Just Got Home . . . from NCaect

Hi all! I hope everyone enjoyed the conference this year! Though not able to attend as many sessions as I'd like, I know that the feedback I've heard has been really positive. Please let us know your thoughts on the conference -- presenters, venue, anything you'd like! -- so that we can continue to make this the best experience possible in coming years!

Just Arrived...at NCAECT

I've just arrived at the Westin in Charlotte, and the electricity is cracling in the air, the excitement. I've already strolled around, sticking my head in some of the pre-conferences workshops, including Apple technology, data networking, blogging and NiceNet, electrifying your staff development, and much more.

I'm sitting in the session on GEO Caching right now, and Acacia Dixon has already said "Darlin'" twice already. There web site is:

-- http://tps.dpi.state.nc.us/geocaching/ --

I was surprised to learn that there are currently 246531 active caches around the world, in 221 countries.

I also got to see Cathy Schrock, who's here attending the electrifying staff development workshop. She will be keynoting the conference tomorrow.

See You at the Conference!

Another conference, but a good conference in the opinion of David Warlick, whom I asked some questions about the conference. Definitely exciting to network with new tools, ideas, people, and food! (-:
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The media part of technology, providing useful content, intrigues me. I helped begin podcasting at our school, providing students and teachers with usable content for writing and staff development. Now to hear some from other schools to see how we can continue to help our own students. We're lucky to live in this age, as everything we need is at the tip of our fingers. I also want to see more about digital storytelling. One of our teachers wants to create 'old fashioned' radio skits, reminsecent of the old 'War of the World' radio programs. What a great way to teach science and social studies content! Now, hopefully the conference will help me make this a reality! (-:

Technology Fight or Flight

NCaect here we come! I would love to know what you find that causes the classroom teacher to avoid teaching with technology and conversely why some teachers cannot get enough equipment and/or time with technology. In your opinion what causes this gap?Let me know what you think and come join Linda and I in our session as we makeover a classroom.

Telling the New Story

I am so looking forward to NCAECT 2006, and seeing all of my old North Carolina friends, and making some new ones. This year, I will be talking about stories -- big stories -- the stories that we tell and retell about classrooms. These old stories owe their roots to a bygone time, yet they continue to paint our vision of schools and schooling. The old stories tell of seats in rows, stacks of textbooks, compartmentalized subjects, and an information-scarce world where gatekeepers control the content, and it flows in only one direction.

In this year's keynote address, I will suggest some new stories, the issues they must address, and how we might start to tell them. If we believe that we need a new kind of learning, a new kind of teaching, new classrooms, and forms of assessment, then we need to go out and tell a new story -- one that is so compelling that it will force people to forget about their classroom experiences from decades ago.

Come by and say, "Hi!"

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