Recently Power to Learn hosted a contest.  Thanks to Christine Southard for posting about the contest on the NY DEN Blog.  I entered expecting nothing.  First I won a set of DVDs from the Discovery series “When We Left Earth”.  I was ecstatic.  Then I found out that my students, in one class,  would have the amazing opportunity to participate in a conference call with a NASA astronaut.  We prepped the students.  We did a test run of our telephones.  We let the kids have exposure to working with a teleconference.  The other side can hear everything was an interesting concept they quickly adapted too.  Go kids!  We braistormed many possible questions to ask.  We narrowed down our choices to a select few.  A vodcast of our questions However, simple technology difficulties made the conversation one way on the actual, exciting day of the event.  Our students however were fascinated to hear Captain Gibson answer the questions from the other schools.  He was also kind enough  to answer our questions at a later date via email.  The vodcast will show our questions and his answers.  I hope you enjoy seeing this as much as we enjoyed experiencing it.  Thanks Discovery, Cablevision, Captain Gibson, and the NY DEN.

This past weekend was the Discovery Educator Network Northeast Regional Conference.  What an incredible experience!  Besides all that we take away (give aways, prizes, DEN notebooks, pens, new knowledge) we got to bond with familiar faces (or names).   Isn’t it funny how the DEN brings us together virtually!  Sometimes you can go a very long time without “meeting” a colleague.  Then suddenly the DEN brings us together physically!  How nice it is to shake hands, laugh, and share with our fellow DEN members.  I love being a part of the pack!

It was my distinct pleasure to present a workshop on Power Points that Pop.  On the New York DEN Blog Christine Southard summarized many of the talking points.  She also hosted a session on Animoto.  How wonderful it is to learn from each other.

More and more teachers are starting to ask about Discovery Education Streaming at work.  It’s definitely an exciting time.  I’m glad to be part of the technology department in my district and the DEN.  As the economy tanks, technology helps us do more for less.  Coupon codes, downloadable videos,  money saving tips, a way to put all that behind us and momentarily have fun behind our screens.  How nice it is to have such an escape!  Thank you DEN!

Mark your calendars, October 24th is Tech Forum, NY and October 25th is the DEN Virtual Conference.  Look for New York Leadership Council Events to help us enjoy these wonderful moments even more.