NYC Tech Geek

NYSCATE 2008 Notes/Reflections

2008-11-23T13:56:00.010-05:00

Leaving Digital Footprints that Count -
Presenter: Stephen Ransom

Lots of statistics about student social networking, including comparisons of teens and adults. Many of their "friends" are hardly known to them, and might become unknown soon. Clever video segments about cybersafety, Facebook satire.
1 in 5 company managers check out job applicants online.
1/3 reject the candidates because of what they see.
"Personal Online Brand" ==105 of admissions officer check student pages. 38% negative influenced, 25% positively.
New industry: online reputation management services (i.e. SERM International, trackur
Will Richardson wrote about how we ought to be making ourselves "clickable"--our work should be online, for people to interact with.
71% of students use social networking sites weekly.
96% have used them.
No one's teaching this. They're creating their digital footprints without us.
Students competing for slots at elite colleges sabotaging each other's facebook pages.

Be professional:
Treat it like your work desk, make beneficial connections, add friends selectively, be philanthropic.
Ask folks to take down questionable content. Leave a clean footprint, make sure th footprint matches your size.
40% of student profiles are unrestricted. They don't understand privacy or group restrictions.
2 Simple checks--Mom/Grandma--is what we have online something they would approve of?
--Front Page News
GoogleSites
See peepeeface.com
Media That Matters
Main School District 48 bought each graduating student a domain name which includes, among things, a resume maker.
We're much more focused on what students shouldn'tdo, much less on what they should.

CSI NYSCATE--A Brief Introduction to Computer Forensic Analysis
Jeffrey Ginsberg (Javelin Digital Forensics LLC)

Used to present how to hack into networks. Very busy the last 2 years, coinciding with school audits.
What is Cyber Crime--Zombie, Denial of Service, getting on to someone's computer withut their permission
Crimes where computers contain evidence--porno, stalking, copyrights infringement. If you're using school equipment at home, be careful
Crimes where the computer used to commit the crime-password theft, identity theft, web site defacement

4 kinds of attacks: denial of service, physical or logical (changing passowrd, filling with spam)
Social engineering--gathering info, like passwords
Technical--hacking, piracy (stealing aps, music) rights escalation (changing from user to teacher to admin
Sniffing--on the linem keyloggers--logs keystrokes

Intrusion Approaches:
Target selection, research and background info-internet searches, whois, nslookup
Preliminary probing--getting passwords (dictionary probes tries every word in dictionary as pasword), POP probe, sniffig, DNS zone transfer, SMTP probe

Cleaning up after an attack:
Delete Tools, Delete work files, delete or modify logs,
Treat every incident as if it will end up in a criminal prosecution.

Your investigative tool kit--
Policies--define actions you can take, clear and simple--must tell them where they can find IAUP. employees must acknowledge having read them and will comply with them
Profiling--disgruntled/problem employee, students, Pros
How was access obtained (how'd you get that key? What are you doing in this closet?) What skills were required? Previous record? Others opinion? Motivation? Personality type. How did the intruder behave on the system? Damage? Clean-up? Theft?

Tools--hardware (tools, drives, computers)
Tools--software (applications, viewers) Sleuth kit--flag overrides, keep logs, include login times (caught someone in a school district logged in on the 4th of July)
Crime scene analysis--computer--secure site (people and equipment), gather and secure media (hard drives, thumb drives, cameras, cellphones, etc.). Disable any suspect access
Crime scene analysis--environment
NEVER work on the original evidence. Make at least one copy, preferably a copy of the copy.
Practice
Time

Goals of an investigation:
To ensure that all applicable logs and evidence are preserved
To understand how the intruder is entering the system
To obtain the info you need to justify obtaining a subpoena
Gather as much evidence as possible
Narrow your list of suspects
Document the damage caused by the intruder in terms of time and money, SSN.
Gather enough info to decide if law enforcement should be involved.
Learn from any mistakes

PRESERVE THE EVIDENCE!
Don't shut down the machine. Contact sys admins, contain damage, collect local logs, imade disks

Building an Incident Report:
Keep a running log of your actions. Document chain of custody.

Reso A Recommendations

2008-10-21T19:31:00.002-04:00

My recommendations to principals about how they should spend their Reso A money depends to a large extent on the hardware and software that they already have. I believe that the priority should be student access to technology. Therefore, if the school does not have portable laptop carts, and if the funds can still be used to purchase laptops, I would highly recommend that they buy additional carts. The ideal ratio of laptops to students is, in my opinion, 1:1.
Secondly, I would encourage principals to acquire LCD projectors for every classroom. Thirdly, each classroom should have some type of interactive whiteboard. Smartboards are not necessary; Mimio makes devices that can make any vertical surface function similarly, even if they don't come with the software and advanced features of Smartboards.
If what I heard is correct, that laptops may no longer be purchased with Reso A monies, then I'd recommend that the principals buy as many desktop computers to disctribute among the classrooms as they can afford.
Leftover funds can be used to purchase digital still and video cameras, scanners, flash drives and usb microphones/headsets.

Typical School Situation

2008-10-20T14:09:00.010-04:00

2. You are meeting with a middle school principal and her leadership team. The members of this team have very limited knowledge about integrating technology into the curriculum and have no idea what technology skills the staff already possess. The following resources/conditions exist in the school:
i. 1200 students.
ii. 3-story building with no elevator
iii. 4 Smartboards (3 never used, 1 used to project from laptop only)
iv. 1 computer lab used by the computer lab teacher
v. 5 laptop carts (1 is used extensively by the librarian, 1 is used by a social studies teacher occasionally, and 3 are collecting dust because they are not charged and no one knows if they work)
vi. The Social Studies teacher complains that only 3 laptops can get on the wireless at the same time and is very frustrated
vii. 8 LCD projectors (1 is used with a Smartboard, 1 is used by the librarian, 1 used by the Social Studies teacher, and 1 is used by the computer teacher)

a. There is little evidence of technology integration and the principal
asks you for advice on how to maximize the use of existing equipment this year. What steps would you recommend to the committee in response?
b. What would you recommend as the 3 main goals for the remainder of this year?
c. What strategies would you recommend for getting teachers to use technology?
d. How would you assess success?

My responses:
a. Technology integration in a school like the one described above can seem overwhelming, particularly to a school administrator who may not be tech savvy. Therefore, my first step would be to break it down into manageable processes. I would have one of OIT's technicians visit the school and assess what works, what doesn't and what can be fixed or updated. He would also try to connect the laptops to the wireless network. He would work with the school's tech liaison to contact the Help Desk to enlist their assistance with connectivity and repairs.
I would discuss grant opportunities with the principal in order to encourage replacing and upgrading their hardware for maximum potential. Then, in conjunction with the technician, the school tech liaison, and principal, I would offer suggestions about projects and programs they can utilize with whatever working equipment they currently possess. Once we learn how many laptops work, for instance, we might have a sufficient number to, say, have students create profiles in the Renzulli Learning System, or create a class wiki. If there is one working desktop computer in the classroom, I might suggest that the teacher create a class blog. If there are only a few working laptops in a cart, the students can create a video or podcast in small groups, one group per laptop. In other words, I would customize my suggestions based on available resources, while being sure to offer reasonable recommendations that can be achieved incrementally.
Finally, I would offer support such as scheduled visits from an Instructional Technology Specialist. And I would certainly revisit the school to follow-up. Additionally, I would encourage the principal and APs to avail themselves of our PD offerings, such as the iLead Institute, as well as encourage her to send teachers to some of our other workshops and institutes.

b. I would try to establish goals for the school that are realistic, attainable and sequential...goals that will build on each other. Specifically, my first goal would be to double the number of teachers who integrate technology into their classes each year. Since currently only the computer teacher, librarian and one social studies teacher uses them, I would try to have at least one other teacher in each department use them. I would arrange and/or conduct PD in curriculum-based tech integration. I might, for example, conduct a session where I have every teacher in the school create a class blog. Then, if even one or two teachers per department regularly adds content to their blogs, it's a tangible improvement.
A second goal would be to provide both professional development and hands-on support in the usage of Smartboards. I'd determine the state of the Smartboards initially, advise the principal if any cables need to be purchased, then see that at least one or two teachers attend our Smartboard trainings, including the Interactive workshop. These teachers can then turnkey their knowledge.
A third goal might be the development of a school technology plan. This would be a joint effort that would enable the staff, administration and OIT representatives to establish long term goals that could be incrementally implemented. It would provide a realistic framework for increasing technology integration over a longer period.

c. One strategy for getting teachers to use technology is to survey them about how much and in what ways they already use it, what they might be interested in learning more about and what actual technologies they have at their disposal. Another survey item could be a wish list. It's also be important to introduce a variety of classroom technology integration ideas, projects, research and examples to open new vistas and pique their interest.
Another strategy is to show them how their work will ultimately be made easier in the long run, even if they have to put a lot of initial effort into learning and creating. A lesson posted on a blog will remain there for other semesters. A wiki enhances collaboration among teachers, as it does among students. Therefore, to some extent technology integration is a communal effort. Teachers needn't feel isolated and unsupported.
Ongoing professional development is essential. Demonstrate effective technology integration, then provide instruction, opportunities for reflection and feedback, and follow-up support. Show them that their input is valid, expansive and necessary.
Provide opportunities for teachers to share their best practices, such as Tech Fairs, exhibitions, video contests, podcast slams and webfolios.

d. There are mostly qualitative, though there are quantitative, ways of assessing successful technology integration. I'll mention test scores, not to get them out of the way, but because quality reviews and school assessment teams often tend to define success in such measurable terms. One semester I taught five high school English, Regents Preparatory classes at West Manhattan Outreach Center without laptops. At the beginning of the second semester, I received a laptop cart for my classroom, which I used for all of my classes. My students had a 25% higher pass rate on the Regents during the second semester. More formal studies present similar results. However, more emotionally-charged measures of success tend to be anecdotal. Students are always more engaged when using technology. For example, the level of interest and engagement during the Tabula Digita DimensionM competition last year was palpable and intense. They complete assignments more conscientiously, including homework, when technology is involved. They take greater pride in their work if they present it digitally to a larger potential audience.
Schools are likely to receive better Quality Reviews if they demonstrate scholarly uses of technology. If they, for example, use the Renzulli Learning System, they can show valid and substantial examples of differentiated instruction.
Another indication of success is teacher satisfaction. If they can utilize digital gradebooks, class blogs, wikis, Voicethreads, web-based research sites and digital resources, they are likely to feel a greater degree of professional pride and satisfaction. Ultimately, their jobs will become easier, too.
Finally, administrators can use Web 2.0 tools to facilitate communication among their staffs. Educators can share and collaborate on documents, facilitate online discussions, and disseminate information much more efficiently through the use of technology.

How to Improve the Effectiveness and Visibility of Our Work

2008-10-20T13:23:00.007-04:00

I've always agreed with the ideas expressed by our slogan, "Standardizing Services, Customizing Support." However, I would modify it by adding a third part: "Publicize Student Achievement." Our work would be more effective if our visibility was greater. Our visibility would increase if we could point to a variety of examples of student projects that demonstrate how our professional development has positively impacted student achievement.

This can be accomplished in several ways. Let's start with this offering:
Literacy / ELA and Social Studies: Enrich Exit Project Writing with
Technology ELA/Literacy and Social Studies teachers will discover how
to support their students in using technology to enhance the writing
component of exit projects. Participants explore the stages of the
writing process and learn how internet tools and advanced word
processing features can support collecting ideas and selecting topics
to capture in an electronic writer’s notebook.

Since we encourage student blogs and wikis during this workshop, I believe that we should provide webspace to host these blogs. The written component of exit projects is crucial. Why not present it online so that anyone can read it and post meaningful comments? We present ideas about how students can create digital documentary videos or podcasts about topics like global warming. Let's embed these videos and podcasts into the student blogs. Then we could invite school administrators, teachers, other students, parents and political leaders to read, view, listen to, or interact with these examples of student work, provide online feedback, peer editing, or follow-up suggestions. This would lead other schools to desire to replicate these digital projects, which in turn would increase enrollment in our professional development offerings.

Since we are, of course, part of the global community, our students could and should interact with students all over the world through audio or videoconferencing. Free programs like Skype or even webcam chatting have the potential to bridge cultural and national boundaries.

In addition to blogs and wikis, other Web 2.0 tools would further enhance our effectiveness. We offer monthly technology liaison meetings. Why not have a Google Doc where all of the liaisons can add suggestions about what we might cover at these meetings, which products or software they might have heard about but would like to see demonstrated, or better yet, post topics that they might want to present to their peers.

Posts from my iLearn Blog

2008-05-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

Brad's Portaportal Page [Edit]
I have links to many useful educational websites. Follow this link: http://guest.portaportal.com/bvelcoff

Use "bvelcoff" in the Guest login to access the page.

Portaportal is like del.icio.us...very helpful to list and link to resources. Let me know if you'd like help setting up your own portaportal page.

Scholarship Opportunity for Spring Robotics!
Vision Ed Inc. and Make are pleased to announce an exciting new scholarship opportunity for Robotics teams grades K-6 throughout the New York City Area. This scholarship will allow one team of up to 12 members to compete in the first annual ROBOFEST NYC, a new robotics event that will be held at SONY Wonder Technology Labs on April 12th.

ROBOFEST NYC was designed as an opportunity to celebrate creative work by children in the field of robotics. The event will feature both a student expo of original projects and a robotics performers competition. Teams and exhibitors may work with any robotics system including RCX, NXT, and Pico Cricket, and medals will be awarded for ingenuity, design, and programming.

For more information about ROBOFEST NYC, please visit: http://www.visionedinc.org/robofest/index.htm

The ROBOFEST NYC scholarship will cover the cost of a team coach for 8 sessions and the competition registration fee.

To apply, please submit the name of the school or organization at which your team will be based, contact info for the team organizer, and a brief summary (500 words or less) of why you think your team should be chosen to receive this scholarship. All applications are due by March 12th. No experience in Robotics necessary!

Last Chance to Enter Video Contest | Deadline: Feb. 29 [Edit]
Be a Video All-Star and Win Amazing Prizes!

Enter the Video Contest
12 prizes for Elementary, Middle and High School StudentsHave your students upload their videos now before the February 29 deadline!

Technology & Learning and 21st Century Connections is launching a new multimedia video contest to challenge the imagination and creativity of your students. And the great news is that if they win, you win, too!

The list of prizes includes a high performance Lenovo laptop computer , Adobe Digital School collection software , professional development classes , and airfare and accommodations for an upcoming 21st Century Connections event .To enter, your student needs to create a public service announcement—a short video that showcases why digital learning tools are critical to your school or curriculum. If the video is chosen as one of our 12 winners, you and the student could win a digital prize package that will take you to the next level of digital filmmaking. The contest, sponsored by the 21st Century Connections program, is open to all K-12 students.Learn more about the Be a Video All-Star Contest Contest deadline: February 29, 2008
Sponsored by:

You have received this message because you previously gave your email address to NewBay Media LLC. If you wish to unsubscribe or manage your email preferences, please visit:

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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 2:53 PM by bvelcoff | 2 Comments
Interesting article about the Global Marketplace [Edit]
A conversation between Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, and
best-selling author Thomas Friedman on the implications of the global
marketplace for K-12 education and the politics of school reform:
http://www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?mnitemnumber=&tnite
mnumber=&itemnumber=9736&unitemnumber=&pf=1&snitemnumber

Next Vista [Edit]
What's NextVista.org?
An online library of free videos for learners everywhere - find resources to help you learn just about anything, meet people who make a difference in their communities, and even discover new parts of the world. And Next Vista for Learning wants to post your educational videos online, too. Everyone has an insight to share and yours may be just what some student or teacher somewhere needs!

Empowered Education Video Contest [Edit]

Students, all grade levels, produce videos documentaries on the topic, "How Technology Helps me Learn". Winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work in Washington DC in an international showcase.

Competition Overview

Rules and Regulations

Submit videos until April 30th

Sponsered by eSchool News

Posted Tuesday, February 05, 2008 2:50 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
FETC Impressions [Edit]
Valrie's Impressions:
Adobe Premiere Elements Integrated Classroom Projects
This workshop provided hands-on experience using the Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 to create 2 short videos. The instructor shared some valuable resources and allowed us to share our resources as well. I found this program to be user friendly more sophisticated than Movie Maker on the PC Platform and would recommend it to upper elementary and middle school students. Students could produce videos that range from very simple to very advance using this program. I would recommend this software for our schools.

The Media Evolution
Scott Kinney showed various statistics on how the media greatly affects the lives of our students. The research shows that students are exposed to 8.5 hours of media each day. He states that our students want to be active participants and are leading the wave of collaborative communication technologies with the educators behind them. Educators need to embrace the new technologies before they fall further behind. We have much work to be done!

Using Games and Simulations to Teach and Motivate Today’s Students
The panel was in agreement that gaming and simulation activates higher order thinking skills; allows students to experience various concepts/events that probably would not have been possible; creates competitiveness amongst peers; allows for collaboration; and creates decision making situations. Research shows there is an increase in test scores, motivation, higher order thinking skills, leadership, teamwork and the quest for additional knowledge. Another result is that practice is seen as more fun and students practice more often and more willingly. If gaming and simulation can yield these results, why aren’t more teachers using it?

21st Century Tools for the Classroom
Howie Diblasi looked at the various technology tools- blogs, wikis, Photo Story, Lintor Books, podcasts, Shutterfly, Scratch, collaboration projects, Frames and others. He also provided projects for tools mentioned. Like many of us, Mr. DiBlasi believes teaching needs to change, because everything around us is. This new global economy of digital natives is forcing us to think differently with so many 21 century tools. School leaders need to use technology and set clear expectations for integrating technology into teaching and learning.

Software to Consider
iSupport Learning, Inc. - knowledge and skills in programming are delivered through their interactive software and curricula.
Curriculum At-A-Glance
 Video Game Design
 Music Video Production
 Cartoon Animation
 Web Game Design
 Robots & Invention
 Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Robotics
Resource CD
 Project Overview
 Worksheets
 Rubric
 Standards
 Tutorial videos

Hardware to Consider
Promethean Interactive Board

ePals
 SchoolBlog™ and SchoolMail™ are now FREE.

Brad's Impressions:

Ticketed Workshop: Gaming for Students
This is consistent with what we're doing in iLearn--using Scratch and Game Maker to create animations, sound effects and games to enhance education. A good opportunity for me to try hands-on activities and hone my Scratch knowledge.

Cultivating a World-class Work Ethic--Alan November
Alan's presentationa are always provocative, especially when we get to actually use some of the new technologies available to students and teachers. We used Activote clickers from Promethean to take surveys, which were instantly recorded, and charts were automatically generated to demonstrate the results. Alan's message remains important--our curriculums must adapt to the changing world; our pedagogies must evolve to allow students to truly compete in a global marketplace.

The Lessons of Chaos--Stevan Kalmon
This workshop reinforced the idea that students today are very different from previous generations in that they're growing up as digital natives (with inherent advantages and disadvantages). Traditional pedagogies are ineffective; we can no longer treat students as passive recipients of information. Instead, we must encourage them to create and disseminate content, then use available technologies to shape and give focus to "creatoration" processes.

Leading the Leaders: Strategies for Technology Leadership--Chris O'Neal
This was a practical workshop that focused on specific tactics to influence school and district leaders to integrate technology into their classrooms. A few sugesstions: keep up with and be able to relevantly quote research, schedule specific times to read and write blogs and keep abreast of important developments, and be visible...put yourself into meeting agendas to effectively influence policies.

Making a Video in 10 Minutes--Ruston Hurley
This workshop, while entertaining, did not teach me anything new. Sure, we can create digital videos very quickly with our students, but I believe that quality is more important than speed, so more time needs to be spent to ensure that the content of student and teacher-made videos is truly educational.

Copyright: Your Questions Answered--Gary Becker
Even educators must receive written permission to use digital content created by others. We can show videos are play audio files, but we cannot duplicate or share these files. Becker showed us several websites that contain allowable content, and encourages teachers and students to create their own, rather than using copyrighted materials.

What Next for No Child Left Behind? --Alexander Russo
No changes will be made during 2008, since it's an election year, but despite the fatc that we'll (finally) have a new president next year, NCLB will likely remain. Apparently the seeds of NCLB were planted during the Clinton administration, and refined by the Bush admin. States that don't comply will lose federal monies, which are needed to maintain schools. Numbers can be manipulated, but if schools opt out of NCLB, what alternatives will they implement?

The Revenge of the Digital Immigrants: Revise Teaching with Media Technology--Hall Davidson
This was a very entertaining and informative workshop. The main gist supports the idea that traditional classroom practices no longer apply to 21st Century students. Use short videos, podcasts and other digital media to reach students who are used to sitting in front of screens. Use their input, energy and tech-savviness to develop new curriculums and new methodologies.

Access OIT's Conference Blog here.

Posted Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:56 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
Teaching & Learning Celebration [Edit]
On Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 2008, thousands of educators will come to the Hilton New York to attend the third annual Teaching & Learning Celebration. The Celebration features internationally known speakers, compelling panel discussions and hands-on workshops that can't be found anywhere else. We hope to see you there. Join us and learn more!

Celebration 2008 will feature exciting special guests including renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, news anchor Ann Curry, and ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau. Featured speakers and panels will focus on science, global awareness, integration of technology into classrooms, and important questions of educational policy.

Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2008 1:51 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
Enter to Win the 2008 Schools of Distinction Awards! [Edit]
Does your school demonstrate excellence in math and science?The yearly Intel Schools of Distinction Awards recognize U.S. schools that implement innovative, replicable programs that inspire their students and lead to positive educational outcomes in the areas of math and science. Who Wins?

Two categories: Math and Science
18 Finalists: 3 each in grade group: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12
6 Winners
1 Star Innovator for 2008 (one school selected from the 6 winners) Awards:
Winners receive $10,000 each from the Intel Foundation and more than $100,000 in products and services from the program award sponsors.

The Star Innovator for 2008 receives an additional $15,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation as well as additional services and products from the award sponsors.

Apply now for the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards
before February 14, 2008!
About the Intel® Education Initiative Each year Intel spends over $100M on education programs in more than 50 countries. Intel's global education initiative is designed to meet the local needs of each country. In the United States, we firmly believe maintaining the country's competitiveness in today's global economy will in large part depend on the success of our nation's students. Whether it is to train educators on improved methods of teaching and learning or to engage student interest in math and science, Intel's education programs are designed to help students graduate with the skills they need to be successful in college and the work place.For more information on our program, click herePrograms of the Intel Education Initiative are funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation.Copyright © 2008 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, Intel logo and Intel Education are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Please note that the Schools of Distinction application is being administered by the University of Oregon. Any information submitted will not be shared with other 3rd parties.If you have any questions about the application, please send an e-mail to applicationhelp@continue.uoregon.edu If you do not want to receive this service, or have changed your e-mail address, or if you would rather receive this service in text format and not in HTML, please visit this Web page to change your preferences.

Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 11:26 AM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
Blogs for Newbies [Edit]
What's a blog, anyway?

Teacher and class blogs are very useful tools for several reasons. Teachers can post not only assignments and homework, but also discussion questions. Students can respond by posting comments to the teacher's post. There are at least two pedagogical advantages to this type of discussion. One is that students are writing, not just speaking. The second is that everyone can participate.

Too often, class discussions are dominated by a handful of students who do all the talking while others never speak up at all. Using a blog discussion forum enables every student to contribute. Furthermore, they can respond to each other, which leads to many possibilities for constructive peer criticism.

Blogs are quick and easy. Comment moderation requires little time on your part, and is a 100% effective way of keeping inappropriate comments off your blog.

Furthermore, you can easily add links to many useful resources specific to your subject. You can add files, pictures, and media to your blogs.

Blogs: Create our own weblog to communicate to our learning communities

Best Practices: Principal blogs, specialist blogs, teacher blogs
Understanding the importance of knowing your audience, posting with consistency, developing blog writing tone, and wrapping the blog in its purpose
Creating a blog account for ourselves on Blogger.com
Writing our first post: audience, tone, purpose
Types of blog entries: article spotlights, interviews, professional thoughts, opinions, investigative
Dealing with security: settings, comment moderation, permissions and levels
Things you should change: blog description, time zone, who can comment
Email assitance: enabling comment notification, enabling posting via email
Here's an excellent blogging resource page.

Contact me by commenting here or by email at bvelcoff@schools.nyc.gov if you want to create a teacher and/or class blog.

Posted Wednesday, January 16, 2008 6:18 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
NBC Universal Digital Media Competition [Edit]
New York City school students in grades 6-12 have the opportunity to create short videos addressing ways to improve our world.
Students working in teams of 2-4 members and a (teacher) coach are asked to submit a short (no more than 5 minutes) video project that addresses their vision for improving our world. Teams may consider the following categories but are not limited to their Vision of the Future and:

Community
Culture
Education
Environment/Going Green
Health
Media and Entertainment
Transportation
The video could be a short movie, a commercial or a public service announcement. Videos must be submitted as a full resolution Quick Time file burned on a CD/DVD.

For more information, click here.

To register click here.

IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
Registration Opens:
November 15, 2007

Registration Deadline:
February 1, 2008

Deadline for Project Entries:
April 7, 2008

Awards Ceremony:
June 2008

Prizes
FIRST PLACE award winning team members will each be presented with a DVD Camcorder. Their coaches will receive a certificate of purchase for $1000 and their school will receive a certificate of purchase for $1000. (certificates will be provided by a local vendor of computer hardware and software).

SECOND PLACE award winning team members will each be presented with Mini DV Digital Camcorder. Their coaches will receive a certificate of purchase for $500 and their school will receive a certificate of purchase for $500. (certificates will be provided by a local vendor of computer hardware and software).

THIRD PLACE award winning team members will each be presented with a Digital Camera. Their coaches will receive a certificate of purchase for $250 and their school will receive a certificate of purchase for $250. (certificates will be provided by a local vendor of computer hardware and software).

Posted Monday, January 14, 2008 5:36 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
Reminder: CHASE Awards Deadline! [Edit]
Win $1,000. for your school!

Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards Competition Thirteen/WNET & WLIW21 3rd Annual TEACHING & LEARNING CELEBRATION http://www.thirteencelebration.org/awards.html
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: JANUARY 11, 2008

The Multimedia in the Classroom awards, sponsored by Chase, celebrates the achievements of teachers and students who are transforming learning environments through technology. Projects should be a collaboration between teachers and students, focusing on improving learning through creative uses of technology in the K-12 curriculum in science and global awareness. The competition is open to K-12 teachers and students in public and non-public schools in the tri-state area. The top 10 schools will each receive a cash prize of $1,000, a Chase award trophy, 15 free full-access admissions to the Teaching & Learning Celebration, and free Teaching & Learning Celebration tee-shirts for award-winning teacher and students.

Entries must be postmarked no later than January 11, 2008 to be eligible.

Full details and entry form available online at http://www.thirteencelebration.org/awards.html

The Teaching & Learning Celebration is made possible with the generous support of Founding Sponsor CHASE. For a full list of sponsors, go to:

http://www.thirteencelebration.org/sponsors/index.html Join the Celebration at www.thirteencelebration.org Register for the 3rd annual Teaching & Learning Celebration today!
Discounted accommodations available at Hilton New York!

Posted Monday, December 17, 2007 3:16 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments
DimensionM Tournament! [Edit]
Tabula Digita and NYCDOE are working together to produce a the first city-wide Multiplayer Educational Gaming (MEG) Tournament for all participating NYCDOE schools on Friday, December 14, 2007, with actual tournament time between 10am – 12pm at Alfred Lerner Hall (Columbia University).
Participants

Ø 8 schools

Ø 3 student participants from each school

Ø Audience of 500 students and 50 adults, including NYCDOE personnel and parents

The New York City Department of Education will be hosting the first-ever citywide Multiplayer Educational Game tournament using Tabula Digita's DimensionM immersive video game Meltdown. Participants from over 20 middle schools across all five New York City boroughs will go head-to-head using their math skills to advance through timed video games. School champions, classmates, parents, teachers and school administrators are invited. Please plan to attend and cheer for your favorite player!

Posted Monday, December 10, 2007 6:17 PM by bvelcoff | 0 Comments

My other blogs and webpages

2007-10-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

My Cyber English curriculum: http://teachers.region4.nycenet.edu/bvelcoff/

iLearn in North Brooklyn:
http://blogs.region4.nycenet.edu/communities/nonfiction/default.aspx

Leadership Academy Reflections: http://blogs.region4.nycenet.edu/communities/mcla/default.aspx

Environmental Autbiography, North Adams History Project:
http://blogs.region4.nycenet.edu/communities/lichs/default.aspx

Cyber High School:
http://blogs.region4.nycenet.edu/communities/bvelcoff/default.aspx

My D&D games:
http://www.soumaya.org/

Blogs for Tech Liaisons

2007-10-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

What's a blog, anyway?

Teacher and class blogs are very useful tools for several reasons. Teachers can post not only assignments and homework, but also discussion questions. Students can respond by posting comments to the teacher's post. There are at least two pedagogical advantages to this type of discussion. One is that students are writing, not just speaking. The second is that everyone can participate.

Too often, class discussions are dominated by a handful of students who do all the talking while others never speak up at all. Using a blog discussion forum enables every student to contribute. Furthermore, they can respond to each other, which leads to many possibilities for constructive peer criticism.

Blogs are quick and easy. Comment moderation requires little time on your part, and is a 100% effective way of keeping inappropriate comments off your blog.

Furthermore, you can easily add links to many useful resources specific to your subject. You can add files, pictures, and media to your blogs.

Blogs: Create our own weblog to communicate to our learning communities

Best Practices: Principal blogs, specialist blogs, teacher blogs
Understanding the importance of knowing your audience, posting with consistency, developing blog writing tone, and wrapping the blog in its purpose
Creating a blog account for ourselves on Blogger.com
Writing our first post: audience, tone, purpose
Types of blog entries: article spotlights, interviews, professional thoughts, opinions, investigative
Dealing with security: settings, comment moderation, permissions and levels
Things you should change: blog description, time zone, who can comment
Email assitance: enabling comment notification, enabling posting via email

Contact me by commenting here or by email at bvelcoff@schools.nyc.gov if you want to create a teacher and/or class blog.