Category Archives: 2006- Overcoming Obstacles

Anne Davis
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Blog: http://anne.teachesme.com/
Twitter: @anne773

Presentation Title
“Unleash the Potential: Remix Obstacles into Opportunities!”

Bio
Anne Davis is an educator with over 20 years experience as an elementary classroom teacher, an instructional lead teacher, a reading specialist, and an instructional technology specialist. She currently works at Georgia State University in the Instructional Technology Center in the College of Education as an Information Systems Training Specialist. She provides support and instruction to faculty, staff and students in areas of the curriculum, teaching strategies, technology standards, and ideas and issues in instructional technology. She provides instructional technology outreach to practicing teachers. Anne is known for seeing the educational possibilities in the use of projects with students and teachers in K-12 classrooms and at the university level.

Description
This keynote will reflect on some of the most significant obstacles we face as we focus on best practice in the use of Web 2.0 tools to transform teaching and learning. The discussion will center on the crucial role that relationships, conversations, connections and networks play in supporting effective learning. It will also include suggestions and ideas for action, as well as approaches that foster discussions which result in effective strategies to overcome obstacles.

(Since this presentation is audio-only, a YouTube version is not available)

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/DavisKeynote.mp3

Supporting Links
A Difference – Darren Kuropatwa’s blog
http://adifference.blogspot.com/

Bloglines – A FREE online service for searching, subscribing, creating and sharing news feeds, blogs and rich web content.
http://www.bloglines.com/

Learning is what you do in school and fun happens outside: Discuss – Ewan McIntosh’s blog
http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2006/10/learning_is_wha.html

K12@ Online Conference – The Kick-off”¦And a touchdown – Darren Kuropatwa’s blog
http://adifference.blogspot.com/2006/10/k12-online-kick-off-and-touch-down.html

Read dangerously irrelevant by guest author, Jon Becker – Scott McLeod’s blog
http://anne.teachesme.com/2006/10/04/read-dangerously-irrelevant/

Zachary’s Weblog – a fifth grade student’s blog
http://jhh.blogs.com/zachary/

Seize the time! – Anne Davis’ blog
http://anne.teachesme.com/2005/02/11/seize-the-time/

Fifth grade post by Patrick, a fifth grade student
http://itc.blogs.com/patrick/2005/02/5th_grade.html

My Thank You post by Patrick, a fifth grade student
http://itc.blogs.com/patrick/2005/03/my_thank_you.html

Remixing Obstacles into Opportunities – PBwiki on obstacles/opportunities
http://obstacles.pbwiki.com/

Katie Logan
Wind River, Wyoming, USA
http://www.fwsweave.com/

Presentation Title
“‘At-Risk’ Students in Our Virtual High School”

Bio
Katie Logan is the technology director for the Wyoming e Academy of Virtual Education. The school is Wyoming’s only online virtual high school, and focuses on serving ‘at-risk’ high school students as opposed to the top 15%-25%. The Academy is located in rural Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation, and serves mainly Native American students from the reservation as well as some other students from other high schools across the state.

Description
In a podcast, Katie discusses her school’s successes, failures, obstacles, and challenges in serving ‘at-risk’ students with an online high school in rural Wyoming. They are starting their third school year and have graduated five students and contributed to the graduation of at least one dozen other students. Their full-time student body is made up of minority, at-risk high school students from the Wind River Indian Reservation. They also serve part-time students from other high schools across the state. She describes their implementation using eCollege and class.com and how they deal with day to day high school issues. She also provides a transcript of the podcast, and any additional goodies she included in the presentation.

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/atrisk/at-risk.html

Hello everyone, I am so pleased to be involved with the first K-12 Online conference! I’m convening the “Overcoming Obstacles” strand for week2, and I’d like to encourage you to submit a proposal!

I’ve started an open wiki with topic suggestions for “Overcoming Obstacles,” and you are welcome to both check that out and add to the list. (http://obstacles.wikispaces.com/topics) There are an amazing array of web 2.0 tools out there, but if we can’t figure out how to work within the real-world contexts in which we find ourselves, they won’t be able to do much to help our students better engage in the learning process.

If you’re ready to submit a proposal, please refer to the proposal submission guidelines (which are applicable to ALL strands) and then submit using the online form. If you make a mistake, just resubmit your proprosal and we’ll just keep the most recent version. That way we can minimized exchanged emails, and use the blog and wiki more to collaborate and answer questions. As of this morning we’ve received 22 submissions (in all categories.)

Also, EVERYONE is invited to sign the guestbook on this K-12 Online blog. Let us all know where you are living– this is a global conversation, and it’s very cool to have this opportunity to learn together! I hope you’ll plan to participate in one or more capacities during this free online conference opportunity. 🙂