Archive for the ‘fun/free stuff’ Category

This Wednesday: Science of the Winter Olympics Webinar

Monday, February 8th, 2010

logoSounds cool! From the Learning Games Network:

As part of our Learning Games webinar series, we invite you to join us this Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010 for Olympics Science: Online Resources for the Classroom from NBC Learn.

Description: On February 12th, the torch will light over Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Join the Learning Games Network’s Alex Chisholm and special guest Norman Cohen, producer at NBC Learn, to bring the science of the Winter Olympics home to your classroom.

NBC Learn has collaborated with the National Science Foundation to create this series of video resources and lesson plans demonstrating the links between the laws of physics and the principles of chemistry, and downhill skiing, bobsledding, and other sports.

We hope you’ll join us this Wednesday, Feb 10, at 7:30pm EST to learn more about how NBC Learn can inspire students by approaching the science of sports from a new perspective.

Links:

NBC Learn: http://nbclearn.com/olympics

Lesson Plans: http://lessonopoly.org/svef/?q=node/9086

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Free technology and education conference – C3 2010

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

CRSTE logoThe Capitol Region ISTE affiliate (CRSTE) is hosting a free online conference on education and technology called C3 – CRSTE Cyber Conference 2010 every evening from Feb 21 – March 5, 2010 . You don’t have to be from the mid-Atlantic region (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, DC, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and Delaware) to participate in this conference, and you don’t even have to show up!

The conference is a combination of asynchronous and synchronous events, and everything will be archived so you can check back in at any time. I was honored to be asked to participate and I’ll be presenting a session live.

Student Leadership ‐ Building Authentic 21st Century Skills
Date: February 27, 2010 Saturday
Time: 5:00 PM EST

Session Description:  This session will present 4 models of student leadership focused on improving technology integration in real schools around the world. Having tech-savvy students help solve the authentic problems of 21st century education builds future leaders, learners, and citizens.

You can download the conference schedule here (PDF)

To register for the conference, you simply check off the sessions you are interested in. Online conferences are great ways to participate without a huge committment of time or money! And yes, although the sessions will be permanently archived, it’s more fun to be in the “action” online. You’ll be able to chat and interact as the session goes on.

Hope you’ll stop by!

Sylvia

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Future game designers! Apply for the Student Design Corps today

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Apply to the Student Design Corps Today

Via Learning Games Network -

If you work with students (13 years and older) who have a strong interest in designing and creating their own computer games, definitely learn more about our plans for the Design Corps, which kicked off in the fall. This spring, the program is entering a new phase focusing on student design teams. We’ve opened this up to new participants — interested students can apply right here by Friday, January 22, 2010.

What does it take to apply between now and next Friday?

  1. Teachers can suggest students by emailing us brief recommendations at design.corps [at] learninggamesnetwork.org. (If you’re a student, ask a teacher to recommend you.)
  2. For applicants under 18, we need a parent or guardian to let us know that he or she approves of their participation in the program. They should send a brief email affirming this to, you guessed it, design.corps [at] learninggamesnetwork.org.
  3. All applicants must tell us a little bit about their interests using the form on this page.

Voilà, you’re done! For this new group of students joining the Design Corps, we’ll have our first event on Jan 23, 2010. Remember, our events are online, so participants will need reliable access to an internet connection.

Sylvia

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Free guide – How to keep your teen safe on the Internet

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online

This free guide from OnGuardOnline.gov tells parents and teachers what they need to know to talk to kids about issues like  Net Ceteracyberbullying, sexting, mobile phone safety, and protecting the family computer.

I’ve taken a look at this guide and like it. It’s sensible, straight-forward, and best of all, not fear-based. It contains positive messages about Internet use and real facts (what a concept!) It addresses parents of teens, who need different information than younger children.

Best of all, it’s FREE. You can order the print version of Net Cetera in English or Spanish. If you need lots of them, for your whole school, for example, bulk orders are available from the government printing office. Yes, your tax dollars being used for something useful!

Other links:

There is a nice article about it in the The Christian Science Monitor if you need more information.

Sylvia

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Free webinar: Education in the Digital Age from PBS Teachers LIVE!

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

via PBS Teachers | PBS Teachers LIVE! Webinars.

December 8, 2009, 8-9PM ET : Education in the Digital Age: a tour of FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation

FRONTLINE producers have learned a lot during a year-long, multi-platform project exploring the impact of the Web and digital media on life in the 21st century. PBS Teachers invites anyone interested in teaching about and with digital technology to join this FREE webinar touring FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation website.

The Digital Nation website will include online video reports on how the Internet and technology are changing cultures, reshaping workplaces and creating new approaches to the way we solve problems. Issues to be examined include the Web’s impact on education, how social media has changed the way individuals interact, and Internet safety and privacy. Central to the site will be a mosaic of user-generated content designed to let visitors participate in the documentary process. The site also will feature a producers’ blog, embeddable video and other sharable content, and a schedule of live online events with expert guests.

More information and registration.

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Back to School: 15 Web Tools for Students

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Back to School: 15 Essential Web Tools for Students.

Mashable put together a nice list of (mostly free) tools for staying organized, studying, collaborating, and citing sources. Good for teachers too!

Sylvia

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ASCD does it again! Free e-book: Challenging the Whole Child E-Book (Limited Time)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

ASCD has done it again!

A few months ago they published the first of a series of e-books on the “Whole Child”. I was honored that my article (Working with Tech-Savvy Kids) was selected to be in that issue. My post about that is here, but now you have to pay for that first issue.

Now the second of the series is out, and ASCD is offering it for free for a limited time.

Challenging the Whole Child E-Book Free for Limited Time – ASCD blog post explaining offer (August 3-16, 2009)

Sample chapters (PDF)

I’m not in this one, and not as familiar with the authors, but I trust ASCD and the editorial staff of Educational Leadership. The selections look timely and useful, and you can’t beat the price.

And don’t miss the companion study guide and the always free, always updated Whole Child Blog.

Sylvia

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How I ended up in the New York Times

Friday, July 10th, 2009

OK, right. (My kids always seem to start their crazy stories this way.)

The other day I was working and glanced at Twitter. I swear, just a little. I saw a tweet that said something like, “Do you play games on your iphone”. I answered the tweet and pretty soon an email showed up saying I had a message on Facebook. It’s from a New York Times reporter asking if would I mind answering a few questions about playing games on my iphone.

Seriously, the New York Times wants to talk to me.

The reporter calls me the next day and we talk for 20 minutes about games and if I was a gamer (no) and why I play games on the iphone now. Then she asks if would be OK if she sent a photographer over to take some photos of me playing games. I’m thinking, how crazy is this? (and what should I wear!) But sure, why not.

The next morning a freelance photographer calls. She’s in Pasadena, a good hour drive from where I am. But she shows up and spends another hour taking photos of me playing games. She especially likes one game, Jelly Car, because it’s simple and has large graphics that show up well on camera. I play a beginner level for 10 minutes, starting over and over again while holding it in different ways.

And yes, it comes out. And I’m quoted for one line, and of course she managed to work in my age. Was that necessary? But best of all, I don’t hate the photo!

nytimes1

Here’s the link to the article, Yet Another Vogue for iPhones (you’ll need to register (free) for the New York Times.) It’s about how casual game players are a new market for games. No, it’s not about ME, but hey, I got the big photo.

That’s what you get for answering a tweet in the middle of the day!

Sylvia

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Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Constructivist Celebration logoThe third annual Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009 in Washington DC is now open for registration!

Join colleagues in a daylong celebration of creativity, computing & constructivist learning on June 28th, 2009. This is the day before the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, DC starts.

The Constructivist Celebration is an opportunity for you to let your creativity run free with the world’s best open-ended software tools in a great setting with enthusiastic colleagues who share your commitment to children, computing, creativity and constructivism. You might think of this stimulating event as a spa day for your mind and soul!

The day kicks off with a keynote, by Gary Stager “What Makes a Great Project?,” and a presentation by Melinda Kolk on unleashing student creativity.

Then you will enjoy five hours of creativity on your own laptop using software provided by consortium members FableVision, Inspiration, LCSI, and Tech4Learning. Representatives of SchooKiT and Generation YES will also be on-hand to assist.

The day ends with an inspirational talk by best-selling author, illustrator, animator and software developer, Peter Reynolds and an opportunity to reflect on the day.

The Constructivist Celebration is an incredibly affordable event for you and your colleagues. $35 gets you hundreds of dollars worth of open-ended creativity software, a great lunch and the day’s activities.

The Constructivist Celebration @ NECC
June 28, 2009, 9:00 – 4:00 PM
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC

Find out more and register today at:

http://www.constructivistconsortium.org

Register today! Space is extremely limited and this event was completely sold out last year.

Sylvia

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Bookmark This!

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

A few months ago I got an email from an editor at Cable in the Classroom magazine asking me for a few recommendations for “must read” educational blogs and a one-line review. I figured that these shouldn’t be the obvious ones, but the ones that I go to first in my blog reader. Well, right after Dilbert, anyway.

Here’s the final article PDF: Bookmark This! Who’s on the leading edge of ed-tech blogging? Our panel of educators shares their must-read lists.

They didn’t use every recommendation on my list, so here are my original suggestions in no particular order:

Bridging Differences Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier This blog is a treasure. These two experts disagree about much in education. But they have a cogent, civilized conversation about it in their posts. It’s what every conversation online or off should aspire to.

Blue Skunk Blog Doug Johnson – funny and real, authentic librarian/technologist voice from the trenches

Artichoke - A deep, deep thinker

Dangerously Irrelevant Scott McLeod – straddles academia, K-12 technology and leadership

Dy/dan Dan Meyer – A math teacher who walks the talk

Learning is Messy Brian Crosby – reat stories that illustrate the ups and downs of the classroom.

Practical Theory Chris Lehmann – Principal of the Science Leadership Academy, Chris grounds his innovative leadership and ed tech ideas in a deep understanding of pedagogy, progressive teaching, and ethics.

The Fischbowl Karl Fisch – This blog is both the staff development blog for a Colorado high school team of teachers and tech coordinators, but also a great source of information

Tuttle SVC Tom Hoffman – Sharp, biting commentary about the history and politics of progressive education, ed tech and open source software use in schools.

Classroom 2.0 – Actually, this is a Ning social network, but contains blogs, and has many teachers new to ed tech blogging, chatting, and discussing.

Stager-to-Go Gary Stager – opinionated, outspoken advocate for children and authentic technology use. Says things that need to be said, but are typically only whispered to your closest friends.

ASCD Newsblast – a thoughtful selection and commentary on education headlines.

Eduwonkette – Really good analysis of education policy and statistics (Unfortunately she stopped blogging in January 2009)

Advancing the Teaching Profession Barnett Barry – Focus on what teacher quality really means and how to get there.

List of all articles available online from the Cable-in-the-Classroom May 2009 issue.

I love all these blogs for very different reasons. Some because of the quality of writing and thought, some for the adventure of never knowing what they will say, some because their voices pierce through the glut of information found online. All of them make me happy that blogs exist and optimistic about the future of online collaboration and communication.

Sylvia

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