Trying Something New: WordPress for my Blogging

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 08:13:21 -0600

http://www.technologybitsbytesnibbles.info/
Up to this point I have been using the blog feature of iWeb to publish my blog and weekly newsletter, Technology Bits, Bytes & Nibbles. But recently I changed from publishing my website through MobileMe to publishing to a private server, DynamicsDS. Unfortunately, RSS sucks with iWeb and comments do not work if you are not publishing to MobileMe. I absolutely love Apple and would not own any other kind of computer. I also really like iWeb 09, but they absolutely need to improve the blogging template feature. So, I am going to give WordPress a try for my blogging. I guess I will know shortly if this is a better way to accomplish my tasks. Keeping my fingers crossed………. By the way, if you are looking for a good web hosting server service, check out my friend DymanicsDS.

http://www.technologybitsbytesnibbles.info/

Books Educators Need to Read

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:49:55 -0600

Books Educators Need to Read
This morning I had an iChat conversation with Dr. Steve Wycoff and as usual, we drifted into the topic of books we are reading. For me right now it is strictly entertainment. I am just about finished with The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown. If you like his other books, you will like this one, its a nail biter. But Steve always challenges me with several books that educators should be reading. I think I will tackle Daniel Pink's Drive first. And here is a Link to Steve's Blog, What Becomes Clear; Questioning Assumptions About Education
http://whatsbecomeclear.com/

Drive
by Daniel Pink
One of the biggest issues that we face in education is that we are in adequately preparing our kids for their future. I recently finished Dan pink’s new book Drive, and sure enough more evidence that we’re not preparing our kids for the 21st century. http://www.danpink.com/drive

How We Decide
by John Lehrer
Explaining decision-making on the scale of neurons makes for a challenging task, but Lehrer handles it with confidence and grace. As an introduction to the cognitive struggle between the brain’s "executive" rational centers and its more intuitive regions, "How We Decide" succeeds with great panache.- New York Times
http://www.jonahlehrer.com/books

Talent is Overrated
by Geoff Colvin
Why are some people - Tiger Woods, Warren Buffett, Yo-Yo Ma - so incredibly accomplished at what they do, while millions of others in those same fields never become very good? Why are some people so extraordinarily creative and innovative? Why can some continue to perform great at ages when conventional wisdom would deem it impossible? Those are the questions Geoff Colvin set out to answer in Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else. http://geoffcolvin.com/books/

Outliners
by Malcom Gladwell
Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."
http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html

The Talent Code
by Daniel Coyle
Greatness isn't born, it's grown, here's how! Learn the secrets of the worlds greates hotbeds.
http://thetalentcode.com/

Skype with Kevin Honeycutt

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:20:05 -0600

Kevin just amazes me, he says our minds were split at birth. That makes me laugh. But he is kinda right, we are on the same train of thought when it come to schools and technology 99% of the time.
He showed me this cool little monitor called Lilliput that plugs into your laptop with USB. Only 90 bucks. I sure would like to see one. Looks small enough to carry with you. Hmmm.....looks pretty cool, Kevin wants one for sure. I might too, but, I think I would like to see first. Maybe there will be one at ISTE conference in Denver this summer.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/c609/
Diminutive Display Feeds Your Inner Gulliver
Looking for that extra bit of screen real estate to get you through the busy workday? Problem is, an entire secondary monitor comes with its own needs like a separate power or an additional video card. The Lilliput Mini USB Monitor changes this equation completely. A single USB connection from your computer gets you an instant high-resolution secondary display. This handy display is perfect for your IM client, widgets, PC gaming tools, your email, a spreadsheet, your PhotoShop tools, or even video. Oh... and the diminutive price won't make your main monitor too jealous.
And of course, we talked about some cool new iPhone apps. I told him about my new favorite, Dragon Dictation. So cool, can record my voice, it translates it into text and then I can send as a text message or email. I am amazed at how accurate it is, I just love it, especially since I hate the typing feature on the iPhone. In fact, the only thing I dislike about the iPhone is typing on it.
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/08/dragon-dictation-comes-to-the-iphone-wow/
He told me about the new UStream Live Broadcaster he is using to record on his iPhone. This looks like it has really possibilities. http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/09/iphones-rejoice-as-ustream-live-broadcaster-hits-app-store-othe/
Then he showed me a new spot on his site called Bedtime Stories (http://kevinhoneycutt.org/). He is reading The Velveteen Rabbit and using his iPhone to record his reading. Very cool and just think of all the possibilities. I can’t wait to show this to Laurie Curtis. And he shared http://librivox.org/
LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer:

Think of all the free public domain books our there.

Now he has me thinking about streaming my class. Not sure how necessary it is, but also know it would be helpful to many students. Not worried about it impacting class attendance, since we only meet once a week and attendance is a huge part of their grade. So, I need to really think about that as a possibility.

I will absolutely stream my class from the Townsend School International in the Czech Republic (http://www.townshend.cz/) when I go in Feb. It is actually in South Bohemia, about 2 hours from Prague. It is a very historical place, so I looking forward to learning a ton and sharing that learning through digital storytelling. I think Ustream Live Broadcaster from my phone might prove very useful when I do some sight seeing. Especially at that old Castle. I am so excited!!
OK, time to get crackin’ at my presentation for the KSu Faculty Retreat Jan 12.

Had Breakfast with Wesley Fryer and his Delightful Kids

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:42:30 -0600

Wesley Fryer grew up in Manhattan, KS. So, we had breakfast Saturday morning when his family was here visiting family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was a delightful experience, his three children joined us and it was such fun. They ate and talked and then played with the iPhones and iPods. I even have some new apps courtesy of the Fryer children. I am sure my grand kids will be excited.

Wesley and I discussed the K12 Online Conference, Actually, I whined about how awful I thought my presentation was and how much I need to practice doing that kind of thing. Ya know, presenting and recording to your computer is just a completely unnerving experience. I need to practice!!!

He is going to be teaching a class like mine a University Central Oklahoma. So we shared ideas and plan to do some kind of collaborative project with our classes. Like me, he gets to completely re-design the technology class for education majors. It has been a fun experience for me, but I still have a long way to go to get the course bumps ironed out. So much to teach and so little time to do so.

And the Oklahoma Voices project he has been working on. We even discussed doing something similar in Kansas. So now my task is to find some Grant funding. Boy would it be fun, so I am on a Mission now!!! Find Money!!

We are also planning and doing to schedule a Google Teachers Workshop for next summer. It will be an excellent opportunity for teachers in the area to learn to use all the great FREE google tools as well as earn college credit if they want.

What a wonder morning!! After our breakfast and conversation, I went to a special 90 minute cycling class. Suellyn and Jeff Hooper did an amazing job putting the slide presentation together and creating the class. It was so much fun and what a great workout. I am making progress on my mission of losing weight, but still a long way to go. Although, now I have made going to the gym a habit and I am mad when something gets in the way of going. Exercise really is a way of life I guess. Sure took me long enough to learn that lesson!!

Impact of a Teacher and Student ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I'VE EVER HEARD

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:10:25 -0600

    As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat,was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

   Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.

   At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

   Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his
work neatly and has good manners... He is a joy to be around..'

   His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'

   His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't
taken.'

   Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'

   By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'

   After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the
children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets..'

   A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

   Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had life.

   Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

   Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

   The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he
had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

   They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'

   Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back.. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'

   (For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the
Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

   Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? just 'do it'.

   Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!
     'Believe in Angels, then return the favor

In Hays, friends and weddings and of course church!

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:47:32 -0500

Well, my goodness is is nice to be in Hays for the weekend.
First stop, snoball, of course! It’s a Hays thing and I sure do miss them in Manhattan. Second stop the school board off to get the scholarship fund set up in my husband name with the memorial fund donations.
Third stop to the see the grandkids. Amy was home with Lily, and the adoption is almost final. And their foster babe, Bebe. Jeff had just left for the store to get stuff to cook for dinner. We stopped that nonsense and went to China Garden. Boy was that good, I miss China Garden!!
My kids are at the age where all their friends are getting married. But this wedding is kinda special. I taught with Jan’s mom, Jill and we all are a part of the same church family. I also had Jan as a student in the College of Education at FHSU. Jan and my kids grew up together. Andrew and my son have been friends forever. Andrew was in Jakes wedding last year. So connections and connections.
Spent the evening with to very special friends, Kyle and Debbie. They are just the best and such an important part of my life. I need that!!
And tonight after an appropriate time at the reception, I am meeting my two best friends Deb & Mark. I miss them more than I can explain. We are going to the movies. Sound kinda weird I know. But going to the movies was something my late husband Bob, Deb & Mark and I did all the time. I have missed that, so we are going tonight!!
Sunday morning I will go to church and catch up with my church family, sure hope everyone is there especially my small group!! After church it is Al’s Chickenette with Deb & Mark, Nicole & Jason and Kylee. Hmm, I can just taste the chicken already.

Are our training efforts helping educators or enabling codependence?

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:08:19 -0500

Scott McLeod, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University poked fun at the ‘Learn about Facebook’ training session that Iowa State University was offering to faculty. I completely agree with Scott’s thoughts,
“I replied that I was concerned that we never seem to hold folks accountable for being self-learners. After all, Facebook isn’t an extraordinarily difficult tool to learn how to use. Most intelligent people (which university faculty generally are) could figure out much of it if they just sat down and messed around for 30 minutes or so. And of course the same applies to blogs, wikis, and many other technologies. They’ve gotten so simple that the learning curve just isn’t that steep anymore.
And yet many educators (K-12 teachers and administrators, postsecondary faculty, etc.) still are extremely unwilling to just sit down and try stuff. Our digital learners, of course, have little hesitancy when it comes to clicking on things just to see what they’ll do. That willingness to probe, investigate, and experiment helps them learn and master the tools.”
I do a great deal training and professional development, I wonder how much I am becoming an enabler. In many job sectors, employees are expected to keep up with relevant technologies or risk job loss. When do we require that of K-12 and postsecondary educators? At what point do we say to them “No, we’re not training you how to use this. It’s easy enough for you to learn on your own. And if you don’t, we’ll find someone else who can.”
It’s a fine line between helping and codependence. And when it comes to educator technology training, I’m not sure we’re always on the right side of that line.

From Mrs Durff- People to Watch

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 10:04:31 -0500

by Lisa Durff: http://durffsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/people-to-watch.html
These bloggers are people to watch! They are making an impact within their sphere of influence. I can learn from their example.
Jason Schrage writes the blog Connections at http://oswego98.edublogs.org/ His latest post talks about those connections and how learning is just that. Another George perhaps? I see a big name at the beginning, so I can say, "I knew him when...." Jason is a Middle School Social Studies teacher in upstate New York.  Jessica Johnson of Reflection from a School Principal at http://principalj.blogspot.com/ quotes Marie Clay in her second post. This is a favorite quote I found on her blog, "When a student doesn’t learn the way we teach, we need to teach the way they learn.” I'm unclear to whom this should be attributed, but that most likely is due more to my lack of coffee intake than anything else. Jessica is an elementary principal in rural Wisconsin.  Neil Stephenson of Thinking in Mind at http://thinkinginmind.blogspot.com/ also talks about connections! He refers to connected Canadian History teachers and building an online PLN. He wonders, as I do, how can we bring the disconnected into the conversation? He also writes about a Cigar Box Project, which would make a wonderful conference presentation/session! Neil is a Humanities teacher in Calgary.
Now let me add my two cents worth.
Lisa Durff writes Durff’s Blog at http://durffsblog.blogspot.com/. She challenges us, inspires us and makes me think about my teaching and learning every day. I will learn from the ones above and also Lisa Durff.

Calling All Bloggers, Leadership Day 2009

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:53:24 -0500

Calling all bloggers! -
Leadership Day 2009
Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He is responsible for this!!
http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/07/calling-all-bloggers-leadership-day-2009.html
Since the past two have been so successful, Scott Mcleod is putting out a call for people to participate in Leadership Day 2009. As he said two years ago:
Guidelines
On Sunday, July 12, 2009, blog about whatever you like related to effective school technology leadership: successes, challenges, reflections, needs, wants, etc. Write a letter to the administrators in your area. Post a top ten list. Make a podcast or a video. Highlight a local success or challenge. Recommend some readings. Do an interview of a successful technology leader. Respond to some of the questions below or make up your own. If you participated in years past, post a follow-up reflection. Whatever strikes you. The official hashtag for your post and/or Twitter is
#leadershipday09
Please also link back to this post to ensure that Scott find yours. If you don’t have a blog, comment on someone else’s post and/or send your thoughts to me and I will post them for you. Scott will do a summary afterward of what folks wrote and talked about [bloggers, this means some new readers probably will head your direction; this is a blog carnival for technology leadership!].
Some prompts to spark your thinking
• What do effective K-12 technology leaders do? What actions and behaviors can you point to that make them effective leaders in the area of technology?
• Do administrators have to be technology-savvy themselves in order to be effective technology leaders in their organizations?
• What are some tangible, concrete, realistic steps that can be taken to move administrators forward? Given the unrelenting pressures that they face and their ever-increasing time demands, what are some things that administrators can do to become more knowledgeable and skilled in the area of technology leadership?
• Perhaps using the new National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) as a starting point, what are the absolutely critical skills or abilities that administrators need to be effective technology leaders?
• What strengths and deficiencies are present in the new NETS-A?
• What is a technology tool that would be extremely useful for a busy administrator (i.e., one he or she probably isn’t using now)?
• What should busy administrators be reading (or watching)?
• How can administrators best structure necessary conversations with internal or external stakeholders?
• How should administrators balance enablement with safety, risk with reward, fear with empowerment?

OK, now for my thoughts
Technology is something that cannot be used when there is enough time or it or just for fun/play. Students must be prepared for the world. Technology changes very fast and students, teachers and of course, administrators must adapt and change with it. I visited an elementary school many years ago and the Principal, Howard Pitler had a sign on his office door that said Principal Teacher. In other words, he did not expect his teachers do do anything he did not know how to do and he would teach how them if they didn’t.
And then there is Chris Lehmann, now he is an administrator I want to work for!! Take a listen/look and the keynote for the 2008 K12 Online conference, Leading the Change by Chris. It it will make you think and ant to teach in his school.
http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=341
The point is Administrators must model. As an instructor in the College of Education I don’t expect my students to do or learn anything I an not willing to do or learn.
If I were the tech director in a school district, and I realize we are in a financial crisis now, so, I know money is an issue!! But lets forget about MONEY for a minute and just talk about what is best. OK, money aside.
If I were a tech director in a school district that was doing little to nothing with technology, I would begin by putting an LCD projector in every classroom and a laptop in the hands of every teacher and MOST importantly, provide staff development on how to integrate the use of these tools into their classrooms curriculum. And the staff development cannot be a day or two at the beginning of the year and that’s it. It needs to be built into the schedule and do it in small bites. Ideally, about an hour a week every week, all school year.
The next year, 1:1 laptops, at least a cart of laptops, preferably Macs in every classroom in grades K-5. From 6-12, 1:1 and check out out for the year to the kids. BUT, and as my minister always says, when there is a BUT in the Bible, watch out.... Before the laptops are checked out, educate the kids about the care and feeding of them. Set the stage and make sure they “get it.”
For all this to happen, Administrators have to get with the program, get out of their offices and LEARN, practice and model. They need to be using the tools, and be right in the middle of it. Maybe even teach a class in their building now and then. Too many have forgotten what it is like to teach kids. They probably need to take a technology class, or make sure they are attending a technology conference each year. Most go to administration conferences, but they need to attend NECC http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/2010/) or Building Learning Communities (http://novemberlearning.com/blc/) or one of a hundred others. But they need to make a concentrated effort to get themselves up to speed.
For the most part, when it come to MOST K-12 schools, I think kids should be suing us for not getting a quality technology enriched education. Yes, that’s right, take us to court.

2012 Candidate For President Bill Cosby

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 08:01:10 -0500

I HAVE DECIDED TO BECOME A
WRITE-IN CANDIDATE.
 HERE IS MY PLATFORM:  (1) 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language. Speak it or wait at the border until you can.  (2) We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country's attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the Wal-Mart policy, 'If we ain't got it, you don't need it.'  (3) When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it.  (4) All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border (six month tour). They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUND aliens..  (5) Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn't put nuttin in, you ain't gettin nuttin out. Neither the president nor any other politician will be able to touch it.  (6) Welfare - Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade.  (7) Professional Athletes--Steroids. The FIRST time you check positive you're banned for life.  (8) Crime - We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There are no more life sentences. If convicted of murder, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc.  (9) One export will be allowed, Wheat. The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil.  (10) All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes. When disasters occur around the world, we'll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it's a worthy cause.  (11) The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress.  (12) The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc.
Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes  GOD BLESS AMERICA    Bill Cosby
       

Top 12 Tips to Create an Effective School Website

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:32:12 -0500

By: Chris Carver
from TeachHUB.com
http://www.teachhub.com/news/article/cat/14/item/49
This article came in a newsletter, TeachHUB and since I require all my students to create a classroom/portfolio website, I found it extremely useful. Of course, my student done’ need an alumni section and a couple other might need adapting, like fundraising could be fundraising or maybe Classroom needs! Regardless, it make me think.
In today’s Internet savvy society, sophisticated school websites are increasingly becoming the norm. To stand out from the masses, a school website should have compelling content and visual appeal, be engaging and informative, and reflect the spirit and activities at the school. Creating an interactive online presence that appeals to parents, students, faculty, and the community encourages involvement, strengthens community and fosters loyalty. With the help of a school administration software program that includes a website content management feature, your school can achieve a secure, customized and user-friendly website. Below are a few tips to make your website compelling and effective:
1. Format: Make sure your website font sizes and colors are easy to read. The style should be consistent throughout the entire website and look similar to standard school documents for consistency and brand recognition.
2. Homework Board: Allow teachers to post homework assignments and class updates online. This offers parents a glimpse into their students’ coursework, while offering students access to assignments from missed classes.
3. School Supply List: Post a list of items that students should have access to, whether in their backpacks, lockers, or at home. Leave the list posted all year long as a reference and update it as needed.
4. Student Project Showcase: Show off your talented students by displaying impressive work such as a video report or a touching poem. This shows parents and the community the caliber of students at your school and offers students an added incentive of public recognition.
5. Parent Resources: Equip parents with the latest education and parenting-related materials, from a class syllabus and student/parent handbook to recommended reading to a community directory. By communicating directly to parents and families, you will set the benchmark for bringing education from the classroom into the home.
6. Master Calendar: Include a master calendar with school events that include sports games, back to school night, guest speakers, report card release dates, and more. Don’t forget to update the calendar regularly to drive parents and students back to your website for the latest news and information.
7. Contact Information: Access to a list of teacher, administration and faculty email addresses is essential for open parent communication and relationship-building. The more engaged parents are, the more connected students will likely feel to their school and community.
8. Alumni Section: Whether you are an elementary, middle or high school, you should include an alumni section to show the success of graduates who gained a valuable education from your school. This section can also serve as a forum for alumni to connect and show their support for school activities and fundraisers.
9. Pictures: Nothing makes a website more personal than photographs, videos and podcasts of students and teachers who are enjoying their experiences at school. Parents and students alike will be eager to check back to your website frequently to view photos and recordings of classmates and teachers.
10. Online Registration: Drive participation and support of school activities by offering parents, students and community members convenient online access to register for school plays, dances, events and other programs. With school registration software, this feature can easily be added to your site with secure registration and payment processing.
11. Online Store: Offer parents and students an opportunity to shop online for everything from school t-shirts and supplies to event tickets and recommended books for sale.
12. Fundraising Tools: Provide an online donation option for parents, community members and alumni to donate to school fundraisers while they’re on your site reviewing information, registering for an event or shopping at your online school store.
What’s important to remember when creating your school’s website is to explore school software systems that allow you to incorporate creative, interactive tools that drive parents and students to your site frequently, improve operational efficiencies, and foster community involvement and student, parent and teacher interaction.
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=312082&ca=Education

Turning Point Learning Center, Ginger Lewman & Charlie Mahoney

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:55:57 -0500

I spent yesterday in Emporia, KS (about an hour and a hlf from Manhattan) at the Turning Point Learning Center with Ginger Lewman and Charlie MaHoney. Wow, what a fun day and the bonus was an amazing lunch at a great little Bar-B-Q place. They will have to take be back to that place on my next visit to Emporia.
We spend the day sharing, looking for grants, talking about how to use iPhone in the classroom and Ginger gave me the lowdown on Diigo. I have been hooked on Delicious for sometime now, I use it everyday. But now that I have had a person lesson on how somebody is using Diigo, I am giving it a try. I did import all my delicious books into Diigo and there is feature to turn on in Diigo that also posts the bookmark to Delicious, so for now that will be useful. I like the groups you can organize things into. The problem I see with the importing form Delicious is none are added into groups. but they are all tagged.
So, I have joined some groups found some friends and will add to them, but, I plan to create some specific groups. I already created one for K-State Pre-service teachers, so I will add links to it that I want my students to have. Now they will have to become my friend to get to them. Hmm...
You can find my Diigo at http://www.diigo.com/dashboard/cyndidannerkuhn.
GInger is amazing, the ESSDACK and the Emporia district is sure lucky to have her. And Charlie what an amazing edition to the TPLC. He is and iPhone, GarageBand, iTunes wizard. Man do I have a bunch to learn.
By the way, I just love that picture /logo for the TPLC. Very creative.
I am very excited about working with TPLC on some projects and learning from GInger and Charlie.

Technology Tips for Teachers and MORE...

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:27:46 -0500

Last week and then again Monday I will be around amazing teachers. We are all at the iConnect iLearn UN-conference (http://iconnectilearn.ning.com/) . The first two days were in Colby and the next two days are in Hutch. It is too late for you to attend this year, but I strongly encourage you to go next!!
They do this cool thing and make these little keychains with web links. The theory is, when you laminate something you never throw it way, or at least teachers don’t. Mine has 61 “keys” on it. I have decided this would be a cool technique to use in my classroom with pre-service teachers.

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:27:32 -0500

Not sure what to say, but watch this!!
Author Kelly Corrigan wrote this moving essay about women's remarkable capacity to support each other, to laugh together, and to endure. The full text is available in the paperback edition of her memoir, The Middle Place, on sale December 23, 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4qwVLqt9Q

April, I now officially hate April!!

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:52:12 -0500

We I have survived a year now. my husband Bob passed away April 8, 2008. Hard to believe is has been a whole year. I am growing and learning who I am again.
Classes have gone better this semester and I feel much better about them. I But, still have lots of room for improvement, but have numerous ideas. My big concern is teaching the class 3 hours a day for two weeks in July, exactly ten class periods, it is 30 hours of instructional time, but whoa, processing the information with be difficult. !! Oh my, I m really going to need to re-think and re-organize the class for the short time frame without cheating them outta learning what is covered during a normal semester.
Chelsie, may daughter is home for New York City, moving back to Kansas City. Thank God!!
A good friend lost her 25 year old son Jarrett (classmate of my son) to cancer. I am so sad and even though losing my husband to a 9 year battle with cancer was difficult, I can’t even fathom losing a child. I do not know how I would cope. Mother and friend-Carol, Father-Ron, Sister and my daughter good friend-Jenna and Brother-Jarrett are all in my thoughts and prayers right now. I will travel back to Hays on Tuesday for the funeral.

Well, almost time, going to see the movie The Soloist at 4 today: http://www.soloistmovie.com/?&gclid=CNXF2uTpjJoCFQoMDQodYShJFg.

OK, truly great movie, go see it. I want the book now!!

End of March, lots going on

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:33:48 -0500

Well the end of March already and I did get some good, no EXCELLENT news this week. They are going to name the new Army Reserve Building after my husband. See the Commanding Generals letter below.
MFR.pdf
Did succeed in grading all 150+ student websites last week. actually it was kinda fun to learn a little more about my students. I have to admit I am looking forward to seeing the finished products. Although they will never be finished. The plan is, they are suppose to keep adding things to it as they progress thought the education program. It will be interesting to see how many actually do continue to keep their website up. I suspect that those who own their own Mac laptop will do a better job. But that should improve as time goes on since that is the College of Eduction recommendation, every needs a Mac laptop. I can say I am looking forward to the time when all my students have their own Mac.

Taught my students about Twitter last week. Twitter is my addiction for sure. I wonder how many of my students will get hooked too. This next week we are jumping into Digital Storytelling and iMovie. The really begins now.

Stuff, thoughts and grading, grading and more grading

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:08:49 -0500

It is the last day of spring break for students. I hope they come back safe and ready to work. Actually my position is 12 months (YEAH!) so I have worked all week. But, I must admit, kinda nice, really got a great deal accomplished. Nobody much around to talk to or get sidetracked.
Had an excellent week, went to the orthopedic doctor Tuesday and I am now out of the cast on my ankle. Yippy Skippy! I just have a little velcro wrap type thing. Can wear shoes. Well sorta of. Pretty limited selection, in fact one pair and my UGG slippers.
I have spent a good part of the week grading student websites at the first of three checkpoints during the semester. Kinda fun to see the personalities of my students. Many of them went above and beyond the minimum requirements for this first checkpoint. Can’t wait for the final look at them at the end of them semester. They add to them each week. It is fun!! the link to see these future teacher websites in progress is:
http://www.cdkedplace.info/cdkedplace/Student_Websites.html
We just complete our NCATE accreditation visit before the break and looks like we came through it with flying colors, The visiting team of 11 gave us high marks and recommended NO areas for improvement. Wow, that is amazing. I am new this year to KSU, so I certainly can’t take any credit, but it does give me another burst of confidence that I made the right decision in taking this position. So far it has been a great place to work, people are friendly, helpful and very encouraging. I am really loving this new position. No doubt the right move for me.
On a personal note, it is nearing the first year anniversary of my husbands death (April 8). I have been thinking about Bob a great deal and missing him so much it hurts, But I also know he would be very proud of me. Finding comfort in my faith!!
My next task is to combine my Learning Stuff and News pages of my website together. It made sense to me to have them separate originally, but now it just seems silly. So going to migrate them together. Reason is, I do a weekly newsletter for the college of education and I have a link to the archives. But, I want to ad those resources to my site now. In my mind it makes perfect sense, I guess time will tell. Basically, I want my website to become a place to find resources and help for colleagues, teachers, former students, current students and any educator.
Well, need to run a few errands and do some more work. Need to get ready for class next week as well as migrate my site thing.

I was a Guest Blogger on Free Technology for Teachers

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:08:43 -0600

Guest Blogger-Technology and Future Teachers
Posted: 15 Feb 2009 10:34 AM PST original post at:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/02/guest-blogger-technology-and-future.html
Hello, my name is Cyndi Danner-Kuhn and I teach technology to pre-service teachers at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. I am so honored that Richard has asked me to submit to his absolutely amazing blog while he is ice fishing. Wow ice fishing, I grew up in Florida, so I totally don't get ice fishing. Anyway, first of all, he requested we provide a link to our own website http://www.cyndidannerkuhn.info. It is a work in progress.

Everyone always thinks that the students in college are super tech savvy. Well, I hate to burst the bubble, but it just isn't true yet. They are experts with word processing and PowerPoint, playing on the internet and of course Facebook. But beyond that the vast majority are newbies. Every semester I am amazed that 98% of what I show them is completely new. I keep asking myself, how can that be!!

The first thing I do is have my students create a delicious account and then begin tagging everything we do. It is a good place to start because they can at least keep track to the resources. So, my first recommendation is start using delicious. Link to my delicious

The next thing I do weekly all semester is have them listen and reflect/blog about an educational Podcast. If you haven't gotten hooked on using and learning from eductional podcasts yet, a few of my favorites are below. All can be found on iTunes as well as their websites:

▪ Moving at the Speed of Creativity with Wesley Fryer
▪ Ed Tech Talk-there are a varity of shows. My favorite is EdTech Weekly
▪ Tech Chick Tips with Helen & Anna
▪ Driving Questions with Kevin Honeycutt

If you would like to see what I do in my class with these pre-service teachers, just click on the DED318 link off my website and you can see what we do each week. It is fast and furious to say the least. Another crazy thing is that most university folks think I am nuts for just putting my entire class on the web. Somebody might use it. My answer to is is GOOD, I hope so!! I would absolutely love to hear your suggestions about what you think pre-service teachers should be learning with regards to technology. Feel free to email me at cyndidk@ksu.edu.

I'd like to thank Richard for the eNewsletter he sends each day with resources. I do a weekly newsletter for the College of Ed. Without Richard, it would be a much more time consuming task. I just do what Harry Wong says "steal, steal, steal." He just makes my life so much easier. I hope the school district Richard works for realizes what a million dollar man they have.

Ok in his tradition, one new resource.

ShareTabs - The easy way to share your links as tabs. Add a list of links to the form and submit it to get a single link to them all, conveniently displayed in tabs and images. Great for sharing in Email, IM, Twitter, or SMS. Of course it is FREE!!
Application for Education
Great wayto visually share a variety of links with your students. Here is an eample of one I did for my students. http://www.sharetabs.com/?iWebresoueces

We’ll make it together If we work as a team!

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:34:30 -0600

Below is a an article written by Kevin Honeycutt. He sure does make good sense. Enjoy!

By Kevin Honeycutt
Gloom and doom are the most dangerous things facing education right now. With all of the challenges and the slaughtering of sacred cows left and right, I’m convinced that the only real sacred bovine is our ability to remain positive and look for solutions.
I liken it to raft-mates facing seriously challenging rapids and my confidence in my colleagues is all I have to hold onto in uncertain waters. I want to say grab an oar my friends because at this point the rapids are no longer an optional adventure.
We’ll get through this if we neither fall out of the boat nor push others but EVERYONE must grab an oar. With leadership at the helm we can make it. We may paddle with new tools that look nothing like oars. We may navigate with new and strange compasses. People may row who haven’t rowed in years and yet we must all do what is necessary to shoot the rapids and come out into calm waters.
What we cannot forget is that we have kids in the raft and they are watching us to see how we will handle this situation and they are taking notes and either drawing confidence from our examples or losing it.
I’m seeing people display an amazing willingness to embrace new thinking and new solutions like never before and I know that if we stick together and bring out the best in each other, we will triumph over the current adversity.
Lastly I’ll say that we must watch carefully the things we throw from the boat in these times. Take the time to ascertain what is dead weight and what is essential for success. Know the difference between what is impeding us and what will soon be crucial, so that when we finally reach dry land, we will have what we need to survive and thrive.

Part 2-Broken Ankle

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:52:41 -0600

Well, it was really a broken ankle. Had surgery on Monday Feb. 2, and they put a plate and 7 screws/pins in to fix. But it doesn’t end there. When I went to surgery, they also put a block in the leg, but neglected to tell me to take the pain meds every three hours regardless. Well when the block wore of “katie bar the door”. When the block wore off on Tuesday about noon, the pain on a scale of 1-10 was a 15. So back to the emergency room, and three days later finally home. Needless to say, feel like I lost a week. Tried to follow directions and take it easy and keep my foot up, stayed home from work for M, T, W of last week, finally went to campus to teach Thursday and Friday. Wend OK, hard getting around and it is hard to keep foot propped up at work, but trying. It is Saturday morning and must admit is is kinda uncomfortable today. I see the doctor Monday morning, I sure hope it is healing like it is suppose to.

What a week, broke my ankle!!

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 11:25:47 -0600

Actually, it was an excellent week, right up until friday about 3:15. I was walking to my car and stepped off a curb in the parking lot and fractured my ankle. The crutches are the worst of it. The fracture isn’t terribly bad, but having to use crutches is hard and a little scary. I feel like I have no control with them.
In the emergency room they put a temporary cast on it, weights a ton. I hope when I see the orthopedic doc on Monday they put something lighter on it. I wish they would put on something walkable, but in a little research on the internet, I am not hopeful it will be a walking cast and think the crutches are going to be with me for several weeks. Bummer
Unfortunately, my house is two story, so I am pretty much staying put in my room. This is one of those times to have your 80 year old parents living with you. They are taking good care of me.
As Forest Gump said “Stupid is as stupid does

Answering Mrs. Durffs Challenge

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:56:48 -0600

Meeting of the Minds Meme

I was tagged by Mrs. Lisa Durff http://durffsblog.blogspot.com/ and I because it is Mrs. Durff, I just can’t ignore it!! This meme was started by Ryan Betrag .

What 10 people would you want President Obama and Secratary of Education Arnie Duncan to engage with in a Meeting of the Minds focusing on the state of education, a vision for education and education reform?

1. Stephen Heppell http://www.heppell.net/
2. Clay Christensen http://www.claytonchristensen.com/
3. James Paul Gee http://gameslearningsociety.org/people_geej.php
4. Ken Robinson http://www.sirkenrobinson.com/index2.php?height=768&width=1024
5. Michael Wesch http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/
6. Sharon Peters http://wearejustlearning.ca/
7. Geetha Narayanan http://globaleducation.ning.com/profile/GeethaNarayanan
8. Sheryl Nussbaum Beach http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/
9. Barbara Dieu http://beespace.net/
10. Sarah Robbins http://www.intellagirl.com/

As Druff points out in her blog post , not all of those named by Ryan Bretag are Americans. I agree, that is entirely the point. The fact that Mrs Durff includes me in her list humbles me, I am speechless which does not happen to me very often. Mrs Durff is the amazing teacher, well mentor is probably a better description. She teachers and mentors her students and mentors and teaches ME and tons of other educators. So, here is my list and they are people I respect and learn from, I hope you will too. I to had a difficult time limiting it to just 10. I sure do hope Duncan gets word of all this tagging and takes our message seriously!! Education sure does need change!!!

1. Mrs Durff http://durffsblog.blogspot.com/
2. Wesley Fryer http://www.speedofcreativity.org/
3. Kevin Honeycutt http://www.kevinhoneycutt.org/
4. Vicki Davis http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
5. David Warlick http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
6. Marco Torres http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
7. Ian Jukes http://web.mac.com/iajukes/thecommittedsardine/Home.html
8. Jeff Utecht http://www.jeffutecht.com/
9. Steve Hargadon http://www.stevehargadon.com/
10. Richard Bryne http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

First Week of classes under my belt

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:02:31 -0600

I said first week, but what I should really say is first couple days. THis semester all my classes are on Thursday and Fridays. Quite a few students, Section A-34, Section B-35, Section C 68, Section D-25. So, needless to say, I’ll have my hands full. First day was normal, syllabi and general course info. Unfortunately with only one class a week and short time period, there is no time to waste!! I suspect I shocked a few of them by jumping right in!! But there is so much to learn and so little time.
The pace we move through the course is staggering even for me. I guess I am on a mission. I just can’t in good conscience let them end the semester without having moved forward in their technology skills and realizing there is a ton and a half of FREE resources out there and things they can do. I want them to get their moneys worth and leave feeling somewhat prepared to use technology in their other class and their own classrooms soon.
I think one of my New Years goals is to be better about reflecting in my blog. I realize no-one really reads it, but that really isn’t the point, it is a place for me to reflect and grow.
Right now I am trying to figure out a way to join my News and Learning Stuff blogs together. You can drag a Photo page to an Album and it links together, seems you should be able to drag an entry from one blog to another. So far it is not working, so guess I’ll have to look on the internet and find an answer, or at least I hope there is an answer.
On a personal note, 2009 has gotta be better than 2008!! I seem to be adjusting to my husbands death, but must admit it is hard. I knew it would happen, his illness had just progressed each year, but I still wasn’t prepared for everything. Thought moving away would be a good thing, and I still do. The weeks when I am working go quickly, but the weekends are long. Enjoying having my parents here on one hand, but miss privacy on the other. Kinda weird at 55 living with your elderly parents. I know it was the right thing to do for them and me, but an adjustment none the less. I am sure for them too!!
My son and his new wife are living in KC and Jake has been at his new career job since mid-November. He seems to be liking it. His wife is finishing school online and working in retail. She seems to be doing well. I don’t get to see them as much as I would like, they are busy and have plans of their own.
My daughter is living in NYC and the novelty of NYC is wearing off for sure. She is teaching at a wonderful dance studio, but needs more work. She Temps at various dance studios as that comes up and her agent is not sending her on audition because she is under contract for SYTYCD. We will know in April if anything comes of that and if she gets on the show, all will be good. She auditioned for River North Chicago Dance Company and they offered her a summer internship. It is not paid, they offer spots in the company from the internship, so could develop into something. So everything up in the air for her. Her boyfriend has sold is CD to Borders and is going on the Borders tour and his music will be on iTunes soon. So we are praying this will be the break he needs too. Ah... the entertainment industry, it is just craziness!!!

Beginning my second semester at KSU about to start!!

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:35:25 -0600

So here I go, my second semester at KSU. I suspect from fall semester will say, “too much work for a one hours class.” But I guess that is actually a backhanded compliment. After 12 years of teaching at the University level in more than one university, it continues to amaze me how many students do not get their monies worth. And sadly it is their choice not to do so. And to top it off they complain about being asked to learn!! And I am talking about kids who are going to be school teachers very soon. OK, it just scares me!!! I sure hope I don’t have any of those types of students this semester, so everyone keep you fingers crossed.
Have decided to put my entire course on my website this semester. Pare of my new position at KSU is to help College of Education faculty increase technology use in their classes. I’ve decided to invite them along the ride. Not sure anyone will take advantage of this invite, but figure it is worth a try!!. So again, keep your fingers crossed.
So if anyone is actually reading this and wants to take a ganger at the course work, just click on the DED318 link and you can learn along with my students.

Survived First Semester at Kansas State University

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:21:21 -0600

Whew!! I made it through the semester. And to tell you the truth it was pretty darn good. It was a huge change from Fort Hays State University where I spent the last 12 years teaching. At FHSU, I would have 50, maybe 75 students total, this semester at KSU I had nearly 160. So that in itself was a giant adjustment. The other factor that really impacted things was that four of my class sections had 35 students and one only had 15. The one with only 15 was by far my favorite class. I actually felt like I got to know them and we could have a conversation. There really is something to that research that say class size really does matter. I always believed that, but now I am totally convinced and on more of a mission to reduce class size. I think I would rather teach more sections just to have a smaller class. How crazy is that?
I am very proud of my students, they paid for a one hour class, but in reality got a three hour class. So I think you could say they got their monies worth. A few gripped that it was too much work for a one hour class, and I suspect that was true, but if you look at it from the other point of view, they did get their monies worth and they did learn a ton of things they will need for their future as a classroom teacher. And isn’t that the point of a college education, to prepare you for your future employment?
There are a few things I will do differently next semester. The think I have to save them from the procrastination monster, or should I say save them from themselves. The portfolio websites are going to need cut and dried progressive deadlines through the semester. Don’t get me wrong fall semester students were suppose to be adding the projects as we did them, but about 1/2 of them did not and therefore, were in a panic the past couple of weeks trying to do it all!! The other 1/2 added the stuff as we went along and ended the semester rather calmly. So, I guess the best plan will be to hold their feet to the fire as we move through the semester. I am also going to move the weekly podcast reflections from posting in Moodle to adding to their blog on their website. That will also force them to FTP their sites each week to get the grade. The more times they practice the process the easier it will be. So as they say, practice makes perfect.
I have also decided that I need to make a series of screen-cast movie tutorials for many of the steps in the process. We are using iWeb to create our website and it is great for the most part. But most students do not own a Mac yet and have to checkout a MacBook from the Catalyst. As always change is slow and the new requirement to have a MacBook for Education majors takes effect fall 209. And unfortunately the checkout policy is that they have to use it right there in the Catalyst. And since Apple did not think through the idea that multiple users on a computer thing, we have to save the domian file to a flash drive and them move it back to the iWeb directory folder each time we work. This is a HUGE and I mean HUGE problem. iWeb really doesn’t like this moving files around thing. I need to to find a way to make sure the process is crystal clear!! Frankly, I love Apple and would never own any other computer, they just need to get off their high horse sometimes!!
I am looking forward to next semester and hoping to improve DED318 and also to do more work in the Block Methods classes as well. I am also looking forward to next fall (Fall 2009 so that I can teach DED318 in a 2 hour time slot and the majority of the students own their own MacBook. I really think that is going to make a huge difference.

A portal to New Media Literacy

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:23:13 -0500

by Michael Wesch, assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University
Engaging Technology to Engage Students
http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/
How many of you do not actually like school?
How many of you do not like learning?
By the way this was an amazing presentation, I’ll be posting more about it shortly!!
Here are a couple videos at the end when Michael was answering questions. These were shot from my seat in the audience with a Flip Video Camera.
http://www.theflip.com/

To view movies, click here

K12 Online Conference Review

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:04:14 -0500

I had planned on reflecting about the K12 Online conference, but in Twitter this morning and magically a link to Matthew Needleman,s blog popped up, of course I went to see what Matthew had to say. I follow Matthew and he always joins into discussions from my class Ning site. This semester’s site can be found at http://kansasfutureteachers.ning.com. Please, come join in our conversations.
Thank goodness, Matthew just saved me a ton of time. So I am posting the link to his blog Creating Lifelong Learners!.
Thanks Matthew for beating me to the punch. I will be showing this to my students so they can see an exemplary example of reflection. A portion of my students are “getting it” when it comes to their weekly reflections, but a large percentage have not figured our how to write a quality reflection. It worries me. As teachers we have to be reflective about our teaching and learning.
http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/?p=401

Link to the K12 Online Conference