Groton Area Technology

Sharing Sessions

2009-07-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

We have had a great time sharing the past couple of Wednesday mornings. We have worked with SMARTboards and discussed ways to keep up with the changes in technology. Twitter is a great way to stay informed. Follow some of the "heavy hitters" like Kevin Honeycut and Dianne Krause.

Time Vampire

2009-06-03T07:04:00.001-07:00

Kevin Honeycutt suggested that we monitor our computer use and choose carefully so tasks don't become "time vampires". He also plays a "mean" iPod Touch!

Kevin Honeycutt

2009-06-03T07:01:00.001-07:00

What a delightful way to start the morning. Kevin Honeycutt is awesome! He says we should be trigital. That is traditional and digital. We all need a nice mix. He suggested we make videos, rock videos, use google sketch up and use what you have. You don't need great stuff. School boards love to hear that. We can be creative.

What A Day!

2009-06-02T12:44:00.001-07:00

What an action packed day. We listened to Kevin Honeycutt this morning. I just wish all of our teachers could be here. I promise to post links to some of the ideas. Talk about a high energy guy! Now I am listening to Jim Moulton. He asks the question...why are we paying for Office when we have google docs and other free tools. He is right. Zohon is another free source. Free is the new word of the internet. Free is not illegal. It is the wave of the future. There are other ways for companies to make their money. Teachers need to get good at using the new tools. What a day!

Day II at the Laptop Institute

2009-06-02T08:14:00.001-07:00

I am at a session with Glen Wiebe. Jim Moulton (http://jimmoulton.org)spoke prior to this and did an awesome job of explaing what
China and India are doing for education with their kids. I think it is time for an attitude change in education for all parties, parents, teachers & kids. We have a very important future to protect for my future grandchildren and I want them to be ahead of the curve not behind. Back to

Glenn Wiebe. (www.socialstudiescentral.com) is his home. He has a presentation handouts tab and you need to go to Engaging 21st Century......etc. Very though provoking. He is using word sorts for social studies in high school to evoke higher level thinking skills. http://www.kanedlive.org/?q=glennw

Ubiquitous Presenter Part II

2009-06-01T17:04:00.001-07:00

Students can show you their thinking through inking. What a great way to crawl inside their heads. http://up.ucsd.edu

Ubiquitous Presenter

2009-06-01T16:14:00.001-07:00

I am at a presentation now that is freeware. It is called Ubiquitous Presenter. I am impressed by this because teachers can use their slides as a group project. Students can see and add their own submissions. What a great way to add your own thoughts to a presentation.

Monday at the Laptop Academy

2009-06-01T12:56:00.001-07:00

I am in beautiful Mitchell, SD attending the a national laptop conference. The schedule is just as advertised. What a great place to pick up ideas. Google tools and Web 2.0 tools have been a big topic today. Right now I am so enthusiastic I really can
tell you everything that I have learned today. I will post later and perhaps I will do a better job. Did I mention that
Tammy Worcester rocks?! www.tammyworcester.com

Progress Monitoring Success Stories

2008-01-16T19:25:00.001-08:00

Progress Monitoring Success Stories I am so excited! Since my last post we are monitoring 173 students on a weekly basis. The Palm Pilots that we purchased makes it possible and easy! I would recommend Palms to anyone. All you do is sync the Palm to get the student names to monitor and after the probes are complete you simply sync again. The numbers are up and we are ready to print results. All I can say is WOW!Another part of RtI that we fully implemented in December was documentation. We took a less high tech approach to documentation. I have a large index card box for grade levels k-3. Each child we are working with has a card and we make a note for each lesson.Our classroom teachers are doing interventions in the room each day with students who have been identified as needing further work. We just started this process after vacation so it will be interesting to watch our scores. We are certainly redirecting our energies in a positive way.Oh and let us not forget our "Rock Star" paraprofessionals who have worked with our children diligently since the beginning of the year. They are really taking ownership of the kids and their learning. I am forever grateful for their positive attitude and hard work.