Free Technology for Teachers

Congratulations to Western Maine teacher, Richard Byrne for winning the 2008 Edublog Award for Best Resource Sharing Blog! If you aren't already a regular visitor to Richard's site, you really owe it to yourself to see his superb work. Maine is proud of you, Richard.

How Are We Using Our Wireless Gift?

"We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein

I often forget that not all schools around our nation have wireless capabilities. In Maine, we are blessed to be the recipients of the forward-looking decisions made to create the MSLN and then the MLTI laptop program which, in turn, leveraged the creation of wireless networks in our schools and libraries. How are we using it?

Karl Fisch of "Did You Know" fame makes an excellent case for the importance of WIFI in schools here.

Questions: How are we using our WIFI capabilities? Is it transforming our school model or just a distraction of the status quo?

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - Alvin Toffler

"Hit the Road, Jack"

I know that many would disagree, but more and more, every day, I am finding YouTube and Wikipedia to be the most wondrous tools for learning. More and more, authority-based information, filtered by established elite, seems highly over-rated if not even of questionable validity.

Yes, I do know the warnings . . . from librarians, educators, and the keepers of the firewall and holy scripts - but, you know what - the genie is out of the bottle, the cat is out of the bag, the apple of consciousness has been eaten. We are no longer in Eden. We are simply in denial if we pretend that we can put the lid back on Pandora's box and everything will be as it was before. It is now a different game, and we need to learn the new rules and how to ethically work and play within this changed narrative.

YouTube is being used by many as a vehicle to develop their talents by sharing and building specialized communities. We all need audiences and encouragement in some form or another.

An example: Ulli Bogershausen is a famous German solo guitarist and teacher of guitar. He is an inspiration to South Korean child guitar prodigy, Sungha Jung,. YouTube, mentoring, the circle of life continues . . .







Sungha Jung's MySpace Page

What do you think?

Arne Duncan Nominated as U.S. Secretary of Education

Report from the Washington Post
Report from NYT
Google News Search
Susan Ohanian on the Nomination
Gary Stager at Huffington Post
Alfie Kohn: Beware of School "Reformers
Will Richardson: "Meet the Story, Same as the Old Story"
Education Week: Diane Ravitch & Deborah Meier
David Warlick: "They're Telling the Wrong Story Again"

Duncan signed the following document:












Full Statement

ArtReach at Telstar Middle

Last Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to observe part of the ArtReach project at Telstar Middle School that this year is centering its work and learning on helping to support the Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeburg. Under the leadership of art teacher, Melissa Prescott, students had earlier visited the shelter, interviewed the staff, and created a polished video documenting the experience using the laptop iMovie program. The evening events started with a presentation of the documentary and then continued with an auction of donated works of art by area artists as well as the sale of student art with school superintendent, David Murphy, acting as auctioneer. Subsequently, student musicians, under the leadership of Tom Coolidge, performed for the audience.



















There are great connections here. It is a powerful model for what education should be all about, with the integration of real-world needs, community involvement, citizenship, empowering technology, inspired teachers, and engaged students. Congratulations, Telstar!

Sun Journal Article
Melissa Prescott's Classroom Project Blog
Melissa's Art Portaportal
Digital Storytelling
Video 1 Workshop
Video 2 Workshop

MARTI Session: "The Future"

Discussion "Are we being empowered by technology or enslaved by it?"

Workshop Session Link

Living in Maine

Maine Studies Resources

Maine is on the Map!

By Kern Kelley

Maine now has Streetview enabled in Google Maps. If you haven't tried it before, check it out below. Here's my school, you can get an idea of how to move around. Too cool!

View Larger Map

Need a Classroom or School-wide Helping Hand Project?

Click Here.

Transforming Learning with Technology

Essential Question: How do we use technology in a classroom?

Crescent Park School, 3:30 - 7:30, Agenda

Sticky Notes

Mainers, Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, of Diet Coke/Mentos YouTube fame, experiment with the many uses of stickies:



WikiHow: How to Use Sticky Notes
Wikipedia: Post-It Notes . . . history and background
Awesome Alternative Uses for the Humble Post-It Note


What uses do you have for stickies? (Click here to share in "LIM Discussion")



Related Links:

The Odd Company
Celebration Theater
Eepy Bird
Oddfellow Theater

Photo Credit: Bah Hoonchback @ OddFellow Theater in Buckfield, Maine

Federal Secretary of Education?

U.S. Department of Education








Here are some different viewpoints on who should be the next Secretary of Education gathered from Google News.

Amanda Ripley @ Time
David Brooks @ NY Times
Dan Brown @ Huffington Post
Seyward Darby @ The New Republic
Washington Post Editorial

Google Alert on New Secretary

Who do you prefer for the position?

"A distinguishing characteristic of our nation — and a great strength — is the development of our institutions within the concept of individual worth and dignity. Our schools are among the guardians of that principle. Consequently . . . and deliberately their control and support throughout our history have been — and are — a state and local responsibility. . . . Thus was established a fundamental element of the American public school system — local direction by boards of education responsible immediately to the parents of children. Diffusion of authority among tens of thousands of school districts is a safeguard against centralized control and abuse of the educational system that must be maintained. We believe that to take away the responsibility of communities and states in educating our children is to undermine not only a basic element of our freedoms but a basic right of our citizens." ~President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Pros & Cons of Twitter

Twitter - What are you doing?


CommonCraft "In Plain English"


Twitter4Teachers Wiki
Twitter as a News Source
Tweeting the Terror: How Social Media Reacted to Mumai




Essential Question: What is the upside and downside of Twitter?



Cartoon Credit












Essential Question: What do we gain and lose from using Twitter?


Cartoon Credit




Why Teens Don't Tweet

Something New: Tweach!
50 Ways to Use Twitter in the College Classroom

Hurray for Western Maine!

by Richard Byrne

The official 2008 Edublog Awards nominees were announced last night. Four people from Western Maine were nominated. Jim Burke was nominated in the category of Best Educational Wiki 2008 for the Learning in Maine wiki. Jeff and Dan at Wicked Decent Learning were nominated for Best Educational Use of Audio. My blog Free Technology for Teachers was nominated for Best Resource Sharing Blog.

The voting is open now. You can see the full list of nominees and place your votes here.

Google Docs

Google Docs Training

Tutorial

Open an Account

Leaders Empower Others

The Art of Possibility at Amazon

On Being Joyful

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Live Laugh Learn Lead

TelstarToo: Creating and Using Movies

Crescent Park School 3:30 - 7:30, Monday, December 1. All are welcome!

LINK

Teaching & Learning at iTunes U

Olga LaPlante's Podcasts at iTunes U . . .

Social Networking
Algebraic Skills
Fun with Physics

Jeff & Dan's Wicked Decent Learning podcasts at iTunes (note the opportunity to subscribe)

Maine Tech Integrators List

A list is being compiled of Maine educators involved in using technology in schools. Please help by adding/updating your information as well as that of others your know. Also think about adding areas that you have expertise in and would be willing to share with others. Roles/titles are not important . . . only that individuals are promoting the use of technology in education in some way and are willing to share.

Edit List Here
Photo Credit