Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

Yes, OK, I admit it, I"ve been taking a hiatus.  Blogging a little but not much - but this video from Bob Sprankle that he made for BLC09 is really something that snagged me back to reality! My Summer Break Classroom It reminded me of my classroom today. Today I had a student come to the computer lab to work.  He wanted to work on enhancing his summer assignment and making it better.  Nothing funny about this until you realize that he wrote his own assignment based upon guidelines I gave him back in May AND that he finished the assignment the week school got out AND that school doesn't go back for another two weeks AND that he had his dad take him to the school and wait for 30 minutes until I could get dressed and get over there. You see, this student called me at home and woke me up from my lazy seat in the recliner (the one day I gave myself off the whole summer, I might add) and BEGGED for me to open my classroom. The picture at the end of Bob's video remi...

Introduction to Wikispaces - Eventbrite Wikispaces is hosting a free webinar. THe email to me today says: "Wikispaces Education Webinar: Join us on August 6 for our Education Webinar. We'll focus on features that teachers have found useful in their classrooms and hear from Nicole Naditz, a French educator and foreign language pedagogy trainer. Nicole has used wikis in her French classrooms and as resource pools for her colleagues. Join us as she shares her wikis including an e-pal exchange and a solar power project with a school in Burkina Faso." tags : education , wiki , learning , edu_news , bestpractices An effective wiki Learn central is doing some cool things (created by Elluminate) and although the interface is currently sort of spartan - there are some very powerful features in the group scheduling and room capabilities that we're planning to use, at first with our teachers, but eventually with students. This is a copy of the wiki grading rubric from last yea...

K12 Online Conference 2009 | K12Online09 Bridging the Divide: Call for Proposals, Keynotes, and LAN Party Plans K12 online proposal deadline is August 16th!! It is time to get together and get this done! Considering putting one together where my students would participate -- any other teachers and their students game? Have something up my sleeve. tags : education , learning , k12online09 An Apology from Amazon - kindle Discussion Forum Amazon thread from CEO apologizing for deletion of 1984 copies from Kindles for copyright issues. Kind of big brother-ish but the apology is very well phrased and looks real. Kudos to Bezos for at least doing the right thing here. tags : education , kindle , learning Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall If you have a music program at your school, perhaps you should peruse some of the fascinating thing my new friend Christopher Amos, director of Distance Learning for Carnegie Hall is doing. (I met him at NECC.) tags : education , learning , tools ...

schoollearningcommons / FrontPage This website is a companion to David Loertscher, Carol Koechlin, and Sandi Zwaan's must read book The New Learning Commons: Where Learners Win! about the transformation of libraries into the learning commons. David is a true visionary who I personally respect immensely and was so delighted he gave me this book at NECC when we happened to bump into each other at NECC. tags : education , learning , tools Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 Great post by Ben Grey on his participation in Constructing Modern knowledge - he hits several things including the fact that many at the conference said that computer programming should be mandatory for all students and a presenter who said that the problem with today is that too many people have a voice. My comments from Ben's blog are below. Great conversations happening here! Programming - OK, on the programming thing, here are my thoughts. In our curriculum our objective is not as much a specific LANGUAGE. One year I may use HTML with Javascript, this past year I used LSL — what I want kids to know that when they encounter programming and coding that there are certain conventions. Some are case sensitive, some are not. How do you find out how to add to what you know about programming? Do you know where to go to find prewritten code? Can you hack it to make it work to do what you want it to do? We spend about a week – two weeks but I require ...

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: 122 For You: Cool Cat Teacher's Favorite Apps, Software, and Sites I love how tweetmeme lets me track this - my all time most tweeted blog post is this one from this past April about my favorite apps and tools. It is also the single longest blog post I've written in terms of time - topping about 10 hours of work! tags : education , learning , tools , technology , edu_newapp Twitter Correcting Follower Counts: 1000s of Spammers Perish Those who have panicked that their Twitter followers have dropped - don't be paranoid! The twitter spammers have again taken the axe. Twitter self corrects about every 90 days and you'll get used to it. The fact is that Twitter is for meaningful, authentic communication - albeit short and if you do that, it can be a fun, and useful part of your personal learning network. It is unique to you and how you want to do it! Remember that it is not about the followers although you'll have people direct message you tha...

Image via Wikipedia I am a heavy sleeper.  As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm gone.  That is, except during the three weeks before school starts. It is now almost 2 am in the morning here on the East Coast of the USA and I'm wide awake, thinking of all of the things I've got to do... the five projectors that aren't installed YET, the 4 computers that need to be put in service, the countless userids that need to be set up, the patches on the server, my lesson plans -- just so much! And I'm still excited about all the cool technologies I've learned about this summer (particularly the evolution of the hyperlink:  the hardlink) and opportunities Julie and I've been working on for Flat Classroom (tm). But, it still remains that I was up until 4 am last night and woke up at 7:30 am this morning and here it is almost 2 am and I'm still up. Awaiting marriage I liken this insomnia to that I had in the days prior to when I got married.  I was excited, ...

This past week in the mountains we went rafting twice:  once down the Nantahala (class I, II, and III rapids) and once down a more mellow river with just class I and II with an outfit that specializes in rafting with kids. Training them Well We did this for a reason, the first trip was to remind the kids of the rafting and steering principles that they had forgotten from last summer, with an experienced guide (either an "official guide" or my husband who is a great guide as well.)  This way the kids had brushed up on the technique. Setting Them Free (sort of) Then, we went down the other river (I think it is spelled Tugaseekee) because kids who are 9 and up have the choice of going down in an individual self-bailing ducky.  We gave the kids a choice and all but one chose the ducky. My 7 year old went down with me in a 2 person ducky. Now, some would call us parents crazy - including the beginning rafter adults with us who were scared to death.  But our kids...

YouTube - Technology Fear Factor in Education Just rewatched this video I made in March 2007 about Technology in Education (particularly in the US.) Have had some say they couldn't read what I was saying, however, it is using IM speak - you have to just read the letters I'm pointing to! Last I checked this video, I had about 2,000 views - it is now up over 25,000! Hmm - what is happening? tags : education , learning , tools , video , edu_trends diigoeducation / FrontPage Outline and presentations from the Diigo presentation at NECC that we did. This includes the presentations, outline, and backchannel notes. tags : education , learning , tools , diigo , bestpractices Request for classroom collaborations during the 2009/10 school year: - Flat Classrooms Some grassroots collaborations like this one for grade 4 are emerging from the Flat Classroom Ning. We'll see what happens, but if you're interested in joining - join in and add your name. tags : education , learnin...

Idea Works Blog » We Celebrate Learning – Vicki Davis Here are answers to some great questions from idea works that I shared with them in the past few weeks. For those of you who might have missed a few blog posts here -- you can get answers to questions like, "how do I handle it when people disagree with my uses of technology" and how I got started. Thank you idea works for giving me a chance to share over there. tags : education , learning , coolcatteacher , inthenews How to shift iTunes libraries | Root | Macworld These are some of the tricks I used to consolidate our library on an external hard drive and to move things over. If you are becoming a 1:1 ipod family like my family is -- you'll need this trick. tags : education , ipod , itouch , apple Do You Have These 11 Traits of Highly Creative People? | Copyblogger Are you creative? While this piece doesn't cite specific research, it does ask some great questions and give you challenges to encourage your creativit...

I've been in mega-recovery mode after NECC and just returning from vacation. (I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.)  We rafted, duckied, hiked, picnic'ed, shopped, cooked and ate quite a bit all while hanging out with 14 of our closest family members - -it was great! Always the highlight of my year. Am getting ready to get back in the blogging swing, but was just reviewing my notes to myself on starting out the school year and my routines -- for the newcomers to my blog - thought you might want to see these. Starting the School Year off Right: Part 1 -- Set the Pace Starting the School Year off Right: Part 2 -- Establish the Flow Starting the School Year off Right: Part 3 -- Create the Plan Am spending quite a bit of time on this as well as working on projects and also trying to get this book I've been working on for 2 years now to print. Have so much to share - hope this gets you started as our beautiful summer is waning. Enjoy every moment and rememb...

No Precedence For Social Media - Amazon Hangs Us Out To Dry Interesting happenings as affiliate programs - which have never really paid much anyway -- are receiving the squeeze. What will happen is that some company will understand the power of social media, will pay commissions and that will be used for those who do go with affiliate programs. To me, I find it odd that a company that I always use to talk about Web 2.0 and how it came about (Amazon) would fail to understand the word of mouth advertising and sales that they could get should they allow social media to be part of affiliate programs. tags : education , learning UDL Guidelines | National Center On Universal Design for Learning Great website on Universal Design for Learning with a lot of great information. tags : education , learning , udl , edu_news Revizr - Revizr for Education A white paper on how revisr would work for educators. Could be interesting to use for the writing of term papers, etc. tags : education , learni...

How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice - Google Voice - Lifehacker Twitter is abuzz about Google Voice and this seems to be the definitive guide thus far for getting started (if you're lucky enough to get an invitation.) tags : education , google voice , lifehacker , Google Philly Teacher: Vicki Davis really got me thinking..... Great post from Philly Teacher about Drinking in Life and spending time face to face. What a nice post and also a great blog - enjoyed perusing a lot of the other blog posts as well. tags : education , living , life Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

I wish I could grab the sun cresting over the hazy mountains, and pick it like an orange and squeeze into your mind the juicy words that could let you feel what is like to be part of this day. To experience what it means to be alive to thrive as the day inhales the mist and exhales sunshine into my soul. For sometimes to truly feel alive, I must be a human being and not just a human doing tethered to the invisible and visible cords and ties that catch me in the Web from which I cannot untie. It is when I break the tendrils of containment, the Net that binds, that I again become real and life becomes whole again. Squeezing down my scalp the juice of life embodied in river water. Trickling down my spine, the tart and tangy water of life as I hike deep in the woods to find hidden waterfalls covered with lichens and teardrops of joy. These things, these waters, ferns, wood spiders and zest, they are always here hidden away and forgotten through their disconnectedn...

"Enjoy it, drink it in, it's not going to last enjoy it,drink it in, it's not going to last!" My neice repeated over and over as Sue Waters , Julie Lindsay , I, and my 3 kids, 4 nieces and nephews and extended family were watching the grand Camilla fireworks on July 4th.  We'd laugh - just when we thought it was the finale - another finale would start -- we had at least 3 and laughed and laughed. Well, now I'm in Las Vegas, just having spent time with some amazing IT Directors from Edison Learning and I haven't had time to blog and tell you about all the things I learned at NECC from so many of you as well as the experiences. Really, it was sort of this drink it in phenomenon that caused me to not have time to blog.  For me, NECC is about getting to see so many of you face to face that I respect and admire - I wanted to drink in your knowledge and learning - knowing that soon I'll be an island again.  Additionally, there was business to do - me...

National Educational Technology Plan You have until July 12th to comment on the national education technology plan which was started at NECC. They want your opinion and comments on the plan - so if you do not comment, you lose the right to complain! tags : education , learning , innovation , edu_news Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

ALEKS -- Assessment and Learning, K-12, Higher Education, Automated Tutor, Math Two people tweeted about this website and how student test scores went up with it. Wonder if others have had similar results? Might decide to use it with my own children if that is the case. tags : education , learning , math , bestpractices , edu_newapp coolcatteacher - Web 2 Smackdown The ustream for the Web 2 smackdown and a list of links from the session on a wiki page. Some people don't like the term "smackdown" which originated from wrestling (guess it shows my southern roots) -- just meant to be a lot of fun and sharing - not supposed to be too serious. Lots of great tools shared here. The ustream is great if you have time, if you don't, there are quite a few links in the diigo list I share here. tags : education , learning , web2 , necc09 , necc2009 , edubloggercon , ebc , technology , edu_newapp Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

It's time to turn technology loose in the classroom - SiliconValley.com Larry Magid writes about his view on NECC in the San Jose Mercury News, and in particular the use of the backchannel at the Web 2.0 session with Steve Hargadon. tags : education , learning , web2 The Energy Literacy Project "There is a problem with energy literacy" says Chevron CEO, David O'Reilly, in Thomas Friedman's Hot Flat and Crowded - Julie and I are working to incorporate energy and environment into our next Flat Classroom mini-conference in Februray and we turned up this energy literacy nonprofit. This is fascinating.  This is just one resource we reviewed and is not the BASIS for our project, just one resource we reviewed, so please do not view this bookmark as an endorsement of this or any other project, just as a place to share resources.  We'll let you know the official basis of our project when the time comes! tags : education , learning , energy , environment , science_h...

Edubloggercon @ NECC09 | KimP's Blog Great summary of some of the coolest tools shared at edubloggercon and the smackdown - I have to compile my notes, but here are some GREAT ones! tags : education , learning , tools NECC Summary Saturday June 27 | Mark Hines EdTech Blog Here, Mark Hines reflects on his learning from NECC and I bookmarked it as he shared what he learned from the cell phone session that we had on Saturday. We used the PBL model for our workshop and the session had 2 projects during the 3 hours -- such a great group of people! tags : education , celled , cellphone , workshop_feedback YouTube - Digiteen Social Action project Video documentation of the Digiteen social action project done by Suzie Nestico's classroom. tags : education , learning , digiteen , action Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

Diigo in Education Wiki Preso for NECC This is the wiki with the information from our session on Diigo in the Open Source Lab at NECC. It has current information on bookmarking. tags : education , information_change , web2.0 , prediction Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here.

Games & Simulations Panel NECC