Tech Tuesday for 10/19

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope October is treating everyone well. The next few weeks are going to be busy for me as I embark on a few conferences and get started on some exciting new web based projects with  my students. More details will come in the future. Here some good resources for you to use in your classroom. Enjoy!

Digital Storytelling

I'm not even sure why I write a blog. Kelly Tenkely always has an amazing collection of web tools for teachers to enjoy. As teachers look for more interesting ways for students to present information, Kelly has collected 31 great digital storytelling tools in one place. Kelly's site, iLearn Technology, always has a great collection of web tools for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.

Digital storytelling is a fun way for students to present projects. Book reports can be replaces with exciting and interactive presentations that really allow students to work with the material instead of just writing up a report. As education becomes more and more digital based, digital storytelling is a great way to start getting young students used to using web based tools.

Fun Halloween Interactive Games

Here is a great collection of interactive Halloween games for our younger students. There are fun math games, description games, matching games, Halloween Dress-up Games and many more great games for the interactive whiteboard in your classroom. As we get closer to Halloween, consider adding these to class for your students to have fun and learn at the same time. Thanks to Karen Ogen and InTech InSights for compiling this great list.

Education Revolution

Quite simply, if you care about education, you should watch these videos. Sir Ken Robinson gave two talks about what is ailing the educational system. He says that education needs a revolution to save our students. He uses this quote from President Lincoln,   

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."

I love this quote when thinking about education. Education is at a crossroads and fixing a broken system is not going to cut it.

The first talk was in 2006 and his follow up talk was in 2010. He is very funny and makes excellent points. If you think education as a whole is heading in the wrong direction, watch these videos and share them with other teachers. Click here if you can't watch the videos on the page from school.








140 Character Conference

Lastly, I want to share with you a very cool event that I will actually be speaking at on Wednesday. The 140 Character Conference is a national conference that is coming to Detroit. According to the website,

"Since the launch of the #140conf events, conferences have taken place in: New York City, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv. At these events we have explored the effects of twitter on a wide range of topics including: Celebrity, “The Media”, Advertising, Politics, Fashion, Real Estate, Music, Education, Public Safety and Public Diplomacy.

The #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business.

Our schedule will be unique and fast paced. It is our intention to provide a platform for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and engage in conversation with the attending delegates. You will find individual talks set to: 10 minutes; “Featured talks” 15 and the various panel discussions are set for 10 to 20 minutes.

The take aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the effects the real-time internet will have on both “we” the people, business and society."

I'm really excited to be speaking at this conference on the importance of Real Time Communication in Education. I've seen the amazing impact RTC has had on the students in my classroom and on teachers around the world. I can't wait to meet with people from all over the area to discuss the value of Social Media on society. I'll be speaking at 10:15. Look here,

 

 You can watch me live on the 140 Character Conference site. It should be a blast. 

I hope you take a look at some of the things I have shared to today. I'll have some more info in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

As always, give it a try!

- Nick