Pennsylvania

DEN Pre-NECC Extravaganza

Join us on June 27, 2009 (9 AM to 3:30 PM) for an engaging day of networking, professional development and fun at the world headquarters of Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, MD. And, it’s FREE! You can get you og on, and learn many new and exciting ways to integrate Discovery products and Web 2.0 tools in your curriculum and classrooms. Whether you’re a teacher or Instructional Technologist, your STAR will shine more brightly after this special session.

• 50 Ways to Integrate Discovery Education streaming
• More and Muir Tech Tips for Going Green
• Staggeringly Good Things Mixing Media and Google Earth
• Get Your Og On: Blogs, Glogs and Vlogs
• Power Up Your Professional Learning Network
• Top Ten FREE Web 2.0 Sites
• And more!

Space is limited. Registration closes June 5th. Enroll today! You won’t want to miss this special event!

Here is the master list of Web 2.0 applications for schools that I used at the DEN Regional Conference.

http://www.diigo.com/list/cliotech/web20

Here’s the video that NJ, NY, ME, and PA LCs put together on the first day of the DEN LC National Institute.

A special thanks to Heather Sullivan for posting the video on the New Jersey blog. Having some “free” time on my hands, I decided to troll the state blogs and aggregate some resources and comments shared by other states who attended either the LC or STAR institutes. Arkansas Mary Frazier and Tanya Gray brainstormed 25 more ways to use Discoverystreaming. Posted by Brett Harvey, CA–home of DENs youngest STAR, Jannita and Laurian’s son, David–is taking a time out from the busy day’s agenda.

Florida’s post by Cheryl Woolwine shows how the South East Region created with Tennessee their own version of the Discovery Channel commercial, Boom-De-Ya-Da, Here’s “Find Your Match at D-Harmony”:

Posted on the Iowa blog by Jason Cochrane, the Midwest LCs made this video along with Mike Bryant, their DEN Midwest Manager. Get ready for their deconstruction of DC commercial:

Louisiana LC is Green With Envy. You’ll remember this team from their D-Harmony commercial. Michigan’s LC were busy posters during the Institute. Here’s their BDY commercial:

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c1b7f60a2b741bbf0de4

Working with teachers from Illinois, here’s their DEN-De-Ya-Da video from the second week DEN Institute:

And their slide show from the second week STAR Institute:

From the NY blog, here’s Steve Dembo’s Learning to Speak Native presentation, Ustreamed from the DEN National Institute:

From my new LC Institute friend, Conni Mulligan shares an update on their LC membership. I really applaud all the states’ efforts in maintaining a vibrant LC, but since I had the good fortune to get to know Conni, I know how hard she has worked with her Council to get the NC blog launched as well, so a special shout out to you and your state. Great progress.

NC had 3 DEN STARS at the National Institute: Judy, Nicole, and Deb.

Guest blogger Debbie Wrobel represented the Northwest at the National Institute. Check out her post here.

If you still haven’t jumped into (teleported, flown, or swum with the sharks) yet, then you are definitely missing out on your Second Life experience. On July 16, the DEN SL inducted newbies (I was one of them) into their SL, and I can tell you it is an experience of any/either lifetimes. Just do it.

I love reading Elaine Plybon on the Texas blog. Her Reflections on Day 2 of the LC Institute and her sense of overload strike a resonant chord with me at any DEN function. We always learn and teach at rapid speed, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And just in case you thought VA wasn’t at the LC Institute, Ruth Okoye has the photos to prove it. Check out their Institute blogs here.

I’ll end on 3 “I hope’s”:
1. that I didn’t forget anyone
2. that I didn’t make too many typos
3. that all the embedded code works…because this is the first time I worked in code mode all the way, and I’m not even going to entertain an edit on this post. Thanks to all the super DEN STAR power out there, for what you do every day to make learning and teaching THE 21st century experience. A super thank you to our Discovery leaders for making our growth possible.

Please be sure to check out Pat Duncan’s blog posts from the DEN National Institute at http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/duncanpat/.

Pat is on the PA Leadership Council’s events team.  She is a high school science teacher in PA.

Wow.  I am totally jealous of all the DEN STARs who are in Silver Springs, Maryland, at the Discovery Headquarters for the DEN National Institute.  When I left the Leadership Council Institute last week I was so inspired and motivated.  (Really, they had to practically kick me out.  I wanted to stay for the second week, too.)

Pennsylvania is lucky to have a few DEN STARs in attendance this week.  One is Meg Griffin.  Meg is an elementary teacher in the Central Bucks School District in Doylestown, PA.  She is blogging from the National Institute and you can follow her experiences at http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/meggriffin/. 

Thanks for blogging, Meg.  I can’t wait to read more.

Any other DEN STARs from PA who are blogging, please leave the URL address of your blog as a comment here so that we can all learn from you.

Here is the CoverItLive blogging from Steve’s keynote on Wednesday.

Geocahing with Bridget

Second Life - The Adventures of Lost Teacher, Haystack, and the DEN in Second Life