Start your new year inspired and connected

For those of you either ready to begin your new school year, or perhaps have just begun, here's an opportunity to start off your year inspired and connected!

Be sure to tune into the "Learning 2.0" the World-wide Virtual Conference, held from Aug. 20 to Aug 24, all free and online. There are more than a dozen keynote topics, recorded and ready for your viewing. Learn from notable speakers such as: Julie Evans of Project Tomorrow, "Connecting the Dots with Digital Learning - Speak UP 2011 National Results;" Heidi Hays Jacobs from Curriculum21; Sugatra Mitra of MIT Media Lab; Lee Rainie of Pew Research Center; and Yong Zhao of the University of Oregon, "World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students."

The Learning 2.0 Virtual Conference is presented in conjunction with Connected Educator Month,  a "month long celebration of community, with educators at all levels, from all disciplines, moving towards a fully connected and collaborative profession..."

What are others saying about the conference? Browse the comments posted on twitter using the hashtag #learning20. Remember, you don't need to know how to "tweet" or "be a twitterer" to learn from the comments of others.

A new school year begins.... time to think about applying that summer learning!

What did you learn this summer? How will what you learned help your students in the coming year? Did you discover any new tools or ways to motivate your students to learn?

This summer I attended the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia. This conference draws more than 13,000 attendees each year. There are break-out sessions, poster sessions, spotlight sessions, workshops, keynote speeches and a huge vendor floor. Fortunately, there are many archived sessions available online so I can revisit and relearn and rethink how this new knowledge will help me teach others in the coming year.

The ISTE opening keynote address was delivered by Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School: (fast forward to 29m40s to skip the ISTE opening comments).

Be sure to check out the ISTE Video on Demand page at http://isteconference.org/ISTE/2011/glance/video_on_demand.php for access to more than 50 recorded sessions!

ICE Conference Wrap Up

The 25th Annual ICE Conference (Feb. 22-25, 2011) may be history, but the learning continues. Wednesday's keynote speaker, Rushton Hurley provided a great resource to attendees, and I am now a subscriber to his Next Vista for Learning newsletter.  (Sign up here.)

The following is reprinted from the March issue:

Google Goodies 

Did you know there is a tool for recipes in Google search, allowing you to filter dishes by how many calories, how long they take to make, and which ingredients commonly go with whatever you searched on?  Neither did I!  Do a search on "lentils," look on the left, and click "recipes" to make your way to as calorie- and time-sensitive culinary delights as you choose.  Or just click here.  Culinary arts teachers, you are loved.

For the home economics teachers, give the Google wedding planner a look (I'm serious).  Someone is apparently going to win a dream wedding on that page.  Who'd have guessed?

You whose teaching includes coverage of current events, there's a YouTube tool you'll want to start following: CitizenTube.  At the moment this includes loads of videos from countries across the Middle East - a rather amazing lesson on democracy may only be a click away.

Finally, if you're wanting really creative takes on how to use Google tools, turn off the TV and take in the Google Demo Slam.  Be warned, though; this is one of those things that's hard to stop watching.  It's been going on for a while, and Monday (today, probably, as you read this), you can find out who the "Slampion" is.  I voted for the Japanese freefall skydiving-ish folks.

I echo Ruston's recommendation for the slam videos. They are great entertainment!
Spring, here we come!

ComicLife Meets Curriculum and other great resources ...

Last Thursday I hopped on board the Amtrak express from Chicago to Springfield, to attend and present two sessions at the IETC (Illinois Educational Technology Conference). My session on Google Tools for Educators was filled to capacity. I also presented on using Wikis -- one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools. I recorded both sessions and have posted the audio files on the websites. After listening to myself (doesn't everyone hate hearing their own voice?), I think that I need to work on slowing down a bit. However, by providing the audio from the session, at least the attendees can rewind and play back anything that I zipped through.

One of the sessions, "Comic Life Meets the Curriculum," was presented by Marilee Sarlitto from Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96, and Judith Epcke of Northbrook School District 28. Although I couldn't attend, I was able to review the resources on their website, which is a goldmine of information on this very engaging software. I would encourage you to check it out.

Check out the handouts and weblinks from other sessions: http://www.il-edtech.org/Handouts07_Thursday.htm and http://www.il-edtech.org/Handouts07_Friday.htm