Day 2 ISTE 2012

Instead of taking the trolley this morning, I decided to walk.  The Convention Center is only a mile away and it was a beautiful morning.  I fired up my walking app on my iPhone and set a goal to walk my fastest mile yet.  The beat of Eye of the Tiger got my rhythmic stride started and I was going at a strong pace until the first light...and then the next, and then the next.

Annoyed at each stop, I pushed the required button requesting permission to walk across.  When I got to my third light, I'd given up on my goal.  I pushed the button and see that someone across the street was waiting as well.  After what seems like 5 minutes, there was a pool of people waiting on each side of the street and then it happens...someone crosses without waiting for the approved symbol to display!

So many feelings started to rush through me.  I wanted to shout, "You can't do that!"  I got frustrated thinking about how he was going to get to the Conference Center before me.  Argh!  Rebel!  I look both ways and the light is still indicating no crossing.  No cars are in sight.  I'm getting antsy and then I just do it!  I cross the street...and as soon as I do, the others follow from both sides. 

While I certainly don't want to promote law breaking behavior, I do want to encourage risk taking when it comes to teaching and utilizing technology.  So many of us are comfortable turning the page in the textbook and teaching lessons the way we always have.  What are you waiting for?  Get out there and take a risk!  Try something new!  Who knows...you may start a movement and I'm pretty certain others will follow!

Some other thoughts...


More Pictures:  I think I already said this, but I'll say it again...I LOVE pictures!  My husband rented a car and drove up the coast while I was at the conference today.  Throughout the day, he sent me pictures and when this one came across, it fit perfectly with what the presenter was saying in the session, Want to stop students from copying?  Change the product!

Second graders in our district write a research report on an animal.  While I don't teach 2nd grade, I can imagine some teachers struggle getting their kids to write versus copying and pasting facts from the Internet.  "To encourage student writing, change the perspective!"  How about doing the same assignment but have students write from the perspective of the animal?  What would the crab in this picture say?  I can just imagine how much fun they'd have with that!  Find resources from this session at http://www.tech4learning.com/iste2012-change-the-product

Listen to the Students:  In between sessions, I decided to take a few minutes to check out the student displays.  I visited with a young man from Lakeland Schools and found out about Sparky...The Artificially Intelligent Classroom Robotics Project.  They have a great site http://www.lakelandschools.us/iste/ that offers step-by-step instructions for building a robot and they are working on providing lesson plans for chemistry, biology, physics, and algebra that integrate the robot.  I was excited to see the spark in this student as he explained the project and answered my questions.  I realize how important it is for me to be aware of sites/resources like this because I never know when someone will ask me about something they can do to help a struggling student.  Maybe robotics is what one of your students needs to become more engaged.  You don't have to know how to do everything...just point them in the right direction and watch the sparks ignite!

Making More Friends:  After attending a session on student blogging by Lisa Parisi (@lparisi) and Brian Crosby (@bcrosby), I was on a quest to find out more about blogs.  I met Sue Waters (@suewaters) and Sue Wyatt (@tasteach) from Australia and learned more about edublogs...specifically about the Student Blogging Challenge (http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org) There is also a teacher challenge (http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/) which I tend to investigate further.  I am new to blogging, but I can already tell it's causing me to think and process more.  I heard multiple success stories during Lisa and Brian's session and I'm excited to work with teacher(s) in our district who think they might want to start blogging with students in the fall.

Got Books?  Check out Colette Cassinelli (@cassinelli) https://sites.google.com/a/lshigh.org/gotbooks/ to find out how to use technology to promote young adult literature!


Copyright Questions...we all have them, but it's hard to wrap our heads around all the rules!  Copyright Clarity by Renee Hobbs is a book that Sandy Hayes (@sjhayes8) shared in her session.  She also shared several resources for copyright friendly images and music, in addition to videos that explain Copyright Law and Fair Use.  Check out this one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

I ended my day at a nice reception with NETA folks.  What a great end to my second day at ISTE.  I'm looking forward to another day of learning tomorrow...er today!  It's late and I must go to bed!

Day 1 ISTE 2012

I can't exactly say I'm a "newbie" to ISTE since I went two years ago when it was in Denver.  However, I was 7 months pregnant at the time so I wasn't quite myself and didn't feel that I was able to take in and process all that I was experiencing.  Fast forward to today...Day 1 at ISTE 2012 in San Diego and I am ready to roll!  Even though I didn't attend any formal sessions today, I took full advantage of the learning opportunities that presented themselves throughout the city.  Here are a few highlights...

Set A Goal:  I signed up for my first ever 5K and started training a week ago.  I bought some new running shoes yesterday and went for a run this morning by the bay.  You might be thinking, what does this have to do with technology?  Well it's all about setting goals.  My goal is to run the entire race next month.  What's your goal when it comes to using technology?  Will you sign up for a Twitter account (I'm a newbie at that too!) and see what all the buzz is about?  Will you try using Skype?  How about creating a classroom blog?  If you're feeling a little apprehensive when it comes to technology, set a small goal!

Taking Pictures:  Pictures are worth a thousand words and there are so many great ways to incorporate pictures in teaching.  My favorite pictures to take revolve around math problems (Math Curse-You know, you can think of almost anything as a math problem).  Here are a few I took today...




What is the base of this structure composed of?  What is the geometric name for this structure?  How am I going to get from my hotel to the Convention Center using the trolley?  Do I need to take the green, orange, or blue route or a combination of the three?  What geometry words can you use to describe this fence?  Are there some fences that are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than others?

How can pictures be used in your classroom?  Math problems?  Writing prompts?  Demonstrating a certain form or skill (correct form in a sport, proper use of equipment, etc)?  Exposing your students to parts of the country they may never see?  Involve the students and have them take the pictures!

Listening: I had quite the experience on the trolley this afternoon!  I overheard a couple conversations that I cannot repeat due to language and content.  I was shaking my head at these people and then it hit me...these people are the parents of the students in your classroom.  Students come from a variety of backgrounds and understanding those backgrounds is the starting point to building relationships.  Instead of being quick to judge based on appearances and overheard conversations, I hope to do a little more listening in the future...it might just help me be a little more empathetic towards my students!

Making Friends: On our trolley ride to Tijuana, a boy (about 9 years old) sat down next to us.  I could hear his mom and siblings talking in Spanish behind me and I was a little nervous about starting a conversation.  So what did I do?  I took out my iPad and launched PopMath (one of my favorites!) and put it in his lap.  No words were exchanged, but his face lit up as he completed a couple rounds before getting off the trolley.  I made it back to San Diego and needed to switch trolleys to make it to the Convention Center.  It was there that I met Karen.  She was going to the CC too and we were able to talk for 20 minutes before the trolley arrived.  We talked a little bit about school, a little bit about technology, and a little bit about dogs.  Making connections...it's not so hard!  When I made it to the overflow of the overflow area at the CC, I made another friend Jennifer.  She is a technology specialist in Texas and I am excited to check out her 2 sessions tomorrow. 

Overall I had an excellent day in San Diego!  I'm excited for a full day of sessions tomorrow and cannot wait to share what I've learned!

Old Programs and Some Early Technology Views

My computer is long overdue for a clean-out.  I had to chuckle as I came across this article reflection I wrote for one of my master's classes over 10 years ago.  My how times have changed!  ;)  Oh, and by the way, it was created in Claris Works!

March 7, 2001

    The article, “Warp Speed Web Access:  Cable vs. DSL vs. Everthing Else” provided a wealth of information on the different types of web access.  I found myself nodding my head through most of it, but also found myself saying, “ah-ha” a couple of times.
    In my own experience, I have been very pleased with our cable service.  After having our dial-up service for almost a year, I finally gave into my husband and let him order cable.  Throughout the whole process, I am sure that we spent over $1000 with adding a second phone line (with the dial-up service) to buying the cable box (instead of renting it).  Although our cable bill has nearly doubled, my husband is much more bearable as he is not continually yelling at the computer for being so slow.  I must also say that he has put on weight over the last year because as soon as he gets home, he sits in front of the computer to check his fantasy leagues, download songs, chat with friends etc.  This goes along with the statement in the article that said, “. . .cable users spend more time online after getting their broadband connections than they did before.”  I personally avoid the computer more now that we have gotten cable.  When I do get on-line, I get so overwhelmed with all the sites that I want to go to.  Before I had an excuse with the slow modem, but now I really don’t have an excuse.
    I really feel that after reading this article, I could give a new computer owner sound advice as to which way to go when connecting to the web.  For the occasional web surfer, a dial-up modem is perfectly fine.  There were times when we got really good connection speed with our dial-up modem.  On the other hand, if the user is looking to download songs and other items, a cable modem might cut out some frustration.