The following podcasts were recorded during the 19th annual GaETC Conference, which was held November 15-17, 2006, at the Georgia International Convention Center. For the second year, the Georgia Department of Education joined the Georgia Educational Technology Consortium as a sponsor of the conference. This collaborative effort will continue to provide Georgia educators and technology leadership with one unified technology conference. http://www.gaetc.org Educational Technology http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:46:35 -0500 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:46:26 -0500 FeedForAll v1.0 (1.0.2.0) unlicensed version http://podcast.ksuettc.org/logo.jpg 300 300 Educators at all levels can use digital storytelling in many ways, from introducing new material to helping students learn to conduct research, synthesize large amounts of information, and gain expertise in the use of digital communication and authoring tools. Digital storytelling can also help students organize ideas as they learn to create stories for an audience and present their ideas and knowledge in an individual and meaningful way. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative, and voice together, giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights. During this session examples of digital stories made for a variety of audiences will be shared, how this medium can be used in the classroom to meet curricular objectives will be discussed, and different software and hardware that can be used to create digital stories will be explored. http://www.gaetc.org Tonya Witherspoon Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:36:05 -0500 Robotics is a tool that encourages students of all ages to explore, experiment, and experience STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in a hands-on constructionist environment. Participants in this session will experience the process of designing, building, and programming robots with LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System, discover how sensors can be used to gather data for analysis, and learn how this system supports student exploration and learning across the curriculum. http://www.gaetc.org Tonya Witherspoon Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:36:02 -0500 Creating a clay animation movie allows students to apply their artistic and creative talents while using clay and technology to communicate a story or concept. Learn how animation supports multiple intelligences, promotes creativity and collaboration, and uses mathematical, logical, and spatial skills--while meeting cross-curricular standards. Participants will see student examples and learn about the animation process while brainstorming, storyboarding, sculpting characters, designing sets, taking stop-motion photographs, and adding music, sounds, and titles to create an animated movie. http://www.gaetc.org Tonya Witherspoon Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:35:23 -0500 Wireless networks are everywhere--and unless they are set up correctly, they can expose systems and users to attack. This session examines current wireless attack methods and by discussion and demonstration shows how they are carried out. Attendees will walk away with a new awareness of how careful they must be in setting up and maintaining school and home networks. http://www.gaetc.org Brent Williams Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:33:21 -0500 Technology has always held the promise of delivering instruction geared toward the unique needs of each student. Participants will learn how two new software programs, Fast Math and Go Solve, support the goals of math fluency and word problem comprehension, using self-paced, structured, and motivating environments that automatically adapt to the progress of each student. http://www.gaetc.org Susan Silverman Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:30:42 -0500 Research has shown that participation in literature circles improves student achievement. Explore ways that technology can help students engage in thought-provoking book discussions and projects, enriching the literature circle experience. Handouts http://www.gaetc.org Susan Silverman Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:29:55 -0500 RSS is a powerful yet fairly untapped tool that educators can use to easily track many sources of information and knowledge. But it’s also evolving into an effective way to connect people and ideas in ways that we’ve be unable to before. Using RSS, we can not only read what others write, we can read what they read, and even read what they create in easy, time-saving ways. This session will take a look at the tools and strategies that can make RSS an integral part of every educator’s professional development and practice. http://www.gaetc.org Will Richardson Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:29:01 -0500 Assessing the relevance and reliability of information is a crucial skill for all educators to master and model. But that type of information literacy is only the beginning. With the explosion of information coming online, school leaders need to employ successful strategies for finding, managing and communicating what’s significant for their own practice and for that of their constituents. This workshop will cover the tools that information leaders are using and the strategies to use them well. http://www.gaetc.org Will Richardson Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:28:31 -0500 The almost limitless potential of weblogs as a teaching tool is fostering an explosion of innovative projects, partnerships, and techniques at every level of education from elementary school to graduate programs. The ease with which weblogs allow for publishing of content to the Internet makes them the perfect tool for bringing new voices into to the classroom and building true educational communities that go beyond traditional school walls. This session will highlight best practice uses of weblogs in schools and include resources on how to get started. http://www.gaetc.org Will Richardson Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:27:28 -0500 Having the world of information at our fingertips on the Web was in itself a powerful transformation, but being able to contribute our own knowledge and ideas and collaborate in the construction of content is even more powerful. What needs to change about our curriculum when our students have the ability to reach audiences far beyond our classroom walls? What changes must we make in our teaching as it becomes easier to bring primary sources to our students? How do we need to rethink our ideas of literacy when we must prepare our students to become not only readers and writers but editors and collaborators as well? How do we best put to use the reams and reams of “digital paper” that this new “writeable” Web provides? http://www.gaetc.org Will Richardson Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:26:51 -0500 Do you surf the net or listen closely to geeks talking in hopes of hearing about a cool software product or gizmo? The presenter 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. http://www.gaetc.org Leslie Fisher Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:19:40 -0500 Have you been wanting to dive into the world of MP3? Do you have some MP3s and want to know how to use them in the classroom? Do you want to learn more about MP3 players and or software? This session will provide a bottom-to-top overview of what MP3s are, how to get them, how to play them on a computer, CD, or MP3 player, how to make sure you are downloading MP3s legally and safely, and how to use MP3s in the classroom. http://www.gaetc.org Leslie Fisher Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:15:14 -0500 Yeah, yeah. The Internet is a great tool for education, radically altering the . . . blah blah blah. What about the FUN stuff? In this humorous, fast-paced, session, participants will get a first-person tour of dozens of websites and tools that have no redeeming social value whatsoever--other than the fact that they’re just darned fun. http://www.gaetc.org Patrick Crispen Fri, 1 Dec 2006 15:11:04 -0500 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. http://www.gaetc.org Patrick Crispen Fri, 1 Dec 2006 14:50:31 -0500 These silly words, as made famous by Yogi Berra, have never rung truer than they do now. We can no longer take what we learned during our pre-service training for granted as the way classrooms will continue to operate. We are preparing our students for their future, not our past. To do so, we must employ the tools they understand and want to use. Join in on the fun as the presenter demonstrates how using digital images and Photo Story software can be one way to leap the digital divide, help teachers feel more comfortable with technology, and truly engage students. Upon returning to their schools, participants will be able to clear a whole new path for those who have resisted the use of technology because of its complexity. http://www.gaetc.org Tony Brewer Fri, 1 Dec 2006 14:53:55 -0500