This is a great site for educators who are searching for international collaborators online. Please add your name to the list that corresponds with your educational area of expertise. Hopefully I'll be able to follow you on Twitter soon!
Showing posts with label collaboration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collaboration. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Learning 2.0 Reflection
It was so rejuvenating to be around other mind-mates on Saturday!
For those of you who were able to either physical or virtually attend, you know from personal experience what it is like to be surrounded by people who are plugged-in to the latest trends in collaboration tools and methodology.
Hats off to my fellow presenters who had the willingness to share their passions and projects with other tech-savvy attendees. It was daunting for me to look out over a room full of people knowing that many members of the audience were either presenters at past conferences, collaborators within my school district, or district administrators.
What buoyed me was the level of interest that was demonstrated in my presentation topic. Using the wiki statistics function of Wikispaces, I was able to gauge early-on if the room was going to packed with physical attendees or if I would need to stand in the hallway pulling people in. Just knowing that I had something valuable to add to the conversation was a relief for me as a first-time presenter.
The conference didn't end over the weekend, however. The channels of communication for the conference are still open and live, so I have dedicated myself to continue the conversation beyond our physical meeting site. One avenue that I will use to try to bolster the discussion will be this page, so please feel free to post comments if you'd like.
I hope to participate again next year in this well-organized, district-supported conference.
For those of you who were able to either physical or virtually attend, you know from personal experience what it is like to be surrounded by people who are plugged-in to the latest trends in collaboration tools and methodology.
Hats off to my fellow presenters who had the willingness to share their passions and projects with other tech-savvy attendees. It was daunting for me to look out over a room full of people knowing that many members of the audience were either presenters at past conferences, collaborators within my school district, or district administrators.
What buoyed me was the level of interest that was demonstrated in my presentation topic. Using the wiki statistics function of Wikispaces, I was able to gauge early-on if the room was going to packed with physical attendees or if I would need to stand in the hallway pulling people in. Just knowing that I had something valuable to add to the conversation was a relief for me as a first-time presenter.
The conference didn't end over the weekend, however. The channels of communication for the conference are still open and live, so I have dedicated myself to continue the conversation beyond our physical meeting site. One avenue that I will use to try to bolster the discussion will be this page, so please feel free to post comments if you'd like.
I hope to participate again next year in this well-organized, district-supported conference.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Learning 2.0 Conference Update
The registration for one of my favorite conferences Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation has closed (temporarily) because physical attendance has reached maximum capacity, but the organizers are adding Elluminate sessions to make it even easier for online attendees to participate. It sounds like they have added a waiting list, so if you're interested in attending this FREE conference (virtually or physically), sign up here.
I am facilitating a session from 9:30-10:45 MST entitled Classroom 2.0 on web 2.0 tools organized around the McREL book Classroom Instruction That Works. I would love to have you join the collaboration either physically or online.
I attended last year's conference (which was also free) that featured sessions/discussions facilitated by Bud Hunt, Karl Fisch, Ben Wilkoff, and other forward-thinking educators. It was thrilling to be around like-minded folks and definitely recharged my creative juices.
Hopefully you can make it!
I am facilitating a session from 9:30-10:45 MST entitled Classroom 2.0 on web 2.0 tools organized around the McREL book Classroom Instruction That Works. I would love to have you join the collaboration either physically or online.
I attended last year's conference (which was also free) that featured sessions/discussions facilitated by Bud Hunt, Karl Fisch, Ben Wilkoff, and other forward-thinking educators. It was thrilling to be around like-minded folks and definitely recharged my creative juices.
Hopefully you can make it!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Shared Spreadsheets
Typically the students that enter my classroom each year need help with interpreting graphs, so our class is investigating how we can use technology to bridge that knowledge/skills gap.
First of all our media specialist asked if we had any classroom data that she could use to create a spreadsheet. Since we are investigating Unit Five/Six of Everyday Math (our district-approved math curriculum), we used "old-school" data and graphs (data that was collected using paper and pencil work, organized into pre-organized tables, then transformed into bar/pie graphs in student workbooks with colored pencils) to make a Microsoft Spreadsheet, then used the Chart Wizard to make a specified graph. This progression seemed to be successful because the students had already used the probability/graphing skills in class for math and could now compare what they had created "old school" with "new school" techniques.
Going one step further was adding the collaborative/interactive nature of collecting data. During math the class investigated the "fairness" of a game, and collected data on who won each day. That data was then entered "old school" into a table, but then the same data was entered online on Google Docs by each student partnership. The students loved watching their data appear in real time and many conversations erupted as the student stance on the game being fair or unfair was proven by the results of other members of the class. We continued collecting and entering data for five days until we were able to create a graph online and all view it together. We are now posting responses to the graphs on the wiki.
Some things to remember:
-Define the coordinates for each partnership beforehand to ensure that someone does not accidentally overwrite another groups data. I gave a stickynote to each partnership with their coordinates to their field written down so that the partners would remember where their row was located each day.
-Remember to give some extra time for initial experimentation so students can see their responses appear in real time.
-Remind students that this spreadsheet is accessible to the world, so no first or last names should be used.
First of all our media specialist asked if we had any classroom data that she could use to create a spreadsheet. Since we are investigating Unit Five/Six of Everyday Math (our district-approved math curriculum), we used "old-school" data and graphs (data that was collected using paper and pencil work, organized into pre-organized tables, then transformed into bar/pie graphs in student workbooks with colored pencils) to make a Microsoft Spreadsheet, then used the Chart Wizard to make a specified graph. This progression seemed to be successful because the students had already used the probability/graphing skills in class for math and could now compare what they had created "old school" with "new school" techniques.
Going one step further was adding the collaborative/interactive nature of collecting data. During math the class investigated the "fairness" of a game, and collected data on who won each day. That data was then entered "old school" into a table, but then the same data was entered online on Google Docs by each student partnership. The students loved watching their data appear in real time and many conversations erupted as the student stance on the game being fair or unfair was proven by the results of other members of the class. We continued collecting and entering data for five days until we were able to create a graph online and all view it together. We are now posting responses to the graphs on the wiki.
Some things to remember:
-Define the coordinates for each partnership beforehand to ensure that someone does not accidentally overwrite another groups data. I gave a stickynote to each partnership with their coordinates to their field written down so that the partners would remember where their row was located each day.
-Remember to give some extra time for initial experimentation so students can see their responses appear in real time.
-Remind students that this spreadsheet is accessible to the world, so no first or last names should be used.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Overseas Collaboration?
A former student from our school contacted me about two weeks ago asking if there was a way that I could help him out with a project that he was doing with the students in his class.
The difference was that I had never actually met this person face-to-face: He sent me an e-mail from Japan!
I am really excited about the possibilities that this connection offers. Not only could I learn about another country from the perspective of someone who has attended our school, but our students could do the same! No burden of time, distance, or cost.
Thank you Mr. S. for reaching out to us online. The possibilities are limitless!
The difference was that I had never actually met this person face-to-face: He sent me an e-mail from Japan!
I am really excited about the possibilities that this connection offers. Not only could I learn about another country from the perspective of someone who has attended our school, but our students could do the same! No burden of time, distance, or cost.
Thank you Mr. S. for reaching out to us online. The possibilities are limitless!
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