Want to learn more about how Twitter can be used as a collaborative tool in education? Then you won’t want to miss out on reading this recent article from EdWeek. Kathleen Manzo, the author, interviewed quite a few educators to determine how Twitter is actually be used in classrooms. Among those interviewed? STAR Discovery Educator Dorie Glynn and I!
Dorie Glynn, who teaches a bilingual 2nd grade class at Kirk Elementary School in Houston, has been preparing students for conversations of their own on Twitter. The students have started following other classes at the school, and across the country, as they get ready to share data on regional cultures, weather, and to play a virtual I Spy game, in which they will hunt for geometric shapes in maps and photos sent from Twitter followers in other places.
“I see a huge amount of potential for connecting with another classroom, asking regional questions, comparing and contrasting areas,” Ms. Glynn said.
Diving into action, 112 educators across four states attended the Shedd Aquarium Day of Discovery in the heart of Chicago. In partnership with the John G. Shedd Aquarium, Discovery Education hosted an all day professional development event free for area educators. The day offered two strands, the integration of digital media for classroom educators and making data driven decisions for administrators attending the event.
The presentations received rave reviews. A special thank you to our presenters: Anne Truger, Meg Ormiston, Steve Dembo, Porter Palmer, Mike Bryant, Tracy Selock, Cathy Houchin, Mary Phillips and John Phillips
” This was a great event! All of the sessions were useful and relevant to teachers of any grade level and subject area. Numerous resources were provided and a variety of tips and strategies were demonstrated by all presenters. The DEN staff and STAR educators were very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I would love to go to another event like this!”
- Danielle Guzzarde from East Maine District 63
Please watch the below for a quick review of the day.
On Saturday, October 10, 2009 we are bringing a Day of Discovery to the Shedd Aquarium in the heart of the Museum Campus in downtown Chicago. Click here for more information and to register. Space is limited! So register soon!
I used Google Earth often when I was in the classroom. I used it to reinforce geographic literacy and engage my high school social studies students with a colorful and interactive data visualization. Today, I’ll be presenting “Two Roundtrip Tickets to Anywhere with Discovery Education and Google Earth” as part of the DEN Summer School webinar series.
Click below to access the resources from this session. The webinar archive will be available on the DEN blog.
Get ready for a new school year with the DEN! Tell a colleague, invite your principal and join us for Summer School with the DEN. Enroll today at: http://community.discoveryeducation.com/webinar.
Web 2.0 Week
8/24/09
Get Your Glog On! The DE streaming Builders and Glogster
8/25/09
The Thread that Ties it All Together: Discovery Education Content and Voicethread
8/26/09
Two Roundtrip Tickets to Anywhere in the World: Designing Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education Media and Google Earth
8/27/09
Learning Through the Funnies: Mixing Discovery Education Content with Free Comic Tools
I’m looking to put together the ultimate playlist for DEN events and I need your help. Please think of some great songs and complete the form below. Click here to access the published version of the playlist.
Image Citation:
Music Note Character. . 2009.
Discovery Education. 17 August 2009
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>
The 3Cs ETC Conference is a collaborative effort between NPAECT, IU5, CFF Coaches and the LEARN Initiative. The conference name was created using 3Cs (Connect, Communicate, Collaborate), which NPAECT has used as their day-conference theme in the spring and fall of 2008 combined with ETC (Educational Technology Conference) which was added to 3Cs as the conference joined forces with CFF and LEARN.
NPAECT, LEARN and CFF and IU5 separately were working toward the same goal of assisting teachers in changing their teaching practices using technology as an integral part of their curriculum, so this collaboration made perfect sense.
One goal of 3Cs ETC is to provide quality professional development and training and to host engaging and motivating keynote speakers, conference presenters, and hands-on learning opportunities to educators in the northwest Pennsylvania region. Our second goal is to develop a vibrant professional learning community of 21st century teachers who recognize the rapid changes in our world that demand changes in our classroom instruction and who are willing to invest in a vastly different educational system that still focuses on challenging our students to succeed.
Here are my presentation resources for my keynote and concurrent sessions. You can access more conference resources on the 3CsETC website and Ning network.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the DEN National Institute (face to face AND virtually). The NI was a tremendous success and everyone learned so much. You might say that we built bridges to connect ourselves with other members of the DEN as well as to best practices with digital media and instructional technology. (pardon the obvious pun . . . considering that the NI met in CA practically in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge)
Our leave-taking on Friday afternoon was bittersweet as everyone forged strong relationships with each other. If my Facebook, Twitter, and Plurk friend requests are any gauge, I am not the only person who felt the power of the DEN community.
Here are some resources that I’ve aggregated for the NI. You’ll want to check National Institute 2009 page on the DEN National Blog for more resources as they are posted.
Discover the undiscovered and explore the new content and functionality for the 2009-2010 school year. All STAR DEs now have the option to access the beta version of Discovery Education’s new content and functionality.You can access the new site by clicking on the “Try the new Site” link at the top of your MY DE page.
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