Hi All,
I am about to get into my car to drive to Philly. I see there are thunderstorms on the radar but I am guardedly optimistic about the trip. I can't wait to see some of my favorite people in action (Jukes, McKenzie, Thornburg etc.) and to see the show room floor. I haven't been to an NECC since 2001 in Chi-Town. Since then NCLB has been performinging it's wonders on the educational establishment.
What has this meant for ed tech? How is the markering different?
What are you getting out of the NECC conference? Any cool learnings?
Respond to this...and let's get this blog rolling.
JIm Forde :-)
Monday, June 27, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Skype!
Have you all been using Skype yet?
http://www.skype.com
This is a IP telephony software that let's you communicate via the web for free to any other Skype user. To dial to a regular phone you start an account and it costs about 2 cents a minute (as I understand it)) to call anywhere on Earth.
Not bad!
Chhhheck it out!
Jim :-)
http://www.skype.com
This is a IP telephony software that let's you communicate via the web for free to any other Skype user. To dial to a regular phone you start an account and it costs about 2 cents a minute (as I understand it)) to call anywhere on Earth.
Not bad!
Chhhheck it out!
Jim :-)
Friday, April 08, 2005
NSTA Sci Guides
The National Science Teachers Association has apparently developed a great set of on-line resources called sci-guides. I was excited about this as I know what a quality organization they are. The issue for me is..... science teachers have to pay about $5 in order to have access to one for a year. (It will rise to about $10 after this introductory offer wears off.) Now, don't get me wrong. For the price of a latte (or two) you have a great resource for a year. Fine. I just don't like it when teachers have to shell out money to get access to teaching resources from organizations with great sponsors. See the quote below....
"A number of federal organizations donated funds to help build the SciGuides resource, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Ocean Service, and NOAA's Office of Education and Sustainable Development. According to NSTA's Wheeler, each SciGuide takes about $30,000 to $40,000 to build, and more SciGuide subjects are in development. "
So what is this rant really about? I was deflated to find out that this was not a free initiative. Period. I realize the 30K per sci-guide is nothing to sneeze at, but there must be some corporate sponsor willing to assist the nations science teachers. Wouldn't 'ya think?
"A number of federal organizations donated funds to help build the SciGuides resource, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Ocean Service, and NOAA's Office of Education and Sustainable Development. According to NSTA's Wheeler, each SciGuide takes about $30,000 to $40,000 to build, and more SciGuide subjects are in development. "
So what is this rant really about? I was deflated to find out that this was not a free initiative. Period. I realize the 30K per sci-guide is nothing to sneeze at, but there must be some corporate sponsor willing to assist the nations science teachers. Wouldn't 'ya think?
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Technology Black Out Day • 4/20/05
Have you heard of this initiative? I made it one of my "sites of the month" at edtechnot.com but the more I think about it the more I question the idea. Don't get me wrong. I get it. Having kids think about the impact that technolgy has on their lives and school experience is great. It's all in how you do it.
One thing that is definitely affecting my opinion is the fact that most of the schools in the Northeast are on Spring break during that week. This reduces the emotional impact of the day. Also, the lesson plan for grades 6 - 8 that was posted on the site lacked a little "Umph" for the typical middle schoolers I know. A lesson that I liked (and always had on hand for a non-technological substitute teacher) was technology in 1900 - http://pbskids.org/wayback/tech1900/snapshot.html I used this lesson to have the kids think about the predictions for the future that people made in 1900. I then asked them to think out 100 years and envision where we will be. Middle schoolers ate this up! Lastly, for my 7th grade son to truly feel the impact of a technology black-out day you would have to take away his iPod, iMac, Digital cable, wireless network access, and the cell phone his best friend carries. Ouch. Now THAT is a blackout!
One thing that is definitely affecting my opinion is the fact that most of the schools in the Northeast are on Spring break during that week. This reduces the emotional impact of the day. Also, the lesson plan for grades 6 - 8 that was posted on the site lacked a little "Umph" for the typical middle schoolers I know. A lesson that I liked (and always had on hand for a non-technological substitute teacher) was technology in 1900 - http://pbskids.org/wayback/tech1900/snapshot.html I used this lesson to have the kids think about the predictions for the future that people made in 1900. I then asked them to think out 100 years and envision where we will be. Middle schoolers ate this up! Lastly, for my 7th grade son to truly feel the impact of a technology black-out day you would have to take away his iPod, iMac, Digital cable, wireless network access, and the cell phone his best friend carries. Ouch. Now THAT is a blackout!
Friday, March 25, 2005
More NELMS conference reactions
HI Again,
It dawned on me that there were a couple of people I hung out with at the conference that I didn't mention in my last posting. You always take your friends for granted!
I wanted to be sure to thank Alan Forsythe for his wonderful presentation and comrade-ship at the conference. Alan is a very hard working tech teacher who has created his own curriculum from scratch using applied technology stations and information technology stations built around themes. His most dramatic unit is on aeronautics and relies heavily on NASA for inspiration. To find out more about Alan and his work head to http:// magnetmiddle.org and go to the 8th grade team page. He is the 8th grade tech teacher at the awesome Scofield Magnet Middle School in Stamford, CT. (OK...I brag on that school because it is my second home and where my son attends 7th grade.)
There were many other Scofield teachers and administrators at the conference which is a testament to their professionalism and openess to new ideas. It is tough to stay enthused about concepts like "constructivism" and "brain based learning" in this testing driven educational climate. Hang in there guys.
Another person who I was glad to re-connect with was Joe Mastrocola, a technology integration specialist and coordinator from Sommerville, MA. I often tell Joe we are living parallel lives. He is always willing to volunteer his valuable time to support the technology strand at the NELMS conference. He is always one step ahead of the crowd in his educational technology thinking. I recommended that he read Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Points and Blink as I know he would "get it" if he did. Check out one of his websites at.... http://www.teacherweb.com/ma/eea/educationenlightenment/
It is great to know that there are people like Alan, Joe and the Scofield staff out there, in the trenches, helping kids and teachers.
All the best..... Jim :-)
It dawned on me that there were a couple of people I hung out with at the conference that I didn't mention in my last posting. You always take your friends for granted!
I wanted to be sure to thank Alan Forsythe for his wonderful presentation and comrade-ship at the conference. Alan is a very hard working tech teacher who has created his own curriculum from scratch using applied technology stations and information technology stations built around themes. His most dramatic unit is on aeronautics and relies heavily on NASA for inspiration. To find out more about Alan and his work head to http:// magnetmiddle.org and go to the 8th grade team page. He is the 8th grade tech teacher at the awesome Scofield Magnet Middle School in Stamford, CT. (OK...I brag on that school because it is my second home and where my son attends 7th grade.)
There were many other Scofield teachers and administrators at the conference which is a testament to their professionalism and openess to new ideas. It is tough to stay enthused about concepts like "constructivism" and "brain based learning" in this testing driven educational climate. Hang in there guys.
Another person who I was glad to re-connect with was Joe Mastrocola, a technology integration specialist and coordinator from Sommerville, MA. I often tell Joe we are living parallel lives. He is always willing to volunteer his valuable time to support the technology strand at the NELMS conference. He is always one step ahead of the crowd in his educational technology thinking. I recommended that he read Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Points and Blink as I know he would "get it" if he did. Check out one of his websites at.... http://www.teacherweb.com/ma/eea/educationenlightenment/
It is great to know that there are people like Alan, Joe and the Scofield staff out there, in the trenches, helping kids and teachers.
All the best..... Jim :-)
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Post-NELMS post!
Hi all,
I am assuming that if you made it to this blog page you were at my workshop, "Wikis, Blogs and Podcasts" at the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Conference in Providence, RI, ......or you are on the edtechnot.com mailing list.
Either way, welcome!
I enjoyed hanging around the third floor of the Providence Westin listening to tech workshops given by veteran teachers. Their passion and energy was truly inspiring. The highlight of the conference for me was listening to Mike Muir of the University of Maine describe the learning coming out of the Maine lap top initiative, in which all kids in 7th grade are issued an iBook. So much wisdom is being generated by this large scale expreriment. See the Maine Learning technology Initiative Educators' Site - http://www.mainelearns.org for more.
Another recent ed tech experience for me was the production of my first podcast. If you want to hear me playing the accordian (I'm serious.) Go to ...http://www.edtechnot.com/notpodcasts.html I hope to make more meaningful use of this medium in the near future on this Blog. Special thanks to Gary Stager and David Warlick who assisted me in my struggle to go from iPod to website.
Until next time....Jim :-)
I am assuming that if you made it to this blog page you were at my workshop, "Wikis, Blogs and Podcasts" at the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Conference in Providence, RI, ......or you are on the edtechnot.com mailing list.
Either way, welcome!
I enjoyed hanging around the third floor of the Providence Westin listening to tech workshops given by veteran teachers. Their passion and energy was truly inspiring. The highlight of the conference for me was listening to Mike Muir of the University of Maine describe the learning coming out of the Maine lap top initiative, in which all kids in 7th grade are issued an iBook. So much wisdom is being generated by this large scale expreriment. See the Maine Learning technology Initiative Educators' Site - http://www.mainelearns.org for more.
Another recent ed tech experience for me was the production of my first podcast. If you want to hear me playing the accordian (I'm serious.) Go to ...http://www.edtechnot.com/notpodcasts.html I hope to make more meaningful use of this medium in the near future on this Blog. Special thanks to Gary Stager and David Warlick who assisted me in my struggle to go from iPod to website.
Until next time....Jim :-)
Friday, March 18, 2005
Welcome to my BLOG!
OK...it is the the fourth anniversary of edtechnot.com and we are having a bit of a public identity crisis. I think trying a few new formats on the site will help revive my enthusiasm for the project and maybe serve our audience better. it isn't that I have lost my committment to producing a site that lists ed tech content free of advertising corporate sponsors but I am wondering about the need for it. Ah...what the heck. Maybe this is just an example of paralysis by analysis. I'll keep giving it a go and you just keep letting me know what you think.
Hang in there, it can be tough out there in the ed tech world.
Until next post.
Hang in there, it can be tough out there in the ed tech world.
Until next post.
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