Florida

The DEN has created a new project to connect our students with one another.  The first misson will be to create a Google Earth placemark for your school site.  If you are thinking, "What is a Google Earth placemark?" don’t worry.  There is a webinar on Thursday at 1:00 for you and your students on how to create a placemark. 

Check out the Earth and Space Virtual Project site to register for the program and get all the details on the upcoming missions.

The project will last six weeks, connecting you and your students to classrooms across the country.  There will be a series of challenges called DEN missions.  Each mission will be accompanied by a webinar to assist your students with the assignment.  Your students will learn how to use Google Earth, PhotoStory, and Audacity. 

The webinar dates are April 19th, May 3rd, and May 17.    You can register for these webinars by going to https://discoveryed.webex.com  and clicking on "Meeting Center" on the day of the webinar.  Look for the DEN Student Webinar (password: denstudent).  All webinars are at 1:00p.m. EST.

There will be special guest webinars with the producers of Planet Earth on April 24th and a Science Channel producer on April 30th. To register for the two bonus webinars with Planet Earth and Science Channel Producers, go to https://discoveryed.webex.com and click on the Event Center.  These webinars are also at 1:00 p.m.

I look foward to seeing your placemark on Google Earth!

Debbie

I will have to say, Friday went just way too fast for me. As you can see, your Florida DEN bloggers represented well, and thank you to David Warlick for being kind enough to take this picture with us.

David was the keynote and I had barely enough time to keep up with the Inspiration Concept Map I was using to take notes with while he was talking. His Keynote was his "Reinventing & Retelling the Education Story" and left us with the one thought from a student which was pretty nice, "Engage us where we live, Not from where you live." His topics ranged from gaming, blogging, wikis, podcasting, to recognizing what the office of the past has in common with the office of the future. If I’m not mistaken, the only thing there was left from the office of the 20th Century was a couple of flower pots.

The Tech Forum gave us many opportunities to network with the other educators in attendance. I sat in a roundtable discussing that was tackling the topic of safety and security vs. web 2.0 applications. The common theme that the educators present all had was district IT and security people blocking sites that have a great potential for educational content and collaboration. Case in point, just as of this week davidwarlick.com in my district was blocked. We were unfortunately unable to come up with a good way to combat this conundrum.

I did not get to sit in Kay’s presentation on digital storytelling (sorry Kay). But I did get to talk with her and she said it went well. Hopefully the attendees learned just as much from her as I have over the last few years in working with her.

I was a big winner in one of the prize drawings, which I never win anything. Just wished it was the Qwizdom 32 handheld classroom set. Missed it by one pull! But seeing that in use for the FIRST time, I was truly amazed. I think I’ve found another thing I will have to have my principal get. I had a GREAT time yesterday, learned some, knew some, will start dawdling in Second Life just to see what the craze is all about. Look for me, Mithras Barbosa if you are there.

Tom.

Tic, toc, tic, toc….  That’s the sound of time running out to apply for one of the DEN summer institutes.  These are fantastic trainings and I highly recommend them if you have the time.  All registrations must be turned in by April 13th, yes, that’s this Friday!

Here are your 3 choices:

Discovery Headquarter, Silver Spring, MD June 18-22

Bahamas Cruise, leaving from Port Canaveral, FL July 14-19

University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Auguest 6-10

You can apply to any or all of the institutes, however, you will only be able to attend one.

The national institutes will once again focus on bringing STAR Discovery Educators together for intensive professional development opportunities in fun, collaborative environments.  Each national institute will accept up to 50 STAR Discovery Educators selected based upon the responses provided in the applications. 

Lodging and meals will be covered by the Discovery Educator Network (see FAQs for more details).  All travel costs to and from the institute, in addition to a $100 registration fee, are the responsibility of the STAR Discovery Educator.

Timeline

March 16
DEN National Institutes Announced – Applications Open

April 13    
Deadline for applications

April 20   
Applicants notified

April 27   
Deadline for accepted applicants to RSVP

May  11   
Registration fee due

If you are interested in applying, download the application below.  When completed, submit your application to educator_network@discovery.com

Download national_app.doc

For more information, please download the FAQs document. 

Download den_national_institutes_faqs.pdf

We hope to see you this summer!  Good luck and let us know if you have any questions by posting a comment to the blog. 

Click on this link to see the original blog from Lance: DEN National Institutes 

I had several people already this morning email me with not getting Carole’s email. I will work with her on double checking the mailing list. In the meantime here is here message.

My Dear

Florida

STARs:

They tell me that the third time is the charm. I am going to put that
little piece of wisdom to the test.  Actually, this is about the tenth
time that I have tried to send out this message. Hopefully, this time I will be
successful!! The poster over my desk
titled “Murphy Was An Optimist” is true, indeed!!

It is with excitement and enthusiasm that I am bringing you news
that the DEN has not gone away, it has simply been revised, and you are still a
very integral part of it!! We now have one combined DEN in the state, and
that may well prove to be a good move by Discovery, as everyone will be a
part of this larger organization.

Let me introduce myself to those who do not know me.  My name is
Carole Gooden, and I am from St. Lucie County. I serve as the chair of the
new Florida DEN Leadership Council. The other members of the
Leadership Council are as follows.

• Tom
       Turner  -  Co-Blog Coordinator
• Mark
       Hall  - Events Coordinator
• Debbie
       Bohanan  - Co-Blog Coordinator
• Melissa
       Lander  - Events
• Diana
       Echezabal  - Events
• Carol
       Papuga  - Events
• Janet
       Hallstrom  -  Events
• Cheryl
       Woolwine  - Events 

We are eager to get our new and improved DEN off and running, and we
invite you to visit the DEN blog at http://blog.discoveryeducation.comflorida/ and
post your comments. Information about the National Institutes for Summer
2007 is currently posted on the blog.  Please be sure to check this
out. Timelines for registration, as well as a link to FAQs are posted. Last
year’s National Institute in

Silver
  Spring

,

Maryland

was
absolutely fantastic.

We hope to be able to plan events in

Florida

that will allow us to meet and
share ideas on ways that the DEN can promote the use of digital resources
and other technologies with our fellow teachers. I know that many STARs
are engaged in several wonderful projects all across the state, and the
Leadership Council truly wants to assist in promoting and sharing these
innovative lessons with our fellow teachers. Each of you is a genuine resource,
and the beauty of the DEN is that we have a marvelous vehicle with
which to help each other. Please be sure to share information about any
special events you are planning.

I look forward to hearing from you, and I know our Blog and Event
Coordinators do too. We want to make the Florida DEN a model for what a
DEN should be. You can reach the coordinators directly at the addresses
below.

• Tom Turner at thomas.turner@polk-fl.net
• Debbie Bohanan at
       bohanand@osceola.k12.fl.us
• Mark Hall at hallma@palmbeach.k12.fl.us

You can always reach me directly at goodenc@stlucie.k12.fl.us

I plan to send a message to you by the end of the first week in every
month, and I apologize for the late start this month.

If you will be on Spring Break in the next couple of weeks, take time to
enjoy. Pause, reflect and recharge your batteries for the final weeks of the
school year.

Best regards,

Carole

Carole Gooden

Distance Learning Specialist

St. Lucie County Schools

Voice: 772-468-5169

Fax: 772-468-5181

Cell: 772-224-9006

It seems my computer is possessed tonight. This is going to be my third time attempting to type up this blog post. Hopefully the third time is the charm! But enough about my problems.

I’ve been trying to get this typed up for the last 4 days and something seems to always crop up and bite me on the backside. There needs to be some disclaimer when you buy a house for the first time, because nowhere did I see anything written about doing all this work! But alas, I’ve found some nice, quiet time to spend with you guys and share with you some IMPORTANT things you guys need to know.

Summer Institutes

If you have not turned in your application for the summer institutes you are quickly running out of time. April 13th is the deadline. I cannot stress to you enough how much fun these events will be. The amount of information, the amount of networking, and the plethora of friends made  are too numerous to count. Not counting the Florida contingent (which 3 of 4 make up your leadership council!) I still talk on a weekly basis with friends from California, Texas and Arizona. You can find the information you need to know about the 3 institutes this summer at this link. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the process.

Spring Training is here!!

It’s spring training time, time to practice and hone your skills! If you hold a training event report it for credit. Getting 3 turned in before June 1st will score you a nice DEN ball cap. Entering events is an easy process (read about how to report an event and what constitutes an event). Use your events to share the resources at our disposal as members of the DEN.

Message from Carole Gooden, Florida Leadership Council Chairperson

If you are a STAR DEN member in Florida and didn’t receive this email she sent out this week, please email me at thomas.turner@polk-fl.net so we may work on fixing this. We had some issues on our end, and I think they were solved as I received it later the afternoon she sent it.

As always, we are here for you. If you have any questions, suggestions for events, feel free to contact any of us. I’m also looking for guest bloggers to help fill the DEN blogosphere.

Tom.

What an amazing day! 

Today, the fourth graders in Paula Rovnak’s class joined me in a live chat and webinar with Penny Allen, the producer of Planet Earth.

Last week we previewed the site and various clips related to the upcoming mini-series.  The students were so excited about the program but they also had many questions for the producer.  They created a long list and we sent it to Matt Monjan who forwarded it to Penny.

If you didn’t get a chance to see Discovery’s new series, Planet Earth, try and catch it this week.  I know it is being shown again at several different times.  Three episodes have aired so far and the images are breathtaking.  If you check out the website www.planet-earth.com you will see amazing images and clips related to life on our planet.

Check out Penny in the Redwood Forest in California!  She loved being in the trees as long as the bears didn’t chew on the ropes below!   

Planet Earth used a really cool helicopter mounted camera that enabled them to film animals a kilometer away but gave the appearance on film of standing right next to them.  It’s the same camera used to film the James Bond movies! 

Make sure you check out the Deep Sea episode where you will be introduced to the Vampire Squid.  This creature is truly amazing to see in action.  Words can’t describe it, you will have to check it out for yourself.  The light show is amazing!

The Bird of Paradise is another incredible creature that does a cross between ballet and boogie to attract their mates.  The children thought the bird was hysterical!

Have you ever seen a Great White Shark leap out of the water to catch a seal pup?  I had no idea they would come completely out of the water to catch their prey!

Check out this bird that felt threatened by the cameraman.  He decided to take over the camera to keep the competition away!

The message they are sending out is that we live on a spectacular planet and it is up to us to save it for future generations to enjoy.

Mark your calendars for the next showing and enjoy an incredible journey around the planet.  I can’t wait for the new episodes next Sunday at 8:00p.m. on the Discovery Channel.      

Debbie Bohanan                                

Thought it was wise to repost this over here in case someone missed it over on the National Blog. Having attended last summer’s National Institute in Silver Spring, MD, this is something VERY worth attending. Many of the people I met last summer I keep in contact with today. It’s a great networking tool to meet many new and exciting people!

DEN National Institutes: Summer 2007

I didn’t really make an announcement here, but I’ve been pretty much incognito for the past few weeks. My wife and I took the plunge and became homeowners for the second time in our lives. BIG step for us. It’s a beautiful house in a great location (7 minutes from my new school!) So if you all were wondering where Tom’s run off to, well there you have it. I’ve also simulposted most, if not all, of this on my personal blog as well. I just wanted everyone to be aware  since some of you might not know my Seeking the Wisdom of the Ages blog.

As of last night I’m officially connected again to the world of web 2.0. I’m very much surprised that I didn’t break down into convulsions over the weekend by not being able to check my email, blogs, chat with my friends, etc. Just goes to show how important something as small as a little box with blinking lights is important to people.

House update for those that were in the know. We are in, boxes are everywhere!! How can four people accumulate so much stuff??? I’ve set up my office (just need to put the fan up, darn it’s hot in here!), complete with a wireless LAN to provide access from around the house. The living room and kitchen are painted, along with necessary wallpaper accents put up. I’d say in another 6 months everything will be done! I, of course, hope it’s sooner then that!

Between all of the moving I was able to host my first training session to my school yesterday. Thanks very much to Virginia Richard for coming to my school to explain the goodness of video on demand applications to the classroom teacher. It still intrigues me that some teachers have never seen places like unitedstreaming, where at their fingertips they have the ability to take advantage of as many teachable moments as possible. I think the most telling question that I had from the entire 1 1/2 hour training session was from the entire kindergarten team (all 13 of them asked this at the same time!). As close to verbatim as I can get, it went like this, “Now Mr. Turner. Just how important is something like this unitedstreaming thing for us Kindergarten teachers? Will we actually be able to use this thing?” I just had to sit back with a smile, while during Virginia’s presentation I heard the ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ coming from the group. We didn’t want to overwhelm them in one day, so we basically just left it with the basics of logging in, searching by benchmark and subject area. At that point I knew we were starting to lose some of them (I won’t go into the lack of professionalism by some which amazed me still). But for the most part everyone left with learning something new. Next up is learning how to use these video applications in the classroom. Can we say Inspiration, Photostory, or MovieMaker? Not yet, but soon I hope!

Wow!  What a crazy week and half.  Last week I had the unique opportunity to speak to the Senate education committee in Tallahassee about the importance of digital video in education.  Right now the Senate is looking at the budget and trying to determine if they want to recommend spending money on this resource for the state.   

What an amazing gift if they purchased unitedstreaming for every county in our state.  Alan November talks about the importance of having our voices heard.  If you would like to have this amazing gift for all the teachers in the state of Florida, please send an email to your senators explaining the impact of unitedstreaming on your students and your teaching. 

Don’t delay, make your voices heard today.  Sorry for the rhyme but it is Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  Did you know the Cat in the Hat turned 50 today? More on Read Across America in the next post.

Debbie

As some of you might already know, I’ve started in a new position as a network manager/technology specialist at an elementary school here in my district. This is going to offer MANY surprises and LOTS of challenges. (Note the 3 pages of work orders I’m sifting through this evening already)

One of the biggest surprises after the first day is the amount of technology on the campus, but the lack of what to do with it. I asked around some of the teachers if they were utilizing the wonderful tool we as DEN educators have at our disposal, unitedstreaming? Much to my chagrin, not a single person has used it, plus many not evening know what it was. SO, I guess this is my call to a GRAND challenge as a STAR DEN member and a district unitedstreaming trainer. I know we have the ways to use unitedstreaming foldout that comes in the training kits. But what I’m looking for are the ways you North Florida DEN members are incorporating it in your classrooms on a daily basis. I’m looking at it this way. I can share the handout, but testimonials hold more weight with me.

Thanks for the help everyone.