CEMaT Ed Tech Connection

Michigan Department of Education, Office of School Improvement, in collaboration with MITESOL (Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) through Title III funds, is sponsoring a series of professional development workshops June through September, 2008, Education English Language Learners (ELLs).  Session titles include:

• Accommodating Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for ELLS in Elementary and Secondary Schools (Grades K-5 & 6-12)
• Designing Curriculum in Elementary ESL Programs: Level 1 (basic) and Level 2 (low intermediate)
• Designing Curriculum in Secondary ESL programs: Level 2 (low intermediate) Grades 9-12
• Designing Sheltered Instruction for Secondary ELLs: Science and Social STudies
• Developing & Enhancing Title III ESL/Bilingual Programs: A Basic ToolKit and Beyond for School Distsricts
• Teaching Reading and Writing to ELLs: Promoting Effective Literacy Skills for ELLs in Secondary Classrooms (Grades 6-12)

Workshop days and locations vary.  Cost for each is $10.00 per workshop and includes lunch and materials.

For more information go to the MITESOL site (www.mitesol.org) register at : http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=157169 or go to MDOE’s online registration site at: http://mdoe.state.mi.us/fs_registration

Questions?

Content:

Jackie Moase-Burke, MITESOL Coordinator,

248.209.2070

General:

Melinda Garza Moran, 248.209.2315

The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) is sponsoring a one-day conference to demonstrate to educators how Web 2.0 resources can be used in the curriculum to support student learning and achievement.

The Collaborative Tools for Learning Conference will be held at Macomb ISD on November 12 from 8:30am until 3:15pm.  Registration is $85 for MACUL members and $105 for non-members and includes a MACUL membership and access to the conference wikispace and web site.  A continental breakfast and lunch are included.

Presentations at the conference include: collaboration tools, Blackboard and Moodle, social networking sites, Google Docs, technology and language arts, collaborative learning tools in science and mathematics, classroom 2.0, collaborative tools for professional development, Netvibes and iGoogle, universal design for learning and Web 2.0, and much, much more.

To register or for more information, link to www.macul.org

Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 8:30 - 4:00 in Erickson Hall, Michigan State University
Price: Students, interns and MSUAA members: $7 morning and $5 afternoon; all others: $22 and $18

Here’s an opportunity to pick up some new skills and knowledge in a non-threatening setting for a very reasonable price.  Speakers include classroom teachers and university professors. “The 24th Annual Technology Conference offers presentations and hands-on workshops that put teachers in touch with the latest technological trends in K-12 classrooms. Sessions range from online professional development to online experiences with the Michigan Merit Curriculum. Workshops include topics such as virtual maps and digital photography. The conference is co-sponsored by the College of Education Alumni Association and the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning”

For more info and registration: http://ott.educ.msu.edu/ctt/techconf/

This blog featured a post about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) $100 laptop initiative about a year ago. Since that time there has been much progress. The laptop has been named XO and the current working iteration is the B3. The revolutionary user interface (UI) developed for the XO is called Sugar, which interestingly, has been designed in a move away from the traditional ‘desktop’ metaphor to one of community and networks of learners.

(used with permission - http://laptop.org Creative Commons Attribution 2.5)

Must see video: insight into the vision and XO development (Redhat Magazine)

For a good look at the hardware, software, design and user interface, see the laptop section of the OLPC website.

Laptops have been distributed for trial usage by student in places like Nigeria and Thailand. Click on the country names to see and read more about what is happening in these learning communities.

(used with permission - http://laptop.org Creative Commons Attribution 2.5)

Must see video: video about the activities that have been built for use on the XO (Redhat Magazine)

How does this impact education in the USA? One thought - anyone ready to start collaborating with students and teachers in Uruguay?

Links: Official OLPC website and OLPC wiki

Technology & Learning has posted their annual list of Education Grants with 2007-08 deadlines starting as early as this month (July, 2007) and continuing throughout the year.  The Grants Directory and Calendar 2007-08 poster at this link has some good strategy tips and proposal writing guidelines for applying for grant funding. 

Go to http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/grants/calendar_TnL3.pdf for the PDF document and start applying today to fund a project using technology that will enhance teaching and learning for your students.   Happy grant writing!

~Sue

The latest edition of Smithsonian Magazine contained a 1-page write up about a new initiative that the Smithsonian is partnering with other organizations on called the Encyclopedia of Life. The project is unique in many ways, some of which are briefly outlined below:

• The goal of the Encyclopedia of Life is to document all known species (some 1.8 million!) each on a media-rich web page including still images, maps, video, text, sound recordings and so forth.  According to the current web site of the Encyclopedia of Life, it has been estimated that the project will take roughly 10 years to complete.  Dynamic content will be authenticated by a team of scientists from various organizations around the world.  Page development started in 2007.  Some parts of the Encyclopedia of Life may be available to the public in mid-2008.

• The site will be interactive. There will be a chat feature and access to experts.  It will feature an interactive classification map of species.  And, importantly, users will be able to contribute content.  Think of the possibilities for classroom studies and projects!

• The Encyclopedia of Life will allow for personalization and customizable browsing. Users will be able to change the level of complexity of the text (think differentiation).  And people who create accounts will be able to bookmark pages, make tags, and take notes.

For an intriguing video, previews of a few species’ pages and more info, see the current web site: Encyclopedia of Life
( http://www.eol.org )

The National Educational Computing Conference put together each year by ISTE recently took place in Atlanta, GA. ISTE has posted tons of great media online from NECC 2007 that you can access for free. Check out the wealth of info and share with other educators:

Video webcasts of various sessions
Highly recommend if you only have time for 1 or 2:

• Thinkfinity (formerly MarcoPolo) overview of free interactive web resources
• Closing keynote w/ Dr. Tim Tyson and students from Mabry Middle School, GA (start at 8:00 min.)

Podcasts
(When I try to play these audio files through the Apple Learning web site, they are making my browsers, Firefox and IE, crash. Try accessing them from iTunes > search: conference connections) Highly recommended: Ian Jukes, Mitchel Resnick

Links to people who blogged NECC 2007

Lastly, you can search for presenters’ handouts

Enjoy! ~ Greg

Dates have been posted for the K-12 Online Conference 2007. This is the second occurrence of this innovative conference. It will happen during the weeks of Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, 2007. Virtual presenters will include very credible educators like David Warlick, Alan Levine, Clarence Fisher, Brian Lamb, D’Arcy Norman, Derek Wenmouth, and Brian Cosby. For more info, go to http://k12onlineconference.org/.

Frank Miracola is a highly respected educational technologist at Macomb ISD. He often speaks at state and national conferences. Frank has created a new web page to compliment his “Free is Good” PD session. At this time, the site features 10 free video tutorials that focus on free software applications that can be used by teachers or students. They all feature Frank’s genial style. Want to learn how to use Photo Story 3 or Rubric Maker and Citation Creator? Check out Frank’s FIG site.

1. Designing Authentic Online Activities
Learn how to modify your classroom content to create effective activities for use online. As a class, be involved in active participation online to try out these activities led by an experienced online instructor. Walk away with a final project that you can immediately use in your classroom. This course will be delivered via Moodle. Participate and become familiar with this free open-source platform.

2. Blogging for Classroom and Administrative Use
Can Blogs really be used effectively in the classroom or are they only for social purposes? How can an administrator use Blogs to collaborate and communicate with staff? How do I create a Blog? Answer these questions and more by enrolling in this course. This course will be delivered via Moodle. Participate and become familiar with this free open-source platform.

Courses will be led by instructor Miriam Taylor. Courses start September 10, 2007 and conclude October 6, 2007. Cost is $150 for MACUL members ($180 for non members).

To register, download this pdf form: MACUL Online Courses for Fall 07 and fax it to MACUL using the fax # indicated on the form.

Note: These courses have no connection to LISD or its personnel.