Category Archives: macul precon

Special Interest Groups are Rocking Pre-Cons!

Leave a reply

No one is more excited about the first day of the MACUL Conference than the Special Interest Groups. All the time and energy put into planning a great hands-on experience for all attendees finally comes to fruition today.Even though is probably too late for you to make an afternoon session, check out some of what is available today.

  •  Python Programming
  • Get Started with the Excitement of Challenge-Based Learning
  • Video in the Classroom
  • Writing Basic Applications for Mobile Devices
  • Creating Accessible ePub Documents for the iPad
  • Windows 7 and Office 2010 Deployment
And there’s many, many more.  What a great assortment of topics from newbie to techie and everything in between.
Special Interest Groups are made up of people just like you, who have an interest in using technology in the classroom.  MACUL’s SIGs are:
Thanks, SIGs, for a job well done!

iLife Workshop

2 Replies

Had an awesome time in Leslie Fisher‘s iLife preconference workshop today (hosted by SIG MM). Found the Faces tool in iLife iPhoto ’09 which is totally awesome face recognition – and connects to Facebook! How cool is that?!

Also had fun with Garageband and made a little podcast, with pictures…

Mini MACUL 2009 Podcast

for your 30 second viewing/listening pleasure.

I know, not as exciting as the podcast interviews that Ben Rimes has posted, but it’s a flavor of the learning that happens at the MACUL conference!

Hope that you can catch at least one session with Leslie Fisher this year!

Last Minute Changes to 2009 MACUL Conference

Leave a reply

Like any large event, there are always last minute changes. The MACUL conference is no exception to that rule. Below is a list of all the last minute changes to the conference. We’ve got some new sessions, some sessions that sadly had to be cancelled for one reason or another, and a few changes to previously scheduled sessions.

NEW Sessions

Thursday, March 19

Free Resources! Free Training! MORE on MeL.org.

10-11am Room W2-64

Barbara Fardell, Technology Manager, Michigan Department of Education, Karen Hairston Project Manager, Thinkfinity Grant, MDE.

Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE) is a database with thousands of high quality resources aligned to the MI GLCES and HSCES. It’s free and it’s on MeL.org. But wait; there’s more! We need YOU! Find out how you can join one of the fun-filled alignment workshops being held around the state assisting MDE and the Library of Michigan. Learn how you can become a MORE Field Trainer!

Friday, March 20

The Best Teacher Tools for Busy Educators

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Andy Mann, Educational Technology Consultant, Calhoun Intermediate School District

Why recreate the wheel?  Find the best teacher created PowerPoint presentations, games, educational clipart, and music in this fast-paced presentation.  Explore sites to create seating charts, jeopardy games, word searches, and more.  Discover the best tools to manage your time including Delicious, iGoogle, and Weebly.

Ask/Tell MDE! Stimulus Dollars, Technology Grants and More!

11:30am – 12:30 pm Room W2-64

Bruce Umpstead, Director of Technology and Data Coordination, Michigan Department of Education.

Come join in some stimulating conversation surrounding the Federal Stimulus money coming our way! Find out what’s new in Ed Tech Grants (EETT). Give us your ideas for what Michigan schools need to upgrade their technology needs. Speak out!

Cancelled

Wednesday, March 18

Preconference workshops

SIGPL 3 – Research-Based Classroom Formative Assessments

Thursday, March 19

(Workshop) Moodle Basics (8-10am

Ask MDE:  Michigan’s Digital Classrooms Initiative (10-11am)

(Workshop) Student Productivity and Assessment Using the New $299 StudentMate Laptop (1-3:00pm)

iPod in the Classroom? It’s Not Just for Music Anymore! (2:30-3:30pm)

Friday, March 20

Data Warehousing for Student Success (10-11am)

Free is Good – The Third Wave (10-11am)

Ask MDE: Michigan’s Digital Classrooms Initiative (11:30am-12:30pm)

New Day/Time

David Rose session (Teaching and Learning Science for All Students: Early Report From NSF Research on Universal Design for Learning and Quality Science Instruction) moved from Friday at 1:00 PM to Thursday at 4 PM in Room W1-51.

New Exhibitors – Additions to the Conference program

New Presenters

Wednesday, March 18

SIGTC 1: Budgeting for Technology.  Fred Sharpsteen for Don Koperski

Back Channels, Get Your Back Channels While They’re Hot!

3 Replies

You wanted Back Channels, and MACUL has delivered!

Take a moment to check out the video below to see just how the official MACUL Space or Twitter Back Channels can help you connect in real time with other conference attendees. Share information about a session (while sitting in on the session), help cheer someone up that’s halfway through a mind-numbing lecture on the significance of packet shaping, or just see what a friend is up to on the other end of the conference center.

You can also view a nice large full size version of the MACUL Back Channel video by clicking on the link here.

Feel free to use the MACUL Space chat, or MACUL Twitter Feeds to keep yourself connected and share thoughts while at the conference, just remember your best Internet etiquette :)

Pre-Conference Sessions Filling to Capacity!

Leave a reply

Many of the pre-conference sessions on Wednesday, March 18, are filling up fast.  The variety of pre-conference sessions this year is great, so there check them out now if you have any chance of being able to attend.  There are full and half-day sessions available.  Most will be held at Cobo Hall in Detroit, some are at other metro-Detroit locations.

The pre-conference sessions offer participants time for hands-on experiences, which allows more in-depth knowledge and exploration.

Online registration is now over; contact the MACUL office asap if you would like to attend a session.