I can not remember a MACUL conference flying by so quickly. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I was so busy. I was busy live blogging, bumping into old friends, trying out products in the exhibit hall, getting ready for my presentation and then all of the social functions.
It sure was different from my first conference in 2003. That year I had a great time and learned a lot but it was a lot quieter. I went to all of the sessions, sat toward the back, and didn’t talk to anybody. I didn’t ask any questions. I think I even had dinner by myself down in Greektown. The only person I really interacted with much was the cabbie who was trying to job me with the “busted meter” routine.
I still came away with a great experience, but far different than the ones I come away with now.
Have I made a huge conversion in my life from an introvert to Mr. Social? No, not at all. Over the last six years, I have begin to understand that MACUL is not just the annual state edtech conference. MACUL is the association and all of the people that are involved in it the other 50 weeks of the year. There were 3300 others of us in Detroit this year. The amount of brain power that convened at Cobo this year is immeasurable…and that power is not hard to harness or tap.
I have gotten to know many of these people over years in my grad program at Western Michigan University. We have attended and presented at other conferences together. Macul Space has made a huge difference in my career, as have other web 2.0 tools like Facebook and Twitter. We share ideas, successes, and a laughs…mostly we share ideas.
People rave about what a great conference it is…and without a doubt it is. I have just come to learn over the years that the people that make up the organization offer even more than what we can get out of each annual gathering in March.
If this was your first conference, or if you have been going for years, get to know your fellow MACUL members. Technology is making it easier and easier for us to all connect. Your MACUL experience won’t be just a couple of days out of the building, it will be a year-round part of your career.
Last TWICE session of the day, not quite so packed but still a great group. Presenters are Linda McConville, 4th grade teacher, and Diane Nye, media specialist, at E. P. Clarke Elementary, in St. Joseph, MI.
Videoconferences their school has done are the ASK programs, the Macomb ISD LAPs programs, the Voices project, collaborations with the UK and Alberta, connections with the Columbus Zoo, LEARNnco, the Cleveland Institute of Music, ASK Stellaluna, a connection with Pakistan, Read Around the Planet to name a few.
Handouts for this session included those from the Buffalo Zoo for the Animal Behavior, the Search Help page and Region 12’s content provider review page.
Rebecca gave us a quick overview of what they do, and then gave us a feel of the Animal Behavior program.
We saw a blue tongued skink and identified behaviors it might do. In the rainforest exhibit (via a live camera), we looked for some animals that use behaviors and adaptations to attract mates. We saw many different kinds of visuals …. including a tiny hummingbird egg. “Imagine a bird hatching out of a tic-tac!”
After the program demo, then we saw some of the live exhibit cameras, including a gorrilla who was picking bird seed out of hay.
Teachers got to ask questions, and learned more about how they offer programs, cost, logistics, etc.
Thanks to the Buffalo Zoo for giving us a great overview of their programs and to all the teachers who attended so late in the afternoon!
If you want to learn more about videoconferencing, come to the sessions tomorrow in W2-66!
Another jam packed TWICE room (W2-66), this time with Danielle Letter, from Atkins Elementary in Saginaw, MI. We videoconferenced with 6th graders back in Atkins Elementary.
Danielle is giving us an experience with the type of videoconference called Math Maniacs. The kids read some math problems to us. We divided into groups and solved the problems while the students worked on solving some other math problems. Then we read some problems to the students… Some of the problem titles were:
- Toothpick Problem
- The Million Mystery
Danielle: Are you ready?
Kids: No, we’re not! This is HARD! They’re teachers!!
Both sides muted the microphone and worked on their math problems.
Danielle: All you need to do this is two classes, and some math problems. You can do it over videoconferencing, or Skype, or with an overhead projector with the class next door in your class. A document camera (Elmo, AverMedia, etc.) is helpful to share the math problem with the other site.
95% of what we learn is when we’re teaching someone else. So the students are teaching other students how they are solving their math problems.
Why do we use problem solving?
- Because of the collaboration
- Can be open ended
- Can be not one right answer
- Appeals to many learning styles
- Encourages multiple strategies to solve the problem
- Promotes stamina
Then we tried to solve our problems. Lots of quality work time, brainstorming and problem solving at both sites. See how one of the groups solved the toothpick problem.
After that, the 6th graders explained to us how they solved their problems, and we explained how we solved our problems. We learned about strategies guess and check, drawing a chart, acting it out…
Some student quotes on why they like problem solving:
- It’s really good because you don’t just come up with the answer with a calculator. You use your mind by yourself and you feel really good. I like it because of the accomplishment.
- I like it because it’s challenging. You have to do it over and over again until you get it. But you keep trying and get it and you realize that it’s worth finding the solution to it.
Nothing like hearing in the words of a kid!
At the end, our teachers didn’t want to share their answers, and the 6th graders said that we were camera shy. Everyone laughed!
Thanks Danielle, for showing us the cool ways to engage kids in teaching others and solving problems.
It’s the first session after Alan November, and the TWICE room (W2-66) is jam packed with participants anxious to learn virtual field trips. Greg Marten, Lenawee ISD is presenting How Do I Find A Virtual Field Trip? Look TWICE!
After an introduction to videoconferencing, we connected to Lynsey Russell’s class at Woodlands Elementary in Cwmbran, Wales to hear their Read Around the Planet presentation that they did with Ohio a couple weeks ago. The class started with a little introduction of geography of the UK. Then they sang us a song. The kids were so cute in their red, white and black uniforms. Huge round of applause from the teachers in the audience. We heard a Welsh song, and then a poem about a dragon in English. The poem was about the dragon who ate the school. Complete with actions and wonderful expression! Wonderful performance poetry.
One of the participants on the front row sang all the songs with the students and did the actions. She had Welsh background so that was a nice connection!
We had a chance to ask them questions:
- What is the weather like?
- What kinds of things do you do on the playground? (football, cricket, and basketball)
- Do they learn Welsh in school?
After going to Wales, we got online for a while. People with laptops went to the TWICE website. The Projects section is where you can learn about connections like we did with Wales. The rest of the session focused on videoconference programs or field trips and how to search the Berrien RESA Videoconference Program Database. Participants learned about the TWICE discounts and other features.
Next, we headed over to the Michigan State University Museum to hear about their programs.
They gave us a tour of their studio – a little closet when you look offline. They have a green screen, which is of course very neat and makes it easy to see the visuals and the presenter at the same time. We got a nice overview of their programs: evolution, adaptations, and termites. We also heard crickets, saw pictures and video clips of various creatures. MSU Museum is one of the more affordable providers, with a cost of $50 per session.
If you haven’t seen a videoconference yet, plan to stop by the TWICE room (W2-66) for one of the upcoming sessions!
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…
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!
I know I’ve blogged about this before, but a little helpful reminder might be in order the weekend before the conference. No matter if you’re blogging, twittering, posting pictures, or just bookmarking resources on your favorite social bookmarking site, the use of tags is something that will help organize information across the entire Internet.
Think of tags as the individual categories atop the filing folders in your cabinet. You can assign photos, blog posts, forum discussions, and even bookmarks you keep online with mutliple tags. For instance, if you look at the top of this post you’ll see it’s been tagged with the words “macul09, tags, and flickr”. Powerful search engines scour the internet for these tag words, and then use that information to organize search results for other people. So that means when you use the tag “macul09″, everytime somebody searched for the word macul or macul09, they see all of the great photos, bookmarks, and content that people hav marked with that tag word.
It only takes a moment, and it a HUGE help to people that either can’t attend the conference, but still want to follow all of the postings and information. It also helps anyone find useful photos on Flickr, posts in Twitter, or other popular social sites to find information from this year’s conference. Tagging with the word “macul09″ is a ncie way to help yourself and others in an uber-coll web2.0 way 
Happy tagging!
At the 2008 conference, MACUL was fortunate enough to play host to the SchoolTube/School Video News broadcast center. It was quite the display of technology, interactivity, and all around “coolness” to see what amounted to a full television broadcast studio set up on the grounds of the conference. FOr those that may have missed it, feel free to check out pictures after the jump.
Find more photos like this on MACUL Space
This year, MACUL is once again pleased to announce SchoolTube’s involvment with the conference. We’re both so excited about it, that SchoolTube has created a promo video for everyone to enjoy. Check it out below!
Yikes! Amid the hustle and bustle of late summer professional development sessions and the beginning of the school year, it may have slipped your mind that the deadline for applying to present at MACUL 09 is quickly approaching. On September 29th, 2008, the call for presenters for the 2009 conference will close, which means if you have a great idea for a session, your time is limited. If you’re like me before I started presenting, then you’re probably wondering how you’re going to find the time/energy/courage to offer up an abstract for presenting in front of educators from around the state. It’s actually a lot easier than you think, especially considering many sessions showcase successful projects or learning experiences that you’ve probably done with your students several times in the classroom. In fact, some of the most highly regarded presentations are those conducted by teachers showcasing tools that have made their teaching easier, or ways to use newer tools to enhance the traditional curriculum.
All that’s due by the 29th of September are abstracts of your presentation, and a few bits of information about the grade level and subject area. In exchange for a successfully accepted proposal, MACUL will pay your 2 day conference registration, bestow upon you a beautiful presenter ribbon, and you’ll get to see your name printed in big bold letters on conference signage. If you’d like the MACUL leadership to consider bringing you to the conference for free, just click on the link below, and submit your abstract before the deadline, September 29th!
MACUL 2009 Online Application for Presenting
Photo Credit: CYNTHIA MACOIT-ZIELINSKI
http://maculspace.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=612492%3APhoto%3A34168
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