"I Learn, You Learn, We Learn" Blog

I may not be very good at it, but I love to fish. I don’t get a chance to do it very often and it wasn’t something I did at all when I was a kid.  I did , however, take my own kids fishing and it was a blast. At 24 and 22, my kids still fish when they can.  My family did have a boat.  Some of my best memories as a kid were going to Mine Kill State Park and waterskiing on the reservoir with my family and friends.

Explore the Blue is an online initiative  by partners Discovery and Take Me Fishing to encourage students to get outside and enjoy water activities. The site they put together provides teachers with resources to share with their students about outdoor activities and the value of the various water bodies as clean and natural resources.  In addition the site provides online activities for students to learn about fish,  catch fish and fish hatcheries.  Here is an example of a fish I created, I call it a Blue Fin Bubble Trout!  See what you can come up with at http://exploretheblue.discoveryeducation.com/explore.cfm. 

Here are my kids enjoying the water and fishing.

Join the NY DEN LC at the Baseball Hall of Fame on March 20 for some Spring Training

The event will be at the ACTUAL National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on Saturday, March 20th, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. This DEN Spring Training will give you an opportunity to connect with a like-minded community of educators and learn more about DE Streaming. There will be session presentations on how to integrate DE Streaming into your classrooms to peak the interest of your connected learners! Topics will cover everything from the DE Streaming basics to how to use powerful digital storytelling tools to excite and engage your students. Not only will you have the opportunity to attend great training sessions with this event, but you will also get access to explore the Hall of Fame museum after lunch! Did I mention… You get breakfast and lunch too! The NY DEN is proud to have you join us for this exciting event!

Fill out this form to register for this event!

CDW-G and Discovery, Hall Davidson and Steve Dembo; team up to help you make sense of the web, computers, and all it has to offer you and your students.   Conquer your fears and learn just as much as your students by utilizing Hall and Steve’s lesson plans, activities, links and resources, and videos to help make Web 2.0 fit seamlessly into your classroom. There is even a 16 page PDF document for you to keep with you for reference at all times. Visit http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/web2.0/index.cfm and star it in your favorites. This is a resource you’ll use over and over.

Check out this jam-packed list of FREE webinars offered by Discovery Educator Network. Get ready for back to school with a visit to one , a few or all of the sessions listed below.

All sessions begin at 11 AM ET. Register Here. It’s free and easy.

Digital Storytelling Week
8/3/09
Thinking Outside the Slide: Creating non-linear PowerPoint presentations and learning centers with Discovery Education Media
8/4/09
Digital Storytelling Made Easy: Using Discovery Education Content with Animoto and PhotoStory
8/5/09
Director’s Cut: Discovery Education Media and MovieMaker (PC)
8/6/09
Director’s Cut: Discovery Education Media and iMovie (Mac)

Leadership Week
8/10/09
The Information Society is HERE: Are our schools up to the task? with Dr. Scott McLeod
8/11/09
Policies, Safety and Social Networking
8/12/09
Web 2.0 for Administrators and Others: Schools, Tools, and the 21st Century
8/13/09
Data Driven Decisions with Discovery Education Assessment

Science Week
8/17/09
Myth Busted: Easy Ways to Integrate Digital Media into Your Science Classroom
8/18/09
Getting Your Hands Dirty with Discovery Education Science
8/19/09
Differentiating Instruction with the Discovery Education Science Assessment Manager
8/20/09
More and Muir Tech Tips for Going Green

Web 2.0 Week
8/24/09
Get Your Glog On! The DE streaming Builders and Glogster
8/25/09
The Thread that Ties it All Together: Discovery Education Content and Voicethread
8/26/09
Two Roundtrip Tickets to Anywhere in the World: Designing Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education Media and Google Earth
8/27/09
Learning Through the Funnies: Mixing Discovery Education Content with Free Comic Tools

Enroll today.

Digital Storytelling week begins at Discovery on Aug. 3. Sign up today to learn many ways to incorporate Digital Storytelling in your classroom.

Aug. 3  Thinking Outside the Slide

Aug. 4  Digital Storytelling made easy with Discovery Education Content, Animoto and PhotoStory

Aug. 5  Discovery Education Media and Windows Movie Maker

Aug. 6  Discovery Education Media and Windows iMovie

All webinars start at 11:00am ET. Click here for a complete list of webinars and registration information.

Do I need say more? A terrific celebration with digital gifts for everyone!

 

Summer school is fun for teachers too! The DEN is hosting an amazing series of webinars on many topics of interest: Digital Storytelling, School Leadership (one with Dr. Scott McLeod), Science Integration of Discovery Education, and many Web 2.0 apps. Visit the Discovery Summer School Webinar Series web-page for the complete list and registration information. Remember….. these awesome PD opportunities are FREE!!!!

Image  – Skateboarding to Summer School (Color). . 2009. Discovery Education. 27 June 2009 <http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

If you are still questioning the validity of digital media in our schools,  read and watch the video below.  I have had the awesome opportunity to be a part of the Discovery Educator Network and I’m appreciative and grateful Schenectady continues to offer the DEstreaming service to our schools.  I use the materials from Discovery every single day in my classes and I can honestly say I don’t know what I would do without this invaluable resource.

I encourage any of you or your colleagues to become more acquainted with DEstreaming and if you’ve had a chance to view Discovery Science or Health, let your coordinators know how much you LOVE them.  In addition, if you are interested in becoming a member of the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), let me know. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I will be happy to assist you in the process!

Two days ago, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine how technology, innovative education tools, and digital content are transforming and improving education in America.  The DEN’s very own Scott Kinney, Vice President of Outreach and Professional Development for Discovery Education, served as one of seven panelists who testified as to how technology and digital content can improve American education in the future.

Citing recent research, Scott illustrated that students use technology profusely at home, while most are unable to use that same technology in the classroom.  Today’s tech-savvy students function by consuming, processing, and learning from media, in many forms simultaneously.  Scott asked the committee to envision an educational system that supported the use of technology in the classroom, therefore, supporting how students learn naturally.

Wow! I  wanted so much to attend the DENny Awards last night, but unfortunately I had a prior commitment.  When I checked the national DEN blog and my email this morning I was really very surprised to learn I won one of the awards!

Back in December, I took a hiatus from posting to my blog. I had a very difficult task of prioritization due to the responsibilities of my job. Last September, I returned to the role of being a classroom teacher in my district. Previously, I was in the position of an Instructional Technology Facilitator, a position funded through a grant. I was in that position for eight years prior to this past September.

Upon returning to the classroom, I found it wasn’t as easy as I thought. Although I was teaching the same thing I did prior to being a technology facilitator, Family and Consumer Science, I felt like a was a new teacher. Changes in state curriculum, changes in building and district policy and changes in students made the task of getting reacquainted as a classroom teacher overwhelming.  It forced me to give up some of the things I previously did including my DEN blog, which I looked forward to and loved.

Needless to say, when I read my email this morning, I couldn’t believe anyone would  still remember my blog let alone consider it for an award. Although my blog was inactive for awhile, being in the classroom gave me a chance to use DEstreaming and all the wonderful tools we talk about with students. I couldn’t do that before. It has also given me a second chance to experience the “teacher perspective” of trying to juggle everything. Teachers really do have unique jobs and have to wear so many hats.

About a month ago I contacted Steve with questions about my blog in an effort to get started again. This seems as good a time as any to give it another go. I hope you will continue to follow and post your comments and thoughts as you learn about what I post and share it with your colleagues.  

Thank you DEN ( and everyone else) for following the “I Learn, You Learn, We Learn Blog! You are truly the best part of my personal learning network!

…………..just ask Anthony Cimino a 4th grade teachers at  Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Schenectady. Congratulations to Anthony for winning a DEN duffel bag just for commenting on the DEN Stream-a-thon blog post!

 Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

This past weekend was an exhausting, fantastic, fun, informative , jam packed, 2 days for everyone who made their way to the NY/Northeast DEN Regional Conference.  Educators from MA, CT, NJ and NY attended the event hosted at Hudson Valley Community College.

On Saturday, participants were treated to a presentation by Discovery’s Lance Rouguex who helped us understand the need for us not only to learn a second language, but that language being the one our student’s  currently speak.  Each participant become experts in understanding DEstreaming and had the chance to meet and network with educators from other New England states.

On Sunday, technology expert, Sal DeAngelo talked about not just ”Teaching Our Students to Whistle”  but teaching our students so they actually learn what we’re teaching.  Teams continued to work on , and then present,  projects ranging from “The Properties of Metals” from our SHS Science Department to “Simple Machines” from our elementary teachers.

On Sunday we had a special guest, Regent Bowman, from the NYS Board of Regents drop in to see why the teachers were so excited about DEstreaming and the DEN.

Here’s a shout out to all who attended from Schenectady City Schools. They, as well as the educators from CT, NJ and MA,  are to be commended for their commitment to learning new ways to integrate technology during their time away from school.

 Sal DeAngelo – Keynote

William Mau – SHS Social Studies – who, in the photo above, is proudly dancing for the DEN (and a Discovery prize)

Kevin Dorsey – MPMS Technology

Suzanne Bernadt – Elementary Library Media Specialist

Meredith Bernadt – Howe Elementary

Laura Canders -SHS Science

Katie Raymer – SHS Science

Nicola Dutre – Oneida Health

Rick DeCarr – FDR Elementary

Christine Bernard – King Elementary

Tomorrow begins a two day workshop of learning and fun at The Seik Conference Center at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY. One of the tri cities of the capital district area of NY, Troy will prove to be a place where the DEN Regional Conference will make a name for it’s first annual.

Dennis Swain, our regional rep, has been working hard to make this a truly memorable event. He has organized a fantastic line up of speakers and presenters from both Discovery and surrounding states.

I am hoping my colleagues from Schenectady City Schools will get to experience the excitement and fun I’ve had during the past few years as a STAR Discovery Educator.

Check out the agenda of events. I’ll keep you posted!

Once again, Steve Dembo made our heads spin with his expertise of Web 2.0 tools in last night’s webinar 50 Ways to Spin a Digital Story.

Before we began the formal webinar, Steve provided us the opportunity for us to see him facilitate this webinar by streaming a video of him through his cell phone through Qik.com. This added another dimension to the webinar for us visual learners. The space invaders on his “studio” ceiling added a special touch.

Steve provided an explanation of the difference between Web 1.0 and 2.0. It was great he reminded those of us who use Web 2.0 we may take for granted that others will know what it is all about. Not true; there are still many educators who don’t know what Web 2.0 is, let alone the power of some of those sites.  In a nutshell, the difference between the 2 is, Web 1.0  are those web sties that just provide information. You go to it, read it and take away what you want. On the other hand  the Web 2.0  sites are those sites on the internet that provide a level of interactivity, are free and allow some sort of participatory environment such as blogs, wikis, photo sharing and networking sties. Thanks for the clarification Steve.

On to the 50 ways……….

First , Steve took us to a site called CogDogRoo  developed by Alan Levine. It is a wiki which focuses on 50 of the best Web 2.0 sites. People can go in and add examples of how they use some of the sites. It’s a great resource.  Steve’s idea of 5O Ways to Spin a Digital Story came from this site.

Although an hour is just not enough time to get through all fifty ways, Steve did show us a few very cool tools you can use to enhance your digital stories or create them. Are you ready? Here are a few he mentioned:

1. Create biographies using DEstreaming images and Blabberize
2. Develop a family history using Toon Doo
3. Make a timeline using Our Story
4. Share PowerPoint presentations at MY Plick
5. Students can use VoiceThread to expand on a book read in class

Hopefully the webinar will be archived or posted soon so you can view the presentation at your leisure.

And speaking of webinars…… what a line up Discovery has for the upcoming school year! Check out my next post for an overview of what webinars are on their way.

Oh my!  I’ve been experimenting with a new blog theme with the help of Steve Dembo. I’m not all that familiar with HTML, but know enough to tweak here and there.  I still had to bug Steve a few times during the day though for some help and suggestions.

A new theme is a nice visual change, this new iPhone theme is cool. I don’t have an iPhone, but I’ll settle with the theme for my blog for awhile. Each STAR  who uses his/her blog will soon be able to  choose other themes as well.  I can’t wait to see some of the changes in themes that each of you decide to use.

 A HUGE thanks to Steve for being patient with me through this change.

Over on my wiki I’ve posted a very brief summary of the week’s events and the LC Institute.  Just in case you would like to have the opportunity to be involved in an amazing week of professional development, hard work, fantastic networking and FUN – make it your goal to reach STAR status soon. It’s easy and the benefits are incredible!

Visit my I Learn, You Learn, We Learn  wiki

Become a DEN STAR