Reflections from IETC 2012 Day One

I'm currently at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference (IETC). I'll be presenting today on Screencasting later in the day, but first I enjoyed some moments from Dr. Gary Stager's keynote presentation. I've been a fan of Dr. Stager since I first heard him present - he's passionate, engaging, and a bit over the top (in a good way). For a detailed notes and tutorial site for my Screencasting session, click here. For my notes of some highlighted sessions, hit the jump.


Keynote...Notes:

• Virtual handout available here
• The "Best" Ideas in the World: Fab/Personal fabrication, Reggio Emilia, OLPC, Generation YES, El Sistema, 826 Valencia, Big Picture Schools
• Common elements: Project-Based Learning and Personal Computing
• Using the computer to make things that would have been otherwise impossible. 
• MIT Technology Review, Buzz Aldrin cover - "We've stopped solving big problems."
• Constructive/Computational Media - greatest ROI/most learning
• The DIY Revolution - literature, tv shows, returning projects to students, access to expertise and reducing passivity
• Fab and Fab labs - Neil Gershenfeld, Bricolage
• 3D printers - design you own and actually make it
• Super Awesome Sylvia - sylviashow.com
• "If you make simple things easy to do, you make complexity possible."
• Design video games: www.microworlds.com
• Fractions: write a program that will draw a representation of any fraction in a circle.
• Reggio Emilia - city in Italy - rebuild community by investing in early childhood education
• Amusement Park for Birds
• Better Prompts: Brevity, Ambiguity, (post it note and vague), Immunity to assessment (reality is the feedback)
• Best advice: "Less Us, More Them!"
• Saturday morning - Make Memories

iPads in the Classroom Notes

• Poll Everywhere
• Everything online
• Edmodo
• Reflection app to display iPad on PC
• Handwritten Notes Lite for note taking
• GoodNotes

Every teacher needs:

• QR code reader
• QRstuff.com -free generator lets you create more than just URLs, customize the look too.
• QR bookmarklet in your browser - creates QR code for current website
• Free cloud storage - Google Drive and Dropbox
• Ability to open and edit office documents - CloudOn
• Evernote -stores passwords,how tos and to dos
• Timers- Jumbo Stopwatch, Chronolite (multiple timers)

Creativity tools:

• Mind mapping tools- inspiration maps lite (5 maps at a time), idea sketch, poppet lite, mind mash
• Sideshow creation tools- animoto, haikudeck (simple presentation editor)
• Fun - Puppet Pals and Toontastic, Sock Puppet (voice scrubbing)
• Screen casting - educreations, screen chomp, show me
• Digital Posters- Pic Collage,
• Story- Story Kit, Comic Touch Lite
• Clickers- Socrative

STEM in Math and Science

• Learning products- Google Sites,
• Increased engagement, hands-on,
• Products- Stella $500/district
• Vision, Skills (cognitive and social/life)
• Engineering Design/Problem Solving Process - mindset for students
• Problem Based Learning - Inquiry embedded in curriculum
• Library of STEM lessons
• Robotics club, Lego mindstorms, Botball competition
• STEM camp, family nights - exposure to activities
• Lessons - 1-2 hour lessons focused on problem solving, embedded within core courses
• Engineering is elementary curriculum (paid) www.mos.org
• Student blogs- discussions
• Lessons at goo.gl/PWi1L
• Tryengineering.org - library of hands-on activities
• Mindstorms - mobile collection devices, Vernier probes too
• PhET - free online simulations

Online Discussions

Scenarios:

• Too Long?
• Not moving discussion forward
• Setting Expectations - what is a substantial post?
• Create a Safe Space
• Substantial posts - move the conversation forward
• Discussion Board Expectations - no points for flexibility, rubric

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