Why Twitter Will Endure

Found this bit interesting-

Well, that depends on whom you ask, but more importantly whom you follow. On Twitter, anyone may follow anyone, but there is very little expectation of reciprocity. By carefully curating the people you follow, Twitter becomes an always-on data stream from really bright people in their respective fields, whose tweets are often full of links to incredibly vital, timely information.

The rest of the article can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/weekinreview/03carr.html?pagewanted=1

network

The twitter network is growing slowly. I was able to add a person and her tweets led me to a smartboard class. I was able to pass that information on to my classmates on twitter.

Gotcha

I tweeted about iTunes University yesterday. Instantly, I had a new follower on Twitter. His name: Dave(iPod giveaway). I hope I win.

K12 Post #4

"Keeping Literacy in 21st Century Literacy" by Drew Schrader

The target audience for this presentation is high school teachers who are new to 2.0 tools. Schrader pairs three reading strategies with 2.0 tools. It is a somewhat informative video but the volume disappears with about a minute to go.

Schrader pairs "Think Alouds" with Screentoaster. He pairs "Mind Mapping" with Prezi. After pairing a tool with a strategy he goes into introductory details about each tool. I found his second pairing, "Annotating Text" with Diigo, the most informative.

Diigo is a site that can be shared, so once text is posted it is available to any social network. The teacher can highlight and post sticky notes into the texts. Basically, the teacher is providing annotation and context clues for the students. This helpful when teaching students "how" to read.

K12 Post #3

"Options for Building Your Teacher Web-Site" by Cyndi Danner-Kuhn

This presentation offered several options and suggestions for designing and using teacher web-sites. Danner-Kuhn promised a web-site would eventually lead to more teaching time. Something we all need.

She explained that the internet is where we all go for information. Students should be able to go to the internet and find information about their classes.

Danner-Kuhn went on to display several options for websites with examples for beginning teachers. She even offered more advanced options for the digital savvy teacher.

The presentation came across a bit choppy but interested teachers will appreciate the examples displayed during the video.

K12 Post #2

"If You Host It, They Will Come" by Jen Wagner

I was very encouraged by this presentation. Wagner starts out slowly by introducing the basics of hosting a project for the classroom. She describes the difference between "Puddle Projects" and "Well Projects." Puddle projects for those teachers interested in getting their "feet wet" and the well projects offering deeper, "life changing" experiences.

Wagner explains that is important to understand why as a teacher you want to host a project. She encourages researching hosting ideas and even offers ideas on how to promote your project.

One host she mentions is the Global Schoolhouse at http://www.globalschoolnet.org From there, she explains Google Forms, an easy way to collect data.

The best part of Wagner's presentation were the numerous examples of projects currently being hosted on the web. I found them inspiring.

K-12 Post #1

So, I took a deep breath and tried again. I browsed the list K-12 Conference videos and clicked on "You Might be a 21st Century Leader If ..." Okay, I was attracted to the title- the whole Foxworthy spin. I clicked and started the video... Click..click..scratch...click. The presentation bounced from PLAY to PAUSE to LOADING... Feeling frustration mount, I aborted the video. I went back to the menu and clicked on "Slippery Rocks and Hard Places." A presentation by Dennis Richards. (See how I eliminated the chance to get frustrated again?)

Richards identifies twelve gaps that we as teachers and learners "must all acknowledge, experience and understand if we are to move toward the emerging new story of learning." Ahh, structure...

Richards states that we must prepare our students to be "lifelong learners." The world demands "adaptability and flexibility." Referring to the students, he states, "We owe it to them to understand this reality."

For each gap, Richards provides a "bridge" to success. He does not demand that we do certain things nor does he tell us what we are not doing as a culture. He says not to "discard" what we have learned but encourages us to think about our techniques in a fresh way.

Take Bridge #8- Collaboration. I was particularly attracted to this bridge because of the way I've been leaning in the classroom over the past few years. I have discovered the value in team work as individuals can bring their strengths to an assignment or project. Richards sees collaboration as "an opportunity to share." With this opportunity, individuals can become better informed. Informed individuals can adapt, are flexible, and are well-suited for the process of life-long learning.

My New Year's Resolution? Become more flexible. Step One- return and view "You Might Be a 21st Century Leader If..."