My Random Keys

I'm back at the ISTE conference this year and have high expectations, again. There are a ton of new technologies that will soon play a role in classrooms across the country and I'll get to look at a bunch of them.  There are some great speakers that will be presenting again and I'm hoping to get some good stuff from them, again.  Come one everyone, sing along:  I've got hiiigh hopes. I've got hiiiigh hopes...

My short list this year includes:

1) No matter how much you know about Web 2.0, Discovery's Hall Davidson and Steve Dembo always have something new that can positively affect the way you use tech in the classroom.

2) I have learned to like my iPad and am hopeful that I will be presenting a great iPad program at a conference next year.  However, I still think it's overrated and I want to sit in on some iPad sessions to gather more hype. Know the negatives to work the kinks into positives.

3) How are High Schools improving general ed use of tech in the classroom? Out of four workshops I did this summer, only 1 high school teacher showed. What is the magic dust needed to make even small changes with that level?

4) I've learned more about hardware this year than I ever wanted to know. Yet, is the new Epson projector/white board holding it's steam? What are the new iPad wannabees looking like?

5) For a couple of principals, I have to find microscope advancements and manipulative tools.

It's going to be a busy week, but the boots are shined and ready to make tracks.

Kids are with their mom this weekend, so I will get to play with teachers from across the great state of Texas tomorrow. As a member of the Texas Leadership Council for the Discovery Educator Network, I got to set up a PhotoWalk for Austin area teachers. We'll be doing our walk while teachers in Houston and Dallas will do theirs at the same time. Later, we will all share the same guest speaker... who is in Chicago. It's going to be a good time!

This event will be mostly social fun centered around the joy of photography, while it also has a strong basis in classroom integration. For some of the classroom discussion, we are glad to share Joe Brennan from Discovery. Problem is, he's in Chicago. The other problem is that Houston and Dallas are also sharing him at the same time. So how do we solve this problem?

I've been a fan of Skype for some time. It's pretty powerful and works on multiple platforms. Apple's iChat is beautiful and has great features, IF you are on a Mac. But both of those are installed applications. At work, we started using TokBox some time ago. It works inside and outside of the firewall at work. There is nothing to install.  The sign up is free and very quick! And best of all, I've had up to 6 people video chatting all at the same time!

So, tomorrow, we will have Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Chicago all video chatting together to provide professional development from inside restaurants and a lake house. Check out TokBox for your own multi-location meeting needs.

So, rain or shine tomorrow, there are going to be a lot of teachers around the state having fun with photography! Wish us luck!

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." -George Bernard Shaw