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= = NECC 2008

Here are some of the sessions that I attended in Texas during NECC along with links and handouts.

1. Opening Keynote
James Surowiecki talks about the Wisdom of Crowds.

webcast of the session: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=181&chapter=1&cc=

2. Social Networking for Social Good
Luke Walker, Emily Kornblut, Jennifer Corriero, Michael Furdyk

webcast of the session: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=185&chapter=1&cc=  Main Site Used: Taking IT Global site http://www.takingitglobal.org/

Notes:

This session discussed using social networking sites to get young people actively involved in their world and to be inspired by others. "Taking It Global" is a website that was launched eight years ago is a world network of kids committed to change. There are volunteers on the site from ages 15-30. Students work with other students around the world to understand that there is a global impact to their problem.

CBC video cited in presentation [|"Make Some Noise"]

Quote from UN WSIS Declaration of Principals Part II:

"We recognize that young people are the future workforce and leading creators and earliest adopters of ICT's. They must, therefore, be empowered as learners, developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers."

Emily, one of the presenters, noted that students are very comfortable thinking of themselves as part of a global social and economic system, though they often feel powerless to participate. The site helps kids understand the value of networking.

Here are some examples of projects and resources that the site offers:

Aids Awareness Computers for Underprivledged children Global Artwork contained in the Global Gallery "Commit to a Better World" - making it cool for kids to care "Understanding the Issues" - Ontario Teachers created a film festival "Climate Change Portal" "Human Rights and Equity "Technology and Innovation" "Guides to Action" "Orange Revolution" - A Game for Political Science Students developed in Canada "Real World Games Real World Solutions" Partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada

3. Google Tools For Educators
by Cristin Trodella and Andrew Chang

Here is a detailed description of the session http://edtechavenue.com/2008/06/30/energize-your-classroom-with-google-tools/

4. Keynote by Jim Carleton and Mali Bickley
(Canadian Educators)

Here is the link to the video of the keynote. They were excellent in their discussion of the power of collaborative projects.

http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=186&chapter=1&cc=

5. Creating Movie Magic in Student Projects
by Scott Schonefeld

Online handouts: http://www.cpsb.org/presentations/effects/index.htm

6. Designing Rigorous and Globally Connected Assignments
by Alan November

Here is a link to the webcast of the session http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=187&chapter=1&cc=

Link to notes take by Wes Fryer: http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/14/creating-globally-connected-rigorous-and-highly-motivated-assignments-by-alan-november/

7. Its In Your Pocket: Teaching Spectacularly with Cell Phones
Hall Davidson

Webcast: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=189&chapter=1&cc=

Notes: http://henrythiele.blogspot.com/2008/07/hall-davidson-cellphones-in-schools.html (thanks to Henry Thiele for live blogging)

8. The Magic of Digital Collaborative Interaction in Teacher PD
by Wesley Fryer and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

Webcast: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/529279 http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/529317

Main site used: http://k12onlineconference.org/

Handouts: http://teachdigital.pbwiki.com/createcollaborateblend

Notes:

Blended professional development and self-professional development is the best PD for teh 21st Century. Darren Kuropatwa (Winnipeg, MN, Canada) talked about K-12 Online- an online conference by educators for educators. There are four strands and one presenter who will kick off the whole conference. It is free. There are two years worth of archived presentations that you can see. It begins in October but goes on all year long. It is a global conversation. Bud Hunt (Northern Colorado) He did the keynote from his car and did it a month before the conference. A good idea would be to bring it face to face in your school district. There is great content on the site. He put together a course that was reviewing the K-12 Online content where peope could get credit for it. It is important to give people time to watch the content and then talk about it.

Question: What is the benefit of global connection?

We will perpetuate what we know. Conversations take place that should happen across the border.

April Chamberlain (Alabama)- She teaches the teachers about technology and thought about how to create the learning experience for everyone. Trussville City Schools wondered how they could find presenters for a conference without the big price tag. They offered 20 sessions from the K-12 online to teachers and they had a moderator who introduced the session. After watching the sessions, they had a conversation about how it applied to their school and grade level. Great idea. They also brought Jeff Utech in as a keynote speaker. Instead of him physically appearing at their district, he did the opening keynote through Skype.

We are no longer confined to the space in which we live. Everything can be linked together through technology.

Jeff Utech- (Shanghai) and Wes Fryer (Oklahoma)

W: How did it affect kids?

J: He made it personal. He held meetings in his apartment in Shanghai. He downloaded all of the K-12 Online sessions to a memory stick and gave them to people on usb sticks due to the firewall issues in China. They had access to every session and then were able to pick sessions they were interested in and go off with a set of headphones to listen to them. They also brought food and it became a potluck. They listened to the opening keynote together in his appt. After they watched the individual sessions, people came back and shared what they learned and then created a podcast about it. This happened over a four week span. They made it local by talking about how it would look in their schools and classrooms. Time became variable and content became the constant.

Sheryl: Why were the live events important? Fireside chats. Dean Shareski used wikis, Skype, and collaborative tools. Fireside chat on the K-12 site is a way to bring participants and presenters together to talk about the presentation topic.

Nobody makes money of K-12 Online. The learning is collaborative and it gives you conversations and an understanding on how to build your own learning network.

9. **The Man Behind the Curtain: Really Simple HTML for Non-Wizards**
by Hall Davidson

Webcast: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/plugins/webcast/regform.php?id=201&c=webcast

10. Students Our World
David Warlick

Webcast: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/flash/wcplayer.php?id=184&chapter=1&cc=

Handouts: http://davidwarlick.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurStudentsOurWorlds

Outline of Session: http://davidwarlick.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OSOWSessionOutline

Presentation Slides: http://davidwarlick.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OSOWPresentationSlides

<span style="color: rgb(85, 32, 32)">11. Discovering the Mystery of Technology Integration
by Joan Gore and Janet Corder

They went over how to create pictures in auto shapes in Word. They talked about how to make trading cards in Excel and Bookmarks in Word. They also went over a bubble gum math lesson that could be completed in Excel.

Links: http://j2training.googlepages.com/downloadfiles

<span style="color: rgb(85, 32, 32)">12. **"Wikipedia** in the Social Studies Classroom Beyond Information Seeking"
by Thomas Hammond

Notes: http://hammond.seedwiki.com/wiki/hammond/wp_necc2008

Powerpoint:

<span style="color: rgb(87, 41, 41)">13. Closing Keynote
Idit Harel-Caperton

Webcast: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/plugins/webcast/regform.php?id=203&c=webcast