a community of innovative online teachers and curriculum developers who seamlessly share their best online teaching ideas and practices.
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Annette Lamb
Sharing Understandings: How Technology Impacts Learning - How can we draw upon the natural interests of young people to design engaging learning environments where learners actively voice their questions, organize their thinking, and share their understandings? How can we effectively and efficiently collect and track evidence of student learning? Let's create virtual workspaces for students to record their thoughts, ideas, and understandings. In this session, you'll apply technology tools you already have in your classroom, such as PowerPoint, and easy-to-use, open-source software, such as Audacity, to create powerful project starters for your students.
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Hall Davidson
Staggeringly Good Things Mixing Google Earth and Media - Part One - Make the real terrain of the earth an interactive tool. Embed it with videos, images, sounds, podcasts, and more! From Internet or hard drive files use fantastic trips through neighborhoods, history, science, or literature that are waiting on the Web for your class. Insert student images into the landscape. Attach media clips or use placemarks from other schools. Learn to measure distances and tap longitude and latitude. Create shareable projects with GoogleEarth user communities. Unlock special layers that simply need to be turned on. Make and save small files or videos of your projects, too! Cost of Google Earth: Free!
Staggeringly Good Things Mixing Google Earth and Media - Part Two - Go beyond the basics. Go to the level beyond simple overlays and placemarks.
Create floating graphics, embed live webcams from their locations around the world. Freshen up description boxes with pictures and paragraph breaks and other syntax support. Learn to create flying tours and historical routes with markers and media along the way. "Broadcast" rotating clips that change every day on every school desktop! And learn why HTML really is your friend.
Digital Videomaking from the Dark Side: Photo Story, Movie Maker, and Premiere Elements on Windows XP - The engaging tools of videomaking have now expanded exponentially, with dead-on simple mediamaking on Windows machines, from the very basics of free Photo Story to the inexpensive power of Premiere Elements. From the Web, download video resources, pull them into editing programs where students rewrite the narration for real learning before exporting for projects. Leave with a passcode unlocking hundreds of web-based videos. Finally, something really neat from the Windows world: great titling, greenscreen effects, and other cool stuff! Get turned by the dark side!
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Patrick Crispen
Keeping Up with the Googlebots - Hardly a week goes by that the evil scientists at Google's secret labs don't release some new or completely redesigned tool upon the unsuspecting public. In this completely updated, one-hour presentation we'll attempt the impossible: We're going to try to catch up with all of or at least most of Google's latest inventions.
What's New and What's Different in Office 2007? - Microsoft recently released a brand new version of Microsoft Office that is arguably the most significant update in Office's history. Join Patrick Crispen as he introduces you to the new Microsoft Office user interface and shows you what's new and what's different in Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Excel 2007, and much, much more.
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Leslie Fisher
Return of the Gadgets - Are you a gadget head? Do you surf the net or listen closely to geeks talking in hopes of hearing about a cool software product or gizmo? Leslie Fisher (Gadget Freak) will show you some of her favorite hardware and software gadgets that do everything from make your life easier to provide piles of fun. Hardware, software, and even completely off-topic gadgets will be discussed.
Easy Digital Photography and Video Editing - Would you like to be able to put together a quick movie or slide show in your class easily? Leslie Fisher will show you some of her favorite techniques for basic, yet effective photo editing and video creation. Photo organization, photo editing, video creation, video editing, and video exporting will be discussed and demonstrated.
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Doug Johnson
E-books, E-Learning, E-Gads! - The practical e-book, already here in many forms, will have a significant impact on our schools, libraries, and our profession. Learn what a real e-book might contain, based on current products and trends along with strategies for staying relevant as a physical presence in our schools and students lives. Fore-warned is fore-armed!
Libraries for the Net Generation - Schools and libraries will be more effective if educators acknowledge the unique attributes and preferences of the Net Generation and adapt educational environments to suit students instead of trying to change their basic natures. This session looks at the unique attributes of today's students and proposes a Net Gen learning environment.
Policies 2.0: Rules for the Social Web - In the fast-changing online world of social networking, where an embarrassing photo can travel the globe in seconds, online predators are the topic of nightly news programs, and young adults travel as avatars to virtual worlds where anything can happen. What policies do schools need to set and how do they set them?
Do You Need a Second Life? - Simulated 3-D environments like Second Life are being called Web 3.0. How do teachers and librarians get started using these new tools, what might they find in these worlds, and what are the learning opportunities such environments might present?
Using the Read/Write Web in Classrooms and Libraries - New web-based tools are opening exciting collaborative learning opportunities for teachers and librarians. Find out how K-12 teachers and media specialists are using wikis, blogs, feed readers, social bookmarking sites, and other Web 2.0 tools to increase student engagement. Tips and no-cost sites for beginners will be given.
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Brent Williams
Making Wireless Networks Work in 10 Easy Steps - Wireless networks are an essential part of educational environments in
schools and at home. Installed correctly, wireless networks provide fast, flexible, and secure communications for students, teachers, and administrators. However, poor installations are common and result in frustration and potential security issues for everyone. This session will focus on 10 easy steps that school systems, teachers, and students can take to make the most of their wireless network environment. This session is appropriate for all technical levels.
Make it Even Better: Windows Vista Tips and Tricks - How many cool tips and tricks for Windows Vista can be jammed into one hour? Come find out! This session is intended for new and seasoned Vista users seeking tips and tricks that can make using Vista more productive and fun. You will leave with a list of mostly free enhancements that make this great OS even better.
It's Decision Time! - Novell Netware has been a rock solid performer that has been the mainstay of many school systems for years. Sadly, Netware is fading and school systems now face important questions: What will our network environment look like in three years? Should we begin a transition to Windows Server or go Linux? What about Apple? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each path? This session will examine those questions and more. Strategic thinking available here!
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Meg Ormiston
One size Does NOT Fit All: Custom Learning in the Classroom - At home the players in the video games are customized to match the characteristics of friends. Watching television is now on-demand using TIVO, and only the music we like is shuffled through the headphones. At home, kids pick and choose what they would like to know more about, and in what way the information will be filtered to them—info snacking here and there. What does this mean for schools? One size does not fit all. Instruction can be differentiated to help meet the needs of the learner, and technology can help deliver instruction in powerful new ways. Check out the way podcasts can be used to reach your English language learners. Support your struggling readers as they construct meaning by creating a video, or activate prior knowledge for all students by streaming video before your lesson. All of this is possible today; bring custom learning to your classroom!
Paper-Trained Teachers in a Video-Game World - Students today ARE different in many ways. It takes about 20 seconds of trying to compete at Playstation with my son to realize we process information in completely different ways. He zooms up a ramp and does a trick, and I am still trying to figure out the controls. I am clueless (direct quote from son) and I give up. My brain can't seem to keep up with action on the screen while somehow commanding the players to do something with the buttons on the controller. Luckily, science supports my unscientific discovery that the brain has actually changed over the years because of exposure to so many visual images. In the classroom, I am a paper-trained teacher trying to help these visual learners learn the way I do. Luckily there are some strategies you can start using immediately after this session!
If a Picture Says a Thousand Words, STOP TALKING! - Let the power of multimedia images increase comprehension. Infuse your classroom with still images, moving pictures, music, and primary source documents. Vary your lesson planning to include these elements that reach the 21st century brains. Experience powerful examples of ways you can engage the minds and increase comprehension. This session will help you put your hands on multimedia examples for your classroom.
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Gail Lovely
Think, Plan, Share Your Story: Digital Storytelling in the Elementary Years - What is the buzz about "digital storytelling"? What is it? How will it help me and my students? How does it fit into my curriculum? What tools do I need to have? How can I manage this? These tips and ideas and some moving examples will be shared in this session, which will inspire you to let loose the stories in your students' hearts and heads and gather amazing "lessons learned."
Are Books Dead? Using Technology to Enliven Books and Rejuvenate Readers - Combine excellent children's books and great technological tools and resources to enliven your reading program. How can you use technologies to encourage reading, stretch readers to think and share, and create a book buzz at your elementary school? Big ideas and specific examples will be shared.
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Jill Hobson, Bailey Mitchell, and Steve Mashburn, Forsyth County Schools
Development and Research of Interactive and Virtual Experiences - Forsyth County is committed to the development and research of interactive and virtual experiences for teaching and learning in our district. The system has committed numerous resources to researching future trends in technology and determining the applicability for educational settings and student achievement through actual implementation of advanced technology and progressive teaching and learning strategies. Participants will learn more about progress to date on this project.
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Kristina McBride
The Digital Camera Dilemma: Point, Shoot, Now What? - Most elementary schools now have access to digital cameras. Join this BYOL session to learn what to do with those digital images that you or your students have taken. I will share my favorite easy-to-use, free or dirt-cheap resources that will help you organize, edit, and publish your digital images. See examples of how P-5 teachers can use this form of media to enrich their classrooms. To make this session more beneficial, I recommend that you visit http://picasa.google.com/index.html to download Picasa onto your laptop. Be sure to visit the system requirements link for Picasa. Also, you will need to have digital images available in order to work with some of the online resources I will share with you.
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Hoke Wilcox
Podcasting - Not Just for Macs Anymore - Podcasting has become one of the best ways to deliver audio and video content to your listeners, be they students, parents, or community members. Sadly, many people believe that podcasting belongs only to the Apple users of this world. PC users take heart! Using very simple tools such as Audacity and Feed4All, podcast creation is open to all, regardless of what platform they are using. No need to use a Mac or even an iPod for that matter. During this session, receive an outline of the very basics of podcast creation. See examples of tools and resources so you have the tools to go home and begin creation of your own podcast.
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Christina Clayton
Effective Strategies to Facilitate Online Learning - Not really sure how to facilitate an online course? This session will provide you with strategies to organize, create, and facilitate an online course successfully. Strategies such as course design, effective online communication, and innovative teaching techniques will be discussed. This session is intended for anyone who is interested in online course facilitation.
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Liz Crews and Carol Crumley
Virtual Professional Learning Programs that Shine—The Easy Way! - Discover how a virtual training program can multiply your efforts as a professional developer and be easier to create than you think! Learn from a veteran movie producer how to make your virtual content polished with insider tips that professionals use. Create a sustainable and scalable professional learning program for your faculty and staff using 21st century tools, including enhanced podcasting, short Flash training videos, digital video, and synchronous and asynchronous presentations. You will receive a helpful planning guide that will get you started in developing and administering your own program.
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Debbie Childress
Teach 21: Teachers Using Technology to Teach 21st Century Learners - Through the leadership and guidance of our Board of Education, the Cherokee County School District has established Teach 21, a multi-year initiative to offer educators innovative methods for delivering instruction and engaging students in the learning process. This technology endorsement includes a professional development component for teachers that encompasses more than 200 hours of rigorous training and standards-based technology projects conducted with students. Emerging technologies such as interactive whiteboards, student response devices, multimedia projectors, classroom audio systems, podcasting and videocasting equipment, and additional computer access has been placed in Teach 21 classrooms. The program is geared at developing 21st century teachers who engage students through the use of technology.
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Monica Lanier, First District RESA ETTC; Jeff Stewart, Macon State College; and Judy McEntyre, Dalton State College
How Can ETTCs Help? - There are 13 Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTCs) strategically placed throughout the state of Georgia. This presentation will explore how the local ETTC can help you as a teacher and administrator. The purpose of the ETTCs is to provide professional learning, consulting, and service to the Georgia educators and to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. Directors of several of the ETTCs will highlight examples of support in the areas of technical, instructional, and student participation projects supported throughout the state. Additionally, the relationship between the GaDOE and ETTCs will be explained and how the ETTCs work with both the GaDOE and the local systems throughout the state.
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Ann Ware, Brian Blanton, and Steve Thompson, Henry County Schools
Accelerating School Improvement: Technology Enabling Differentiation - Differentiation of instruction is provided to support students according to their instructional needs, including modification of content, process, product, and learning environment. Teachers' ability to differentiate instruction remains critical to meeting the needs of each student. Instructional technology tools can accelerate the process of differentiation of instruction. An alignment of instructional technology tools will be provided in the areas of content, process, product, and learning environment. Samples of related job-embedded professional learning will be provided.
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Travis Willard
GaDOE Technology Services Update - In this session, attendees will hear the annual Technology Services update from the Georgia Department of Education.
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Mike Dishman
Copyright, Copywrong! - This session will discuss the intricacies of copyright law, focusing particularly on copying, using, and retaining electronic images and documents. The session will feature a fun-and-exciting quiz through which participants will learn whether they are complying with federal copyright law (including the much misapplied Fair Use Doctrine), or whether they are undertaking a course of action that might ultimately culminate in their living under a bridge while the Disney Corporation moves Goofy into their home. The presenters are practicing school law attorneys, and what says "room full of fun" like attorneys talking about a complicated and scary federal law?
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CTO Leadership Forum - Georgia's CTO Leadership Forum Details: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
positions and titles vary tremendously from district to district all over
the country. How are we recruiting, training, and ensuring the knowledge
base of this growing category of administrator? In only a few parts of the
country is something specific coming from the state in form of
certification or what's required to be CTO.
School district information technology (IT) teams are faced with
increasing demands as technology use continues to grow. Increasingly
complex technologies combined with mission critical applications are
presenting unprecedented technology challenges to IT support teams, which
rarely grow as quickly as the need might dictate. Add to this mix a
customer base that ranges from Pre-K to adult, representing several
distinct user populations, and even a well-staffed technology team can
find meeting support needs in a timely, effective manner to be immensely
challenging.
Format: A panel of technology leaders in Georgia representing small,
medium, and large school districts will share how they have organized and
focused their IT teams' efforts on providing outstanding customer service.
Last update on
11/30/2007
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Keeping Up with the Googlebots: What’s New at Google - Hardly a week goes by that the evil scientists at Google’s secret labs don’t release some new or completely redesigned tool upon the unsuspecting public. In this session, we’ll attempt the impossible: We’re going to try to catch up with all of--or at least most of--Google’s latest inventions.
