Weekly Byte 2.25.10

Fortunately, I made it back from Hershey before the big storm! As always we should wait and see how much snow we really get. A two hour delay would be nice.
I have a ton of resources to share that I have gathered from this week's PETE & C Conference. I will try to do this over the next few weeks.

PETE & C Resources
You can access many of the workshop sessions notes, wikis, blogs, and resources by just going to the PETE & C Ning. There are tons of resources on a multitude of topics. Some presenters included they handouts and notes and some did not.

Sir Ken Robinson-Do Schools Destroy Creativity?

This video explains Sir Ken's view of what we need to do in education to allow our kids to be successful in the new economy. He was the keynote at the Pete & C conference this week and the author of The Element.

Tuesdays with Roger Workshops
The first two after school workshops have been scheduled.
Tuesday March 9- Moodle
Tuesday March 23-ActivInspire
Please let me know if you are coming. There will be 1hour of Act 48 available for each session.

Site of the Week
I got this one from Pete and C this week.
Math 2.0, Henry uses his blog to share how he takes his math classes into the 21st century using wikis, blogs, interactives and other Web 2.0 tools.

Thought of the Week
"Be the change you want to see in the world."-Gandhi

Weekly Byte PETE & C 2010

I have been here for three days now and have learned a ton. The best thing is to get to talk with other people who are trying to do the same things in their districts. It is interesting but scary at the same time. So many of us know that we need to make major changes in education or our students will be unemployed in the new economy. Even though there are 2500+ people here how many are going to actually try and make changes in their districts? Sorry to get a little serious.
Anyways I just figured out how to share articles/blog posts from Google Reader in my blog. I know, I know, what is Google Reader? I will be sharing Google Reader in April at my Google Workshop so come and check it out.
But for now see "Roger's Shared Items" on the left of this page.
I will posting again soon to share some of my learnings.

My next session is starting! shhhh

Weekly Byte 2.17.10

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
I don't know about you but I have had about enough. I wonder if we are allowed to go to school til July? Anyways, this is giving me some time to get some wonderful work done.

Upcoming Events
Starting in March I will be offering 1 hour technology workshops after school.
All sessions will start at 2:30 and end at 3:30.
All sessions will provide Act 48 credit.
All sessions will be held in Room 213.
Time will be allotted to work with the new tools.

1.Moodle, designing and implementing a Moodle course effectively in the classroom. (Tuesday March 9th)
2.ActivInspire, how to use your promethean board to engage students and simplify your life. (Tuesday March 23rd)
3.Photostory, bring video and audio into the classroom and improve student projects with this easy to use tool. (Date TBA)
4.Google, how to use Google Tools in the classroom, Google Docs for collaboration and Google News to bring resources to you, will be the focus. (Date TBA)
5.Taking your classroom global, online tools to expand the boundaries of your classroom. (Date TBA)
6.Next Level Tech, advanced tools, using Twitter to bring information to your finger tips, advanced Google Searches, Web 2.0 tools will be shared (Date TBA)

Please let me know the week before if you will be attending.
I will send reminder emails one week prior to each session.

Twitter Resources
I have expressed in prior posts how valuable Twitter has been to my own personal professional development. Here is one of my favorite Twitters to follow.
Free Tech 4 Teachers, this teacher provides tons of valuable resources for using technology in the classroom. Take a look at his blog and follow him on Twitter.

Web Tools for Enhancing Collaboration
Here are a few tools that will help improve student collaboration in your classroom.
Dabbleboard, is a whiteboard that allows you to visualize, explore, and collaborate. Just draw as you would on a whiteboard and you can easily share your ideas.
Wallwisher, is an online notice board maker. Use this tool to make announcements and keep notes. You can use links, pictures, music, video and pages. You don't have to register.

Reminder
If you are interested in participating in the eAcademy Planning Team our next meeting will be Thursday, February 18th at 2:40 in room 213.

Thanks and happy shoveling!

Weekly Byte 2.7.10

Snow, snow, snow. I am sure that your weekends were spent shoveling, like mine was. The school cancellations will give you some time to catch up on school work and maybe check out this blog for some new resources or ideas, lol.

Great article about an Israeli Entrepreneur who has started a school with $60 million. Sounds like the ideal school to me. How can we get this replicated to US schools?

I have to comment about the value of Twitter. I just became a Twitter-user this year. What a difference it makes for my learning. I have learned more in 6 months of following tweets than I have in years! I follow a few educational technology bloggers and they provide me with tons of information. I highly recommend Twitter to any and all educators. You can follow people who tweet about any topic. If you are looking for Social Studies, Science, Math, English or anything in between it is a fantastic resource.
Here is a good starting point. Once you set up a Twitter account you can go to Twitter for Teachers to find people in your content area to follow.

Moodle training coming in early March. I have been given permission to offer Act 48 credit for the one hour session. Stay tuned for dates and times.