Tech Expo 2007 Report
I had the pleasure to spend the day at the Tech Expo 2007 Conference hosted by the Lower Hudson RIC (Westchester County, New York).
While I have been a part of the Web 2.0/Read-Write web community for most of the last year and have greatly benefitted by blogging and being blogged (so to speak), it was very exciting to be with a group of educators actually dealing with bringing ourselves and our students into a new world.
And I saw and heard some amazing things from other teachers. There was a Middle School Spanish teacher, Faith Braut who is doing some really great things with podcasts with both her Spanish and ESL students. She even does testing via iPods. Check it out! There was a High School teacher, Geoff Curtis who is using podcasting to engage students in Current Issues in Education.
One of the keynote speakers, Hall Davidson, whose enthusiasm was completely infectious, challenged us to work with our students using the tools already in their pockets - cell phones and iPods especially. He carried the flag for empowering them to be citizen journalists and using their cell phones to record podcasts (via Gcast), take photos (via flickr and others), and shoot video (via youtube and others). He even did a nifty live demonstration of gcast, having an audience member call and create a podcast. All in about a minute or two. Literally.
The other keynote speaker, David Jakes, talked about what makes a new technology “sticky.” What was particularly impressive to me was that he had his presentation already posted to his wiki, so I could follow along on my laptop, checking out links and other ideas as he spoke.
The bottom line for me was finding myself inspired by great teaching. People, educators bringing themselves fully to their students. People just like me. A community.
Like I said, inspiring.
Blogged with Flock
March 16, 2007 @ 7:54 am
Gerald did a fantastic job with his presentation and the students’ work featured (Terence & Becca) “wow’ed” the audience. I am anxious to learn more about when our region will have access to Internet 2. That will change our access, speed and, hopefully, instruction in a meaningful way for our students.
Dr. Castro and I also attended a workshop on NYS software that will help administrators and teachers EASILY make sense of our students’ test results to better halp students and improve instruction. We’d like to look into that further as well.
I enjoyed the abundant supply of (trans-fat free) girl scout cookies at Edith Macy. What a treat! Thanks for sharing your reflections, Gerald!
March 16, 2007 @ 8:34 am
A great big shout out to you Gerald.
I can’t wait to talk to you more indepth about this. Our 5th grade team is always looking for new ways to use technology in the classroom. It impressive how you set “this” page up with the links to the guest speakers. Have a relaxing extended weekend.
I’ll see you Monday.
Mr. Daniel Large
March 16, 2007 @ 10:17 am
Tech Expo was a great experience from beginning to end! We were so proud of Gerald’s presentation. His ease in sharing his work with students with such a large audience totally impressed me. The possibilities presented for using podcasts in our classrooms opened my mind to a new ways to engage students in their own learning.
The keynote speakers were excellent. They presented so many exciting ideas that weren’t expensive for bringing technology into our classrooms. There were difficulties accessing the internet during their presentations, which reminded us all that as teachers in the classroom use technology, they will need back up plans when the internet doesn’t work. Both keynote presenters and the teacher presenters had such back up plans and were totally poised when the technology didn’t work!
One of the workshops I attended on new software titled, Data Mentor, was extremely interesting. It will make it possible for teachers to analyze their students’ performance on the state tests on their own, therby informing their instruction. I think it has great potential.
It was a most informative and valuable day of technology learning. I went because Gerald was a presenter, but I enjoyed the entire day. I’d attend again in the future. I loved that two of our students attended!
March 16, 2007 @ 11:49 am
I have so many questions about the use of technology in instruction. And I have a lot to learn.
I wonder about how the influx of technology into schools will further differentiate between the “have and the have nots”. How do impoverished children keep up ? What type of pressure will be passed on to families who may be resisting the urge to provide their youngsters with equipment such as cell phones and ipods ? What can we as educators do to make sure that ALL children will have access to the technology that they need to have these experiences. I also recognize that technological developments give children everywhere greater access to experiences that they might never experience otherwise. I was able to take my students to France to tour Lascaux Caves without ever leaving the school building. Awesome !
I also wonder about safety. The media points out dangerous situation that have occurred. I do not think that means we avoid the use of technology. It makes me wonder what we need to do to not only educate children about the dangers, but also protect them. For example, I would be hesitant to post students photos with their first and last names identifying them. How do we monitor the use of ipods and cell phones in schools ? When are they an educational tool and when are they a nuisance?
Congratulations on your experience at the TECH EXPO !!! I feel fortunate to have someone so knowledgeable as a colleague. It is great to be inspired and motivated to keep growing.
March 16, 2007 @ 11:53 am
For all who edit, please excuse the absence of the apostrophe in students’ photos in my previous comment.
March 16, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
Thanks for sharing the Tech Expo with us. I often think about the issue that Kira raised: the kids who have technology available vs. those that don’t The discrepancy in education between the social classes in America is growing farther apart as we find new ways for kids to access education through technology.
For the last seven years, I have sent out nightly e-mails to students. In the early years, there were at least 8 students in the class who did not have computers at home or were not connected to the internet. In the last two years, all of my students have computers at home and all but one were connected to the internet. We’ve been able to send newsletters, e-mails and more importantly informational internet sites and interactive internet sites that help enrich our curriculum for our students.
Despite the issues of economic discrepancy, I am still looking for new ways to help our students extend their education outside the classroom and in the classroom. I’m particularly interested in using podcasts to help our students who need to ‘catch up’ on skills. I’ve seen examples of teachers using podcasts as study aides to help students memorize and master skills that have previously eluded them.
Are we looking at a time in the near future, where we request funding for i-pods for students who may not have access to computers or i-pods? It may possibly become a tool that may help our underprivileged kids and our special needs kids catch up to our privileged population.
For the kids who have reached mastery, I see the podcasts as another avenue to express themselves, among the myriad of other technological options out there. I’m particularly intrigued by the speaker who was a proponent for a new kind of journalism ‘by the people.’ This is something I’d love to see us pursue at PVC.
March 18, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
Kira’s response got me thinking about the digital divide. I began searching the internet and came across several articles addressing this idea. The one I found most intriguing was
Haves, Have-Nots, and Have-to-Haves: Net Effects of the Digital Divide
By: Elory Rozner
Found at the below url.
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/fallsem98/final_papers/Rozner.html
I was very interested in the whole idea of the “have to haves”.
“Corporations are working hard to narrow the digital divide, which is not surprising; after all, the more people who own computers, the better the computer business. To narrow the divide, corporations are addressing have-nots, know-nots, and do-nots; in the process, corporations breed a culture of have-to-haves.”
The article continues to addressed “WIRED” schools by saying,
“The wiring of the nation’s classrooms to the Internet illustrates this corporate push and have-to-have effect. Because schools cannot afford the connections (thereby earning the status of have-nots), telecommunications companies, via “net days,” are donating products and installing wiring systems.”
The conclusion of this article serves also somewhat as an abstract of the article.
“Corporations are systematically and successfully targeting the digital divide’s have-nots and know-nots and are creating instead a population of have-to-haves, enthusiasts who know not why they purchase or use technology. If consumers do not think critically about technology or understand the power of the Internet, they surrender themselves to technology. In doing so, they allow the Internet to blur not the lines between race and age, but the lines between the virtual and the real.”
Thank you Kira for sparking interesting food for thought.
March 21, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
I appreciate the discussion and the article.
I think a good deal of our use of technology and, at least in some circles, the belief in technology as the “magic bullet” for education.
This year (so far) I have used a class blog. While I may have gotten into it for the technology, I stayed (so to speak) for the literacy. I found students’ work to improve dramatically. It is that simple. And blogs are free.
My point is that if there were a non-technology method to have that result, I would use it, even if it meant using less than expected amounts of technology in my classroom.
March 24, 2007 @ 2:48 pm
[...] Earlier, I wrote about presenting at a technology conference for educators in New York. I had the chance to speak about using podcasting as a instructional tool (and a powerful one) in my 7th and 8th grade science classroom. [...]
March 25, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
Dan thank you for locating the article you cited above. The neat thing about this conversation is that it gives us time to research, read, reflect and respond.
In the time since I last wrote, I have met with Gerald to create a blog activity for my students. I am nervous. This will be a new experience for me and I am fast coming to the realization that in a room full of 25 students, I am the only one nervous. If I am a role model for learning than I must also learn.
My age (not that old) also demands that I be reflective and perhaps hesitant. I do not want to have a new toy, just for the sake of having it. I want to know how to use it and I want to make sure that it is effective. This is what I took away from the article you shared. Educators need the knowledge to use the technology. Having the equipment without the knowledge is the equivalent to have home gym equipment that serves as a coat rack.
March 25, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
Apologies, I found my least favorite error in my last comment. My students would love this. Groan.
The ever popular error then vs than. I should have used then. It should read, ” …then I must also learn. “
April 10, 2007 @ 8:37 am
Gerald, I am inspired and awe-struck by the ease with which you use technology on a daily basis in the classroom. And I know from listening to the kids that they enjoy it and are eager to do their assignments because of it. I am anxious to know more about the middle school Spanish teacher at the conference who uses it for both her Spanish and ESl students. Is there a link to see and hear her work?
Since this conference, you have been so helpful in creating my own blog, which I am nervous about using, but want very much to try out with the kids. The podcast from the visiting students from Leon, Espana, will be the first reason they can use it. And I am excited that the French students will be able to create a podcast next week.
Because language at this level is so communicative (i.e. oral), I think that podcasts are a good way to go to supplement the in-class activities in language. And it is a great way to invite students to immerse themselves in the culture, right in the classroom (as Kira did with her French caves trip).
I am excited to explore ways in which to use this technology in our FL classrooms, and applaud you for sparking our interest and showing us the way.
Sally
December 3, 2007 @ 3:25 am
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