Di+-+Monday

Jamie McKenzie 8:30-9:30
 * Beyond Mere Gathering: Converting Social Networking Into Collaboration and Synergy **

Synergy: [|Visual thesaurus] Just giving kids a social network does not automatically give you collaboration A school that wants to go online needs to give the background. Check out Peter Senge books/studies. "Team learning - Senge stresses the importance of teaching groups to work open-mindedly together exploring ideas and possibilities as well as arguing about them. He differentiates between discussion on the one hand, which is generally adversarial, and dialogue on the other hand which is collaborative. Discussion predominates in most groups with people taking positions, defending those positions and attacking the positions of tother factions. Dialogue is rare and counter-cultural. Open-minded exploration involves "suspension of assumptions" while members of the group help each other extend their thinking and their insight. People come to meetings knowing they will leave better informed than they were when they arrived." What makes good collaboration?
 * Energy created between a group
 * Computers and Social Networking can work against this
 * It is not normal to be an active listener. We need to be able to be willing to change to a new path that is needed.
 * Any school who wants to use social networking and collaborating needs to put in some training toward active listening.
 * "Merely putting people together does not come out in the best outcome".
 * Think about a jazz improv group. They have to have a firm grounding in music before they can cook. Our students need to do the same thing, with the help of their teachers.
 * Moderator is needed
 * Traffic cop needs to keep people in check
 * Have to get there early
 * [] = synthesis. Teachers should spend a few years in learning how to teach synthesis.
 * [|De Bono's Thinking Hats] (six colored hats)
 * [[image:Picture_8.png width="459" height="370" align="left"]]


 * SCAMPER - We need to give kids a toolkit so they have better production when they're online.

Wikis cannot be relied upon
 * Wikipedia can sometimes be superior in some categories
 * Some really stink - we should be more proactive in changing Wikipedia (example: [|Educational Technology] entry)
 * Good Example - Matthew Flinders. Told Flinders' story better than Encyclopedia Brittania
 * Getting students to write their own articles might be a nice project

Social Networking
 * Biznik - There are social networks for different kinds of groups
 * Schools should be OK to have some trial experiences

Bill Morrison, Rapides Parish School Board (LA) - bolton High Digital Academy Gary L. Jones, Misty Slayter
 * Beyond 1:1 - 21st Century Learning in a Textbook-Free Digital School**


 * Concurrent sectional content: Follow the creation of a textbook free, all-digital high school and learn professional development strategies, instructional management, infrastructure, and curriculum resources for succes all-digital learning environments. Recommended by SIG1to1.

State standards are curricular, not textbook driving High stakes testing requires we use state standards - technology can help with that
 * Program cited is not a technology program
 * It uses 21st century lesson plan development
 * The content is very up to date
 * It is NOT designed to improve test score, although the district feels it will happen
 * Provides 24/7 access to technology for staff, faculty, and students
 * Big key is that it helps teachers design lessons


 * Wireless communication is a fantastic tool for parent communication.

Must haves to do this:
 * Superintendent/Board support
 * School support and vision (faculty, admins)
 * Community Vision
 * Instructional technology support
 * Technical support onsite
 * Vendor support
 * Clear expectations by of consequences for disobedience

Challenges
 * Initial ideas that kids will not take care of laptops
 * Time for everything
 * Funds to sustain this program
 * Laptop Safety

Where the school district is now: Ian Jukes, InfoSavvy Group
 * Constant surveying of staff and students
 * Changing faculty meeting format to more engaged meaningful discussion
 * Now concentrating on helping teachers use the technology to wisely design lessons
 * Teaching the Digital Generation: Understanding Digital Kids**

//Promo: This session provides the latest information on how digital bombardment is affecting the digital generation and what implications it has for teaching, learning, and assessment.//

Ian Jukes' Father died. His partner, Lee Crockett, did the presentation for him. Also: These are notes taken off paper. Can you believe it? The Internet here at the conference center went down right after the session started. I didn't even had a piece of paper on me so my notes are intertwined with the text in my program booklet!

Understanding Digital Kids
 * The world has changed, but there is resistant to change.
 * "It is easier to change the course of history than it is to change a history course." Lou Salza
 * When is the last time we took something OUT of the curriculum? Times have most definitely changed...

Brain research says that 50% of our brains are developed by birth and the other 50% is learned. When learning takes place those neural pathways need to be connected in new ways. The brain is highly adaptive based on: Observation is that we can change those pathways (which is contrary to traditional assumptions) Intelligence we are born with is not fixed. Our kids' brains have changed over time because of the digital age and the time they spend with media experience and frequency.
 * Experiences
 * Frequency and intensity of those experiences

More observations:
 * Kids are processing the very same information we get, but in a different way from us. We saw pictures of brain scans between adults and kids. There were very evident differences between which parts of the brain were lit up in an MRI showing brain activity.
 * After just 10 hours of playing a video game kids' brains begin to change. We are wiring and rewiring their brains over and over again due to their experiences.
 * The recall reates of kids in the visual mode is very high. In a test they were given information orally. After 72 hours went by only 10% of the information was remembered. When the same information was given visually, 65% of the information was recalled after 72 hours.
 * Becasue kids think graphically, they scan a page much differently than we do. Adults tend to read in a Z pattern down a page, students read in an F pattern reading the top, down the left and through the middle (uncanny of how that would go with the design of a web page with a menu on the left).
 * Other interesting stuff - Preferred colors of text
 * Girls - Pink
 * Boys - Red
 * Then Green
 * Then orange
 * 87% of our learners are visual/kinesthetic, but still 85% of tests given to kids are in text. Why?

Conclusion: WE must acknowledge that kids work differently. Studies are even showing that there is a gap between teen and infant brains and the way they work. **We have this knowledge, but what are we doing with it?**

Website: [|The committed sardine]

**Maximizing Improvement in Student Outcomes through Proven Technology Implementation Strategies** Nancy Knowlton, SMART Technologies, Mel Pace - Tech Director of Oseola School District - FL

Thanks for lunch SMART!

Explore steps districts and schools can take to ensure implemented technology is used effectively and results in improved learning outcomes, teacher practice, and ROI. Lunch for the first 150 attendees.

This session addressed how to Oseola School District began integrating SMARTBoards into their school district. I am happy to say that we have done many of these things, but have a ways to go in doing more!

How to integrate -
 * Develop a heightened interest in technology by going on technology road shows throughout the district
 * Demonstrate the technologies
 * Show curricular applications
 * Have teachers fill out application for the SB in their classrooms
 * Implement a blind juried process to select the right teachers for SB classrooms
 * Make recommendation to building principals then let principals make decision
 * Key to effective Implementation Training:
 * Intro
 * Time to play
 * Expand concepts
 * Time to play
 * Add curricular piece
 * Time to play
 * Teacher creates and activity or lesson using SB with guided help and plenty of practice
 * Present activity
 * Final activity
 * For every minute a trainer talks, the participant gets 2x that time to play and practice hands on

The Play/Practice time is crucial for success
 * Leads to more competent teachers
 * Provides a hub of learning activities available to all
 * No stipeds paid. Earned a SB in their classroom