Category Archives: 2006

Julie Lindsay
Dhaka, Bangladesh
lindsay.julie@gmail.com
Blog: http://123elearning.blogspot.com/

Presentation Title
“The 21st Century Educator’s toolbox: Developing a Professional Learning Environment”

Bio
Julie Lindsay is Head of Technology and Director of E-Learning of International School Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 25 years of education her experience and qualifications have spanned four countries (including Australia, Zambia, and Kuwait) and two main curriculum areas (Music, ICT). She recently completed a MA in Educational Technology Leadership and is currently a member of the ISTE International Committee and the ICT curriculum specialist for ISTE’s Learning and Leading magazine. As an international educator Julie has a vision and a commitment to educational technology that includes fostering global citizenship and life long learning. She has presented at international conferences on digital literacy and Web2.0 objectives including blogging and podcasting, and is an exponent of online and one-to-one learning ideals in the classroom. Her personal blogs can be found at http://123elearning.blogspot.com/ and http://elgg.net/julielindsay/weblog
and online portfolio at http://julielindsay.wikispaces.com/

 

Description
A Professional Learning Environment (PLE) is a place or places on the Internet where learning and interaction with others takes place using available online tools. It is a collection of resources and tools specifically chosen by the individual to be used during the average working day and for recording or documenting the journey of learning professionally and also personally if desired.

Why set up a PLE?

• Store pertinent information
• Show professional development
• Share personal experiences
• Share resources: socialbookmarking, online images and multimedia files
• Blog and interact
• Collaborate with educators around the world

Every professional educator needs online spaces for portfolio development and fostering interaction and collaboration. This presentation will look at online tools that can be used to collate and present resources, to invite community interaction and contributions and to use as a platform for personal expression. It will take the perspective of the educator who has needs for storage of ideas and tools, self-promotion, collaboration and access to other educators online. Using freely available Web 2.0 tools every educator can develop a Professional Learning Environment to complement their educational objectives.

Visit the wiki link below and discover many Web 2.0 resources for developing a PLE and a chance to offer your opinion and thoughts about this topic.

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/K12ToolBox_Lindsay_06.wmv

Supporting Link
http://julielindsay.wikispaces.com/k12online2006

Mark Ahlness
Seattle, Washington, USA
Blog: http://ahlness.com/
http://roomtwelve.com/
http://arborheights.com/
http://earthdaybags.org/

Presentation Title
“Home Grown: Within/Without the district”

Bio
Mark is a third grade teacher at Arbor Heights Elementary School in Seattle, Washington, USA. In August of 1994 he started up his school’s web site, www.arborheights.com, one of the very first elementary schools to appear on the Internet. Also in 1994, he started The Earth Day Groceries Project, www.earthdaybags.org, one of the oldest and largest educational projects on the Internet. Mark is a strong advocate for safe student blogging at the elementary school level. His third graders at http://www.roomtwelve.com/ continue to set a standard for quality student writing in the web 2.0 world.

Description
This is a documentation of and a model for staff development in web 2.0 tools done by a classroom teacher. What makes this presentation unique is that it tracks an ongoing effort in staff training – taught within a school district, but without school district support. On his own, Mark is offering workshops monthly throughout the school year for his colleagues in his school and for anyone else in his school district. The sessions occur in the computer lab or in his third grade classroom. Also in the works are online workshops in the evenings, in real time. This presentation documents the first three offerings, from October of 2006, two in person and one online. The presentation is a wiki, with links to podcasts recorded during the actual workshops. Mark will continue to add his new presentations throughout the school year, and he encourages anyone doing similar work to add theirs as well.

Presentation
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/

Supporting Links
Overview – Navigation
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Overview

Wiki Work
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Wiki+Work

Using Classblogmeister
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Using+Classblogmeister

SSD 2.0 Skypecast
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/SSD+2.0+Skypecast

Conclusion
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Conclusion

Share
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Share

Materials – Credits
http://withinwithout.wikispaces.com/Materials

Joseph Papaleo
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Blog: http://papajo.edublogs.org/
http://papajo.podomatic.com/

Presentation Title
“Around the World in 80 Minutes”

Bio
Joseph is a secondary Information Technology and Mathematics teacher, currently teaching at an independent school in Melbourne, Australia. He has been exploring the uses of blogs, wikis and blokis in his classes and plans to create screencasts for his students and make them available through podOmatic to upload via student’s iPods. Joseph has “explored” the concept of taking classes on International excursions through the use of Google Earth and Videoconferencing. While still in its infancy, the use of these technologies has already complemented his classes. Joseph is keen to “explore” new uses of GPS and mobile phone technology in education.

Description
Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days” was inspired by 19th century technological breakthroughs. In this presentation,Joseph takes a look at 20th/21st century technological breakthroughs and how they can be used to complement teaching practices in the 21st century.

Using Google Earth, the Google Earth community forums and Videoconference technology, this presentation will take you “Around the World in 80 Minutes” (NB presentation is approx 30 minutes).

Pack your toothbrush and join in the adventure.

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/K12OC-AroundtheWorld/AroundtheWorld.html

Supporting Links
Reef Ed, Great Barrier Reef
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Educational facility catering for k-12 and cross-curricular programs
Videoconference facility available
http://www.reefed.edu.au/reefhq/index.html

National Space Centre Education On-Line
Leicester, UK
Educational Space Program
Videoconference facility available
http://spacecentre.co.uk/education/outreach/videoconferencing.htm

Google Earth community forum
http://bbs.keyhole.com/

ICT in my Classroom – Tom Barrett’s blog
http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/

Tom Barrett’s Google Earth forum – UK Primary Curriculum
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/58519/page/1

Diverse 2006
http://elisu.gcal.ac.uk/diverse2006/

Read Around the Planet
http://www.twice.cc/read/

iEarn projects
http://www.iearn.org/projects/index.html

CILC: Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration
http://www.cilc.org/

Videoconferencing for Learning
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/vidconf/vidconf.html

World Clock
http://www.qlock.com/

The World Clock – Time Zone Converter
http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Videoconferencing Out on a Lim
http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/

Jeff Utecht
Shanghai, China
Blog: http://www.thethinkingstick.com/

Presentation Title
“Social Bookmarking, Using Del.icio.us”

Bio
Jeff Utecht is an international educator currently working in Shanghai, China. Prior to Shanghai, Jeff worked in Saudi Arabia and Washington State. Jeff received a Teacher Leadership Project grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2001 and his MS in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Technology in 2004. Jeff has presented at the Near East South Asia teacher’s conference and has been involved in staff development trainings for the past 6 years. Living and working within the international community has given Jeff first hand experience of the “flattening of our world.” From the wireless deserts of the Arabian Peninsula to the fast paced changes in mainland China, Jeff provides a global perspective on technology and education. At present, Jeff maintains several sites including saschinaonline.org, pudongnervecentral.com, and oversees the operation of teentek.com .

Description
Why save web sites to your computer where they can not be accessed by your students? Using a social bookmarking site such as del.icio.us teachers can bookmark web pages to be used in the classroom or for student to reference at home for homework. A screencast of using del.icio.us.

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/delicious/delicious.html

Supporting Links
http://del.icio.us/
http://www.google.com/literacy/
http://www.netvibes.com/
http://www.bloglines.com/

Jeff Moore
Englishtown, New Jersey, USA

Presentation Title
“Not Just for Kids: Using Social Software to Create Community among Teachers and Provide Sustained Professional Development”

Bio
Jeff Moore is the Manager for Technology for the Freehold Regional High School District, a district of six high schools serving nearly twelve thousand students in Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA. He has facilitated professional development in his district and at regional conferences on social software and the integration of technology into lesson planning. Jeff also hosted ‘One Big Head’, one of the earliest educational technology podcasts, from the driver’s seat of his Toyota Matrix as he commuted on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Description
We assume that social software will be important to students as they wade into their post-secondary careers and education. In our discussions on how best to train students on the ethics and responsibilities of using social software, we sometimes forget that object lessons are often the best lessons. Schools can get a lot of mileage toward achieving organizational goals from social software tools, as well as provide an object lesson for students on the ethical and repsonsible use of such software.

In this presentation, Jeff Moore discusses his district’s efforts to offer sustained and individualized professional development to its staff. Speaking from the driver’s seat of his car, he describes:

1. the use of local experts–innovative teachers who became a corps of Technology Facilitators
2. the use of open source, social software tools in the Drupal (http://www.drupal.org/) content management system to create community among these experts and provide a resource for staff
3. a new role for the educational technologist, that of software developer, arising from the development of a homegrown application to provide interactive professional development calendar, enrollment and tracking tools

Presentation
Http://k12online.wm.edu/Not_Just_for_Kids.mp3

Supporting Links
Drupal CMS
http://www.drupal.org/

Drupal’s Vote Up/Down Package
http://drupal.org/project/vote_up_down

Digg
http://www.digg.com/

the Freehold Regional High School District
http://www.frhsd.com/

the FRHSD Technology Integration Clearinghouse
http://www.frhsd.com/tic/

a Video Demonstration of the PD Tracker
http://intranet.frhsd.com/videos/PDTracker%20-%20Using.swf

Feel free to contact Jeff Moore at jmoore@frhsd.com.

Judy O’Connell
Sydney, Australia
Blog: http://heyjude.wordpress.com/

Presentation Title
“It’s a Small World After All!”

Bio
As an educator and information professional Judy is fascinated by emerging technologies, the development of Web 2.0, and what this all means for schools and school libraries. Currently, Judy serves as an Education Officer with Catholic Education working with 55 primary and 22 secondary schools in the Western region of Sydney.She is also Vice-President (Association Relations) of IASL, the International Association of School Librarianship.

Description
Judy shares her story and the story of her schools who are embarking on a new way of working with Web 2.0, to create a community of learners. It all began with blogging! She knew that blogs could have many uses in education as a way of sharing or managing information and promoting literacy and learning. She tells the story of how on one single “˜professional’ day her world turned right around. She knew she had to start blogging, and when Judy did it was the beginning of personal journey of innovation and leadership…and fun! Come discover how blogs really can be a highly effective medium for fostering a professional learning community and a personal learning environment. You too can go from no blog and no ideas, to working with a whole school system strategy for integration of Web 2.0 and blogging as an official tool for dialogue and communication.

Presentation
http://k12online.wm.edu/K12OnlineConferenceJudyOConnell.m4a
http://k12online.wm.edu/K12OnlineConferenceJudyOConnell.mov