K12 Online Conference Final Reflection

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

So here we go, what were your two favorite sessions, what was you Wow moment and list at least three things you learned. What impressed you ab out this conference. You thoughts and ideas about this online conference experience. Did you participate in any of the LIVE events and if so what did you think about that experience, if not why? Please be very specific in this reflection.

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

I like ToonDoo. I have a program kinda like it that comes on all Macs called Comic Life. It is pretty cool too. Very easy and lots of fun. Kids love it.

[Betty J Mick]

What impressed me about this conference was the wide variety and wealth of talent that was available to me, and totally free! Everywhere I looked or clicked, there was very high quality information about all sorts of tools and things that are so new to me, and that I would never have attended a traditional conference to learn about. I also love that every time I look back at a presentation page, there are new comments and links and things added, so the learning just goes on and on.
My favorite sessions were Oodles of Googles, Trailfire, and Crossing the Copyright Boundary in the Digital Age. In each of these I learned of new tools I did not know existed before, and that I can really see myself using. I think the information in the last one, about Creative Commons licensing, is vital for all of us to know, yet I had never heard of it. That was an Aha! moment for me. Something cool I learned was that I can do podcasts without fancy equipment or preparation - there is gcast, but also, I can capture student comments on field trips with a cell phone, and save it to an mp3 file righ away. Cool!
I was not able to participate in the live events. I just never got the schedule figured out around my two jobs, 5 classes, husband and children and school activities. I got so much out of all the other presenetations, though, and here's a funny example of my "old-fashioned" paradigm: I downloaded several of the podcasts into a folder on my desktop so I would be able to look back at them later . . . Then, as I wrote my final reflection assignment, this huge light bulb came on and I realized how silly that was because the whole nature of this conference is that this information is there for all to see and use, and still be right there for a long time, just as last year's conference is still there!
I thought this conference was an awesome way to make students like me get into the details of some of these tools that I would never have explored otherwise. I am also very impressed that so many educators shared examples of their students' works, because this gave specific ideas of how these things can work for us. Unfortunately, my school district was all over the "Acceptable Use" issues presentation - we have about every issue and obstacle listed in terms of filtering issues and policy roadblocks. But we have some great equipment, and now I have some great ideas for how to approach convincing them to use those computers in new and exciting ways. That may be one of the most valuable parts of this conference: it has put in one place a huge amount of information that can be used to show narrow-thinking administrators and old-way teachers the advantages and benefits. The training materials have all been prepared for us now, and we can go in well-prepared for the discussions we need to have. Thanks so much for getting us involved in this, and thanks to everyone here who has shared their ideas with us. I have so much more confidence now that I can compete in this arena of new technology in education!

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

I am so glad this was a valuable experience. Narrow minded administrators is an understatement in most districts and yet, fearand lack of knowledge is a huge driving force.

[Marci Edgington]

Two Favorite Sessions: 1) Obstacles to Opportunities Keynote - Brian Crosby - “Obstacles To Opportunities – The Why’s And The Wherefores” October 22, 2007; 2) Classroom 2.0 - Chris Harbeck - “Release the Hounds” - October 17, 2007

Wow moment: My wow moment was watching the short video that the class made in the “Obstacles To Opportunities – The Why’s And The Wherefores” in the October 22nd presentation.

3 things learned: 1) I learned that a regular PowerPoint presentation is horrible to listen to after watching one that has pictures timed with everything said. 2) I learned to pay attention to make sure you will have access to specific tools in the classroom before you start working on a project with that tool, such as Splashcast. 3) I learned there is so much technology out there that I had no idea even existed.

Impressed me about the conference: I was impressed that several different presentations that I listened to were by people from across the globe. For example, I listened to one from a person from the Netherlands and one from a person in Australia.

Thoughts and Ideas about online conference experience: I thought there were several of the different presentations that were very similar. There seemed to be a lot on blogging. I thought I learned a lot that I otherwise would not have learned at all.

Participation in LIVE events and why: I was not able to participate in any of the LIVE presentations due to school, work, and family. I listened to most of the presentations between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on several different days.

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

10p.m. to 2am, Well, you certainly are a night owl. I am usually sawing logs by 10pm!!!

[Joleen Schoenthaler]

This was my most favorite presentation
1. The Collaborative ABC project: Using Technology to tell Stories.
Kevin Hodgson and Bonnie Kaplan
10-22-07
How awesome is this!! The possibilities are endless using technology to create digital stories. Simple ABC books can be created to more detailed stories. This podcast gives us several examples of using Web 2.0 tools used to create these stories. I can see students loving to use this type of technology. You could have them create and produce books of their own using these tools such as voice thread and jumpcut.

I honestly can find myself using this in my classroom. The reason I liked this presentation the most is because you can use this with any age group. It is motivating and engaging for students of all ages.

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

Don't forget the rest of your reflection!!

[Joleen Schoenthaler]

Oh, I forgot my other favorite. It was Oodles of Googles. I just love the toondoo tool. I used this just to mess around and love it. I haven't had time to actually make something educational but I hope to try this out over break. I think the most beneficial thing I learned from this conference is that there are new tools and so many of them some are better than others but the possibilities are endless. I was not able to participate in any of the conferences because of the scheduled times but I did enjoy listening to them.

[Michelle Hudiburg]

I was so sorry I missed this event! Somehow I didn't learn about this one in time to be a part of it. I hope it becomes an annual event, and I can be a part of it next year. I look forward to seeing what you all thought.

[aconnolly]

I think my two favorite presentations were from Brian Crosby, “Obstacles To Opportunities – The Why’s And Wherefores” and from Wendy Wolfe, “If All My Classes Did This.” I really enjoyed their ideas and what they showed me. The ToonDoo and the all the videos that were shown were amazing.
Through out listening to the conference I just couldn't believe all the tools and information, software, and so much technology that is out there. Many of it I didn't even know about.
I found it amazing that there were so many people who brought something to the table for this conference. There are so many people out there that have great ideas and can give them to us. People from all over the place have great ideas! When I become a teacher, it would be a great idea to be apart of a teacher community and just share ideas like this conference. I appreciate learning about all the tools that are out there.
I did not participate in any of the live conferences just because of time. This has been a crazy couple of weeks. I feel that even though I didn't I still got a lot out of this experience.

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

ToonDoo seems to be popular, maybe I will have to incorporate it in the class next semester.

[Gina Aurand]

My two favorite sessions were: The Why's & Wherefores by Brian Crosby and Challenging Assumptions of Technology Professional Development by Sylivia Martinez. I would love to hear or see more of Brian Crosby and get actual ways to use tech everyday in my classroom. He does such a super job of just integrating it into daily curriculum. I also liked all the sessions with Sylivia Martinez. She is a great presenter and I would love to know more about her organization GenYes and the way you can get that program started in a school.

I had a couple of wow moments. Not on a specific topic,but as I listened to all the neat and innovative ways that technology can be used in the classroom, with relatively little financial cost I was amazed. It made me really want to be one of those neat teachers who brings this into my room and my school. I want my children to be exposed to this kind of learning where right now they are not. I always assumed use of technology meant a big investment for the school district but it doesn't. Now, I think fear from the teachers is the big limiting factor.

Three things I learned.
1. I will have no excuse when I am in the classroom for not being up on things. I have free wonderful information and help at my fingertips. I just have to look for it. I don't have to wait for an in-service or blame administration.

2. There are many wonderful free tools to use with my students that will allow me to do almost anything from create cartoons, to podcast, to video conferencing, to word processing, to video creation. I will be more limiting to my self than the options that I have.

3. That I want a better computer so video will be an option. I just bought this a year ago and never dreamed I would want to watch as much video as I now do. I am trying to figure out how to get my husband to let me give this one to the kids and buy a new one. Maybe that will be my gift to myself when I get my first job!

I really liked this conference. It didn't cost me a thing. I got to hear from people I would never get to at a local conference. I learned many new things. If I could just get the video I would believe that this is the way to go. I could listen when it worked for me and I could focus on the discussion. I hope they do it again next year and I will definitely check it out. I have even recommended it to teachers I know.

I never did participate live. Mostly it had to do with my time constraints. With my children and my subbing I had to listen when it worked for me and often this was after 9 pm. I did checkout the wiki information and printed some off. I have more I want to get to,but just haven't had the time. I also didn't blog or submit anything. I guess I don't feel I have enough experience to feel justified in joining in. Hopefully by next year that will change.