March 27, 2007 Meeting

PIZZA PARTY Webinar
Many thanks to EDC for allowing us to present this Webinar with Will Richardson and Jeff Jones.

We had a great turnout! Thanks to all of you who participated.
Here is Brenda's rundown of the presention:

Will Richardson
• Over the next 5 years we will need to re-think what we are doing in the classroom.
• Will's Website: weblogg-ed.com
Web of Connections--Why the Read/Write Web Changes Everything

• Students can easily publish and “teach” what they know to a global audience.
• There is no need for anything that we do in the classroom should simply be for us. Let students build learning networks.

Jeffrey L. Jones
• https://edtech.fcps.net/blog/blogs.aspx?blogid=10067
• Focus on the top 10 reasons teachers avoid online tools in instruction – this is the March 16th blog.
• Jeff focused on discussing the top 10 reasons during the presentation.
o Click on Umbrellas to see more connections that teachers and
students can make.
o Focus on celebrating student work

Questions and Answers:
• How can you set up BLOGS and monitor them?
o They set up Blogs as an online writing platform –

Teachers monitor the classes

Teachers moderate the blogs

Will focuses on Monitoring

Jeffrey says it is good to do both

Create a sandbox – students can create a moderated, but unmonitored. You can have it so only the little group can accessthe information.

Software:
• Gaggle
• 21 classes
• Moodle
• Blogger (www.blogger.com)

How can you introduce the tools in the classroom?•
It comes down to what your comfort level is with the technology
• Teachers must understand and use the technology before they introduce it in the classroom.
• Focus on how the tools are used.

Informational Sites:
• Deb’s Blog on Podcasts: Listen to ME too!
• Our MassONE One-to-One Technologies SIG Blog

Deb's Recommendations from experience:
Audacity is a FREE digital audio recorder with which you can create MP3 files. You will also need to download the lame encoder in order to convert your audio files to MP3 format.
Setting up a BLOG
Blogger is an easy to use online blogging tool which is FREE
WordPress is another easy online blogging tool which is also FREE
Podbean If you don't have a server on which to upload your podcasts try this FREE online tool

YOU TUBE VIDEO THAT WAS PLAYING BEFORE THE MEETING:
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=xHWTLA8WecI
(This site is restricted at school, but if you try it at home it should work.)

Our Next meeting will be in MAY
It will be at Grafton Street School
We will send you the date and information – we will be seeing 4th and 6th graders use the handhelds in the classroom. You will be IMPRESSED!!