edthink is coming to North Carolina
On December 4th, Mark, Richard, Sallie (and another Marc) will be presenting at the North Carolina Educational Technology Conference in Greensboro, NC. The presentation, titled “Using Google Apps in the K-12 Classroom: Resources, Strategies,& Ideas for 21st Century Learners” will be in the Victoria B room of the Koury Convention Center from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. We hope to see you there. If you can’t make it, we are hoping to be able to record the session and post it on the edthink site after the conference. We have also submitted a proposal to the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D. C. between June 28th and July 1st, 2009. We’ll have updates on the status of this presentation as we get closer to the dates.
| Google Teacher Academy is BACK!
The announcement came out EARLY this morning! There will be a Google Teacher Academy September 24th, 2008 in Chicago! This is truly the BEST professional development I have ever been a part of and highly recommend that you apply. I met the most amazing educators from all over the world and now truly have an innovative, stimulating professional learning network. Have questions? Let me know I’m happy to answer them and give feedback 
Good Luck!!!
Technorati Tags: GTA, Google Teacher Academy, GCT
More show links
There were a couple of other sites that were mentioned in the show that might be useful to everyone. First, is Google Knol…sort Google’s version of Wikipedia (in it’s early stages). Another link discussed is the Infinite Thinking Machine, a combination blog, podcast, web-TV show produced by Google and WestEd. Next, are a couple of other Google tools that I have been looking at lately…Google Sky, Google Moon, and Google Mars….some very cool stuff. Okay….time to stop “pimping” Google. I would encourage you all to look at the Apple Distinguished Educators site. It provides some useful information on that program. Finally, we mentioned the newspaper for a high school in Palo Alto, CA. I would encourage you to take a look at the Paly Voice….the newspaper published by Palo Alto High School’s Journalism students. Enjoy.
New Podcast Episode Up…
Subscribe by clicking on the link on the right side of this page or by creating a new subscription in iTunes. We’ll be adding this to the iTunes Music Store Podcast section ASAP, but for now, the old link there does not work since we moved our set up.
In this episode, Sallie, Richard and Mark talk about Google Teacher Academy and Google Apps for Education.
Show Links:
Google Teacher Academy
Google Apps for Education
Show Selections:
Mark - The Big Switch
Disrupting Class
I will have lots more to say about this book in the near future. For now, I wanted to chime in with my general early takes:
- I agree with nearly all of this book as I have said most of it in the past. I felt like I was reading my own thoughts in fact.
- Computer based learning MUST lead real changes in schools.
- Chartered (as the author refers to them) schools allow us to see a model for positive change. It’s important that K-12 public schools do not begrudge the efforts of these schools. We can learn from them.
- In 5 years - and certainly within 10 years - public schools will have begun to change in ways they might not understand now. They should embrace this as an exciting and challenging time - not as an event from which we must protect ourselves (and our jobs).
I have said for a long time - I am trying to work myself out of a job. Teachers and other K-12 Administrators need to take on that challenge.
Good book - especially for K-12 Administrators, School Board members and law makers.
Podcast coming…
After several months of laying low, the edthink group reconvenes tonight for our 3 episode. Sallie will be joining us tonight to talk about her incredible Google Teacher Academy experience (which she wrote about earlier).
Look for the episode to be posted soon.
Curriculum Evolution Template
Working with the BRVGS teachers on curriculum this past week has been exciting. The teachers, now having used Google Apps for a year, are becoming comfortable, dare I say “native” (or at least resident alien). They have been using Google Docs to collaboratively redesign their projects, pacing guide, curriculum, and communication expectations. This is the first time that I haven’t had to be the person to suggest a Google Doc. They jump all over it now and with the announcement of TEMPLATES its just going to get better!
Templates will be HUGE for helping schools move to Google Apps … bring on MLA templates and we will be ecstatic in the 9-12 arena.
The one thing that needs to be made VERY clear is that we CAN’T let the templates evolve into the same issues that we all have with PowerPoint (boring presentations that we have all seen a million times). With this fresh opportunity lets bring some Presentation Zen skills into the mix. What do you think?
PS In regards to that last statement it looks like Google is already on board! Check this out
How much can Google Apps help your school?
ALOT! At least according to the awesome students, teachers and admins (check out the principal’s blog!) at CIS 339 in the Bronx. The way this school has fully embraced all that Google Apps has to offer has not only been amazing it is also inspiring! Even as a school that has been using Google Apps for over a year now, I am blown away with how the teachers and admins have used Google Docs as a way to support students, enrich learning, and cut down on “busy paperwork”. Check out this Google Presentation that highlights how they have been using Google Apps.
There is no doubt that the Tech Tigers will have great futures!
Somewhere in the middle
We’ve blamed Googles before. That is we’ve blamed “evil” and “self-absorbed” companies for our social ills for a long time. But, they have a famous slogan of their own which seems to suggest they don’t set out to upend social norms. Face it, companies like Google are a reflection of who we are. If they are ruining us, we have the free choice to NOT let them. Fr the record, as usual, I believe reality lies somewhere in the middle of this argument.
Further, Google is not making us stupid. I have enjoyed “The Big Switch” greatly, but I don’t think, as Mr. Carr seems to think, that Google is making me dumber. If anything, they have given me access to more information than my grandparents - all 4 of them - had access to in their lives combined.
But, then again, I’m not sure I buy into the “Google Generation” either. Kids are kids. If they think we’ll buy into them on Facebook as a learning opportunity all the time, then they’ll sell it hard.
Again, I think the truth lies in the middle.
Can we all just agree that, for the most part, these types of reactions are overblown?
Everything in moderation.
Alabama’s ACCESS
Congrats to the State of Alabama for this leading edge effort. I’ve been talking about divisions linking up and doing this for years here in Central Virginia. For whatever reason, the traction has not been here.
Again, at this point, given the evidence which seems to be there, this is the future of education. We need to see this more often and work towards some instructional best practices (they may be there, I just haven’t seen them).
The Machine is Us/ing Us
Since we are going a bit YouTube crazy here at edthink, I thought I would continue the trend. I’m going to cheat a little and steal something from one of my courses at UNC-Charlotte. Some of you may have seen The Machine is Us/ing Us already (if not, it is embedded below). It is an interesting video showing how everything is connected (among other things). I was prepping for some things and stumbled across a presentation by the author on the video. Check them both out below….interesting stuff. Also, you might want to check out the article referenced in the presentation…Kevin Kelly’s We Are the Web.
The Machine is Us/ing Us
Mike Wesch’s Explanation of The Machine is Us/ing Us
Dot and the Line
Long story as to why I got on this today. But - my return to it included watching it for what I know would be at the least the 25th time in my life. Never gets old.
Anyway, I had always intended to use this quote in the life I had originally dreamed up for myself as a Social Studies teacher.
“Freedom is not a license for chaos.”
I love that quote and had forgotten it was buried in the treasure. No real point to make other than genius is often subtle.
Stop what you’re doing…
Maybe it’s because I enjoy looking back at history and examining how we got where we are with a particular topic. Or maybe it’s because I have been making the comparison between the Internet and electricity availability for years. But “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, From Edison to Google” is great work which seems to let us see the future. We’ve been here before. We know what is coming to some extent. And so, can’t we use that knowledge to help shape our decisions…learning from history?
My favorite quote so far is the last paragraph in the first chapter (I’ll excerpt or brevity) :
“Many of the characteristics that define American society came into being only in the aftermath of electrification….Today we think of these developments as permanent features of our society. But that’s an illusion. They’re the by products of a particular set of economic trade-offs that reflected, in large measure, the technologies of the time.”
Fantastic book bringing unprecedented clarity to our past and potential future.
Soon, we’ll all be living in the cloud. Oh, and I found some videos of Nicolas Carr, he author, on YouTube. Here is just one.
Google, Twitter, and Wetpaint … OH MY!!!
How these three things have let me be the change I’ve been wanting to see.
The Beginning
It all started on May 6th, 2008 with a simple e-mail that started “Hello and Happy National Teacher Day.” From that e-mail came one of the most interesting, stimulating, and enriching experiences of my life (not to mention some friendships that will last a life time). The e-mail was from the Google Educator Outreach, a list serv about all things Google Education-ish. It explained that, for the first time ever, Google was opening up their application process for the Google Teacher Academy worldwide. If you could pay for it (or find someone to help you) and got accepted you were in! Heart beating wildly, I quickly shot off a note to my Director, Marc Carraway, to ask if I could apply and if my school, the Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School, would help with the cost. Receiving an emphatic “YES!” and the calming addition that BRVGS would cover all my costs were I to be accepted, it began.
The Application Process
Applications were due May 28, 2008. Laboring for days on the essay questions and storyboard for a 60 second video that would give Google an idea for my philosophy on “Classroom Innovation,” the application process was daunting. I scoured the Internet for videos from others to get an idea, but it was hard to tell what I should do. Wanting my video to show passion for technology in education but to be strongly focused on students, the decision was made to go simple. Using Screenflow to create a quick 10 second intro about our school and then simply leaving my fate in the hands of the phenomenal people at Animoto, the video portion was done. Animoto is a website that will take your uploaded photos and create an MTV-like video with the pictures appearing to the beat of whichever song you choose (here is my video). Everything was complete on May 18th so I hit the submit button on my application and left the rest up up to the minds at Google. Now it was simply a matter of wringing hands, biting nails, and trying to stay nonchalant until June 5th, 2008 when the confirmation e-mail instructed acceptance letters would be sent, and I would learn my fate.
The Day I Checked a Million Times to Make Sure My E-mail was Working
June 5, 2008 - 6:00am - Checked to make sure e-mail was working. It was…no message from Google
June 5, 2008 - 6:30am, 7:00am, 7:30am, 8:00am - Checked to make sure e-mail was working. It was…no message from Google
June 5, 2008 - 8:07am (EST) - Glanced at e-mail while doing some work… see a message from Google Teacher Academy Team…breath shorted…palms sweated…what if it says “No?”
Too Late! I had already clicked on the message and was jumping in the air as I read, “Congratulations Sallie! You have been selected to participate in the Google Teacher Academy at the Googleplex. After reviewing your application, we believe that you have the experience and passion necessary to positively impact K-12 education, and we are excited to have you join us on Wednesday, June 25th at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California.”
I called my husband at work (a fellow edtech’er). I could barley speak from jumping up and down exclaiming, “I’m going to Google! I’m going to Google!” He laughed and told me he’s very proud of me but completely jealous!
I quickly filled out the the required survey to “claim” my spot and I began checking on flights, hotels, car rentals and directions.
I Start Learning the Power of the Internet
On June 7th, 2008 I decided to see how many other GTA attendees could be found online. Scouring blog posts for mention of other people that were going finally led to the discovery of one or two GTA attendees, but there had to be another, better way. I decided to setup a wiki and send the link out to the masses.
Using a Wetpaint wiki, I simply added my info and sent it out on Twitter to Vicki Davis (the Cool Cat Teacher) and asked her if she would be willing to Twitter it as well knowing that she had a MUCH wider following. From her “tweet,” the Wetpaint wiki quickly began getting members and updates. By the end of the first day, the membership was up to four people. By the next day we had 11. Then 13. Then 15. By the day of the Google Teacher Academy, there were 25 members in addition to multiple blog and podcast mentions.
The Wetpaint wiki’s discussion board filled up with posts from the get-go. Where were people staying? Should we meet up for dinner the night before? Did anyone want to be the PodPirate’s guest to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium the day after?
It was so exciting to see how many amazing educators from all over the world were coming and how quickly we already felt like friends. The decision was made for about 12 of us to meet the night before, a few were from California but most were from out of town.
Google Teacher Academy Eve
Getting out to California took about 12 hours. I thought I would have been exhausted, but the adrenaline running through me pusehd me onward. I went to meet up with two fellow GTA attendees in the lobby of our hotel for dinner. We had never met in person and our familiarity was limited, mostly, to screen-names. When we walked into the restaurant, a man look expectantly at us. “PodPirate???” we asked. He laughed and responded with a simple, “Yes.”
One table quickly filled and another was moved in for our ever expanding group. We all took a turn giving our real names, where we hailed from, and what we do. I have never felt so comfortable, so quickly with a group of relative strangers. Finding our techno loving, education innovating brethren was invigorating! There was great conversation, great food, and lasting memories. If an informal dinner with near strangers was this good, what would tomorrow bring???
The Day
A whirlwind- there seems to be no other way to describe it. We spent the day talking with fellow teachers, listening to phenomenal speakers, learning loads of cool info/techniques/tools, and generally just soaking up all that it means to be part of Google. If Virginia was not so deeply rooted in my being, I wouldn’t hesitate to move to Mountain View, Ca. and take any job Google would give me. Google does not feel like a giant company, but like a community where people are happy to work, happy to learn, and mostly happy to share what they’ve learned. Doesn’t that sound EXACTLY what school should be like? Among the other goals that I have planned for this year as part of my “Google Certified Teacher Action Plan,” I will be trying to bring a little “Googleness” back to Virginia and into the BRVGS lifestyle. I want my teachers and students to feel just like Google employees: passionate, excited, appreciated, supported, and connected.
The Days, Months, and Years After
Now home and getting geared up for Staff and Curriculum Development for BRVGS next week, my mind is spinning with ideas and connections. I’ve already started thinking about my Action Plan for Google and am firmly set on a few things.
One: To start blogging.
Having always been an avid blog reader and an occasional commenter but never a writer, this will be tough. Honestly, I never felt that my voice was unique and didn’t want to repeat the same tired ideas as everyone else, but I realize that my job is unique in the education world and the more people hear about it, the more people will join in.
Two: Start participating in a podcast.
The “speciality” will be talking to GCTs from around the world about what they are doing in their schools. Hopefully, this will be the catalyst for other teachers to try new things in the classroom.
Three: Change the world. Can’t do it alone, but I can add my voice to the conversation and my strength to the cause.
I can’t thank all the people at Wetpaint, Twitter, and Google enough for helping me have an amazing adventure and opening the door to so many yet to come!
ISTE Releases new NETS for Teachers
ISTE has released the new National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers and they are quite a bit different than the 2000 version. It is interesting that the 5 categories are: 1) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, 2) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, 3) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, 4) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, & 5) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. If you look at these, you will notice some parallels with 21st century skills.
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About
EdThink is an educational technology focused group which provides training, support and consultation on the integration and management of technology of all types in K-12 classrooms. We use this site and the accompanying podcast to offer insight and opinions into the relevant topics of the day.
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