Tag Archives: UTC

Upstate Technology Conference (UTC) 2010 Reflections, Part 2

Posted on by
4726097612_32e76d3c7c_b

Me, Fran, & Cathy. Photo by looneyhiker!

Wednesday, June 22nd

Andi Fansher – Social Networking in MY Classroom?

Andi created a template in Publisher using social network categories for various projects across subjects.  Science created Spacebook using planets as their “people” and English created pages for novel characters, etc.  This wasn’t quite the session I expected, I thought it would be more on how to teach social networking, not using social networking in projects, it was still an interesting session.  I particularly liked the student examples/completed projects.  They were very creative and I would think the kids had fun.  I’ve had an English teacher use this type of project for a novel assignment, but using a more simple template.  I like Andi’s more involved template and the fact that for things like the buttons page and for things like “affiliations/groups” the kids would have to use what they know/read to decide what to use instead of just pulling the answers from the texts.

Hall Davidson – Great Secret “C” for Content Creation: Cromakey

I personally use a Mac, but we are a PC district.  I liked how he showed how to use the Mac’s free Photobooth program as well as Adobe Premiere Elements to quickly and easily create green screen projects.  These were REALLY simple tools/directions that even elementary age kids could use.  He used video clips from StreamlineSC as the backdrop.  I can’t adequately describe the session here.  I will say I’ll get Cathy back for making us sit on the front row.  I got called out of the audience to come up and demonstrate how easy it is to use Photobooth and a StreamlineSC video to create a green screen effect.  On the bright side, I did receive a Planet Earth DVD for being a volunteer.  I just hope the “video” I “starred” in doesn’t get posted to YouTube!  How embarrassing – especially since I didn’t know anything about the video clip on blood I was supposed to be narrating!

Keynote: Hall Davidson – The Teacher With a Thousand Brains*

Used Wallwisher, Google Docs, and PollEverywhere to demonstrate the power of Web 2.0 for an “instant teacher network.”  Again, this session was recorded and should be made available in StreamlineSC.

*BTW: StreamlineSC is what Discovery Education/United Streaming is called in South Carolina.  So those of you with United Streaming or Discover Education access, you might also check to see if these keynotes are available to you.

Instead of lunch, we went to the room we were presenting in so that we could set up.  It is a good thing we did as we had some technical problems.  In the end, I had to use my aircard in order for us to have access to the full content we needed.  Isn’t that typical of a school setting – even though we were told the firewall/filter was open for the day to allow presenters to access normally blocked sites.  Our session:

There’s An App for That: Using Web Apps to Organize, Simplify, and Enrich Your Life

Program description:  ”Come learn about web applications and 2.0 tools that help educators both streamline and enhance their professional (and personal) lives. See real examples and learn tricks and tips as Cathy, Heather, and Fran take attendees through a tool showcase (including Zamzar, Evernote, Dropbox, and iGoogle). Leave equipped to “organize, simplify, and enrich” your life knowing “there’s an app for that!”

Fran Bullington introduced iGoogle and how she uses it to organize, simplify, and enrich her life. http://bit.ly/CreatingPersonalHomePages

Cathy Nelson introduced Dropbox and how she uses it to store documents and files and share them with others.  http://bit.ly/usingdropbox

I introduced Evernote and how I’m using it to organize and store information.  http://bit.ly/UsingEvernote

Our session was PACKED.  See screenshot from the photo gallery UTC put together:

Screen shot 2010-07-02 at 10.49.21 AMThis was a good and bad thing – good because lots of people were interested in our session, bad because it was so full we were unable to move around.  Our original plan was to introduce the tools and then allow attendees to play with the tools while we circulated and answered any questions/problems.  Unfortunately, I got waylaid at the front of the room and I have not idea where my two co-presenters got waylaid.  There was no way we could circulate!  Cathy wrote up a good evaluation of this on her blog.

Critiquing my own “performance” I have to say it wasn’t that great.  I had a list of what I wanted to cover (since we were limited to our time), but decided to “wing it” instead.  So of course, I forgot some things and expanded on others that weren’t as important.  I also believe I lost the focus of the session which was to show how teachers can use these tools in their personal life first.  You have to become comfortable with the tools yourself before you can begin to implement them within your classroom/curriculum.  I think all three of us failed to emphasize this point in our talks – yeah, we gave examples and told how we were using the tools personally, but we didn’t EMPHASIZE that the point was to play, learn, use the tools yourself.

Looking over the feedback surveys was interesting.  There were only 19 completed in a room of 30 computers – with at least another 20 folks sitting/standing around the room.  Not a bad total considering.   We should also have thought to have some hardcopies and/or index cards for folks who didn’t have a computer to have the opportunity to give us feedback or ask questions.  Some comments surprised me:

“a good sequel woud be to share a document of ideas for use in the classroom.”  (emphasis mine)

“… I think a hand out would be wonderful.” (emphasis mine)

“written step by step handout.” (emphasis mine)

“… I would have liked to have seen more actual uses for each tool, especially Evernote and Dropbox.  Demonstrating the actual use of each would have been helpful, e.g., uploading and downloading files or organizing info. within the site …”

Okay, folks, we’re at a TECHNOLOGY conference.  We gave you links to our presentation materials.  We’re not going to have physical handouts!  I will admit that one of the things we failed to do was have one place (online) where all of the links were located and to have this page up on the computers before the attendees arrived.  That’s the plan for our next presentation and Cathy has already got us a page up.  We’ll also be closing the doors once all computers are full so we can give people time to sign up for accounts and play with the programs – upload files, add things, organize, etc. and be able to circulate to help and answer questions.

After our session, there was more talking, lunch, and then the closing session.  Overall, I enjoyed my time at UTC and look forward to next years!

Upstate Technology Conference (UTC) 2010 Reflections, Part 1

Posted on by

Screen shot 2010-06-24 at 2.39.48 PM

This marks the third UTC that I’ve attended and I thank Cathy Nelson for telling me about this wonderful, FREE!, conference.  That said, after looking over the session offerings for Tuesday, I decided there wasn’t one that was calling out “attend me, attend me” so decided to sleep in a little later before heading over to Wade Hampton HS.  Thankfully, Fran Bullington had mentioned the school had been changed, otherwise, I’d have gone to last year’s location!  However, I still got turned around, despite Fran having driven me by Wade Hampton on Monday afternoon.  Fran to the rescue – stayed on the cell until she guided me to the pot holed lot next to the school – not part of the school, but all of the school’s parking was filled and people were having to make their own parking spots.

I started to cut the above out as rambling, but the reason I didn’t was to make a second criticism of this years UTC – PARKING WAS RIDICULOUS.  I understand that there was a good reason to switch schools this year, but couldn’t they have picked a school with adequate parking?  They knew 1300 folks had signed up, but there wasn’t enough parking for half that number!!!  And on Wednesday, people who parked in the pot holed lot were told to move their cars or they’d be towed at the lot’s owners orders.  Where else were they supposed to park???

Okay, you may have been asking what was the first criticism, well I guess I’m getting jaded, but looking over the session offerings for both days, there weren’t but a few that looked promising to me.  Most of the programs, products, topics, etc. were of things I already use and/or knew about.  As Cathy would say, then it is time for me to start presenting instead of partaking!  So I guess my agreeing to present with her and Fran was a good thing.

Keynote: Hall Davidson – Deep Dive into Digital: Moving from Trees to Bits

Awesome!  A little chaotic and speedy delivery at times, but entertaining and informative.  I’m told that both of Hall Davidson’s keynotes were recorded by ETV and will be made available in StreamineSC at a later date.  So SC folks keep checking back as you’ll definitely want to watch them!  This session was about how technology changes over the last couple/three decades have improved or changed the way we teach and how students learn.  As the session description says: “Moving classroom practice more deeply into digital resources provides major benefits for differentiation, extended learning, assessment, remediation, and data gathering for effectiveness.”

Chris Craft’s – Don’t Read to Me: A Presentation on Presentations (version 2.0)

This was the only concurrent session that I attended on Tuesday.  Chris was the keynote at last year’s UTC.  I encourage you to go watch the video of his keynote.  I have seen Chris’s Don’t Read to Me presentation a couple of times before and he always adds or changes it to keep it updated.   While the concept of Cognitive Load Theory is the meat and potatoes of his message, the change up of including group discussion and guest “speakers” via video/audio with tips for dos and don’ts in presentations were excellent additions to this years session.  For full disclosure, I admit that I am a huge fan of Chris’s and consider him a good friend, so while I am biased, I still think if you have the opportunity to hear him speak you should attend!

photo

Chris and MaryAnne

fran and cathy

Fran and Cathy

After Chris’s session we (Cathy, Fran, Chris, and I) went into downtown Greenville and had lunch at Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant on Main.  MaryAnne Sansonetti joined us a little later and we ended up staying there and chatting until almost 5pm.  At which point we drove back to get our respective cars and then ended up going out for the Tweetup at Sharkey’s Pub at 6pm – where we met MaryAnne, Donna Teuber, Shirley Smith, and one of Shirley’s friends (sorry I can’t remember her name!)  Yes, MaryAnne, I’m still jealous that you’re getting the iPhone 4 and I’m REALLY jealous that Chris has an iPad to play with for the next couple of weeks!  But, I will resist temptation to upgrade phones and/or purchase an iPad!   Don’t you love my restraint?

Overall, a great day for meeting up and catching up with friends.  Part 2 of UTC Reflections to come …

Photo credit: ME! I snapped these with my lowly iPhone 3GS while I thought no one was looking!

Schools Out For the Summer!

Posted on by

2654853125_e971677338

“Schools Out for Summer …  Out till fall, We might not go back at all”  - Schools Out by Alice Cooper

Wow, seems like just yesterday we started back and now the year is done.  This was a crazy and busy year and I am very glad to have it over; however, the end also brings students and faculty moving on to better endeavors.

Friday we celebrated our 87 seniors graduating – their last official act as students of Wagener-Salley HS.  May their futures bring them all they dream and desire.   A bright spot of graduation was seeing former students there to see their family and friends graduate.  Two former drama club members, one a founding member, were there to see their sister graduate.  I don’t know how I’m going to deal with no longer having a Parsons with me next year!

Friday also marked the end of our time with the faculty who will not be returning next year.  I will especially miss seeing Ms. Blizzard’s smiling face and our talks of God, art, family and sharing.  I will miss the ladies of Special Ed – it has been a joy to work with you guys and you will be hard to replace!  Kyle, I would have loved to have worked with you more to incorporate our shared interest in technology with your students’ learning.  I hope we continue to learn and share from each other.

The one teacher that is hardest for me to have to say goodbye is, of course, Carrie.  Carrie, are you sure you have to go?  I know, it is time to move on, but I’m loosing too many of my dear friends.  Who am I going to rely on for PowerTeacher backup?  Who’s gonna be my collaboration buddy now?

DON”T LEAVE ME!!!!

But seriously, I wish you and all of the folks heading out that you live your dreams and find happiness where ever you land.  Knowing you all, you’ll have no problems making new friends.  I also believe that those who will have your positions next year, while they can never replace you guys, they will find their place and we’ll build new friendships, too!

On the library side, my End of the Year Report can be found on the library webpage - scroll down the left side and you’ll find a section called Reports.  While the format is the same as last year, I’ve added some sections and lots of photos to make it more visually pleasing.  I’ve also created an iMove from the photos taken in the library and at library events.  Unfortunately, I cannot post it to the public web as I don’t have student permissions.  I will try to load it to my Dropbox account and if you want to view it, let me know and I’ll send you the shared link.

322013191_3829b3216e_m

Summer plans:

If you don’t have plans already, why not come join me at the Upstate Technology Conference June 22nd and 23rd?  I’ll be co-presenting with Cathy Nelson, LMS at Dorman HS and Fran Bullington, LMS at Boiling Springs HS.  Our session, There’s an App for That: Using Web Apps to Organize, Simplify, and Enrich Your Life is Wednesday, June 23rd from 1-2pm.

Well also be presenting the same session at the ETV Technology Workshops July 27th – 29th.  I’ll also be presenting a session titled Web 2.0 Speed Dating. I’d love to see some of you guys there!  (but don’t feel you have to come to my sessions, just come learn and share with us!)

I plan to keep myself very busy this summer – I was really bored last year since I didn’t go anywhere or do anything.  This year I will be at three conference (UTC, ETV, and the High School’s That Works National Conference in Kentucky).  I will be spending a week in Orlando, Florida.  I’m meeting with former teachers and my co-presenters this week.  I’m meeting another fellow librarian in Charleston one weekend.  Then there’s my Grandmother’s 80th Birthday and we’re planning a huge party and it just so happens to be on the SAME day as my 20th High School Reunion (ye-gads!  20 years – where did the time go?)

But most of all, I will be reading, reading, reading.  I have 80+ books still to read from the consideration list for the SC Young Adult Book Award Committee.  The goal is to have them all read before our August meeting, so keep you fingers crossed for me!

Have a Spectacular Summer!

Creative Commons Flickr Photo Credits:  “Summer” by Teo’s Photo  and “Summer Feet” by aussiegall