AL Halloween Costume Contest 2009

Official contest winners:

1st Place (group): The sales team as "The Bald Pauls"
1st Place (individual): Shari as "Mrs. Potts"
2nd Place: Melinda as a pirate

Which costume is your favorite?

AL Virtual Pumpkin Carving Contest 2009

Official contest winners:

First Place: #1 by Jennifer
Second Place: #9 by Melinda
Third Place: #4 by (who else?) Paul

Thanks to these other participants: Jody, Beth, Julie R, Sammy Jo, Shari, Shaun, and Lisa

Which jack o' lantern is your favorite?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Upcoming Conferences

We hope to see you at these upcoming conferences:

MassCUE	October 28-29
ATIA Chicago (booth 419)	October 29-31
EDUCAUSE	November 3-6
ESC-2/TCEA Area 2	November 3
GAETC	November 4-6
ECIS	November 18-22
NYSCATE	November 22-24
TIES	December 12-15

Free FETC exhibit hall passes, compliments of Atomic Learning (booth #946)

We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to participate in FETC 2010 – the most comprehensive ed-tech learning event in the U.S. — free! FETC 2010 is the content-rich conference that brings education leaders and technology experts together to exchange techniques and strategies for administrative, teaching and learning success.

With more than 200 Concurrent Sessions, 70-plus workshops—and an exhibit hall of 400-plus solution providers displaying and demonstrating the latest products and services—it’s the most comprehensive event of its kind, and an invaluable resource for educational innovation in your school and district!

Meet with more than 400 technology solution-providers in the Exhibit Hall & Technology Marketplace at FETC 2010 for FREE ($50 Value).  This exclusive, non-transferable offer lets you participate as an Exhibit Hall Attendee Only--courtesy of Atomic Learning.

Check out the complete FETC Exhibit List and Floor Plan at http://www.fetc.org. You must enter priority code FL5010 to receive your FREE Exhibit Hall Pass Worth $50! Register today using your VIP priority code at: http://www.fetc.org/Registration.aspx

Student Take on 21st Century Education (via Tech&Learning)

Ryan Bretag writes:

...the concept of teaching and learning in the 21st Century should focus on students as pre-professionals. To do this, the classroom needed to focus on inquiry and problem-base learning, real world experiences, research opportunities, and field work. As well, the experiences should engage them with challenges that force student application, creativity, and critical thinking.

In fact, the idea of students engaging as professionals in training was a definite theme of this discussion as they discussed hands-on field experience that engaged them in first hand exposure.

Read more

The 2009 Speak Up Survey (via EdNetNews.com)

“Each year more schools sign up to be part of Speak Up because it offers them – their students, parents and staff – a way to express their opinions about the future of learning, local and national policies, how teaching could be improved and more,” said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, the survey’s facilitator and a national leader in empowering students to have a voice in improving education in the 21st century.

“The information is invaluable to the schools who participate, and the elected leaders at all levels who use Speak Up data as a way to gauge opinions on a range of educational issues,” added Evans.

The 2009 online survey – open now through December 18th for all K-12 students, parents, teachers, pre-service teachers and administrators at
http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/ – offers the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered input on education and technology from those ‘on the ground’ in the schools.

For the first time, the survey will ask students about their interest in teaching careers and will include pre-service teachers to get a sense of how the next generation of teachers may differ (or reflect) the opinions of current educators.

Read more

Blogging –The New Model for Building Collaboration in the Classroom

For students around the nation, blogs have become far more than the latest technology buzzword. For many, blogging can be a key method of communication on a social level. While many students already blog in their free time, incorporating blogging technology into the classroom can have many benefits through the use of a medium that already interests students and makes learning more interactive and engaging.

With the knowledge and interest that students have in blogging, it can be an effective tool to use in the classroom to engage students outside of the classroom setting. For example, blogs can be a great avenue for continuing class discussions or posing questions for students to consider before coming to class. This gives quieter students the opportunity to participate without feeling the pressure of speaking in front of a group. Students will also find this medium helpful as they will have more time to formulate their thoughts and to reflect on other students’ comments and questions.

Another use for blogs in the classroom is for peer review – a method that many teachers use for essays and projects. A blog can be a convenient and interesting way for students to review others’ work. Students can post an essay, for example, and their peers will be able to read it and post comments. It also makes the peer review process easier for teachers to grade, as they can see who commented and the content of their remarks.

When used with younger students, class blogs can be an effective tool to introduce students to the increasingly important world of Web 2.0. Teaching students the educational and practical value it has can be accomplished by using it in a fun manner such as pen pals via the web and many other activities.

Blogs can also be used to keep parents involved in their child’s education by keeping them abreast of class happenings and activities. A special thread for parents could be created or they could be given some rights on the class blog.

Perhaps most importantly, class blogs are a great way to build a sense of unity and community within the classroom. Within this online forum, student’s profiles and class goals can be shared. This allows students an opportunity to learn about and from each other. With this unity creates an open class culture that fosters learning and promotes an environment in which students feel comfortable sharing their ideas.

The process of incorporating blogs into the classroom can sometimes be an intimidating prospect to teachers. To help educators develop ways to incorporate blogging into their classrooms, Atomic Learning has created a Blogging Workshop. The workshop covers topics ranging from setting up a blog and managing blog comments to keeping your blog confidential.

Download this article as a .pdf

Free passes to Closing the Gap in Minneapolis (Saturday, 10/17)

Print your access pass for Closing the Gap, the assistive technology conference this week in Minneapolis. You can get into the exhibit hall at no cost from 9-2 on Saturday.

http://www.closingthegap.com/media/pdfs/ctg_exhibit_pass.pdf