11 Tips for Keeping Up with Technology

Theser are some great tips for keeping up.  It was created by @sylviaduckworth The main message is "Don't try to keep up with it all and build your networks of colleagues to help you keep learning."

Do you have any tips that you would add to this?  Please leave them in the comments section.

Z

Join Us at the Online PD Community at ITEC

Are you going to the ITEC Conference on Oct 12 - 14?  

Will you be heading to Des Moines, Iowa to engage with 1500 other educators on October 12 - 14?   It will be an incredible opportunity to learn about what other educators are doing with Educational Technology in their classrooms and schools.

Can't make it physically?  Join us virtually.
Join our Online PD Community  (OPDC) virtually through your computer or phone on Monday or Tuesday.  

This is your opportunity to connect with speakers who are joining us from Shanghai, Sydney, Chicago, Atlanta and even Torrance, California. These are leaders who will be speaking on a wide range of topics including Maker Rooms, Badging, Flipped Classrooms, Coding for Kids and Digital Apps.

Here is a 7-minute video which will tell you about OPDC and how you can connect to these exciting discussions through your digital device.  The schedule of presentations follows (along with links to get there.)

	Monday - October 13	Tuesday - October 14
8:00 – 8:50		Bring Digital Badges to your School or Classroom Michael Boll - Shanghai, China
11:10 – noon	21+ Digital Learning Tools Every 21st Century Teacher Should Know! Leigh Zeitz - Cedar Falls, IA
11:00 – 11:50		Flipped Class for Administrators Jon Bergmann - Chicago, IL
1:10 – 2:00	Making the Case for Making in Schools Sylvia Martinez - Torrance, CA
1:00 – 1:50		Coding for Kids Chris Betcher - Sydney, Australia
2:50 – 3:40	20 Creation Apps in 20 Minutes David Lockhart - Atlanta, GA

NOTE to Virtual Attendees:  We will be using the Zoom.us video conferencing platform for our broadcasting.  I would suggest that you click on the Zoom link before the conference to download a small applet beforehand. 

Professional Development Meme 2012 #pdmeme2012

Montgomery College

It's summer and it's time for rejuvenation and renewal. My summer class is complete. I have given my presentations at ISTE '12. School doesn't begin until August 20. This gives me some time for some professional development.  I am constantly learning every day, but this is my opportunity to identify some specific short term goals for PD.

I was just reading Clif Mim's blog, Clif's Notes, where he was talking about setting some personal PD goals for the summer. He has set this up as a blog meme (or template) that he could share it with other bloggers.  He has challenged his colleagues to identify their personal professional development goals and share them with the world.

How can I pass up a challenge like this?  The more important question is how can YOU pass up a challenge like this as well?

Here's the deal.  I will begin by telling you how you can post this on your blog (copied from Clif's blog) and then share my short-term goals for the next couple of months.

Guidelines:
NOTE: You do NOT have to wait to be tagged to participate in this meme.

1. Pick 1-3 professional development goals and commit to achieving them this summer.
2. For the purposes of this activity the end of summer will be Labor Day (09/03/2012).
3. Post the above directions and these guidelines along with your 1-3 goals on your blog or preferred social media platform (Facebook, Google+, Posterous, etc.).
4. Link back/trackback to http://tinyurl.com/pdmeme
5. Use the following tag/ keyword/ category on your post: pdmeme2012.
6. Twitter about your progress using the #pdmeme2012 hashtag.
7. Tag 5 or more educators to participate in the meme.
8. Achieve your goals and “develop professionally.”
9. Commit to sharing your results on your blog during early or mid-September.

My Goals

• Submit an article concerning TPACK to a refereed journal.
• Create a preliminary proposal for my learning and millennials book. 
• Explore Google+ and create a social presence through Google+
• Explore Google Hangout and have at least one session with "friends."  (This may be too formalized, but it is a beginning.)

Other Bloggers I Tag . . .

http://www.psdgraphics.com

• Chris Betcher
• Vicki Davis
• Rob Galloway
• Steve Hargadon
• Angela Maiers
• Scott McLeod
• Miss Noor
• Kathy Schrock
• Vinnie Vrotney
• Dave Warlick

I encourage the rest of you readers (both of you) to take up this challenge as well.

Do it!  It will induce you to learn something new and challenge me to address my short-term goals as well.

If you decide to join us, leave a note in the comments along with a link to your posting.

Have fun,

Z

Related articles:

• Memejacking: The Complete Guide to Creating Memes for Marketing

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• Professional Development & The New Teacher: A Reflection On ISTE As A PLC

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• How to Use Memes to Create Social Media Engagement

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• How to encourage teachers to self reflect and be their own best Professional Development

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• Personalized Professional Development

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Exceptional Skype Video by Silvia Tolisano

I was just reading Wesley Fryer's blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity when I found his reference to Silvia Tolisano's amazing video, Around the World with Skype.

This 20-minute video is the ultimate instructional Skype video. It begins with introducing Skype and telling you how to get online. She then provides a format for connecting with other classrooms, authors, and experts from around the world. This was enlightening. She wasn't just providing rules, sharing her proven methods along with examples of connections that she and her students had made around the world. AND she has created it in both English and Spanish.

Silvia Tolisano has an international project, Around the World with 80 Schools. I must admit that I don't know much about this yet because I just signed up to join the wiki and learn more about the project. I will definitely blog about this later.

I was most impressed by the quality of the informative and instructional video. Ms. Tolisano appears to have used the digital storytelling process where she recorded the narrative first and then found visuals to accompany them. I especially liked what appeared to be original photos where she posed a wooden doll to illustrate a number of ideas that she was discussing.

I am quite pleased to have found Silvia Tolisano and look forward to following her projects.

What have you found to support using Skype in your classroom?

photo and video: Sylvia Tolisano

Teachertube is here!!!!!

I have been looking for this for a long time. It is TeacherTube.com

Teachertube.com appears to be a youtube for educators. You will note the note that notes " Keep it SAFE! Flag all Inappropriate Videos"

According to the "About Us" at the bottom of the page, Teachertube opened March 6, 2007 so it isn't even a month old. It was put together by a teacher.

This is where teachers can upload their instructional videos or videos of them instructing. What a WONDERFUL resource for professional development!!!!

Here is a video that shows how technology can help educators dance through the day.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=7f89ddbebc2ac9128303



Leigh