• Lab Safety


• Newtonrsquo;s Laws


• Spacesuits


• Sports (in space) Demo

All media can be previewed online. Audio clips are mp3 files. Videos are downloaded in a zipped folder containing mp4 video, Windows Media Video, and a transcript in MS Word.

A stipend of $1000.00 and a free registration to the 2010 MACUL Conference, March 10-12, 2010 will be awarded to 10 selected educators to produce high-quality enhanced or video podcasts in one subject area to be posted at MI Learning on iTunes U. Visit www.macul.org gt; MI Learning on iTunes U gt; MI Learning Information for application details. Application window: April 1 - May 26, 2009.

Read a related article about iTunes U on eSchoolNews

For more info browse to: http://crm.nettrekker.com/necc09/

LISD TECH Center Principalrsquo;s Blog, Lenawee ISD

Mr. Musolfrsquo;s Mathematics Blog, Britton-Macon Area School

Mrs. Spohn - Third Grade, Onsted Elementary

Room 14 Third Graders, Adrian Michener Elementary

TMS News, Tecumseh Middle School

The list above is not exhaustive. Please send links or leave a comment pointing to other blogs from Lenawee schools.

We believe that online social networking is a powerful tool for learning and positive action worldwide. A platform that is both self-guided and collaborative, both easily accessible and inherently complex, online social networking, in theory, enables action along a wide spectrum of skills and engagement. Empowered by technology to create, share, and connect online, individuals who have collaborated to take action via social networking have produced significant, unexpected achievements in political, social, and cultural spheres—from uncovering inaccuracies in network news reporting to coordinating humanitarian assistance in response to events such as the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

And yet, social networking has come under fire from parents, schools, and authorities, who aim to limit young people’s access to these tools. Although these are valid claims in some cases, social networking and other forms of digital media engagement have the potential to enable new kinds of learning, empowering youth to become a driving force in creating and shaping a shared future in an increasingly interconnected world. By keeping the spirit of ymex.org focused on positive social change and cross-cultural exchange, we envision ymex.org to be a space where this can happen.

It is important for researchers, practitioners, parents, educators, and policy-makers to understand how young people around the world are currently using and thinking about social networking and digital media, as well as how social networking and digital media can best be used as an instrument for education and social engagement on a global scale. This is a long-term, overarching goal for the field of digital media amp; learning at-large, but we hope ymex.org can contribute in substantial ways.

The site includes embedded video and audio, external links to media, digital photos, comments, discussion boards, online groups and more. One point of care/concern is proper citation or copyright of media that has not be created by users. Read the guidelines for using the site.

The teachers, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, have created a web site to teach other educators about their methodology: http://educationalvodcasting.com/

A page of their site includes a narrated slideshow from Bergmann and Sams detailed their teaching methods and achievement data. The page, In the News, includes a TV newscast about the teachers and the process as well as other links to press.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) are extremely pleased that on September 30 Congress passed, as part of S. 1492, an update to the Childrenrsquo;s Internet Protection Act which requires schools participating in the E-Rate program to educate students regarding appropriate behavior on social networking and chat room sites and about cyberbullying. ISTE and CoSN have advocated for this approach for many years and we are pleased that Congress has now ratified our position. Education, not mandatory blocking and filtering, is the best way to protect and prepare Americarsquo;s students.

We must single out for particular praise today Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Co-Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) for introducing the Internet safety education language in separate legislation and working tirelessly to ensure its inclusion in S. 1492. We also appreciate the efforts of Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), who introduced the very same language on the House side.

Both CoSN and ISTE believe that the Internet contains valuable content, collaboration and communication opportunities that can and do materially contribute to a studentrsquo;s academic growth and preparation for the workforce. However, we recognize that students need to learn how to avoid inappropriate content and unwanted contacts from strangers while online. In our view, educating students on how to keep themselves safe while online is the best line of defense because no technological silver bullet has yet been devised that will guarantee that students are effectively protected. Therefore, we embrace wholeheartedly the thoughtful approach that S. 1492 takes, particularly the flexibility that it affords districts on determining how best to educate students about staying safe online.

Congressrsquo; passage of S. 1492 represents real progress in the area of Internet safety and we urge President Bush to sign it into law.

To learn more about the organizations, visit www.iste.org and www.cosn.org.

link to source on ISTErsquo;s web site

Herersquo;s another bleeding edge use of technology that may have some professional video production folks cringing: Mobilife Film Festival - a video festival from Culture Unplugged Studios about ldquo;capturing and sharing our mobile liferdquo; by using devices like video-capable cell phones. Video submissions must be less than 2 minutes in length and fit into one of 5 categories - comic moments, enlightening experiences, eco-friendly lifestyles, breaking boarders, or citizen watch. Rolling!

December 12, 2008 at St. Clair RESA

January 30, 2009 at Muskegon ISD

Stayed tuned for further details.

In an interview, Michigan Department of Education’s Director of Educational Technology and Data Coordination, Bruce Umpstead said these rich media assets for teachers, students and parents, “make education more relevant to where the students are at today.”

According to Director Umpstead, iTunes is blocked by most school districts due to the possibility of questionable content and downloading large amounts of data not related to curriculum that have the ability to clog schools’ networks.  So, why go through iTunes to distribute media? Director Umpstead citied these reasons:

•    To get educational media into the hands of students, engage them as lifelong, 24 hour learners, outside of classrooms

•    For parents to understand that the hardware their children use (computers, mp3 players, etc.) can be used as learning tools to access relevant educational content. When parents start to ask districts about using these technologies, districts start to listen.

•    For teachers to post media

•    Apple (iTunes) has a big share in the distribution of digital media

Unfortunately, at this time a glance at the 100 or so pieces of media on MI Learning shows that many of items are not geared toward students. Only about 30% focus on curriculum (Marketing).

Michigan Department of Education has partnered with MACUL on the project. Judy Paxton is the part time coordinator. She can be contacted at jpaxton@macul.org

Related links:

Listen to the Inside Michigan Education interview with Bruce Umpstead

Related article in the THE Journal (note: site supported by many ads)

Pink’s central ideas in an insufficient nutshell:

Routine work in the USA is disappearing, and right brain abilities (see below) are becoming more critical to our economy. The “write-right” rule applies: If you can write down the steps of a process and there is a right answer, then the task will go to the place that can supply providers of the task at the lowest cost. Right-brain abilities can be nurtured and developed.

Pink claims that the 3 questions that matter now can help determine who gets ahead and who gets left behind:

Can someone overseas do it cheaper?

Can a computer do it faster?

Is what you are doing in demand in and age of abundance?

He says that the 3 factors contributing to the offshoring of logical left-brained tasks are:

Abundance

We’ve experienced huge changes in middle class living standards in the last couple of generations. Example: We now have more automobiles than licsenced drivers. We need self-storage units for our extra stuff outside of our homes which translates into an industry that is larger than the motion picture industry.

Asia

The highly educated fraction of the people in India and China overwhelm entire populations in other regions of the world. By 2010 India will become the world’s largest English-speaking country.

Automation

Routine work that can be done by computers (ie. some kinds of legal work, preparing taxes, etc.) cuts into our need for certain professional services.

There are 6 right-brain abilities that are hard to outsource and automate and matter most in an age of abundance (read the book for detailed definitions and suggestions for exercises):

• Design


• Story


• Empathy


• Symphony


• Play


• Meaning

A big take-away for education:

In schools we now have relatively good access to hardware (computers, camcorders, cameras, headsets, mp3 players/recorders, etc.) and software (Photo Story, iMovie, Audacity, Inspiration, Garageband, web 2.0 apps) that allow students to exercise and grow their right-brain capacities, however it is clear that we need to change our instructional practices and expectations so that students are engaging with these tools in meaningful ways.

According to MACUL, ldquo;Last year over 50 schools demonstrated technology-rich projects to legislators to help raise their awareness about how students learn in the 21st century. Last year’s displays included local history projects, robotics, student broadcasting, computer repair and support, digital storytelling, scientific classroom technology, and much, much more.rdquo;

The 2008 ATamp;T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase is free for participants and visitors. Registration is not quite ready yet but will be soon at www.classroomhelp.com/att (2007 info is still up). Keep updated through the MACUL website www.macul.org.