Spotlight

NECC opening session keynote:
"Author, journalist, and historian James Surowiecki kicks off NECC with his perspective on The Wisdom of Crowds and the ways in which a diverse collection of independently deciding individuals is likely to make certain types of decisions and predictions better than individuals or even experts."...NECC
His links:

• book review
• Wikipedia entry
• Amazon.com

..

I am hoping to get some links to post here on the great web2.0 tools that were mentioned i this session. There were so many great ones. Check back here later.

Liz wiki: http://cellphonesinlearning.wikispaces.com/
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/

polleverywhere.com - can see live results as people vote
76% of teens have cell phones PBS how Three generations of cell phone users.
chacha.com - can call to ask a question and they will text back the answer.

How students like to learn?
Collaboratiely
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere any pace
Structured activities
Relevancy with real world

only 23% of students think we are preparing them for their future learning
Mobile blog - an online journal that is created and can be viewed via mobile phone - people have become the news reporters beause they have photo capability, blog capability etc.
go@blogger.com -see directions on blogger moble

Podcast & interviews:
gabcast.com - 1800-749-0632 Channel # 21059 PW: 6322 NECC

Flickr gives you free mobile account - can have students upload to class blog. There are dircetions on the fickr page.This will allow many phones to send images to the blog. Some mobile blogs only accept from one phone number. Be sur to tell your kids to know their text/photo plan BEFORE you begin this project. I would recommend that you create a permission form for parents to sign for 8th and younger.

Videoblogging:
blip.tv has automatic cross posting to blog
Speech to text: jott.com - allows you to speak into jott, they change it to text and post for you, or send you the message in text and voice to your email.

So I arrived 35 minutes early for this session. The previous session is still running, but I go in anyway to get a seat. Thank goodness, because this one fills as well. I even got a plug!
Session: Using Moodle to teach teachers about web2.0 tools. It is created by etlo.org with a grant by AT&T. First the projector didn't work, second the moodle could not handle all of these people, then third, only one microphone worked. I feel badly for the speakers, but they got the projector working. They have some good information to contribute and forge on in spite of the technology. I will access the moodle they have created later when it might not be overloaded. Get their notes online at this link.
Learning to make a wiki? The best manual is WikiHow.
Internet safaety: Connectsafely.com

Google Earth
Presenter link
Presenters:Pam Leland, Beaverton School District with Kelly Kuntz
Learn to create a place mark and make a tour in GE.

Session filled by 8:15! So I walked over to another session in the hotel next door and.... even though it was in a huge ballroom too, it was filled by 8:25. Lesson earned: get moving earlier than early! Bring something to read or do while you are in a session 30 minutes early waiting for it to begin! Yikes,how many people are here?

Saturday morning:
Social Networking for Professional Development - Facebook, Twitter, Moodle, and Netvibes. When does it make sense to become part of the environment? One question people have is "what will these social sites do with your intellectual property later on? After all, they own what you put on the site. However, the ning for NECC has been the perfect storm where you join, can choose your own groups.

For PD -
Need to have asynchronous and synchronous communication. Start people in a common format and lead them to be creative and explore different options. Start with a ning and provide different groups, Ustream, etc.

What was the event that caused you to continue using blogs, wikis, etc? Most people "fade" after a while, but will continue if they get network feedback from the audience of readers. Take time to give feedback to those who post or are beginners. Create a digital rapport with people. Provide conversations that will encourage participation.

How do you get teachers to be self directed in their professional development? Don't think of tech as a seperate subject, but use it as a tool to deliver curriculum. We need to find a comfortable way to encourage teachers to take chances on their own time to learn.

As an alternate to Twitter, which seems to be down a lot these days. Too bad, because at a conference like this one, people depend on communicating quickly. Therefore, the suggestion was made to try this site. Join in!

• 
  

  Celebrate Oklahoma! Connecting and Empowering Oklahoma Learners with Digital Content and Global Publication Skills - Home

  
  

  tags: necc2008

  
  

More than social bookmarking. But make sure you have the newest tool bar installed! You can bookmark, highlight and add a sticky note. Great for learning support students. Great way to differentiate reading of web pages by adding these additional tools for kids to read - put the definition of a word, or pose a question on the sticky note.
If you send the diigo bookmark to a person who does NOT have the software installed, it does not matter, the sticky will be embedded!

Groups
When you set up your group you have a lot of management options, make a group private, category, who could view the group, public/private, not searchable, who can join, group moderator, don't let them sign up other friends, set up a list of recommended tags,

Kids can create a groups tag such as team20, so students can work together. Can set up a forum, can say no forum, send invitation (to principal), or other teachers.

List
After tagging a lot of sites, create a lit to organize this sites by draging the links up or down, you can crate an interactive slideshow with web slide. Use this with a presentation when you need to show a lot of web pages or visit these pages, (they are live). You can also cross post to del.icio.us.

1. PollEverwhere.com
2. CHaCha - call cha cha, ask a question and you will get an answer. Will use outdoors or on a field trip to ask questions. 1800 - 2chacha - you can text or call in a question.
3. Animoto.com - FREE can make an online movie quickly
4. PicLens - using images from flickr -
   
5. Mosquito ringtone - FreeMosquitoRingtones.com - can you hear this? Teaching about high pitched sound.
6. Summize -
   
7. CoveritLive - live blog, you can approve live comments or NOT
8. Qik.com - live streaming - windows mobile devices
9. hanipoints.com - keep track of chores and points for kids can be seen by grandparents, teachers,
   
10. diigo can cross post your bookmarks to other locations
    
11. Make tags like grocery store tags, laminated each with a web2.0 tool an on the back the name of a person who will help you get started. At lunch let them collect the tags from the tech buffet.
12. makebeliefscomix.com - click and drag images, and write in dialog clouds. Need to email it somewhere if you want to access it again.
13. ToonDoo.com - create comics
14. ajaxim - teaching kids to use IM in a safe environment
15. doodle.ch - conference call via email FREE, can poll,
    
16. timebridge - can create a meeting, remembers a meeting, can select some suggested times
17. taggalaxy.de - collects photos and assemble them in a globe formation,
    
18. webkins in the classroom - learning to be digital citizens and proper online etiquette
19. backchannels in the classroom -
    
20. exalead.com -
    
21. plurk.com - liner timeline, like twitter
    

Saturday Afternoon
This was a great experience and it was FREE. There were great discussions, good networking with others, and a ton of excellent suggestions for products to use. As one person said: "It was like attending a class reunion" because you feel like you know many of the people from Twitter, Ning, or other networking projects. Some new friends were made, people were very excited to learn from those with experience. And there was a level field as the experience users were very willing to explain, in simple terms, how to get started in some project.
Even if you cannot attend NECC when it is in your city, you MUST attend one of the Edublogger experiences. I know I will search for another opportunity to network.

Digital Storytelling - Alice Mercer, Wes Fryer
Wes begins with an example of Celebrate Oklahoma Voices. Some people used gabcast.com to record their voice stories. You can give a person the list of questions and they can call gabcast with your code and record their voice directly. Equipment: digital recorders, Flip cameras, ning. Even if your video quality is not too good, tape anyway so you can preserve the audio, including questions asked.
PBS has a documentary film guide.
Ken Burns has a DVD guide about documentary film making.

How do you prepare kids prepare for an interview:

• get written permission from people
• creative commons for attribution only
• get books about geneology, they have good interview questions
• model interview techniques for the class
• use open ended questions, how, when,
  
• Get PBS to give you the Ken Burns documentary film guide DVD
  

So now I've been in San Antonio for 24 hours and learned quite a bit.

• Look over street crossing bridges, or you may miss the River Walk
• Take the River Walk Boat Tour for $7.50, it is worth the 30 minute ride to see the sites
• The Alamo closes at 5:00, so plan to see it during the day - FREE and tour guides are everywhere and you can learn a lot.
• Some hotels have a nice complimentary breakfast.
  
• Don't take the trolley tour for $16.95, but take the street cars trolleys for $1 each trip. Get a transfer for FREE and return to original point within 2 hours.
• Take the street car to the Market Place and go through all the buildings finding bargains on jewelry, crafts and trinkets.
• Eat at MiTierra, just as the websites recommend, it is outstanding Mexican food and reasonably priced.
• Walk along the whole River Walk, stop and have a Margarita or iced tea along the way. No I didn't say have one at each place - be picky about where you stop.
• Good Barbque can be found at The County Line on the RiverWalk.
• Finally, I have signed up for a Segway Tour at 6PM tonight. It is a 2.5 hour tour for $60, so I will let you know later how it goes. It was awesome! It is a bit pricey at $60, but for 2 and 1/2 hours we rolled al over San Antonio with a great guide. We even went on a very secluded part of the RiverWalk, through the King William section (a must), everywhere! We did the 6PM tour and it was much cooler than the 2 PM tour. Good for geeks and non geeks!
• Combo of Mango and Strawberry margarita at Lone Star - excellent!

Thanks to Vicki Davis for creating an NECC slide share page. I have the subscription embedded on the lower left of this page. If you are attending in person, you can follow the speaker with the presentation right in front of you and take notes on your own copy.

I will be attending NECC next week and blogging from the conference. This is my way of taking notes and sharing the excitement of the best in tech conference with all of you. My brain will be full after Saturday, since there is a free all day of activity at Edubloggercon. I didn't even know this type of conference existed! Talk about good professional development! Take time to explore each of these links to see what tidbit you can learn and apply to your fall classroom.

If you are not attending NECC this year in San Antonio, then you can participate virtually at one of these sites:

http://www.necc2008.org/

http://www.eschoolnews.com/emails/eSN/NationalEducationalConference.htm

http://www.edubloggercon.com/NECC+2008

http://hitchhikr.com/wordpress/index.php?page_id=5&conf_id=310

http://hitchhikr.com/wordpress/index.php?page_id=5&conf_id=370

http://necc2008sa.wikispaces.com/

http://plannecc2008.iste.wikispaces.net/Bloggers+Cafe

http://www.netvibes.com/amercernecc08#General

Here is something to look over this summer, the New York Times Lesson Plan library.

I would like to point you to a post by Pat Hensley which has a great top 10 list for education. See it here.
Read a bit more of her blog and you will find this link to the Billy Joel song "We didn't start the fire" and some lesson ideas.

Ten different options teachers could pursue this summer for digitally powered professional development. These options are:

1. Join a local (state)or national online learning community. DEN, Ning.com, wikispaces.com, etc.
2. Learn about wikis and create one. PBwiki, Wikispaces.com
3. Create and share digital stories with VoiceThread, Animoto, Vuvox
4. Start using social bookmarking. del.icio.us, Furl.com, Technorati, etc.
5. Join an online professional learning community like Classroom 2.0, and attend the FREE 2008 K-12 Online Conference.
6. Share photos with family and friends on Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket
7. Watch and share outstanding videos online. TeacherTube, YouTube
8. Video conference with family and friends using Skype or iChat.
9. Create and read a customized digital newspaper. Google Reader, Bloglines
10. Learn to text message from a patient teenager.

I am sure there are many many more ideas, but I found these on a teacher listserv somewhere! Or just search around for something else you like at the web2.0 site.