Are we paying attention?

(Video posted by Darren Draper of the Jordan School Dist)

So, what's you're reaction/response?

How might you teach differently given the data from this video?

Voki - Make your own personal Avatar

I couldn't resist passing this one along to you....
Voki.com

Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters… animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone. And it's FREE!! Once the avitar is created, it will allow you to copy the code and paste it into a webpage.

I can see possible uses for this in our web development class and a few other Applied Arts and Technology classes.

What is iTech??

We started a program at Maine West called iTech over a year ago.
The Vision:
-iTech is designed to assist teachers in infusing technology into their curriculum for the purpose of engaging and enhancing student learning.
-Create a core group of “teacher experts/coaches” to assist other department members.
The Goals:
-To train teachers in using different hardware and software products.
-To assist teachers in developing technology infused lessons.
The Strategies:
-Instruct teachers how to use different technologies.
-Provide articles and resources on integrating technology.
-Provide hands on learning for teachers.
-Present and share new knowledge and lessons in various settings.

We have divided the participants into two groups.....a beginner and an intermediate group.

Here are some of the topics that we discussed during our March session.
Introduction to Web 2.0
YouTube Video Explaining Social Networking
What is Del.icio.us? - Social Bookmarking
Edutagger.com - K12 Social Bookmarking
Flickr
Google Docs
Voicethread

Voice Thread Demo

I've been toying around with the VoiceThread website over the last couple of days....and I have to admit, it's pretty cool!

A VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone you wish. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world!

It can be used for collaborative digital storytelling at ALL grade levels. Please sign-up for a free Pro- account (for educators) with your school's e-mail by going to the main site.

I've posted an example and have shared it with the public.
You can view it here.