Returning to school today after being away for NCaect, I’m feeling energized and renewed.  Yes, this was a technology conference but the main theme was literacy.  Every teacher and administrator in the state should have attended the conference to begin familiarizing themselves with the new tools which are becoming commonly known as Web 2.0.  After listening to Will Richardson and David Warlick share their knowledge it is easy to see why so many people are saying that our style of education must change if our kids are going to succeed.  Kids have changed – they don’t learn the say way they learned 30 years ago.  What are we doing about it?  Where is the discussion?  What is the plan?  Or are we just going to sit and wait until it is too late?   

     Yesterday, I had a wonderful experience teaching a class of fifth graders how to use Sketch-up by Google.  However, I really did not do any teaching.  As the students walked into the lab I had a slide show running from the Sketch-up Gallery of all the cool creations from kids all over the world.  The comments of my fifth graders were:

     “Cool!”

     “Wow!”

     “How do you do that?”

     “Look at that one!”

      I instructed the students to open the program, I had previously downloaded, I suggested they click the HELP menu and view the TUTORIALS. 

The objectives of the adventure were for them to complete a drawing of their choice.

     I was thrilled with the results – WOW! 21^st century learning!

http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/113158.87cf4115531

After a long day of “quick tasks” (you know, people coming up to you and saying, “I know you are busy, but I just need you to do one thing.”) I finally have time to check my feeds while multitasking to get a handle on tomorrow’s agenda.  As I was blurking I clicked the link to the Time Magazine article How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20^th Century.

I’ll be honest, I don’t subscribe to Time, so when I reached the end of the introductory paragraphs I had to make a choice, to pay the $1.99 subscription fee or watch the few seconds of advertisement.  Since I’m earning a school teacher’s salary, I opted for the free story.  I am so glad I took the time to finish the article.  Wallis and Steptoe really did not say anything we have not already heard. Many of the folks I read, David Warlick, Wesley Fryer, Will Richardson, just to mention a few, have been giving us insight into the educational issues for years. Maybe, someone making the decisions about the education of our children will eventually take notice.

It is a great article….as an educator I believe having this article on the cover of Time Magazine is a huge step in the direction of awareness for the NSS  (Necessary Skills for Survival) for all involved in education.

TGIF!  The week is coming to a close and I feel exhausted but rejuvenated.  I feel like I made some “real” connections with students and staff this week using technology to enhance the curriculum.  A HUGE thank you to Doug Symington and Sam from South Island Learning Community and EdTechTalk for the Skype conversation he had with Ms. Nance’s fifth grade class on Thursday.  North Carolina’s Standard Course of Study for the social studies curriculum states the following objectives:

I have just returned from the NCETC in Greensboro, NC.  Wow!  What an event.  We were able to glimpse new technologies headed our way as well as take advantage of the knowledge flowing from the many technology experts.  With more than 200 concurrent sessions along with 150 exhibitors it was almost impossible to decide what I wanted to learn next.    

I was like a kid in a candy store.  So many administrators, teachers, and tech people in one place who have such great success stories and are willing to share the “good and bad” of how they got their schools to embrace the concept of 21^st century learning.  It made me realize that my goals for my school and for my district are within reach.  The conference gave me the lift I needed to keep pushing forward, to continue to promote best practices, and support technology as an integrated vehicle to deliver curriculum. 

I began the conference with technology integration expert, Tony Brewer.  Tony was humorous and motivational.  He gave great examples of how to “make it happen” in the K-12 classroom.

I was thrilled to meet Tammy Worcester from Hutchinson, Kansas.  Her sessions were filled with great ideas I can begin using immediately.  If I had not attended Tammy’s session I would never have know how to use PowerPoint to make paper hats?  Immediately after leaving her session I subscribed to her newsletter. 

Patrick Crispen’s demo of Microsoft Office 2007 had me sitting on the edge of my seat.  The new interface includes the Ribbon, Galleries, a Mini Toolbar, and Smart Art.  I can’t wait!

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my first EduBloggerCon with David Warlick. Even though the group was small there was great conversation.  The session gave me a chance to brag about our first grade bloggers (Dyer and Piland) as well as motivate me to get the rest of the teachers on board.  Thanks to David for giving me a push. 

I attended many sessions that were wonderful.  My brain if full and I am looking forward to the weekend to revisit the information I received.  We had a great time, we learned from others and we learned from our DCS colleagues.  It was an energizing trip.  The conversation in the car was wonderful!  

Congratulations to Cape Hatteras Elementary School for receiving the IMPACT award.  We all aspire to reach the top with you. 

I have just returned from the LEARN NC 10^th Annual Fall Conference.  I am so lucky that I have had the opportunity to be a part of the on-going development of this wonderful website for teachers.  Over the past ten years the website has transformed into a multifaceted resource that receives 13,000+ hits every day. Articles, lesson plans, educational websites, and well as online learning opportunities for teachers and students are some of the many available learning resources. This year’s conference was better than ever with the addition of pre-conference workshops and a social event that allowed those attending to network.  The keynote address was presented by James Boyle, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Law and co-founder of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, Duke University Law School, and founding board member of the Creative Commons.  Professor Boyle, enchanted the room of educators with a wealth of information on copyright issues.  He was delightful! Thank you again to the fine folks of LEARN NC for letting me be a part of your group.

One of my favorite things about living on the Outer Banks is the fall season.  We are having a good ole nor'easter and the skies are cloudy and dark gray.  The ocean is angry causing spindrift is floating down the "beach road" like tumble weed.  But, I like a day like this, it re-energizes me.   

    I started my day leading a technology workshop for new teachers to our district.  I was able to share with them many of the web 2.0 tools I have learned from my new on-line communities.  I know they won't all go home and set up del.icio.us accounts or subscribe to blog feeds- but if just one or two take the leap then maybe others will follow.  I enjoyed the session today- the conversation was great.  They also left knowing I will be a safety net if they want to climb out on the limb.  

      After the workshop I went to my elementary school for our first annual pumpkin sale.  The rain held off and we sold lots of pumpkins, baked, goods and barbeque.  I was able to even slip away from the pumpkins long enough to set up a few of my new computers and image teacher laptops.

    As I glance through my feeds before signing off- I am inspired by others to share the knowledge they have so generously given me.  I cannot wait for the K12 Online Conference and Global Net Day.  I know the information will be flowing! 

It is hard to believe we kicked off the third week of school today.  Students and staff came to school wearing red, white, and blue, to honor the 3000 individuals who were killed and the thousands who have helped put America back together since that tragic day of September 11, 2001. 

We are able to breathe a sign of relief, as Hurricane Florence passes well east of the Outer Banks leaving in its wake high winds and an ocean that is rocking and rolling. 

Mrs. Harrison’s class had their first visit to the computer lab today.  It is so rewarding to show those young minds how to use Kid Pix as a tool to create their name tags.  I can’t wait to see the other three kindergarten classes this week. 

We have a busy week planned.  Don’t forget to meet us in the cafeteria tomorrow, Tuesday, at 6:30 PM for a short PTA meeting followed by Open House.  I will be sharing a short video about Internet safety; we want to ensure all students are practicing safe computing habits at school as well as at home.  After the PTA meeting Mr. Donlan will invite the parents to visit their child’s classroom.  The classroom teachers have a lot of information they will share; this is also the perfect time to make an appointment for a conference if you would like to discuss your child’s progress. 

I will be available in the first floor computer lab is you would like to stop and visit the computer lady.

Friday, Aug. 18th was an optional workday for Dare County Schools.  I knew I would have many teachers in my building, even though it was optional day.  So I corralled them into the media center so I could share what I had learned over the summer.  I started by telling about my new found community at EdTechTalk.  These people are phenomenal and I have learned so much from them.  My summer was spent joining webcasts, reading blogs and listening to podcasts (while sitting on the beach and mowing the lawn).  We are so lucky.  Learning is available in many formats, anytime, anywhere. 

I shared my del.icio.us links and explained aggregators, RSS and Elgg.  We now have a wiki on Wikispaces where the Dare County Schools pacing guide for elementary curriculum is posted and we are adding technology integration ideas as we go along.  Each teacher will post a classroom blog to model for students at the same time making classroom happenings available to the community.

Thanks to Dave Symington, Lee Barber and Diane Brown for helping me demo Skype.  That was a goose bump experience.  You guys really got them thinking about the possibilities of using Skype in the classroom. 

I left them thinking about DOPA and the ramifications the legislation will have if it is passed.  I asked the staff to sign the petition or register concerns through David Warlick’s blog. 

I will be meeting with the teachers each Wednesday during their planning time to help them implement these new Web 2.0 technologies into their daily teaching.  The skills they aquire during the Wednesday workshops sessions will promote global learning and collaboration in their classrooms.

It is going to be a GREAT year!

A large part of my job is teaching teachers how to integrate technology into the elementary curriculum. I am excited about a community where the members will have shared interests.  I really enjoy listening to the podcast by Alex and Arvid-keep up the great work.

One of you asked, on the podcast,  for newbies to elaborate on what they would bring to this group. Even though I am old and have been around for a while there is so much I don't know.

OK- here goes……

I have been a technology facilitator for the past 12 years in an elementary school of 750 students and 50 staff members.  It was my job 12 years ago to prove to the school system that technology was important enough and was going to be around long enough, to warrant having a technology facilitator in every school in the district.  12 years later I am still doing basically the same job; more equipment and different administration (several times over) budget battles yearly, but the philosophy of the program is the same.  Technology should be a seamless part of the daily routine in every school.  That is my goal, what I strive for, to have every teacher comfortable enough to take the risk of using technology in their lessons and allowing students the freedom to use technology for their learning.

  I teach staff development classes, I create lesson ideas to go along with the K-5 curriculum.  I monitor the school’s help desk and troubleshoot software and hardware issues.  There is a technician that comes once a week to fix the things I can’t.  I have an intranet page where links are grouped to better support the needs of the classroom teacher.  I model technology lessons on a regular basis.  But most importantly I am there as a “safety net” so teachers know if they are willing to take the risk, I am there to help them if they get stuck. 

In January of this year, we opened a new elementary school, I was fortunate enough to get the tech facilitator position.  We have great new equipment and top notch networking.  Half of the staff is from my old school and the other half is from schools around the county.  Since January the teachers have learned so much.  Many of them had never used any of the new technology that is now at their finger tips. They have come a long way, but there is so much more I want to share with the staff.  RSS, blogs, webcasts, Skype, and del.icio.us  are just a few topics on my list. I am hoping this group will be a place to bounce around old ideas and create new ones.

I am working in the trenches and I love to experiment.  So if this group puts together ideas and they need an elementary school to try it out…we are ready.  I would also like to bring some of the great people into the community.