Vita-Learn NW Minutes April 3
Minutes – Vita Learn Meeting – April 3, 2009
Mt. Mainsfield Union High School
The meeting started with introduction and proceeded to everyone sharing what' new along with a Tech Gem that made a difference this year.
We heard from Peter Drescher about the State of the State.
We had a very fluid agenda that included many topics including personal devices, netbooks, and the current Google Apps discussion at the Superintendent level.
Below are some notes that captured some of the discussion:
TechGem:
1. http://mail.google.com/mail/help/tasks/
If you have not discovered Google Tasks, you should visit the Gmail Lab (under Settings) to turn of TASKS. When you read an email that includes a new item for your to do list, or important information needed to complete that tasks, just click on the Label button to assign this email to a task. Your tasks list will now contain items that are linked to any email related to that tasks. And the most satisfying part is being able to check off the tasks as you complete them. Learn more about how to use the Tasks feature in Gmail or on your mobile device in Google's Help Section.
2. http://www.sticky-notes.net/
Whether you use a ToDo list such as Gmail's Tasks or other program to stay organized, there is something about a Sticky Note that helps us with priorities. This little gem is the pefect tool to keep certain items on your radar anytime.
A very helpful program that can be used to make screen captures as still pictures or short 5 minute videos. A picture is worth a thousand words and taking a picture of what is on your computer screen and being able to add lines, arrows, highlights, and additional text really helps increase understanding or provides assessment documentation in digital format. I have know some students who encourage students to take a screenshot of their work on a popular math game as evidence of learning. I use this tool all the time to create tutorials for students and colleagues. I've even seen some educators document a tech error using Jing and attach it to a help ticket. For $14.95 a year you can go pro which allows the movies to be saved in mp4 format and also saves the videos in smaller file format. This comes in handy when using Jing to gather assessment artifacts.
4. http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
If you want a similar tool that does not require you to install a program, try Screencast O matic.
This tool allows you to create a video of your screen (screencast) without requiring you to install anything. The product is in beta right now.
5. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx
Zoom It is a very small utility that you can install on your computer or keep on a flash drive that will allow you to ZOOM in to any part of your screen at the stroke of a key. Those with Apple computers have had this ability for a while; PC users can now enjoy this capability with Zoom It. We have also been providing it to visually impaired students to facilitate their use of computers. There are tools that provide more features for work stations used by visually impaired students, but this handy program on a thumb drive gives them the flexibility of zooming in when using other computers.
And for an even more spectacular zooming experience, you need to try Prezi. And starting April 5, you'll get a chance since Prezi goes out of private beta and will be available for you to try the free version of sign up for a Pro account. It allows you to fly around a map of an image, scrreen shot, and even videos. You can click on an image to zoom in on it or use the mouse to fly around to show different perspective (from big picture to minute details).
7. Stop Action Animation Tools
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Stop Action Animation
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I stop motion on Macs
8. Twiddla (Interactive White Board)
9. Backchannel: http://todaysmeet.com/vitalearnnw
Space for a day or Meet
we enjoyed trying this backchannel tool that did not require login.
10.
Great PD using elluminate with lots of great archives.
lassroom 2.0 LIVE is an opportunity to gather with other members of the community in real-time events, complete with audio, chat, desktop sharing, and sometimes even video.
Software that captures picture of screen or creates video of computer screen action.
More and more folks are starting to say “Jing Me”
12. Slideshare
Allows you to upload a PowerPoint presentation, word processing document or other presentation software to the web.
You can even add audio to create a webinar.
13. Tech Gem from Carrie includes these tips on how to easily create a documentation page for your Creative Commons Flickr phots uses in Photostory.
When you save your photos, save them in a folder with the name of the Flickr user who uploaded them. When ready to do documentation, view thumbnails of the folder, then take a screen shot of those thumbnails. This new photo is your documentation slide and works especially well with Photostory since it can only use Photos.
14. http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/
Great site to introduce Science to Little kids including games, music videos, and more.
No Reading Required.
15. Kerploof.com
Kerpoof provides free multimedia software that can be used directly from any browser, on any computer with Internet access and an up-to-date Flash player. While Kerpoof offers paid, premium services directed to at-home, entertaining use of the site, all basic content directed to in-school use is entirely free. Kerpoof can be used to create original artwork, animated movies, and stories, among other things. The gallery interface below shows some of the content that Kerpoof users have recently created and shared on the site. (Note that all shared content is carefully reviewed by our trained moderators before it appears on the site.)
16. Hotchalk Algebra Lessons Built on MotoCross
http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/math-matters/387-math-matters-offroad-algebra
17. http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/
A middle school algebra game (Class Game Level or Individual Game)
18. http://www.khanacademy.org/
700+ on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance which have been recorded by Salman Khan. He has also developed a free, adaptive math program available here.
19. http://numberwarrior.wordpress.com/
A great Math blog
20. Using Flip Camera in Drivers Ed
21. Using Still Images in Voice Thread; Using it to share with Parents.
Have kids communicate “good stuff” happening to parents (First grade)
22. tikatok.com
Very engaging sites for kids to write, publish books.
GROUP DISCUSSION:
There was also some discussion about the following:
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how schools are preparing to handle increased personal devices coming into school. Milton shared that they allow them and have a process where students need to register them and they Put the Key In for the kids.
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ERATE regulations is somewhat out of touch with things happening in school buildings.
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Internet Safety… ruling is you have a policy, stand by it and do it.
- Netbooks- Milton is tapping into Textbook budget at their school to get Netbooks for 9
th
graders. (“measure the rate of transformation by the diminish of textbook budget”
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Kindle and accessibilty in Vermont
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How do we help teachers and students become better at finding resources.
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Role of Librarians
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How to better use the VTCITE resource area
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VT DOE is working on Learning Resources that will be targetted towards teacher profile and helping them find each other as resources.
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How to target professional learning communities in Vermont.
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21 classes/ Social networking sites…
STATE Of THE STATE
Report from Peter Drescher: State of the State
Money for your stimulus package
Over 3 million for Title 2D
50 formula
50 competitive
All money will come in the Fall
Give school a ball park…
Shorter window than usual money
will need to be spent in 15 months
Exactly the same guidelines as old Title 2D…
25% PD.. CFP
Real World Design Challenge
Department of Energy puts in lots of resources
10 teams… TOP of the heap
Judges asked : How did you decide who would do what
Collaboration, communication, teamwork
What makes your design more innovative than the others
What was different
How did you use your mentors..
Department of energy provided experts … how did you use them..
How do you reach out to your mentors..
Lots of business cards being handed out to the team..
Interns Apprenticeship..
These students have the skills they are interested in
Six Young Ladies from Hawaii won: Presentation was amazing..
Aerospace… did 3 presentation in the Imax theater..
They were so prepared…
Slide prepared so much they could prepare another slide…
Steve Barner … can we design a class around this…
Google Real World Design Challenge
DOE Website..
TECH GE Work : RFP is posted on DOE website.
We need to get more classroom teachers
Until then, suggested that we adopt Nets 2007 standards
Take 2 or 3 content area work with what that would look like..
In tech plan, everyone is dropping “assessing old state GE’s”.
…
Go to Ed Tec h Plan..
Learning Sessions of Vermont LNV
Microsoft Program is over..
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million dollars came from the program…e money for Microsoft.
40 million dollar ARRA (not investment act) for schools
Revisit statewide managed network..bring broadband cost down across the street..
Base level of broadband access that all schools can get..
And higher access at reasonable rate.
DOE is working with Winton Goodrich around model policies..
Working with
Email archiving..
CIPA
Everyone expressed there was mass confusion around email archiving..
More GROUP DISCUSSION:
Also about liability with kids using cellphones to access Intenet.
Kids have cellphones that they can get on the Internet..
If they are not using your network…
Are you liable…
It is illegal to block their cell phone infringement of cell phone..
..
Some school have SAFE Zone…
Others use them as a Tool..
More discussion on Netbooks
Pros and cons of leaving XP Home on them:
XP Home works with -- individual students
Show them how to Map a Drive to network.
Some people are keeping 1 year warranty and insuring themselves.
Some are putting Open source Only on them.
If the netbook will be used by lots of different people then XP Pro is needed.
Questions asked about which antivirus to use: AVG - …Trend Micro..
Which ones can be imaged
One school is going to use the HP 2140…
1:1 iniative… (20/ 30 students)
Nine cell battery..
Samsung..Last the whole day1:1
Limited outlets in the classroom..
If they don’t make it through the day..
Discussion about Replacement cost of batteries..
Netbook and mini computers..
Cheaper, smaller, portable..
Incentive to get netbooks include
Don’t have space in the classroom (6 – 8 computers)
Insurance for taking them home: $50 if a kid/
Available to teachers who are willing to “teach differently”
Create a Visual Library
A discussion about the recent marketing effort by Google to superintendents
for using Google Apps in schools.
Matt Dunn will be presenting again.
We discussed both the pros and cons…
Are concerned about
any plan being well thought out….
Infrastructure - bandwidth
Pros: A wonderful collaborative tool..
When you need to collaborative.. go there..
Use traditional tools when its the right tool (when work is individual)
Email/ Calendar…
Phase 1: what are the tools you can use
Phase 2: Technological questions.
Domain pieces –
Statewide piece
Nugget you get for doing it..
First “look” at new tools
Training available.
We will provide training for your teaches if we have enough people buying in..
Saving Money
Concerns:
some of the details need to be worked out…
need an concrete on the bandwidth machines
Questions like: Do you want to bring all your old stuff in this account…
Palm and other Personal devises interface
Discussion about the pace of change:
Let's use what we have invested in before we move on:
I.e: Inspiration…Webspiration.. (what will they be charging… for it)
…Frustration: Web 2.0 changes so fast. i.e. Google Pages went away after teachers had invested time and resources.
