Tag Archives: macul10

Favorite Web 2.0 highlighted at MACUL

If you are like me, you walked away from MACUL in a daze. Thrilled with how much you were able to learn in 2 short days, and at the same time overwhelmed. Wow! Many Web 2.0 Tools were mentioned in the sessions I attended and many were shared by more than one Speaker. I will try to highlight a few that are think are well worth your time and free. I am a big fan of the FREE Web Tools.

Screencasting Tools
CamStudio – http://camstudio.org/
Jing — http://www.jingproject.com/
I have used both. Very easy to use and great results. A favorite aspect of Jing is that it will give you an embedd code for your screenshot(picture) or screencast(video.)
Ideas on when to use: Mathcasts (idea I learned from last year’s MACUL) Students talk and explain math problem on computer screen (IWB is a plus here) and it is recorded for others to view/learn from later.
Teacher may record lesson as she teaches for absent students to view later, Or message/directions to students when teacher will be absent.
Pull a clip out of a YouTube or other online video.

Blabberize – http://blabberize.com/
Blabberize is easy to use. You upload a picture, adjust the dots they give you around the location of the mouth, and then record the words you want your picture to say. Blabberize lets you embed it in your blog, wiki or website to share. Students may create a blabber as part of a report on a famous figure – so many ideas. A 1st grade teacher used pictures of spiders that the children created and then had them share their spider facts or stories as the spider talking. One Warning – Do not allow children to browse the public files (there are over 5000.) I did this once and came across a very inappropriate one.

Voice Thread – http://ed.voicethread.com/#home This may have a minimal one time cost (I think I once paid $10.) Another way for students to share stories, create visual projects, comment on each others work. One suggestion was to embed a DEstreaming video or clip into the Voicethread, have the students watch independently and then comment.

Animoto – http://animoto.com/education Easy tool to turn pictures and video clips into a professional looking video. These videos can be download to your computer as well as embedded on blog or wiki. You may add text as well. There are free educator accounts and you can set up accounts for your students.

Smilebox – http://www.smilebox.com/ This one wasn’t mentioned, but I use it as another video sharing tool. Like Animoto you can add pictures or video clips.

Exploring Videoconferencing Options

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Yesterday Danielle Letter (TWICE Prez-Elect) and I led a SIGTC workshop together. We explored a little collection of different videoconferencing options. The group was especially interested in:

DimDim for a free AdobeConnect-like product
Polycom CMA for meetings, professional development; we were all inspired by the vision of Saginaw ISD (guest speakers Rod Rock and Aaron Schippert)
Vidyo was very exciting and everyone was jazzed to talk to Craig in Alaska
I was excited to hear Aaron Schippert praise the $20 Hercules web cam. Must try it out myself!

Wiki Resources
Instead of a PowerPoint presentation, we made a wiki, and kept adding to it throughout the workshop. Check it out here.

REMC Bid Buy
Don’t forget, also, that there are several deeply discounted videoconferencing systems on the REMC Bid Buy.

Look at the videoconferencing section for speakerphones for Skype, and Polycom QDX and HDX systems ranging from $3600 to $8000. I heard there was a LifeSize unit on the REMC Bid Buy too, but it’s not on the website right now. Maybe it will be added soon.

Just a few more resources for you if you are considering videoconferencing for your school/district.

Tips for a Successful Conference Experience

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I have been attending tech conferences for quite a few years now, both in the role of attendee and presenter and even to this day, I always take away a tip or two that I wish I knew before I attended. Here are a few that I hope you will find useful

1. Get Involved!

Looking back at one of my very first tech conferences, I have to admit I was more of a ‘lurker’. I feel that this is one of the important keys to having a great conference experience. In my experience at both state level and national conferences, people are so friendly and are more than willing to share. Don’t feel like you need to be invited into a conversation. If you over hear someone talking, explaining something, or chatting about an issue that interests you…get involved! Introduce yourself and take part in the discussion. Conferences are about meeting people, sharing thoughts and ideas, putting names to faces, and of course, geeking out! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, ask a question, or start a discussion.

2. Sessions

Make a list of all the sessions you want to see … then be ready to pay no attention to it … or at least most of it! Before every conference, I usually have a few ideas on topics that I’m in search of and I start looking for sessions that will apply. I can tell you that you will NEVER see everything you want to. Thank goodness there are archived discussions from a lot of the sessions, such as backchannels, tags that are used within sites, (Twitter, Flickr, Diigo, and Delicious to name a few), live blogs and streams. I have spent many a day well after the conference has ended going back over discussions. In other words, the learning continues well after the conference doors are closed.

3. Live Chat
Backchannels are becoming more and more widespread. These are nothing more than real-time online conversations that take place alongside live presentations. It is a great way to key in on other attendees thoughts on the topic and I always pick up resources from them as well. The fact that they are for the most part, archived, allows me to go back and review the topic. I can also pick up on what I overlooked the first time. Keep your eyes and ears open for back channel chat sessions happening during presentations. The URLs usually come via Twitter or by word of mouth in the session itself.

4. You’ve got the power!

Bring a cheap plug strip. This was the best advice I have ever been given. There are never enough plugs for people to plug in and power up. If you’re the lucky one with an extra power strip, then I can guarantee that you will make instant friends with many a people!

5. Take a time out!
Don’t feel like you have to go to every session. If you are able to, take some time to miss a session and join in conversations in the hallways and other areas. Some of the best learning goes on during those conversations!

I’m sure that there many others who could offer a word or two of advice on how to get the most out of your time here at MACUL. Be sure to check back here on the blog as it will be updated frequently in the next few days. If you are on Twitter, the tags being used are #macul10 or #macul2010. What are your tips to a successful conference?

MACUL’s Phenomenal Support of Videoconferencing

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Today as I was riding up to the 2010 MACUL Conference, I was thinking how lucky we are in Michigan to have consistent support for the TWICE videoconferencing sessions at our ed tech conference, year after year after year…

Sometimes I listen to VC buddies in other states and I can’t think of very many (any?) that consistently and annually plan to have a videoconference session at every single breakout time slot during the conference.

So this is a thank you from a long time TWICE board member, and videoconferencing fan, who loves to see this particular technology supported and promoted every year. Thank you MACUL!! And thank you to the MACUL support staff and volunteers who sometimes stand on their heads to make VC work on the conference network!

A MACUL Conference Success Story

Selection from Read Around the Planet Image Gallery

Sometimes it’s nice to know the results of the conference. And once in a while, it even gets in the paper! Here’s a story from Owosso, MI:

Computer teacher attends MACUL conference.
Stops by the TWICE room, learns about videoconferencing and CAPspace (TWICE’s social networking site for videoconferencing).
Gets access to videoconferencing (Polycom PVX)
Signs up for Read Around the Planet
Luckily gets one of the 13 (out of 1950) UK partners
Gets written up in the paper.

And it all started at the MACUL conference!

Cool, huh?!

Don’t forget to stop by the TWICE room for a videoconference session! Gallery Overlook G!