Presentations
Below is a list of presentations that I offer. Any and all can be adapted to fit your school’s needs. I’m also constantly creating and looking for new material so feel free to contact me if there is a topic you think would be a fit.
Blogging for Learning
Although the name Blog comes from the words “Web Logs”, blogs are more than online logs or journals. They are powerful learning and conversation tools that can be used in a variety of ways to motivate both students and teachers to communicate, write, and read in a digital form. Blogging empowers learners through conversations. This presentation dives into blogging, classroom management and tools to get started.
Students as Creators and Contributors
New web 2.0 tools have changed the way we interact with the web. In a web 1.0 world we used the Internet to gather information, to find answers, and absorb information. There was not an easy way for the average person to contribute to this landscape of knowledge. As the 21st century is upon us so is a new web. Web 2.0, other wise known as the read/write web, allows us not only to easily find information, but also allows us to be creators and contributors to this new wealth of knowledge. As education has been slow to adapt to these new tools, our students have taken them to heart and are using them to create content viewed the world over. Sites such as myspace.com, YouTube.com, Xanga.com, Facebook.com, wikipedia.org, and others allow our students to create information. Our students no longer want to sit in a classroom and be told information. They want to create it, share it, and contribute to the growing knowledge base on the web.
Students as Creators and Contributors focuses on how using these new social tools can engage students in the learning process. By using the same web tools students are already using, we engage them in the learning process. We turn those hours they spend on YouTube.com into educational opportunities. Instead of banning sites such as wikipedia.org, we embrace them and allow students to contribute to the conversation.
Podcasting: How to get started
Podcasting is a fun and engaging way to communicate with parents and your community. This presentation will cover the basics of podcasting. There are many misconceptions about podcasting. The fist being that you need an iPod to listen to or create a podcast, the second being that creating a podcast is difficult. In this presentation we will cover the hardware and software needed to start podcasting and talk about free web space where you can host your files. We will also learn how to register your site with iTunes for easy downloading.
What in the World is a Wiki
Wikis are powerful web 2.0 tools that allow anyone to edit a web page via a web browser. Wikipedia.org is the most popular wiki with over 3.9 million articles and growing by the day. Wikis come in all shapes and sizes and there are wiki projects starting up that focus on education.
Take wikibooks.org for example. Thousands of students around the globe are taking part in creating online textbooks. Wikis are redefining the way students view information. Anyone can add, edit, delete or correct information within these books. As these books grow they have the ability to be more up to date and factual than printed textbooks.
This presentation will look at wiki software, how wikis can be used in the classroom and some examples of teachers using wikis for everything from lesson planning to communicating with parents, to creating and grading student work.
RSS: Changing Professional Development
If there is one web 2.0 tool that is under utilized and well worth the time and energy to learn, it is RSS. RSS or Really Simple Syndications is becoming the standard on the web, allowing you to aggregate sites you like into one program or web page. Using RSS cuts down the time you spend waiting for pages to load and surfing the web. Think of RSS as a supermarket. A supermarket where you get to stock the shelves with all of your favorite items and then you get to browse those items whenever you want.
RSS can also have a powerful effect on students. RSS will allow them to create Personal Learning Networks (PLN) with other students and professionals around the world. No longer is the teacher in the classroom the only source for information. Students can learn from a variety of people and media via the web. RSS allows teachers and students to create learning networks that can then be integrated into the daily lives of students in schools.
Beyond E-mail: Communicating in the 21st Century
Many Schools rely on e-mail as their main line of communication with students, parents, the community and even among staff. The new World Wide Web known as Web 2.0 is allowing schools to move beyond e-mail and communicate in a variety of ways. Through the use of podcasts, blogs, Google tools, and other new free web based programs schools can communicate in more affective and relevant ways with their audience. Come learn what communicating in the 21st Century looks like.
Virtual Learning Environments: What the future holds
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) have been around for some time. We just know them as games called: Sims, World of Warcraft, Halo, etc. These VLEs were disguised as games but recently new virtual worlds, such as Second Life, have created learning opportunities in new virtual spaces. Come learn how Second Life is being used to foster Professional Learning Communities, how some schools are taking field trips and creating projects in Second Life to share with others. With a population of well over 6 million and growing, Second Life is guaranteed to wow you!
Online Professional Development: Matching the tool with the need
There are a variety of tools that can be used to create online professional development opportunities for your staff. This presentation will look at some tools and ways that you can create professional development opportunities with your staff.
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the 21st Century
Being connected to over 1 Billion users on the Internet has changed the way information flows and how our students acquire knowledge. When knowledge changes so must the theories on how we learn. We will explore how the vast amount of knowledge that is now at our finger tips is changing the way we learn.
The New Web: A four part series for administrators
The New Web: Why International Students are Ahead of the Technology Curve
International students use the web, due in part to the fact they move and relocate frequently. This session will explore the tools students are using today on the web and discuss how our schools can take advantage of these tools to communicate and engage students in the learning process.
The New Web: The Changing Nature of Communication
How do you communicate? How should you communicate? How are parents and students expecting you to communicate? The Internet allows schools to communicate in a variety of ways. This presentation demonstrates and discusses the different ways schools can harness the power of the internet to communicate with their school communities.
The New Web: Building a Positive School Profile
In today’s fast paced information world, trying to stay ahead of our students in the web space can be difficult, but at the same time a necessity for our schools today. Your school’s web presence is at risk if you are not actively controlling it. Come learn how and why you need to control your school’s web presence.
The New Web: An Administrator’s Guide
The Administrator’s guide to the new web is designed to get you started using new web tools today to communicate with your school community. From podcasts, to blogging, to using twitter we’ll cover the latest and greatest tools for your school and send you back ready to get started communicating on the new web. |
K-12 Technology Specialist, Shanghai American School
