I believe this project will be somewhat of a game changer. Here K12 ed will have a central gathering place for resources, be they audio, video, text-based, etc. Now I can hear the catcalls and boos coming already. "Here's Apple trying to take control of our content!" I don't believe that this is what it is about at all. Look at what iTunesU has provided for Higher Ed. There are many prestigious universities sharing their content. It is not under Apple's control, they are merely providing the vehicle. Such is the case with iTunesU-K12 as well.

Go to the iTunes store, click on iTunes U, then look for the K12 listing in the bottom left column.

I personally can't wait to see the resources gathered there.

Recording from the Social Networking in PD session at EdubloggerCon08, held on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 in San Antonio, TX.

Presenters
Vicki Davis, moderatorDarren Draper
Kelly Dumont
Kristin Hokanson
Robin Ellis
Ryan Bretag
Beth Ritter-Guth
Carolyn Foote

Backchannel Presenters/ Moderators
John Maklary
Stephanie Sandifer

How can you participate?

At 1:30pm CDT on July 2, we will be participating in a NECC panel discussion that centers on the power of the network. During our presentation we hope to demonstrate to all those attending our session in person (and virtually), just how powerful global collaboration can be. Hence, we are asking for your participation in our presentation as well.

1) Join our Ustream

We will be streaming the presentation live on the Open PD Ustream channel at 1:30 pm CDT on July 2nd. You may watch here and participate in the conversation (and even ask the panelists questions).

2) Leave a comment on our voicethread

One way that you can participate now is by adding your voice to the VoiceThread below. Please take a few minutes and add your thoughts about the different tools depicted through images in the thread. We would truly like as many voices possible, offering a wide range of thought on the usefulness of the common tools we all use in our collaborations.How do you use these tools? How are they important to your professional development? Please add your voice.Insert embed code for the voice thread from this page - http://thewallscamedown.wikispaces.com/Join_In

3) Join the conversation on the NECC Educational networking site

We've created a discussion thread to converse on this panel discussion at the NECC educational networking site.

Follow our most recent announcements.

All announcements and events pertaining to this session will be announced at the Walls Came Down wiki.

See You in a Few!

I would like help from my network (that's anyone who reads this) for the next podcast. Rather than give yet another review of Leopard, I would like to know what your most favorite and least favorite features are in Leopard. If you would like to participate in the show I would love it if you would send me an .mp3 or other audio file with your most and lease favorites along with your name and blog, wiki, podcast or anything else you would like to plug. Send them to kdumont@mac.com. I would like to get the show out by next Wednesday so if you could have them to me by Tuesday I would appreciate it.

See You in a Few!

See You in a Few!

One of the tools they gravitated to the most was iChat. While most were initially excited about the opportunity to cheaply visit with distant friends and family, they soon discovered what a great tool it was for communication within their building. I wanted to leave them with a glimpse of other things that are happening and available now. I chose to show them UStream. I was afraid this might push them over the edge, but what actually happened was quite different.

Within about 10 seconds the first idea was blurted out, then another and another. Within 2 minutes they had about 10 ideas for using UStream in their classroom. None of them are new and original, but I was impressed that they came up with them. Here is what they came up with

1. Sharing presentations with parents who might not be able to attend in person.
2. Letting homebound students participate with class (shared Brian Crosby's work with them).
3. Showing and recording student behavior so adminstrator is aware (both positive and negative).
4. Allows parent's who can't normally come to the classroom to see what is going on in school.
5. Live science demonstrations showing or receiving from others.
6. Recording of teaching so students can review it later.
7. Recording student presentations so parents, grandparent's, etc. can view it later. (Password features helps)
8. Allowing guests, experts, etc. to come into the classroom from far away. (Platform neutrality the key for them here.)
9. Weekly newsletter (broadcast) for parents.
10. Nightly broadcast review of the day for students.

This list for me is not spectacular for the ideas themselves, but for who came up with them. This was a group of teachers who 6 weeks ago were afraid to do much more than write an email or browse a web page. I am going back out next month to help a few of them set up their own shows. It was pretty exciting.

The other exciting thing that came out of this class, was that by last night, I didn't have to show anyone anything. By that I mean if someone had a question about an issue with a program, or how to do this or that, I couldn't even answer. Others in the class took over and taught them how to do it. One of them even turned to me and said, "what do we need you for?" I felt proud and rejected all at the same time.

Podcast coming in a day or two.

See You in a Few!

It made me think of some of my own struggles the past few weeks. Speaking professionally, at times I have felt like I couldn't continue with things I was doing. Yet everytime I got to a low point some kind of support would come through the edtech community, be it an answer to a question or the posting of a link to conversation, or other type of discussion. This support has helped bouy me up.

Now we have this great K12 online conference and I would like to thank not only the Seedlings, but all of those who are presenting during the conference. A huge thanks as well to the conveners of the conference. I can feel the stress in posts and tweets from these tireless workers. I want them to know that there efforts are appreciated.

k12online07

We are gearing up for our annual elementary film festival. The festival will be held on April 24, 2008. The reason I am posting this here is because we have added a new category this year, Foreign Films. By foreign we mean outside of our school district. We will accept entries from any elementary (K-6) school in Utah, the US, or Worldwide. The entries can align to any of our other categories (Animation, Documentary, Feature Film, Public Service Announcement, etc.)

Entries will need to be accompanied by entry forms which can be downloaded from the link below. Entrants also need to understand that the films will be posted online for screening. Make sure you have covered any privacy issues with your own policies and procedures.
We are so excited to try branching our film festival out slowly to other schools. If you are interested in entering films in our Foreign Film category, please contact me at kelly.dumont@jordan.k12.ut.us

The information page for the Film Festival can be found here –Jordan School District Elementary Film Festival–

I have been looking forward to the K12 Online Conference, but as I woke up this morning and realized that David Warlick's opening keynote is less than 24 hours away, I got really excited. Jen Wagner tweeted yesterday that she would be up at 5:00 am tomorrow to view the keynote. I replied that I would watch it tomorrow, but not necessarily be getting up early to watch it. Thanks Jen for the challenge so to speak. As I woke up this morning I felt a lot of excitement about K12 Online. I am sure it is going to help recharge my batteries and I am really looking forward to it. Jen, I will be joining you and hopefully many others early tomorrow morning.

See You in a Few!]]> Sun, 07 Oct 2007 10:56:42 -0600 are-you-ready-i-am kdumont@mac.com http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=159 Get the Audio Here
I just finished participating in a Skype and Google chat with Vicki Davis, Darren Draper, Karen Janowski, Kristin Hokanson, Robin Ellis, Jo McLeay, Sharon Peters, Ryan Bretag, and John Maklary. We are collaborating on an NECC proposal. Using Google Docs, Google Chat, and Skype we worked on refining the proposal. This is the audio recorded from that discussion. This is such an interesting way to collaborate and plan.

I choose to believe that most are trying to do a good thing and provide a service to the educational community. I believe there is a potential for great power with each of these communities. There problem I am having is how to sort it all out personally, or where do they fit in to my PLN (Personal Learning Network). I need to make an admission here, as I get older I seem to be not able to multitask very well. Therefore the problem I am wrestling with is which network should I focus on. Right now I seem to be focused pretty much on my Twitter network. I really like the immediacy of Twitter. Last week I watched as Darren Draper put out a call for help for a solution for a class he is beginning next week. He put out the call over Twitter. Within about 45 minutes there were 6 of us participating in a test of sorts. It was a great collaborative effort. I see so much potential in that type of activity. Now I won't ignore other tools and networks, but I find myself having to be more and more selective. I am grateful for a network to be able to glean and share so much information.

One more thing. The 2007 K12 Online Conference is coming up quickly. If you have not heard about this conference or are not sure what it is about go to K12 Online Conference and find out.

A rather long winded vidcast. My experiences at the Apple Distinguished Educator's Institute this summer. My roommate was Tom Woodward of Bionic Teaching and the fabled Tech Ninja fame.

An introduction to Twitter.

Apple introduces new iMacs, iLife '08, and iWork '08. They also offer up new site licenses for iLife and iWork.

Guest Cast/Chat with Dan Schmit of Kidcast.

See You in a Few!

This is another meme experiment:

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts / habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight things and include these rules in the post.
4. At the end of your post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

---------------------------------------------

eight facts / habits about me:

1. My favourite food is lobster, but I don't have it very often.
2. My Great-Grandfather loaned J.C. Penney money to help start his first store. Instead of taking an interest in the venture he opted for his money back with a little interest.
3. My first computer was an Atari 800 XL.
4. The town where my parents lived when I was born no longer exists.
5. My first Mac was an emulator for the Atari ST.
6. I drive a car that looks like someone took a can opener to on the right side.
7. I am a comic book fan.
8. I worked at Computer City/CompUSA for 6 months while working on my Master's. Thought it would be a good way to earn tuition. Ha, Ha, Ha.

---------------------------------------------

Most everyone I read has already participated, but if you want go ahead and consider yourself tagged.

Along those same lines I have been thinking about online homes. I have places online that evoke the same feelings that being at home does. For me those homes include the Twitterverse, Google Reader, and the ADE forum pages. I also notice that when in these online home environment I tend again to shut out more of the outside influences. I am not sure this even makes sense, but let me give an example.

On Monday it was thought that a small to moderate earthquake struck in central Utah about 100 miles to the Southeast of my home. This "earthquake" caused a mine collapse trapping 6 miners. It is now being reported that actually the collapse caused the seismic readings not the other way around. Anyway, through my online homes I was aware that this had occurred except I didn't know it had happened here in Utah until about 6 hours later.

It makes me wonder if I have let myself get too comfortable in both my real world and online homes.

See You in a Few!

To the listeners, if you feel so inclined, please leave comments on the Guest Casts, Thank You.

This is an introductory workshop for the tools of the read/write web. It is about how to use the tools for the educators own professional practice.

BTW-Working on a PC and yes it is killing me. Dang noisy keyboards.

These are hugely disruptive times because of these technologies.The important piece to this is learning to create your own learning environments, because this is what are students are going to need to learn to do.

A little discussion about blocking the tools, etc.

First working with Wikis. Using Wikispaces. The intelligence services of the US are using a wiki. Difference between wikis and blogs. Blogs about conversation, wikis about dumping information. Wikispaces not cooperating so we're switching to Google.

Looking at Google Reader. Describing RSS and how Google Reader Works.

Going over how to subscribe to feeds with Reader.
Spending a lot of time on features of Google Reader (Shared Items, Tags (which I haven't used, but great idea).

Now looking at Del.icio.us. (It too is being a little balky. I actually think it is the network here).

Now playing with PageFlakes. Haven't done so before, kind of like Google Reader on steroids.

(Will is doing a great job of handling all of the hiccups).

Going back to Wikispaces with the hope that it will behave now. It is working much better. (I have been a pretty strong proponent of PBWiki, but I am thinking that Wikispaces is easier to use. I need to do a wiki bake-off).

Now looking at blogs. Using LearnerBlogs or Edublogs. They too are being flakey. Will thinks these are due to actual problems at the sites.

Will wishes that things were working better so he could show his workflow. I wish so too.

Going through Wordpress features.

Addressing how to get these tools used effectively in schools. It's all about the personal networking and learning. As usual the conversation at the end makes the difference.

Great job Will!

n07s688 necc07, neccprep, necc2007

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

Workshop-Finding Successful Solutions for Technology Staff Development
Many great ideas for making SD more productive and more fun.

Brief interview with Janet Corder of j2Training

NECC Keynote–Andrew Zolli, founder of PopTech conference. Things we as educators need to work towards in the near future. It seems like this particular audience is getting a little tired of constantly looking into the future.

The Atlanta Drum Line was fantastic!

Opening Reception at Georgia Aquarium–Crowded as usual, food not scarce but hard to get to.

What I am doing tomorrow.
Leslie Fisher
Arnie Abrams
and more.

See You in a Few!

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

From Atlanta
EduBloggerCon 07

What a great start to NECC!

See You in a Few!

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

Well we made it to the ATL and managed dinner at the Hard of Hearing (err, Rock) Cafe.

Before the conference or even the EduBloggerCon starts I have seen the best news in a long time. Mackiev has purchased the rights to HyperStudio and will be producing the long awaited version 5. The best news though is that Roger Wagner himself is going to be working with Mackiev on the update. I hope they can make it relevant in today's Ed-Tech environment, but if anyone can I think this combo can. I can't wait to get to Mackiev's booth(#316) next week.

Well tomorrow starts off with EduBloggerCon and then a group of us are off to see the Braves and the Tigers. I will try to capture some audio from the Con tomorrow and share it in a podcast.

See You in a Few!

necc07

neccprep

necc2007

I will be blogging and podcasting from NECC again this year with a new set of tools that will hopefully make it easier for me and better for you. So I really mean it this time when I say...

See You in a Few!

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

Conference Planner for Kelly Dumont

Sunday, June 24
8:30-11:30am

SUA204 Finding Successful Solutions for Technology Staff Development [Workshop]
Location: GWCC B211

Monday, June 25
8:30-9:30am

Almost All New Return of the Gadgets! [Session]
Location: GWCC Murphy 1

8:30-9:30am

Personal Computing: New Solutions for the Classroom @ Web 2.0 [Session]
Location: GWCC B211

11:00am-12:00pm
AFI Screen Education Center: Digital Filmmaking in the Core Curriculum [Session]
Location: GWCC Murphy 4

12:30-1:30pm

Cool Tools: Incorporating Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom [Session]
Location: GWCC B302

12:30-1:30pm

Making the Laptop Disappear: Moving to Seamless Integration [Session]
Location: GWCC B212

2:00-3:00pm
Digital Photography and Video Projects for Improving Learning [Session]
Location: GWCC B217

3:30-4:30pm
Innovating the 21st-Century Learning Environment [Session]
Location: GWCC Murphy 1

Tuesday, June 26
8:30-11:30am

TA414 Empowering Practice: Leveraging the Read/Write Web for Professional Growth [Workshop]
Location: OMNI International C

11:00am-12:00pm

iChat, iSight, therefore iFix: Integrating Sound, Video, Jabber for Support [Session]
Location: GWCC B208

12:30-1:30pm
New Tools, New Schools: Starting the Conversation about Web 2.0 [Session]
Location: GWCC B207

2:00-3:00pm
Podcasting for Professional Development: Innovative Strategies for Syndicated Success [Session]
Location: GWCC B208

3:30-4:30pm

Starting From Scratch: Building School 2.0 [Session]
Location: GWCC B201

3:30-4:30pm

Constructivist Teaching with Technology: Learning with Laptops [Session]
Location: GWCC B208

3:30-4:30pm

The REAL Work of 21st-Century Skills [Session]
Location: GWCC B217

Wednesday, June 27
10:30-11:30am
I Didn’t Know You Could Do That with an iPod! [Session]
Location: GWCC B208

1:30-2:30pm
Expanding Boundaries of Learning: Designing Rigorous and Globally Connected Assignments [Session]
Location: GWCC Murphy 1

2:45-4:00pm
Closing Keynote [Session]
Location: GWCC Murphy Ballroom

necc07, neccprep, necc2007

Teaching in the Digital AgeIntroducing self, T4 Site, Podcasts, National University, Blog http://drapestakes.blogspot.com, family

Talks about the fact that he is preaching to the choir.

70 Million blogs- some of them have to be good - david sifri, Technorati

Tags ttix07, presenters name (firstlast)

Todays topic is change, not money, school change, student change, teacher change

40% of teachers in Utah are older than 50

Teachers are stuck in a rut

In helping teachers, we help students

Technology for teachers

PowerPoint?

Other things are out there.

Times have changed, we're not in the 90's

"We live in a world where the only thing constant is change!" Ian Jukes

Just 2 years ago life was different

2 years ago...

There were nine planets

Brad and Jen now Brad and Angelina

Tsunami

New Orleans pre Katrina

Virginia Tech just another school

Technology

No Windows Vista

No XBOX 360, PS3, Wii

Just beginning video podcasts

AJAX just beginning

No YouTube, TeacherTube

No Twitter

Back to Jukes quote.

The only question is how do we keep up.

Karl Fisch-We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet.

These are amazing times

Students have changed...

Two year-old daughter on computer clicking mouse–Who taught her?

The kids pick it up.

Photo of daughter showing grandpa how to use his iPod-Who is teaching whom?

Children today are growing up immersed in media.

83% Children 0-6 use a screen media in a typical day

65% Live in a home where the TV is on at least 1/2 the time

Kids are active consumers.

77% turn on the TV by themselves

67% ask for particular shows

62% use remote to change channels

4-6 year olds

70% have used a computer

27% use a computer in a typical day

56% without parents

Kids want to Create

They've created a new language

IM Speak

Abbreviations all parents should know http://www.netlingo.com

Books now being written in IM

Lauren myracle

Dying Language

IM Speak vs Latin

Kids don't care that the language is dying

No one can stop them from doing it. Not even teachers.

"These teens were born into a digital world where the expect to be able to create, consume, remix, and share Lee Raimi-PEW

65,000 uploads per day to YouTube, 2700 uploads per hour, 45 per minute

57% of online teens create content for the internet

Sharing-Creative Commons

Showing videos from YouTube

Guitar Canon–20.9 million views

Hey Clip–14.7 milion views

Fast Food Freestyle–6.6 million views

Toto Africa Machinima–14,000 views

Lot's of creativity–Can't we harness that in our schools

Remixes

Mashups

Sunday Bloody Sunday–President Bush

Is it goofy?

Is it Useful?

Generation D

Millenials

Digital Natives

iGeneration

Button-Pushing Generation

One Key Question

Are we Engaging Them?

More times than not we are not.

Our schools are changing (slowly)

One way we can adapt is to use the technology that our kids already love.

Keynote handout will be available at http://www.ttix.org

ttix07, darrendraper

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything here. I missed an April podcast altogether and will miss May if I don't get going. Spring seems to be the busiest time for me overall.

Work tends to start slowing down (except for one project that I will talk about in a moment). However, the rest of my life seems to kick into high gear. I am coaching my twelve year-old son's baseball team (7-1 so far). I am trying to keep up with my 15 year-old daughter's softball team (8-2 or so heading into tournament season). I have received a new church assignment which is keeping me busy. Trying to spend time with grandkids. Moving Daughter, Son-in-Law, and Grandsons out and back into their home (a long story I need to tell here someday). Moving 20 year-old son back into our house after 8 months away. Painting (them not me), re-carpeting (which for me mainly means moving a lot of heavy stuff). After 5 months of a house in chaos, I would sure like to be able to get it back together and keep it that way for more than a day.

Okay, enough whining. As I mentioned, this time of year tends to slow down a bit at work. The exception to that being the Elementary Film Festival that I have organized for the past 4 years. This is a project that takes a lot of my time for about a month. Part of it is my fault, I haven't included my co-workers much in it and probably should more. It is just that this feels like my baby and you know how that is. Wow how un-Web (School) 2.0 that sounds. Anyway the festival was held last Thursday and we screened 26 films and honored 7 of them with our humble awards. You can view the winners here.

Tonight most of the winners joined me at The Apple Store, The Gateway for School Night at The Apple Store. The only problem was that the store wasn't expecting us. I had signed up for the event over two months ago. I never had a response though. So I talked to an assistant manager 3 weeks ago and she emailed me and told me that we were on the schedule and I should receive some information shortly. I never receive the information and had planned to visit the store yesterday or earlier today to make sure we were still on. Today I received the invitations that Apple sends out to give to parents, etc. Nice timing! Anyway, I assumed that since they did at least make up the invitations that we were planned on. Well, you know what happens when you assume. And sure enough when I arrived at the store they were in a panic. One of the kids arrived before I did and showed the managers the invitation I had made up for our award winners (since I had not received the official ones yet). So when I arrived they were scrambling madly. They were very apologetic and managed to pull it off for us in a nice way. The biggest problem was that they didn't have enough t-shirts for the kids. So they took names and will ship shirts to me for those who didn't get one tonight. For all of the panic it still ended up being a great event for the kids. I have to thank the crew at The Gateway for pulling it together for us. Here is a picture of the kids during the presentation of their films.



There are a lot of things I still have not mentioned that are going on or upcoming, but I will save those for the podcast.

See You in a Few!

See You in a Few!

See You in a Few!

Then the interesting stuff happened. The volume in the room began to grow, but it wasn't idle conversation. The kids were talking about what they were doing and as they talked they got more excited about the task. The volume never got overwhelming, but the energy that developed was really impressive.

iPods in Education–Article from Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram


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Great Technology as Tool ads from El Paso ISD
Refresh page to see different ads.

Apps of the Episode

Block Posters
LetterPop–Newsletter Making

Take Five with Matthew Cone of Macinstruct.

Check out the Tutorama tutorial contest.

Steve Jobs "attack" on Teacher Unions
Houston Chronicle Report
Response from the Mac Blogosphere
Ars Technica
MacDailyNews

Wired

From the edublogosphere there has not been much reaction. Here are the first I've seen. Assorted Stuff



See You in a Few!

Review of Macworld, impact on education

iPhone

Apple TV

Airport Extreme

iLife and iWork (lack thereof)

Take Five with Richard Miller

Application of the Podcast - PagePacker

See You in a Few!

Software Beat
http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif A reminder about FreeMacWare.com

Macworld Hopes (not predictions)

Macworld Conference Education Track

Cell Phone Ban in New York, New Proposal, Takes from the edublogosphere
Will Richardson
Danah Boyd
Tom Hoffman

Next show, Macworld roundup, The Educational Mac perspective.

See You in a Few!]]> kdumont@mac.com Thu, 04 Jan 2007 11:06:42 -0700 Podcast The Educational Mac Podcast #36-January 5, 2007 http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=111 T4 Tips and it is fun working as a group on the podcasts. If you want to check it out, click on the link. You can subscribe via iTunes. Search for Jordan T4.]]> kdumont@mac.com Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:30:19 -0700 Post New Podcast http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=109 The Future of The Educational Mac
New work related podcasts coming
Okay, enough about the future. It is time to look at the past, as in the past year. As I mentioned at the top of the show, this year has flown by for me. So it is good for me to stop and reflect a little bit. I am going to go into year-end list mode. Now everyone does 5 item or 10 item lists, but in honor of the year 2006 I am going to present my top six lists in 5 categories. I was too lazy to do six.

Category One–My top podcast listens (non-educational) One that is gone that I really miss it The Wizards of Technology. The passing of Digital Bill was a shock and leaves a big hole in the tech podcasting community.
6. Your Mac Life–Shawn King irritates the he** out of me, but he does a pretty good job with guests and I am jealous as all get out that he and Lisa are working with and for David Pogue.
5. iLife Zone–I really like this Mac-centric podcast, especially when they actually focus on the iLife tools. I have learned quite a few new tricks and tips from this one.
4. Mac OS Ken –I used to really like Inside Mac Radio, but when Ken and Laura Burstein left/were kicked out, a lot of the life went out of the show. I was glad that Ken started his own show. It is nice to have a daily dose of Mac news in a podcast format.
3. Daily Giz Whiz–If you don't listen to this daily show from Leo Leporte and Dick DeBartolo, you are missing 15 minutes of fun a day. I really like it when Dick talks about Mad Magazine or his work on The Match Game.
2. ESPN's Pardon the Interruption–I use to be a complete sports nut. I got a little tired of sports talk radio though. I do love this show from ESPN though and since I don't have cable or a dish it is great to be able to get this show as a podcast.
1. TWIT–Okay, I know it is not Mac specific. I also know that I should probably despise John C. Dvorak, but he and the TWIT show are a guilty pleasure each week. When Leo threatened to quit the show a few months ago, I really panicked.

Category Two–Top Educational Podcast listens. This list has changed. It seems that many of the early shows that I listened to have gone away. I miss One Big Head, Teach42 (I'll give Steve a pass because of the baby), Paradigm Shift, and Room 208.
6. Teaching for the Future with Dave LaMorte–This is a fairly new one that I am still getting a handle on, but as an up and coming teacher, he has a lot of good things to say.
5. The Savvy Technologist–This one may have to go into the gone away pile soon. Tim Wilson is a great podcaster. His new job has apparently bitten into his podcasting time. I hope he can get it back going again.
4. Moving at the Speed of Creativity–Wes Fryer is one who has kept up and I really like his deep thinking on topics. I do sometimes have trouble with the length of some of the shows though.
3. Geek!Ed!–The band of merry educational technologists from Michigan put out an entertaining show each week. I usually learn something too. Can you say WII.
2. Connect Learning–David Warlick continues to produce, particularly when presenting at a conference. I really enjoy those shows and he lets the audience participate and we get to hear what others are thinking and questioning. His keynote for the K12 Online Conference was outstanding.
1. Infinite Thinking Machine–This again is a fairly new show. It is a vidcast, but professionally done by Chris Walsh and others. They have also enlisted Vint Cerf to do segments which are great. With the few shows they have done, they have quickly become my favorite.

Category 3–Blogs My blog subscription list is overly long and I spend too much time daily perusing new posts. However, here are 6 educational blogs I would never prune.
6. 21st Century Collaborative–Sheryl's blog is a must stop for me. She is really on top of what is going on in EdTech. Her leadership on the K12 online conference was spectacular as well.
5. The Fischbowl–Karl Fisch gives a great accounting of what goes on in his school with Web 2.0 and other tools. His trilogy of videos are also great tools.
4. Dangerously Irrelevant–Scott McLeod does a great job of presenting the case that our administrators are ill-prepared for the task of integrating technology in our schools. If I were to enter an administrative program I would want it to be Scott's.
3. Moving at the Speed of Creativity–Wes Fryer is one of the most prolific edubloggers out there. I can't say I fully read all of his posts but there is always at least one a day that makes my head hurt.
2. 2 Cents Worth–David's blog is another one that makes my head hurt on a consistent basis. But what I really like is the conversations he sparks in the edublogosphere.
1. Weblogg-ed–I am not sure I got Will Richardson until I heard him speak at NECC this year. Now I do and I am glad that many others listen. Will is one that I believe will help change education in this country.

Category 4–Educational Events
6. Work–Lots of changes, not many for the better. Overload on things that I don't feel are that important but that others do. On the plus side we are beginning to see the roll out of social software tools in the district as well as a couple of other projects that could prove interesting.
5. UCET Conference–This one because I was responsible for it. It is amazing what a small group of dedicated individuals can do.
4. K12 Online Conference–I was not involved except as a participant, but see #5 above.
3. EduBlogger Meetup at NECC–Putting faces with voices and written words was terrific. It makes the online life much more compelling for me.
2. NECC–This is usually the highlight of the year for me. It was a great conference. But what made it great was all of the conversations going on around and throughout the conference, but not at the conference.
1. David Warlick's visit to JSD. David spelled out things for our district that maybe we weren't quite ready to hear. But his message did get through and is making an impact now almost a year later. We will get to hear David again this year as he keynotes the UCET 2007 conference.

Category 5–Favorite Toys/Gadgets/Software of the Year (Ones that I have personally experienced) 6. Bluetooth Headset for Cell Phone–This one was really a necessity because the speaker on my phone is useless. I look like a reject from Star Trek TNG, but I can answer phone calls and didn't have to give up the phone I really like.
5. Logitech USB Headset–This has made the podcast easier to produce and I hope easier on your ears.
4. HP LaserJet 3050 All-in-One. This one I got for Christmas and I love it. My Stylus C86 has been crapping out for the past few months and I was getting tired of replacing ink every month. The 3050 is an older model, but it is perfect for my needs. I love having a laser printer again. The other capabilities are cake.
3. Magnavox 15" HDTV Monitor–We bought this as a replacement TV for our custom van. However, I have used it more as a 2nd monitor for my laptop at home. It makes a big difference to have the extra screen real estate available to work in.
2. Comic Life–Although this has been out almost 2 years, I finally wised up to it this year. It is so versatile, yet easy to use. I have had teachers who wouldn't do anything with their students in a lab before spend weeks on different projects. I love this software.
1. Video iPod–I really believe this device can revolutionize what teachers do in the classroom. To be able to download video and show it on a TV or projector easily could really be a boon. This device in conjunction with our statewide media download service should really be a useful tool in our teachers arsenal.

Well those are my lists and year end wrap up so to speak. I hope all of you and yours have had a marvelous winter season. It's now time to get back to work. I hope that 2007 brings you enjoyment and enrichment.
See you in a few!]]> kdumont@mac.com Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:57:01 -0700 Podcast The Educational Mac Podcast #35-December 31, 2006 http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=108 Kelly @ The Educational Mac
]]> kdumont@mac.com Sat, 23 Dec 2006 13:54:27 -0700 Post Happy Holiday from The Educational Mac http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=106 .

There are doctors, nurses, aides all using computers at various stations in the hallways. (I would have paid $100 for a digital camera to take a picture of the doctor using a Dell computer, looking at iMacs on the Apple website. I need a new cell phone with decent picture taking abilities.) While I am sure that they have all received training, there is no debate over whether they will use it or not. They just do. What to they use it for? To share information and data (can you say collaborate) to help do their jobs to the best of their ability.

Hmmm!]]> kdumont@mac.com Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:47:27 -0700 Post Wow, What a Concept! http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=105

]]> kdumont@mac.com Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:08:46 -0700 Post Makes the Waiting Much Better http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=104 Tom Hofman-

Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.

p.s. I am going to try a few things with Rewind including submitting to You Tube, Google Video and maybe a few others. The Feedburner feed for the project is feed://feeds.feedburner.com/wordpress/sWbj.]]> kdumont@mac.com Sun, 03 Sep 2006 22:20:01 -0600 Post A New Venture http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=98 Interview with Zane about his Apple Camp experience
NECC Final Thoughts
Comic Life Review
Comic Life Tutorial
The Savvy Technologist podcast with Comic Life creators
A couple of thoughts about everything swirling around the Read/Write Web or Web 2.0 or whatever you choose to call it.
See You in a Few!]]> kdumont@mac.com Thu, 10 Aug 2006 01:58:40 -0600 The Educational Mac Podcast #33–August 9, 2006 http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=97 The Apple Store staff is doing a great job of working with the kids. The group my son is in is having a hard time coming up with ideas. But the camp counselor is working through it with them. It will be fun to see what they come up with.
I think this concept is a great idea from Apple and I hope they continue it in the future.
Zane and I are going to record a podcast later about the experience from his point of view.]]> kdumont@mac.com Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:50:13 -0600 Post http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=96 Not Close Enough
Not in Focus-Press the shutter button halfway down to set the focus.
Camera Shake - What causes it? Lack of lighting. What can you do about it? Tripod or table, set a time, change the settings, use a flash.
Boring Composition-Use Law of thirds. Look for lines, Sapce makes you think, Shoot High/Shoot Low, If I see another...
Ignoring the background
Missing the Moment - Why does it happen? Camera trying to expose for everything. Use Sports mode. Warning, the faster the shot, the less light brought into the camera. Watch for underexposed shots.
Too Much Flash
Too little Flash
Why not Vertical? Digital Zoom - Crap
Wrong Settings - Pixels, Pixel = Pixel Info. The dots that make up the overall picture, Megapixel = 1 million pixels, 1280 x 1024,is 1.3 Megapixels, The more megapixels in your camera, the bigger the picture! The better the print, Pixel dimensions will vary by brand. Take Pictures as largest quality possible.
Camera Settings
Resolution
Camera Raw - Camera does not touch the image whatsoever.
Shutter priority
Aperture Priority
Exposure Compensation
White Balance Adjustment
Lighting - Friend and Foe, look for natural light sources, Hand Test Leslie is not allowed to reproduce the handout for this session due to a contract with a business, but check her site for her other handouts which are just terrific. necc2006 theeducationalmac necc ]]> kdumont@mac.com Fri, 07 Jul 2006 10:36:15 -0700 Post Digital Photography-The Good, the Bad, The Ugly - Leslie Fisher http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=95 One Laptop Per Child - Nicholas Negroponte Blog Entry
Your school media channel-Chris Walsh Blog Entry
Award Winning Digital Photography - Arnie Abrams
The Mega VCR -Hall Davidson
A Web of Connections - Will Richardson (I lost my blog entry, but here and here are a couple of good summations of the session).
The Savvy Technologist Edublogger Meetup
Roger Wagner
theeducationalmac necc2006 necc]]> kdumont@mac.com Fri, 07 Jul 2006 10:08:52 -0700 TEM Podcast 32 -NECC2006 Special #2 http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=94 California Multimedia Festival was the inspiration for what we have done with our district elementary film festival.
This session is about the video iPod. United Streaming license's now allow for download ing of their content. Showed a mix he did using Premiere Elements of US content with him overlayed. It is pretty amazing. Hall makes a pretty good case for teachers having video iPods. Showing other content from US on the iPod. Showed a few other videos. Now he is actually going to show the process of getting the video from download to iPod.
The thing about Hall is that no matter what he is presenting, he is entertaining and hilarious. It's too bad they didn't advertise the session better, the crowd was smaller but it was still fun and very informative. necc2006 theeducationalmac necc]]> kdumont@mac.com Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:54:09 -0700 Post The MegaVCR: Media and More in Your Pocket - Hall Davidson http://theeducationalmac.com/blog/?p=93 Arnie's website.
Why bother
Visual Literacy
Visual Learners
Visual subjects
NETS Standards
Better, cheaper, easier cameras
New, fun, motivating
Instant results
Have your own darkroom
E-publishing
Cross-curricular projects
The Week That Was
Safety Do's and Dont's Poster
Research Project rather than paper
Getting Started with Digital Photography
Start with a specific assignment in mind
Portrait, motion, documentation
Going on assignment
Which is the Fake?
Make a commercial

Language Arts
Photo sequences or Every Picture Tells a Story . Story starters
Book Reports that come to life
Phoetry
Bilingual Photo Dictionary
Human Letters
Photo Flash Cards
Mystery Objects
Parts of Speech
Science

Special effects Photography - Time-lapse, Stop Motion, Panorama, Spin Object
Extreme Close Ups
Adopt a Tree

Social Studies
Virtual Postcards
Politics and Pictures
Two Sides to a Story
History Figure Cube
Our Town-Past, Present & Future

Math Projects
Pictures of Math
Counting Items
Patterns
Human Bar Chart
Fraction Photos

Social Skills
Illustrating Emotions

Teacher Tools
Visual Seating Chart
Student ID Cards
Enhance Field Trips

Camera Management Tips
Inexpensive cameras for student use
Standardize equipment
No "hand-offs"
Keep a camera handy
Keep spare batteries charged
Lots of memory cards

Digital Workflow
1. Capture - Shoot the picture, or scan, or have film transferred to digital, get a picture from the internet.
2. Transfer - Upload the pictures to a computer via the camera or a card reader
3. Edit - crop, correct or enhance.
4. Share - Print or share the photos electronically, back up to a CD or DVD

Useful web links at www.arnieabrams.net/dp_day.htm

Project Management Tips
Training Session
Student Licenses
Copy the Manual
Organize images into folders
Store file on e