Daily+Notes+-+Wednesday


 * Wednesday 7/11**

Topics
 * Karen Kaplan, CT State Department of Education,** Director of Commission on Educational Technology

Internet usage stats: Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2006, 2007

$850K for online learning for schools. No cost to districts, online courses for students. SDE will be looking for teachers to get trained and be course facilitators. My Access and Criterion are two products being used in CT schools · My Access by Vantage Learning: http://www.vantagelearning.com/myaccess/ · Criterion by ETS: http://criterion4.ets.org/cwe/
 * Computer Assisted Writing** pilot grants continuing: $1 million, rfp out in the fall. Focus is high schools again, since funding is through a channel focusing on high school students.

Video: //Web 2.0…The Machine is Us//; (search for digital ethnography) Links: http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=77 Discussion at university level Video: (disclaimer: this is a You Tube link; use your discretion re: sharing this link with colleagues and students) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g&mode=related&search= Note: interesting to read some of the comments, pro & con about this video. Ultimately, the content of this 4 minute clip may have more value as a catalyst for discussion than as a final word (SN commentary)
 * CT High School Redesign** effort (brochure); includes Rigor, engagement and 21st Century learning as essential themes. Still in draft form.

Key issues: evaluating and supportive effective technology use. Critically evaluating available online tools, such as Babelfish, an online translator. Pro/con discussion. Spoof sites: the first male pregnancy


 * Wikipedia**: the good, the bad and other. Can this be useful as a conversation starter with educators to explore the beliefs behind the use of Wikipedia, and the understandable concerns expressed by our LMS contingency?

Cyberbullying: [|www.stopcyberbullying.org] Provocative discussion of a practice more prevalent than we want to admit. Challenge question: what is our responsibility/liability with this issue?

Karen's presentation:

Podcasting homework: to get ready for our session on Thursday, Brian has asked us to... 1. bring a set of personal headphones 2. consider some content you would post in a podcast to colleagues or staff in your school/organization 3. preview at least one of the podcast sites listed on the P/C page