The CSI Vermont project has been keeping me more than busy lately. For those who are not aware, my energy and resources have recently gone towards a new project (albeit not a new interest) aimed at infusing Creativity and Innovation into our schools. My work on the committee that revised the Vermont Information Technology Grade Expectations was focused on the NET-S standard - Creativity and Innovation and lead me down a path to seek out resources around this topic and to write a grant proposal to bring some of these resources into our Vermont classrooms. Our project (CSI Vermont) was funded and has been keeping me "more than busy" - but what a fun type of busy. From bringing a bus load of students to Tech Jam 2010, to bringing students to Kids in Technology and Science Day at Champlain College, to offering a Games and Literacy Workshop, to desinging a new challenge for UVM's Engineering Day, this has certainly been a rewarding type of busy. So busy, that I sudden realized I had not posted any news about the project on my Learning with Lucie site. To learn more about CSI- Vermont or join us as we help teachers and students Create, Simulate, and Innovate, check out www.Csiprojectvt.org
Each year the Vermont educational technology community selects an award recipient to received the Frank Watson educational technology award. (Learn more about Frank Watson, the father of information technology in Vermont at http://www.uvm.edu/pt3/vt3/fwatson/fwatson.htm) This year, Frank not only participated in the 25th anniversary of Vermont’s primary educational technology conference, he also presented the Frank Watson award to Craig Lyndes, network administrator at St. Albans City School, Fairfield Community School, and Franklin Central Supervisory Union.
Frank’s message to the group of over 500 Vermont educators was that “we’ve got a lot of stuff. And what we need to do is learn to use that stuff to make sure that our students are thinking, that they are creative, and that they are enabled by this stuff. How do we do that. These are the same question we were asking 25 years ago.” Frank urged educators to go back and reread the works of Seymour Papert and Jerome Brunner and revisit their important advice about getting students to think and develop creative problem solving skills.
He then proceeded to introduce the winner of this year’s Frank Watson award as a man who has committed to giving students and teachers access to the technology tools in Vermont schools in ways that supports this all important goal.
“I’ve had a ton of experience with this person.Early on when I was at UVM, and I got bit by the bug (or the byte) I went to this person’s school to see what was going on and I ended up with him and some other people in a very interesting situation..
A sort of an open ACCESS lab of computers filled with kids filled with kids using the machines and learning how to do it..
ACCESS! that word is a very important word for this person
ACCESS not only to students but also to teachers that makes a very easy entrance to what they are doing...
Its very important that this happens because if it looks like its too difficult then people are going to say “NO” I’m not going to do it; I’m not going to use that equipment...
This person understands that ACCESS point and how to manipulate it to get it to people in the school’s he’s working with..
This person has experience in 4 major school districts in this state and has impact on all four. Fortunately I have had an opportunity to see him at work in 3 of those districts and was always welcomed and always learned something before I left..
If this person knows who they are right now, they should be getting ready t come up here
I’m going to give one more clue,
This person is a person I could have a conversation with about something called Wintermute. We have some people who remember what Wintermute use to be…
Will Craig Lyndes please come up and receive the 2010 Frank Watson educational leadership award."
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I am so pleased that the Vita-Learn has focused on the importance of access in the equation of successful implementation of a vision for the use of technology in schools. Craig has been such a strong advocate of access and working so diligently over the past 25 years to bringing it to Vermont schools. Whether it be his earlier efforts with "Wintermute" and with the CVU bulletin board (note the long list of "STUDENTS" who ran this BBS from 1985 - 1995 at http://bbslist.textfiles.com/802/ ) or his most recent initiatives to increase access and connect the FCSU to each other and the internet via fiber. Craig thank you for using your energy and resources to improve access in ways that move Vermont school's forward to fulfilling the vision that Frank Watson and so many others have for our students.
With the snow covered slopes of Killington as a backdrop, hundreds of educators will be learning together for the 25th anniversary of Vermont Fest - Vermont's Premier Educational Technology Conference.
I will be working with educators who want to integrate Google Tools in schools during 3 sessions.
Transforming Learning using Google Apps a hands on 3 hour preconference workshop
Using Google Apps to Change your Learning Landscape a 1 hour presentation that features 50 examples of how Google Tools are changing the landscape in Vermont Schools
Getting Started with Google Tools in Education I will facilitate a conversation with participants sharing tips and tricks on "HOW" to get started with Google Apps
A constructivist workshop that challenges users to apply what they learn about using Smart Interactive Whiteboards to creating an interactive visible learning environment that does more than substitute for traditional blackboards and whiteboards
Google Apps for the Classroom Teacher A Hands-On, 1-Day Workshop for beginners and intermediate users.
Taught by Google Certified Educator, Lucie deLaBruere Friday August 6th, in Brattleboro VT 8:00am - 4:00pm Sponsored by Marlboro College Graduate School's Teaching with Technology program Description: Curious about Google Apps for Education? Want to learn more about teaching in the clouds? Come spend the day in Brattleboro with Google Certified Educator, Marlboro alum, and VT technology integrator extraordinaire, Lucie deLaBruere. Start the day with a one-hour morning overview of Google's offerings for education that's open to the public (8am-9am no charge). After that, registered participants will learn basic and intermediate skills during two hands-on workshops. In these workshops, participants will experience 50+ examples of how Google Apps is being used by REAL classroom teacher. Bring Your Own Laptop (BYOL). Instructor Bio: http://lucie.typepad.com/about.html
Register at: http://gradschool.marlboro.edu/news/events/google_apps/ Cost: First hour free. $35 for the day. Lunch on your own in Brattleboro or brown bag it. Marlboro sink/coffee/microwave/lounge available. Location: Marlboro College Graduate School, Room #2 East.
Schedule: Friday, August 6th
8:00 - 9:00 Intro to Google Apps (Free) 9:00 - 11:30 Hands on Workshop I: Intro to Google Docs (BYOL) Getting Started: How to Create, Share, and Collaborate using Google Docs, Spreadsheets, & Presentation 11:30-11:45 Break (go get lunch and come back for...) 11:45 -12:45 Brown Bag Lunch with Featured Presentation: Changing the Learning Landscape with Google Apps 50+ ways REAL classroom teachers are using Google Apps to change the way they teach and students learn 1:00 - 4:00 Hands on Workshop II: Using Google Apps- Collaborative Learning (BYOL) Participate in hands on activities that model collaborative learning using Google Apps
(Prerequisite: Getting Started A.M. session or basic understanding of how to create and share a Google Doc)
It was great to see so many Vermonters in Denver at the Iste 2010 conference
I can't even begin to highlight everything I gleaned from this year's conference. There were over 2000 url's bookmarked with the tag iste10 though delicious.com http://delicious.com/tag/iste10
For example, if you know that Steve Dembo usually updates his presentation on policy, procedures, etc each year, you could search for Dembo and find his latest materials which included http://filterclimatecheck.wikispaces.com/Resources\
I had one of the best NECC/ISTE conferences ever this year as my soul and spirit were filled with presentations on the topic of Creativity and Innovation ranging from Ian Jukes, Gary Stager, Mitch Resnick (one of the creators of Scratch) and the Teacher Game Institute (Pedagogy, Play, Pixels, Programming and Project Based Learning) If you have not seen Ian Jukes before, I totally recommend exploring his work http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/2010/program/search_results.php?selection_id=59498380&nocache=1278385220
On Wednesday, I got a chance to attend the all-day nline Learning Institute, where I met lots of people in the trenches of
I did manage to hit the vendor floor for a brief time where I saw some pretty cool ultra short throw projectors for under $1000 including one from BENQ that included a stylus that turned it into a interactive white board (or at least a pointer/mouse).
But all in all, my favorite part was networking and continuing to develop my Personal Learning Network. Met Bron from Quest Atlantis face to face, who introduced me to other Quest Atlantis; had a wonderful time with Jackie Gerstein, Helen and Erin Barrett; enjoyed chatting with Adam Frey at the Wikispaces party and all my fellow Google Certified Educator at the Google Block Party; met some more Edu-collaborators at Alex's get-to-gether, and collected lots of business cards and ideas from fantastic passionate fellow educators. More learning than I imagined possible.
In this workshop, Vinnie and shared our personal experiences setting up, administering, and using Google Apps for your Domain with elementary, junior high, and high school students as well as tips we have learned from our personal learning network of Google Certified Educators.
