Please join us this Wednesday around the campfire as Telos String moderates a book discussion on the book mentioned by Scott McLeod during the August DEN Leadership webinar series — The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—And What We Can do About It by Tony Wagner.
Tony Wagner has served as Co-Director of the Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education since its inception in 2000. His publications include numerous articles and four books: Change Leadership: A Practical Guide to Transforming Our Schools, Making the Grade: Reinventing America’s Schools, and How Schools Change: Lessons from Three Communities Revisited.
I logged in at 7:47 p.m. (EST) and the next time I looked at my clock it was already 9 p.m. (EST)!!!The time just flew as Knowclue Kidd shared her experiences in using machinima with her students.The clips she shared were those in which her students played a central role.
For those of you who are not familiar with ‘machinima’, it is quite simply making videos in three-D worlds.For those who would like a little more info, check out the Wikipediaentry.And if you want to know about the tools and tips used by Knowclue Kidd, please be sure to check out her wiki(which she set up just for the DEN workshop!).
She was able to share videos on an inworld media player that I was not familiar with (and therefore had to immediately access Second Life Shopping as soon as I logged off).If you want to find out more about the Damani Media player, click here.
Regardless of the virtual world used as a backdrop for the machinima, regardless of the tools used to created the machinima, Knowclue said it succinctly – ‘It’s always about the story.’
Thanks Knowclue for sharing with us. And would you please thank your students for sharing their work with us!
Yup, it’s Wednesday Workshop time at the DEN in SL.
This week we are thrilled to have Knowclue Kidd (Marianne Malmstrom - RL) presenting, “Machinima and 21st Century Literacy”.
Knowclue will share her experiences, thoughts and rationale about why we should be considering machinima as a serious tool for delivering 21st century skills & literacies. –
You will see examples of student work, participate in discussion of how we can move forward and take away resources to help you start or build your own program.
The location of this session will be at Knowclue’s theater. A slurl or TP will be provided.
As always, we’ll see you at 5 p.m. SLT (7 p.m. CST, 8 p.m. CST)
Do you wonder how you can keep your avatar from slumping over mid-conversation (not polite) or use your camera tool to view what’s on the second floor without going actually going up there? Do you know how close someone needs to be to hear “chat” conversation? Or when to “whisper” or “shout”? Do you want to put on a new outfit without worrying about an essential piece not “showing up” and feeling like the Emperor in his “new clothes”?
Join us on Wednesday, October 21, at the DEN (2DP) to brush up your SL skills. Bring questions on these or any topics you need help with, and we will be glad to smooth out the rough spots in your SL experience.
Just to let everyone know, the workshop scheduled for this Wednesday, October 14th will be canceled. Something about, ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’…..LOL Actually, due to last minute travel changes, our presenter will (hopefully) be airborne at the time of the workshop.
Join us on November 4th and November 11th around the campfire at 2DP for a practical discussion of this powerful book, “The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—And What We Can do About It” by Tony Wagner.
After the book discussion, the MD/VA Leadership Council members will lead breakout sessions on the seven skills outlined in the book. Each small group will brainstorm learning strategies to be used NOW in the classroom to help students develop these skills. Come learn, exchange and leave with a few learning strategies that you can implement in your classroom tomorrow.
In his book, Wagner argues for the “Seven Survival skills”—the core competencies he deems necessary for success both in college and in the twenty-first-century workforce. These encompass problem solving and critical thinking, collaboration across networks, adaptability, initiative, effective oral and written communication, analyzing information, and developing curiosity and imagination….He stresses the importance of being able to analyze new information and apply it to new situations in the “global knowledge economy,” then details the programs, including team teaching, at a few innovative schools that are effectively meeting this challenge.” –Deborah Donovan for BOOKLIST (NY Times Magazine)
Join us this Wednesday as Clio Jacobus (Jennifer Dorman - RL) presents ‘Get Your ‘Og On!’.
Blogs, Glogs and Vlogs – what the heck is an ‘og anyway? Come join us as we get our ‘ogs on and learn about these simple
applications. At the end of this session you’ll learn how you can plant a little Web 2.0 widget code and grow it into a global
collaboration.
Ooooooooh, this is exciting! We’re taking a ‘field trip’ (hmmmmm….wonder if that’s what one calls it in Second Life?). This Wednesday we will be visiting Shamblesguru Voom as he presents on ‘Networking, Data Mining, Surival Skill…and Other Ramblings’ (Subtitled: ‘Personal Learning Networks and Second Life’). Actually, let me rephrase that — according to Shamblesguru, this won’t be so much a presentation as a ’sharing’. Witht he thread of how, as educators, we can more easily survive the shear volume of data and also the numbers of new 2.0 websites that are appearing every day. Let’s share how we can keep up-to-date, while stilling maintaining our day job.
If you plan on attending (and I’m really hoping that you will, since this will be a two-fold opportunity for you — the opportunity to join us at a Wednesday Event, AND….the opportunity to visit another sim and see the incredible learning Shamblesguru has created on his sim - International School Island), know that you have some homework. It’s really quite painless — you’ll need to view this VERY SHORT (5 minutes) screencast here.
Curious about Shambleguru Voom? Check out his bio.
So please, come join us Wednesday evening. You can either meet us at DEN in SL HQ and we’ll provide you with a landmark, or you can go directly to the International Schools Island, Mountain Top 2 here. (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/International%20Schools%202/96/158/54)
As always, we’ll be meeting at 5 p.m. SLT (7 p.m. CST, 8 p.m. EST)
On Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, we had an in-depth look at the how-to’s of making Discovery Streaming accessible to our students. Smellslike Magic (rl Mike Bryant) went through the steps of setting up classes and adding students to those classes, whether you do a mass upload as an admin or add students individually. He also showed how this student access would be of great benefit for differentiated learning.
In addition, he gave a heads up regarding some upcoming changes when a student logs on, due to compliance with COPPA (Childrens’ Online Privacy Protection Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) There will be a one-time different log in scenario for over 13 and under 13 years of age. More info will be sent out in the next few weeks regarding this procedure.
Those in attendance at 2DP also heard about the new DEN Guru program. Check out the blog for application requirements.
Thanks for the info, Mike!
Join us next week, October 7, when Shamblesguru Voom, aka Chris Smith in RL, leads us on a journey through SL Networking, Data Mining, Survival Skills…and Other Ramblings (Subtitle: Personal Learning Networks and Second Life) at 5 p.m. SLT (7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern)
Join us this Wednesday as Smellslike Magic (Mike Bryant - RL) presents ‘Power to the Students: Student Access for Discovery Education Streaming’. Join us to learn all about Student Access to Discovery Education’s services. We’ll dive into the Classroom Manager and Student; showcasing the many ways you can easily assign Discovery resources to your students. Come with questions, comments or ideas on how you’d like to see students utilize all of our digital resources.
Then stay for a special musical concert, at 6 p.m. SLT (8 p.m. CST, 9 p.m. EST) by one of Demb Oh’s Walden University students, BGSinger Hermit. BGSinger is a classically trained vocalist who performs a wide variety of styles from Big Band to pop to rock. Big Band, easy listening, soft rock, Broadway, and classical ballads all flow smoothly, freely, magically from BGSinger. You will be entranced with each note he sings! Included in BGSinger’s ever-growing repertoire of songs are: ”Holly Holy”, “Fever”, “The Best is Yet to Come”, “I’ve Got the World on a String”, and he covers artists such as Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Michael Buble, Billy Joel, Josh Groban and the Stylistics. Listeners have described his music as “awesome, dramatic, sexy, one of a kind…”
BGSinger will be performing at Bella Vida’s Velvet Jazz Club and the landmark will be given out at DEN in SL.
Via RSS
Do you wonder how you can keep your avatar from slumping over mid-conversation (not polite) or use your camera tool to view what’s on the second floor without going actually going up there? Do you know how close someone needs to be to hear “chat” conversation? Or when to “whisper” or “shout”? Do you want to put on a new outfit without worrying about an essential piece not “showing up” and feeling like the Emperor in his “new clothes”?
On Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, we had an in-depth look at the how-to’s of making 
