Education Summit @Google

As I've mentioned in a previous post, Google is co-sponsoring an education summit along with the Joan Ganz Cooney Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and Commonsense Media. An interesting blend of business, technology, and education leaders will be discussing their work on Tuesday, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28, at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

You, too, can participate. Get involved in the following ways:

1) Read blog posts of some of the attendees and presenters. Leave some comments!

2) Ask burning questions via a tool called Google Moderator.

3) Sign up to watch the web cast here and here.

4) Follow conference happenings on Twitter.


I've also compiled a Twitter list of people who will be in attendance at this event. Send me a direct message (d elemenous) if you will be there, and I'll add you as well !

Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age

I want to bring your attention to an exciting event that's happening at Google at the end of October. Google, the MacArthur Foundation, Common Sense Media, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Foundation are convening an education summit, calling for participants "to create and act upon a breakthrough strategy for scaling-up effective models of teaching and learning for children."

While the summit is open to invited guests, there will be plenty of opportunities for public participation as the event will be webcasted. People can also leave comments in the community blog, engage with participants via Twitter, and pose questions using Google Moderator. For details on this, please visit the link posted below.

I'll be present at this event along with fellow Google Certified Teachers Cheryl Davis and Kathleen Ferenz. I'm excited to learn from the many illustrious speakers scheduled to present, particularly keynoter Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone. I'm anticipating great conversations among participants and will share tidbits as appropriate. And, I have to admit, I'm really thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the Googleplex in Mountain View.

I've written a guest post for the Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age blog on transforming teacher practices; look for it to be posted here in the next few weeks. The results of an informal survey given to those in my personal learning network will be made available then.

For further information, including the agenda and web cast info, please visit: http://www.google.com/events/digitalage/.

in reference to: Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age (view on Google Sidewiki)

Inspiration and Innovation at Googleplex

From the Google colored chairs to the gourmet chef, Googleplex provided the perfect environment for 50 creative educators at the June 25th Google Teacher Academy to be inspired by Googlers (staff at Google) and innovative educators using Google tools in their classroom.
The folks from CUE, West Ed, and Google designed a fast paced series of events that had us buzzing with ideas. I agreed with the educators from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the U.S. that it was like drinking from a firehouse. There wasn't a session that didn't leave me blown away by the power of Google tools to transform teaching and learning. (Photo Credit. Molly Schroeder)

Award winning examples from Vicki Davis' keynote address and the inspiring example of Esther Wojcicki's journalism classes reminded me of the quality work today's students can produce when we set high standards and expect that they will succeed. During the fast-paced tech rotations, I learned about product features that I never knew existed; I saw classroom application of these features that I can't wait to use to help students think deeper as they collaborate, communicate, connect, and create.

• Chris Walsh, who many of you know as the host from ITM videos, gave us a tour of advanced search features, many of which can be found under the “more” tab or 'even more” tab. Check out this interactive demo to learn how to search Google from your mobile phone. http://sms.google.com/.


• Jerome Burg, introduced his project, Google Lit Trip, amongst other GEO applications of Google Maps and Google Earth in the classroom. Check out the gadgets (browse the directory of My Maps) that can turn your Google Maps into tools for measuring distance of a path or digging a hole through the earth.


• Mark Wagner demonstrated Google Doc's newest features including how to add data collecting forms that automatically add the data to your Google Spreadsheet along with the new “gadget” library (found under 'create a map, chart, or table link within a spreadsheet). I can't wait to visualize data using the gauges gadget or watching data change over time using the motion chart gadget.


• Cheryl Davis helped us discover how to use Blogger, iGoogle & Google Reader to collaborate with colleagues, students, and parents. Did you know that items shared through Google Reader can be annotated with notes?


• Kathleen Ferenz helped us discover the power behind Google Notebook and other Google tools to scaffold the research process for students. Did you know you can highlight important facts in a web page and right click to add it to your Google research notebook? Shared notebooks provides teachers with a digital formative assessment tool.


• Kyle Brumbaugh's inspiring message of how his district adopted Google Apps for your Domain to teach students how to become Global Citzens, including making sure that all students have both a computer and Internet access from home made him a hero in my book. Kyle updated us with ways to use Google Apps and Google Sites in the classroom.

These fabulous GTA alumni modeled the spirit of collaborating and sharing their experience and knowledge by organizing Google Almanac --a wealth of resources related to the tools they presented at the Google Teachers Academy 2008. Add these to the lessons and tips from Google Educators Page or sign up for the Google Teacher Newsletter and you'll find yourself with plenty of ways to try googlizing one of your own lessons, or better yet, add a a Google Certified Educator to your personal learning network.

P.S. You can also learn more about some of the Google Teacher Academy participants and view their videos in this unofficial pre-academy wiki or by reading some of their post-academy blog post.

New and Improved: Navigating NECC 2008

The 2008 National Educational Computing Conference is set to commence a week from tomorrow in San Antonio and I think it's time for my second annual NECC post! Last year, I passed on a few tips about navigating this gigantic conference. Let's revisit this advice and find about new enhancements for the complete NECC experience.

1. Pick a theme - It's virtually a guarantee that you will be overwhelmed by the amount of choices you'll have at NECC. Being overwhelmed is better than being underwhelmed in my opinion! Last year, I suggested picking a theme such as podcasting to investigate in depth. I'm still not sure quite what I will personally concentrate on this year, but I'm hoping to catch sessions related to professional development, global awareness, and project-based learning in primary grades.

2. Utilize the conference planner - The conference planner is an essential and practical tool for preparing for NECC. You absolutely need to spend some time thinking about how to allocate your time.

This year, I went through the entire program online at a fairly quick pace, and saved anything that I felt was particularly relevant to my interests. I also included my own sessions, so I could figure when I had time to visit the exhibit hall and other presentations. I've saved my planner into a calendar file (planner.ics) that can be imported into iCal and Google Calendar (perhaps other calendar programs support this file format as well). If you really want to get obsessive, you can also put your Google Calendars on your cell phone.

I also saved my selections in PDF format (printversionlucy.pdf)to share with others and to print out. I probably will go through this list on the plane to San Antonio and whittle it down a bit.

3. Bring Your Laptop (or other device) - This piece of advice still stands, but consider bringing a smaller device if you're a super techie. You can follow conference happenings using your regular cell phone on Twitter, a microblogging service. Here are directions for setting this up!

4. Bring a Recording Device - Last year, I recommended bringing a digital audio recorder of some sort (my recording device of choice is an iPod with a Griffin microphone attachment) in order to take audio notes. This year, consider kicking it up a notch and bring a Flip camera, an inexpensive video camera that is extremely simple to use. Flips are all the rage in the education world at the moment.

5. Come Prepared to Network - Again, this piece of advice still stands. However, here's my addendum: come prepared to network whether you are physically present or not. Here are a few things that you can participate in from near or afar:

• Join the new conference ning community developed by fellow ITM blogger, Steve Hargadon.
  
• Again, follow events in Twitter (see #3), and look for some people to use streaming video services such as Ustream to provide live or recorded feeds to presentations. ISTE has some rules about this, by the way.
  
• Look for blog posts and other resources tagged necc, necc08, and necc2008 in Technorati, del.icio.us, and Flickr. Examples: Technorati search using necc08, sites bookmarked in del.icio.us using the tag necc, photos uploaded to Flickr and tagged necc.
• Share your photos of NECCs past and present by joining this Flickr group.
• Join the NECC group in Diigo, a social bookmarking service
  

6. Follow the bloggers and the Twitters! - Twitter has grown in popularity since NECC 2007 and it's a great way to develop your own personal ed tech cheerleading squad. Twittering is a microblogging service that allows one to post 140 characters, not words. This video from Commoncraft explains it better than I ever could! I use Twitter to query my personal learning network, to share resources, and to learn from people around the world.

I've been compiling a collection of RSS feeds (called an OPML file) from bloggers and Twitterers. You can download this file and import it into a newsreader to see user generated content all in one spot. Check out the Blog and Twit group in the NECC 2008 ning for the latest OPML file and for a screencast of how to do this.

So, that's my edited list of advice for 2008. For more suggestions, check out this discussion within the NECC 2008 ning in which veteran NECCers give advice to first time attendees. There's also a group devoted to newbies. For equipment concerns, this discussion thread is also beneficial.

You also should take a few moments to check out the second annual Edubloggercon event in which educators interested in Web 2.0 technologies will run a pre-conference unconference. Again, this is facilitated by our very own Steve Hargadon. Additionally, NECC Unplugged will take place during the conference in the Bloggers' Café. Steve has posted about the concept previously in the ITM, and my take is that it's participant-run, informal, and practical in nature.

Finally, if you're interested in the work of some of the ITM bloggers and Google Certified Teachers, here is where you might find us at NECC 2008:

The Infinite Thinking Machine bloggers


Steve Hargadon

EduBloggerCon and Classroom 2.0 Live
[Other Program Events: Meeting/Gathering]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Saturday, 6/28/2008, 8:00am–5:00pm; HGCC 217 A
EduBloggerCon is a free international all-day "meetup" of educational bloggers and those using collaborative technologies. Everyone is welcome to attend. Visit www.edubloggercon.com/NECC+2008 for more information and to participate in planning the event.

Open Source Playground
[Poster: Playground]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 9:00am–4:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby
Explore stations that feature K12LTSP thin-clients and a wide range of free software including Linux, GIMP, OpenOffice, Mysql, Firefox, Moodle, and more.

An Introduction to Open Source Software and Open Technologies
[Session: Open Source Lab]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC 217 A
Open source software, open data standards, Web 2.0, open content, and open device standards are all contributing to a revolution in computing.

Classroom 2.0?
[Session: Birds-of-a-Feather]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 4:45pm–5:45pm; HGCC 217 A
A meeting of educators using Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in the classroom or those who are interested in doing so.

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Free, Open Source, and Web 2.0 Software for the Classroom
[Session: Birds-of-a-Feather]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Monday, 6/30/2008, 4:45pm–5:45pm; HGCC 217 A
Explore successful uses of free and open source software and Web 2.0 in the classroom.

Social Networking in Education
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Steve Dembo, Darren Draper, James Klein, Michael McVey and Dennis O'Connor
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 217 A
Social networking, once tainted by MySpace, now has a new reputation in the classroom and for professional development. Why is it making such a difference?

Mark Wagner

Massively Multiplayer Schools: Do MMORPGs Have a Future in Education?
[Research Paper: Discussion]
Mark Wagner, Educational Technology and Life Corporation
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 101 A, Table: 2
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games are engaging and motivating. Can they also support context-embedded, inquiry-driven, and socially negotiated learning while encouraging reflection and metacognition?

Lucie deLaBruere

Del.icio.us Research: Redesign Assignments with Social Bookmarking
[Session: BYOL]
Lucie deLaBruere, St. Albans City School
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom C
Redesign research assignments for students, increase critical thinking, and maximize your own productivity by managing online information using social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us. Please pre-install del.icio.us

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Will Fundamentally Change Learning
[Session: Lecture]
Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 206 A
The bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything sends educators a critical message. So let's take a look at the hottest collaborative tools, content, and implementation strategies.

Show Me the Tools! Collaborative Tools for Global Distributed Learning
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 5 seat(s) available!
Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 206 B
Innovative, fun, FREE collaborative tools, project-based learning resources, and strategies to support 21st century learning and increase the effectiveness of global distributed learning.

Wesley Fryer

Digital Storytelling Made Simple with VoiceThread
[Poster: Traditional]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Vicki Allen and Karen Montgomery
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 10:00am–12:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 12
VoiceThread is a free online digital storytelling environment that permits students and teachers to safely (with moderated feedback) share their voices on the global stage.

Digital Storytelling With Minimal Clicks: Improving Reading and Writing Skills
[Session: Lecture]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Vicki Allen and Karen Montgomery
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Digital storytelling projects are relevant for all learners. We'll explore several practical, free digital storytelling tools that require a minimal number of clicks to use.

The Magic of Digital: Collaborative Interaction in Teacher Professional Development
[Session: Lecture]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Darren Kuropatwa and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; HGCC 207 A
The electricity often present when educators connect with each other using synchronous and/or asynchronous digital technologies is contagious for learning and transformative for professional practices.

Lucy Gray

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Podcasting & Podcatching for the Absolute Beginner
[Session: Spotlight]
Larry Anderson, National Center for Technology Planning with Steve Dembo, Lucy Gray, Ted Lai, Julene Reed, Dan Schmit and Tim Wilson
Monday, 6/30/2008, 11:00am–12:00pm; HGCC Lila Cockrell Theatre
Podcasting! Everybody seems to be doing it. If you've been afraid to jump into the podcasting water, join us and learn how!

Collaboration 2.0
Monday, June 30 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center
Tuesday, July 1 9:45 AM - Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center
Wednesday, July 2 12:30 - Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center

Google Certified Teachers

Cristin Frodella

Energize Your Classroom with Google Tools
[Session: Lecture]
Laska Koleva, Google with Cristin Frodella
Monday, 6/30/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC Lila Cockrell Theatre
A tour of examples of some of the most innovative uses of Google Tools in the classroom.


Kevin Jarrett

SLedupotential: Educational Potential of Second Life and Virtual Environments
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Scott Merrick, University School of Nashville/Vanderbilt CSO with Vera Handford, Kevin Jarrett, Jeremy Koester, Lisa Linn, Peggy Sheehy, Scott Swanson, Susan Toth-Cohen and Jane Wilde
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 006 D

Tom Diener

Google: It’s Elementary
[Session: BYOL]
Thomas Diener, Western Suffolk BOCES with Debra Kennedy
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom A
Not just a search engine, Google offers powerful tools to facilitate learning. Explore Google resources and see how they can enrich the elementary classroom.

Ken Shelton

Technology Integration Station: Your Next Stop to Innovation
[Poster: Traditional]
Kenneth Shelton, Walter Reed Middle School
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 12:00pm–2:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 15
Do you use technology? Want to use technology? Are you out of ideas for differentiated instruction? If you answered "yes," then this is the session for you.

Beverly Plein

Think Big, Think Global, Think 21st-Century Skills
[Poster: Traditional]
Beverly Plein, Teaneck Board of Education with Joanna Ebert
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 24
Motivation and engagement are the keys to students taking ownership of their learning. Develop 21st-century skills to build on student thinking.

Oracle booth on Monday, June 30, 9:30-10:30am
talking about Think.com (a free online community for students and
teachers from around the world.

Nancy Sharoff

Visual Literacy and Web 2.0: Implications and Applications for Education
[Poster: Traditional]
Nancy Sharoff, Ellenville Central SD with Maria Avgerinou
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 25
Develop an understanding of visual literacy and learn which free Web 2.0 tools can support and enrich visual literacy in your classroom.

Creating a Personal Learning Network in Second Life
[Session: Lecture]
Fred Delventhal, Arlington Public Schools with Lori Abrahams, Charlene Chaussis, Beth Knittle, Elaine Plybon, Nancy Sharoff and Anne Truger
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–9:30am; HGCC 211
Create and expand your personal learning network using Second Life. Use SL as your portal to meet, collaborate, and communicate with educators around the world.

Carol Anne McGuire

Global Rock Stars: Fostering an International Community of Learners
[Poster: Global Gallery]
Camilla Gagliolo, Arlington Public Schools/ISTE with Heather Blake, Dorothy Burt, Gaby Eyzaguirre and Carol Anne McGuire
Sunday, 6/29/2008, 7:00pm–9:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 22
"Rock Our World" celebrates building communities of learners through the integration of science, music, and collaborative technologies. Students across the continents will share creativity and learning experiences.

Rock Our World: Global Collaboration Buzzword or Educational Reality?
[Session: Lecture]
Carol Anne McGuire, Imperial Elementary School
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC 103 A
Be prepared to "rock your world" as you apply practical global projects in your classroom today! Learn to expand the walls of your classroom!

Hollywood Goes to School: Digital Storytelling for 21st-Century Schools
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 2 seat(s) available!
Larry Anderson, National Center for Technology Planning with Helen Barrett, Mark Benno, Jeanne Biddle, Carol Anne McGuire, Julene Reed and Marco Torres
Saturday, 6/28/2008, 8:30am–3:30pm; HGCC 006 C
Explore the magic of digital video to tell a powerful story. Bring your digital camcorder or use ours, but have loads of fun learning!

Robert Craven

21st-Century Literacy: iLife and Digital Storytelling in the Classroom
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 3 seat(s) available!
Robert Craven, Orange County Department of Education with Kathy Shirley
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–7:30pm; HGCC 006 C
This hands-on session will use the new iLife to provide participants the skills and knowledge to incorporate digital media and storytelling to support standards.

Oh, the Places You Will Go: Google and 3D-Connexion SpaceNavigator
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Robert Craven, Orange County Department of Education with Kathy Shirley
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 206 B
Google Earth and SketchUp allow learners to explore and create worlds, while 3D-Connexion SpaceNavigator allows you to to soar, zoom, tilt, and turn with ease.

Rushton Hurley

A Different Direction for Video in Teacher Preparation
[Session: Lecture]
Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; HGCC 102 A
Video for a student audience can help preservice teachers hone their
presentations, enhance their employment possibilities, and develop
themselves within a professional community.
Who Can Make a Video in 10 Minutes? You!

[Session: BYOL]
Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom D
You and your students can use free software to do powerful projects
with video—learn how, and receive resources and project ideas.
Requires Windows Movie Maker on PC or iMovie on Mac.
Very Cool Tricks for Using and Making Videos
[Session: BYOL]

Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–9:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom D
You can use simple editing software, but wonder what's next. It's this
session! Make better videos and get students more engaged and focused.
Requires Movie Maker on PCs, iMovie and Garageband on Macs, Audacity,
and Irfan View.

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen
Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for
a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Lisa Linn

Second Life Playground
[Poster: Playground]
Lisa Linn, CUE, ISTE SL, ASCD, SLolar, C.A.V.E., Sledupotential with Scott Swanson
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 9:00am–4:00pm; HGCC West Lobby
Explore stations for creating avatars, navigating in Second Life, using Second Life for professional development, using Second Life with students, and exploring ISTE's Virtual island.

SLedupotential: Educational Potential of Second Life and Virtual Environments
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Scott Merrick, University School of Nashville/Vanderbilt CSO with Vera Handford, Kevin Jarrett, Jeremy Koester, Lisa Linn, Peggy Sheehy, Scott Swanson, Susan Toth-Cohen and Jane Wilde
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 006 D
A group of ISTE educators scattered over the world are meeting frequently in a virtual environment called Second Life. Come see why, how, and "where..."

iGoogle is Must Have for Kids

ITM NOTE:
We are pleased to have a new correspondent join the ITM - 9 year-old Adora Svitak. Adora is a published author who's written hundreds of short stories, maintains her own blog, and has been featured on CNN and Good Morning America. Most importantly, she's an avid tech user who types at amazing speeds. We're excited to have Adora provide us with her thoughts on technology and learning from the perspective of a "Digital Native." Be sure to welcome Adora to the ITM community in the comments below her post! - Chris Walsh

---

Although I consider myself fairly well-versed in technology, discovering iGoogle made me ecstatic. It's an absolute must-have if you want to keep floating on the all too murky surface of tech popularity. An iGoogle a ccount is necessary to put yourself forward as a professional tech savvy. iGoogle is a recently introduced branch of Google, stemming from its customized version. Viewers are able to choose from a palette of themes including "City Bus Stop" and "Sweet Dreams", all of which adjust to your local weather. Before you decide this is a "frivolous" product, consider the quick access to Wikipedia, Word of the Day, Brainteasers, Time and Date, To-Do, and Type Type Revolution gadgets. Google News, BBC, Scientific American, and the Discovery Channel all provide current events and educational news feeds. Kids have potential to succeed without sacrificing their "fun" -- iGoogle gives great educational links plus tools like calculators. Ye rowdy children, gather 'round the computer-place--warm your hands at the computer, and get ready to have some serious fun with serious learning.

As a writer, one of my favorite features is the Literary Quote of the Day. Including a wide range of authors, the Literary Quote of the Day is a whimsical gadget. While it's not particularly useful in everyday life (except maybe to retort to the coworker who claims you're vulgar and badly educated), the Literary Quote is interesting to look at. It's also small so it conserves space in your iGoogle page, unlike many larger gadgets. As a kid, I love Type Type Revolution, a fast-powered game featuring terrific typing. Creating your own iGoogle page is like creating your own world. I was extremely excited when I first discovered this. I began getting iGoogle gadgets in a frenzied race, as if a Cyclops would appear out of nowhere momentarily and smash my computer to smithereens.

Share and Tell #2: Custom Search Engine

Teachers often bemoan their students' Internet search strategies. Kids, especially younger ones, often surf to Google, type in general search terms, and end up with thousands, if not millions, of results. Many of these results probably are not very relevant and, kids experience difficulty sifting through pages of hits. Clearly, teachers need to teach kids methods of refining their searches. Additionally, there is a Google tool that might help kids become more efficient web searchers.

Custom Search Engine lets your create your own search engine based on preselected sites. This provides a more directed research focus for your students. I created my first engine last fall, and used it in with my classes that participated Google's Global Warming Student Speakout project. I've continued to add more sites geared toward my middle school computer science classes to this engine. The second search engine I created was comprised of sites I regularly explore for when compiling my Friday 5 resource lists. I've embedded this particular search engine in my blog so teachers can look for additional lessons and project ideas. Finally, inspired by the other Lucie who wanted to specifically search the Infinite Thinking Machine, I created a third search engine, using sites cited in the ITM, blogs of the contributors, and the ITM blog itself.

One important Custom Search Engine feature is that you can embed a self-created search engine in a blog or a web site; the html code is provided. You can also invite others to contribute to your search engine, and you can use the Google Marker to bookmark sites directly to your customized search tool. Google Co-op also facilitates collaboration as other people can be given permission to add to the list of sites, and you can add your Custom Search Engine to your iGoogle customized homepage as well.

I also recently discovered a more sophisticated use of Custom Search Engine. In this blog post, Wisconsin educator John Pederson describes how he translated the feeds from his newsreader and used them to roll a search engine based on items he reads daily. His search engine is directly available here. To see how others have used Google Co-op, check out Google's featured examples and the Custom Search Engine blog.

Homework Assignment #2

1) Create your own custom search engine and post the URL in the comments section of this blog post.

AND/OR

2) Join one of my search engines and add sites that you think are worthwhile. Just click on the Volunteer to Contribute link and I'll approve anyone interested in collaborating.

The Infinite Thinking Machine Search Engine
The Friday 5 Search Engine
Mrs. Gray's Research Sites for Kids

Google Teacher Academy - So Cal

As a native of "The OC" and a "Son of Westwood," I'm proud to announce that the next Google Teacher Academy will be held in Santa Monica, CA, on May 23, 2007.

With two successful Academies under our belt, Google's FREE training program for K-12 educators is "going Hollywood." The Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, collaborate with exceptional educators, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region.

50 outstanding educators from Southern California (within 90 miles of Santa Monica) will be selected to attend the Academy based on their passion for teaching, their experience as leaders, and their use of technology in K-12 settings. Each applicant is REQUIRED to produce and submit an original one-minute video, and applications for the event in Santa Monica are due on April 23, 2007.

> Learn more about the program and the application

So far the Academies have been a wonderful experience for everyone involved with 97% of all attendees rating the Academy as "outstanding."

Here are a few quotes from Academy participants:

"The academy was everything I hoped for and more! I can't wait to plan out ways to use the tools we learned about, to share my experiences with my colleagues and to re-connect with the other academy participants!"

"The focus on innovation in education and not just about the tools was right on target."

"I appreciate the opportunity to be connected to a group of educators that are passionate about preparing students for the 21st century. I feel inspired and able to meet the challenges that lie ahead!"

"Until now, I had never attended a conference where I was so engaged and loving every minute of it."

"This was easily the most important professional development experience I have ever had as an educator. World-class tools demonstrated by world-class people at a world-class facility. THANK YOU!"

BTW - In case you're new to the ITM, my colleagues and I at WestEd coordinate the Google Teacher Academy program with our friends at Google. Cristin Frodella leads Google's K-12 education efforts, and she's the guiding force behind everything. WestEd and its partners, like CUE and Discovery Educator Network, are proud to work with Cristin on this program, and we're excited to see the program reach more educators across the country.

Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in joining us!

Best of 2006: The Read/Write Web in Education

It's the winter break for many educators (at least in North America). Email has slowed to a trickle and most educational blogs are not being updated. During this time of reflection and rejuvenation we'll be celebrating the new year (along with the rest of the world). We at the ITM have discussed posting several "best of 2006" (or "predictions for 2007") posts to mark the occasion. For my part, I've identified five trends in the educational use of the read/write web that I've felt had a significant impact on my work - and ultimately, the work of teachers and students. In each case I discuss a free (and teacher-friendly) service.

For the sake of brevity, I've posted my predictions separately.

1. Educational Blogging at Edublogs.org (and learnerblogs.org): Though blogs and educational blogging have been around for several years, and though James Farmer's Edublogs.org was created in 2005, the impact of these tools grew a great deal in 2006. In February, I switched from using Blogger to using Edublogs when leading blogging workshops for teachers. In addition to being able to post text and pictures (and being able to receive comments), teachers could now post Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files, too. There were no random links to embarrassing or inappropriate blogs, and teachers could set up various levels of permissions for comments and for participants in team blogs. To boot, the tools were free and open source. Also, in June 2006, ITM blogger (and open source advocate) Steve Hargadon created supportblogging.com, which quickly became a valuable resource for teachers interested in these ideas. Read my predictions for 2007.

2. Educational Podcasting at podomatic.com: Podcasting began in 2004, and in 2005 my colleagues and I began leading workshops in which we helped teachers jump through many technical hoops in order to "easily" post a podcast. Podomatic was founded in 2005, but it wasn't until 2006 that we started using the service to help teachers and students. Now, teachers can create a new podcast episode by simply uploading an audio file that they've created using a free program such as Audacity. Or, for even greater simplicity, they can record directly into Podomatic over the web. The hosting of the audio files is free and the system takes care of most of the back end technical issues, creating a blog-like website complete with comments. Read my predictions for 2007.

3. Educational Wikis at Wikispaces.com: Though wikis have been around even longer than blogs, they are arguably behind blogs in educational adoption. But, in January 2006, Wikispaces.com started offering free (and add free) Wikis to teachers. Ten thousand wikis later, the company was so impressed by the work teachers and students were doing on their free wikis that they launched a campaign to give away 100,000 wikis to teachers. Today they are nearing the 20,000 mark. These wikis not only allow teachers to create collaboratively edited online resources, but also to post images and files as well. (I've written about educational use of wikis on the ITM before.) Read my predictions for 2007.

4. Google in Education: When we look back on 2006, this may very well be the biggest impact. This is the year Google began working in the k12 arena (an effort now headed up by Cristin Frodella). They launched the Google for Educators site, and played an critical role in the launch of this blog, the Infinite Thinking Machine. Google also released several new products that benefit educators who use the read/write web... particularly the easy to use RSS aggregator, Google Reader (for keeping up to date on news, blogs, and other "feeds") and the web-based word processor Google Docs (for creating, sharing, and collaboratively editing documents online). Though they existed prior to 2006, free desktop applications such as Picasa and Google Earth have been heavily used in education this year as well. (Of course, the newly updated Blogger is also still used by many educators.) Read my predictions for 2007.

5. The Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 (DOPA): This may be the biggest change that didn't happen in 2006. Call it the biggest disaster averted (at least in the United States). Introduced in May 2006, the bill proposed to protect students from online predators by limiting their access to "social networking websites," which could have potentially limited student access to a wide range of websites, including everything I've mentioned above. In July, the house of representatives passed the bill by an amazing 410 to 15, and it seemed as if the Senate would quickly follow suit, thus placing an additional burden on many schools receiving federal funding - and placing a significant obstacle in the path of enterprising teachers using these tools with their students. Happily, organizations such as SaveYourSpace.org rose to the occasion and opposed the bill, which has languished in the Senate since before their August recess. Read my predictions for 2007.

Please feel free to discuss these read/write web trends (and predictions), and to leave ones of your own, in the comments. I look forward to reading your reactions.

PS: The image above was taken by Alan Levine and generously shared under the Creative Commons Attribution license on his Flickr account. Read his prediction about Creative Commons licensing in the comments for this post.

Google Teacher Academy NY

It's official! The next Google Teacher Academy will be held in New York City on February 15, 2007.

After a successful pilot program in Silicon Valley, CA, we're taking Google's FREE K-12 training program on the road. The Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region.

50 educators from the NY Tri-State area will be selected to attend the Academy based on their passion for teaching, their experience as trainers, and their use of technology in K-12 settings. Applications for the New York event are due on January 21, 2007. NOTE: Each applicant is REQUIRED to produce and submit an original one-minute video.

Learn more about the program and the application process here. And please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in joining us!

BTW - My colleagues and I at WestEd jointly coordinate the Google Teacher Academy program with our friends at Google. Cristin Frodella at Google heads up their K-12 education efforts, and she's been fantastic to work with. It's her vision and hard work that make the Academy (and the ITM!) possible, and we're excited to take this professional development program to more regions in 2007!

ITM 3: Living in 3D

ITM #3 is finally here! In this episode we share tips and tools related to visual design. So put on your cool 3D glasses and let's go for a ride.

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Show Notes:

NASA's team at the Lewis Center for Educational Research runs the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) in a desert region outside Los Angeles, CA. They conduct a full educational program where students team with scientists to conduct cutting edge research leading to discovery. This is a great learning opportunity for kids to control and operate a deep space radio telescope. GAVRT provides training for teachers and detailed lessons plans, such as Mapping a Radio Source. And you can even see the live video feed of the GAVRT operation control center.

Since we're talking about space, you might want to check out NASA's education site, the NASA Kids Club, Space.com, and the xPrize Foundation.

The EVS-Islands website is produced by "Mr. Minton" - a teacher from San Diego, CA. With the help of his students, he is creating and sharing vector-based images of shorelines from around the world. Basically, he's combing basic shoreline maritime maps with real satelittle images and turning them into stunning, colorful maps that can be used by the rest of us. Much of the work is done with 20-30 students afterschool. His map collection is impressive, and you can download and use all his maps for FREE. He even gives us detailed map making techniques, so we can can join in the fun.

Sharing videos on the Internet is extremely popular with kids. If nothing else, you need to check out YouTube, MySpace, and Google Video, just so you know what kids are up to these days. While much of the videos are produced for fun, a growing number of teachers are using video sharing websites in the classroom. These websites make it extemely easy to post videos, and, in some cases, you can even control who sees them. How are you taping into this craze? Post your thoughts in our comments section.

And don't forget about sites like the Internet Archive, which houses thousands of PUBLIC DOMAIN videos that students can download and re-edit. Some of my favorites are Thomas Edison's news reel on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1952 classic"Duck and Cover" , and a 1963 production on how to use film in the classroom.

SketchUp is FREE software that empowers students to be 3D designers. SketchUp is a great tool for easily teaching kids to construct 3D models of buildings, trees, cars, and anything else they can imagine. You can use it as a stand-alone tool or in conjunction with Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse. On the main SketchUp website you can find a gallery of student examples, case studies, tutorials on how to use the tool, an educators forum, and even a book on how to use it in the classroom.

As one of the original inventors of the Internet, Vint Cerf is widely recognized as a leading thinker on how 21st century technologies are transforming our daily lives. Learn more about Vint on Wikipedia. In this segment, Vint talks share his thoughts on how technology is changing how we design things.

Learn more about the convergence of design and technology at the Designing Interactions , a book, DVD, and website from Bill Moggridge, one of the founders of IDEO. Check out the other feature articles on design on the IDEO website.

ITM 3 Homework: See if your kids can help you find out what the image is and where it is located. It's tougher than it looks. If you don't have any luck finding the answer, let me know, and I may release a few hints in the comments section. : )

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for helping us explain what the Infinite Thinking Machine is!

ITM #2: The Write Stuff

ITM #2 dives into the world of language arts with some great web resources and instructional strategies. Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and enjoy!

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Show Notes:

The History is Elementary blog is great resource for practical ideas on teaching history, especially in elementary school. The Shake and Bake post is particularly inspired, providing great ideas for hooking kids on Shakespeare by introducing them to the mystery of his identity.

Type in "Answer to life the Universe and everything" on the Google search bar and click "I'm Feeling Lucky". Hint: It's an obscure literary reference to a famous science fiction novel. If you want to cut right to the chase, check out this entry in Wikipedia.

The Gmaps Pedometer is a FREE web tool that measures and records walking distances from one point to another. It even measures changes in elevation! Use this tool with kids to help measure the exact distance between two points or to monitor your exercise path. FYI - Although Gmaps Pedometer uses Google Maps to help make it work, the website is not affiliated with Google in any way.

Ken Stein's Teacher Blog is a "sandbox" for ideas and resources related to teaching writing. It's just one of many great resources provided by the New York City Writing Project. His post on "Things to do with Writely" has 10 specific tips on how teachers and students can get the most from Writely (now called Google Docs) and other online word processors. Zoho Writer, AjaxWrite, and ThinkFree are a few other online tools to check out.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets (formerly Writely) is a free web-based word processor and spreadsheet tool.

Mike Lawrence is a former high school English teacher who currently serves as the Executive Director of Computer Using Educators. He visited Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA for his "field trip" to see how they were using online word processors in their writing process.

The Big 6 is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. It is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. On the main Big Six website, you can get lesson ideas, read about their evidence of success, and access grade appropriate tools.

There are lots of FREE online dictionaries (Dictionary.com and Free Dictionary are two of the most popular), but you can also define words straight from the Google search bar. This simple tool allows you to quickly view multiple definitions of words and follow the link to the original source of that definition.

Your Homework Assignment: Take one of the ideas or resources mentioned in this episode and use it in your school or classroom. Post your results to the comments section of this blog (see the blue "comments" link above) or send us an email.

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for helping us explain what the Infinite Thinking Machine is!

ITM 1: Calling Planet Earth

Thanks for watching the premiere episode of the ITM! We know it was a long episode, but we just had so much to say. We promise to make them shorter in the future, and we hope to vary the topics more too. Please be patient as we figure out how to get the most from this great medium. And feel free to send us your ideas and comments!

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Show Notes:

Textmapping is a graphic organizer technique that can be used to teach reading comprehension and writing skills, study skills, and course content. The Textmapping website has great examples, lesson plans, and email discussion groups.

The Inertia video was created by Erica Eng when she was a Senior at Skyline High School in Oakland, CA. More examples of student produced media can be found at Listen Up!

Hart Island is just outside New York City, NY. You can get historical information here and look at the detailed satellite images here.

The new Google Educators website has lots of resources to help K-12 educators get the most from Google's FREE tools.

Hall Davidson runs the CA Student Multimedia Festival, and he works for the Discovery Educator Network. He is a board member of Computer Using Educators, and he is a popular speaker at education conferences. He visited Franklin Elementary School in Hollywood, CA for his "field trip."

Google Earth is free to download and use.

The Jane Goodall Institute is a global nonprofit that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. Jane Goodall has dedicated most of her life to the study and preservation of chimpanzees in Tanzania. The virtual tour of her work can be downloaded here for use in Google Earth.

Learn more about the educational uses of Google Earth at the Juicy Geography website.

A "mashup" is when you combine two or more technologies or media products together to create something even better. Learn more about mashups on Wikipedia or see some great mashups that use Google maps at Google Maps Mania.

You can find, download, and share "placemarks" for Google Earth at the Google Earth Community

Get the World War II "Places, Battles, and Special Ops" placemark to use in Google Earth.

Check out Wikipedia's full entries for World War II.

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for their great introduction to the Infinite Thinking Machine!y