Pennsylvania

This post is a few days late. The wireless access at NECC were frustrating and I was having a hard time uploading my photos.

I know that the video probably makes it look like we were just “horsing around” all day . . . But, seriously, we engaged in some awesome networking with fellow STAR Discovery Educators and the DEN team shared some terrific resources. Of course, with no wi-fi on the ranch, I wasn’t able to blog live from the event. So, the DEN team promised to post their resources on their Discovery blogs in a few days. I’ll update this post with those links once they are made available.

So, for now, enjoy the video.

Using Authentic Problems to Scaffold Decision-Making Skills

Here are a few more posts from this afternoon’s sessions.

• It’s in Your Pocket: Teaching Spectacularly with Cell Phones (featuring Hall Davidson)
• Marzano Meets Web 2.0
• Developing 21st-Century Skills in School and District Leaders

If you have been following Twitter, Plurk, and/or the blogs from NECC you are probably already aware that there are some pretty frustrating wireless access issues.  So, I apologize that these posts are not going live in a timely fashion.

I have been having a really difficult time uploading my photos from the DEN pre-conference event.  So, that post will be coming later.  I promise that it will be worth the wait . . .

Here are some of my posts from the past day.  Enjoy!

• Wisdom of Crowds (opening keynote)
• Creating a Personal Learning Network in Second Life (featuring the DEN SL Leadership Council)
• Self-Efficacy and Teacher Computer Use (research report)
• Making Global Connections (Tuesday keynote)

If you have been following Twitter today, you might have noticed that the wireless has been pretty spotty at NECC today.   It has been frustrating.

I posted my notes from all the sessions I attended on my cliotech blog.  Here is a listing on those postings. 

• Web 2.0 Smackdown
• If the Leaders Don’t Get It, It’s Not Going to Happen
• Digital Storytelling: THE Disruptive Change Agent for the 21st Century Learning Revolution
• Social Networking for Professional Development

You can also track the Twitter conversation about NECC and EduBloggerCon with Summize.

Look for a post later tomorrow afternoon about the DEN pre-conference at the Enchanted Springs Ranch.

If you are interested in seeing some of what is happening here in San Antonio, check out the photos as they are being posted on Flickr.

Here is a feedroll for blogs and other media tagged with NECC2008 and EBC08.

If you are planning to blog about NECC sessions, don’t forget to tag your posts with their assigned presenter tags.

You can also participate by joining the dynamic Ning network created especially for the conference, NECC2008. You can also check out the NECC Unplugged and Bloggers Cafe and EduBloggerCon for some virtual extensions.

Technorati Tags: NECC2008 NECC 2008 EBC08 ISTE

My bags are packed - I’m ready to go . . .

I’m excited to be headed to San Antonio for NECC 2008.  I’ve had the opportunity to attend NECC  a few times, but not for the past several years.  It has evolved into a myriad of “conferences within the conference” with specialized sessions and meet-ups.  I can’t possibly attend every session that has captured my interest.  Actually, my conference planner looks a little overwhelming with all the workshops, sessions, and poster presentations that I want to try to hit.  And, that’s not even taking into account how much I can learn just by walking around the vendor hall or aggregating all the NECC2008 tags online.

I can ‘t wait for the DEN pre-conference at the Enchanted Springs Ranch.  I have a feeling that we will be seeing some pretty awesome photographs from that experience.  I have a mental image of Hall, Lance, and Steve roping some cattle . . .

I am also thrilled to be able to meet so many inspiring DEN STARs who will be presenting at NECC this year.  If you are planning to attend, check out the listing of DEN STAR presentations posted on the National Blog.  If you are planning to blog about any of their sessions, don’t forget to tag your posts with their assigned presenter tags.  If you are not planning to attend, you can still participate virutally.  The tags can help you search for material posted online about the sessions.  You can also participate by joining the dynamic Ning network created especially for the conference, NECC2008.  You can also check out the NECC Unplugged and Bloggers Cafe and EduBloggerCon for some virtual extensions.

So, this laptop is the last thing I have to pack.  Check back over the next few days for my posts from NECC.  I will be cross-posting my Cliotech posts on this blog.

Technorati Tags: NECC2008, DEN, Discovery

This is some exciting news for DE streaming users .  .  . I just copied it from the National Blog.  I don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to learn more about these updates.

Discovery Education is excited to announce many new GREAT additions coming your way to streaming! This includes the long awaited and asked for Student Center where your students will have ability to log on and download media, better correlation with your state standards, more refined search, an update builders and my content, not to mention that the base package has increased to 5,000 titles!

To learn more about the these updates, please join us for a STAR Streaming Update overview by logging on to one of the webinars on Thursday, June 26th listed below.

For additional questions please contact Jannita at Jannita_Demian@discovery.com

Hope to see you there!

STAR Streaming Update
11:30 am, PDT or 2:30 EDT
Click here to join. No registration or password required: https://discoveryed.webex.com/discoveryed/onstage/g.php?d=556861250&t=a

STAR Streaming Update
12:30 pm, PDT or 3:30 EDT
Click here to join. No registration or password required: https://discoveryed.webex.com/discoveryed/onstage/g.php?d=556636663&t=a

STAR Streaming Update
3:30 pm, PDT or 6:30 EDT
Click here to join. No registration or password required: https://discoveryed.webex.com/discoveryed/onstage/g.php?d=556875536&t=a

This weekend concludes the exciting special series, When We Left Earth The NASA Missions. To kick off today’s finale, we have a brand new preview clip, courtesy of Angela Quan, Crew Creative Advertising.

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions- Episode 5 Clip #1 - Watch more free videos

You can visit here to see more preview clips, and don’t forget to check out Discovery’s Official NASA website.

I’m off to Europe for 11 days (with 18 students), so I’ll reconnect with you when I return.

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

A while ago, Jennifer Dorman wrote about Animoto in Education, encouraging us to sign up for the full-length video trial of their newly-launched Animoto Education Program. Like Jen (actually because of Jen), I had been experimenting with the short version (30 seconds) in my classroom, so I was delighted to learn I could get a free trial for use in the classroom. So, like every good tool Jen sends our way, I jumped in. When I was getting ready to post some samples of students’ work (all that Animoto asks for the 90-day free trial), I noticed that our PA (super)STARS, Peggy and Jim, had already “been there and done it,” and very well indeed. I thought I would share their Discovery Education streaming science podcast which they blogged about on their JPeg STAR Discovery Educator Network Blog.