Tech Thoughts By Jen

My reflections on being a virtual attendee of the NECC 2009 Conference.

What worked:
1.  The Hash tag for Twitter — NECC09, NECC — worked just fine.  It enabled me to keep current on a lot of things going on during the conference.
2.  The NECC Unplugged Website.  Current, uptodate, links that worked.  Kim Caise did a grand job in moderation on Tuesday!
3.  The istevision channel — almost always was a great connection to NECC/ISTE……however, continue to suggestions for 2010 for full thoughts.
4.  The NING — helpful, good information, website updated often.  (Could we get a link to the daily newsletter??)

SUGGESTIONS FOR 2010:
1.  Internet connectivity for 2010 HAS to be thought about NOW.  If you are expecting 14,000 attendees at a Tech Conference — you better plan on internet connections for 18,000 with vendors, guests, etc.  This should be a given.  ALSO, the cost of the hotel on your registration page HAS to include internet usage (cannot be an add on later.)  I know you have the ability to organize this with the hotel.
2.  Panel on Tuesday AM was interesting and THANK YOU for the student voices — BUT, my wish for 2010 is that you have an admin, the tech coord, a teacher, and a student from a school that is doing 21st century learning right — and invite them to keynote.  Have a question and answer time.  Let us learn from them.  We need authentic situations to learn from and not 45 minutes of shoulds and coulds.
3.  The ISTEVISION channel and the ISTECONNECTS page have to be ONE and the same.  The Isteconnects channel today had the ipod seminar as the stream but the chat from the panel underneath it — and to get to the live stream, you had to toggle to another page.  Having a bit of tech saviness — I was able to handle it — but any newbie, NOPE, you lost a listener right there.
4.  It has to be a given that the KEYNOTES are streamed out.  No exceptions.  If they are not willing to be streamed……..they should not be considered a keynote.

I do appreciate that you have allowed me to wander into the conference as a virtual attendee and I do not take that for granted.  I also believe though that after 6 years of being at NECC — either virtually or in person — some things have NOT changed….and some one needs to take a look at that.

Just my thoughts
Jen

Yesterday, I was able to skype, tinychat, ustream, and cell phone in to the EdubloggerCon in Washington, DC.

As I listened to the second session I attended on School Reform — I thought back to a blog post I wrote last year, which I shall share here — with a few adaptions in italics!

I am bothered — SUPREMELY bothered that we keep talking the same conversation over and over again.  And asking the same questions over and over again — and I for one — really want to hear answers.  So at the bottom of this post, I will also list the changes my school and church have made since the last conference…….and invite you to do the same.

We can talk we can talk we can talk — or we can start to change.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Post Title:  Rearranging Reform

I very much enjoyed being able to attend NECC2009 this year virtually — all the best conversations from the comfort of my own home –

BUT, I wondered if we could make a plan for NECC2010 ………..

I wonder if we could promise to rearrange the letters in REFORM and the conversations about REFORM so that they spell……….

FORMER??

I would love to be able to attend NECCin 2010 and not talk about what we should be doing, or what we plan on doing, or how we could do what we might be doing — but to sit down and actually talk about what we did!!!

So this is my personal goal for the next 12 months before NECC2010.  I am going to make a difference.  I am going to write my congressman/woman, I am going to talk with my admin/my teachers/my staff, I am going to look for ways of being the change and not just waiting for the “change train” to come by so that I can get on.

My reform might not be huge…..and it might not be noticed by anyone but my current campus or wherever I work in 2009……but I plan to talking about what I did in 2009 at NECC2010.

Will you join me?

Jen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what changes have been made:
1.  Meet with the computer teacher WEEKLY to discuss ideas and teach how to use the software creatively with her students.  (This was her first year, she was BRAND new to everything we had on the machines.)
2.  Created a teacher help folder on the shared drive and any questions that were asked were written up as tutorials and shared with teachers.
3. Sent my newsletter to all elementary teachers - invited them to suggest topics for upcoming newsletters.
4.  Taught the entire school how to delicious and added the plugin to their toolbar - which they are using
5.  Taught 4 TechCamp sessions with 15 - 20 people coming on their day off, with no pay, just to learn possibilities.
6.  Didn’t back down on some things I needed to stay strong on but also decided which were skirmishes, which were battles, and which were wars…..and learning what were the ones I really needed to stand strong on.
7.  Sent letters to admin on all campuses weekly with sum ups of what was going on regarding “tech” at our school.  Showcasing and showingoff teachers.
8.  Helped the History Teacher create a wiki which she is using daily.
9.  Introduced Google Forms to administration.
10. Taught the church staff about “why you can’t show that movie” and also they learned how to obtain showing privileges.
11.  Created a podomatic and itunes and ustream account and now our Sunday sermons are available online.
12.  With admin, we met with local school district to see what they were offering our school with pro development, etc.
13.  Invited staff to go to “TECH” conferences instead of just me.  (Cherie went to CUE and the SVGCue)
14.  Helped Cherie apply for the BestBuy award, the Kidspiration Award, & the NetTrekker award.  We did not win any….but we will someday.
15.  Helped our missionary from Bulgaria make her webpage and blog.

Baby steps — but steps forward.

Please share what you have done in the last year.

Thanks
Jen

There is a lot of chatter lately (especially with the option for FACEBOOK name assocations) about managing your identify — actually more than that, it seems to be “controlling” your identity.

And I wonder………if that is truly indeed possible?

It would be presumptuous of me to even assume that there is only ONE Jennifer Wagner in the USA, let alone the world.  It would be egotistical of me to believe that I am the only important Jennifer and it would be silly of me to assume that I am the only Jennifer Wagner who is aware of my “digital and online” presence.

It would also be sad for me if I believed I was the most important Jennifer and was entitled the right to be the ONLY  “Jennifer Wagner” online.

So I did some checking:

and I also checked LINKED IN and there are 4 pages of Jen, Jenny, Jennifer Wagner’s.

I also googled myself:

and though right now, I am #1, I do fluctuate with Jen Wagner, the romance author….(who is NOT me….no matter how romantic you think I might be!)   :)   (sidenote:  Interesting that technospudprojects is the link, hmmmm)

And if I really start to think about this too much — I could really start to dwell and spend way too much time worrying about “My Online Presence.”

So, I have decided to live my online presence the same way I live my regular day to day life.

1.  I won’t venture anywhere that I know would cause someone to question my integrity.
2.  I won’t post anything that would could cause someone to question my credibility.  (okay, an occasionally silly twitter is part of who Jen is)
3.  I will behave in a manner that I know is representative FIRST as a Christian and secondly as an EdTech Ambassador.

And seriously hope - that if someone DOES do a google search to find me online, they will do more than just a quick search to discover who I am.

Cuz, you know, there are many more Jennifer Wagner’s than just me.   :)  yep, there are!

Just my thoughts,
Jen

PS:  I do see that there is a necessity of knowing where I am seen on line……….so, I am trying to gather my “presences” into one place as well.  I am all over the internet as “technospud, technospudprojects, JenW0424, JLWagner, JenWagner, Emmafer, JenLWagner, & MacsMom Alcott” and realize that I might need to merge these better into 1 area in the future.  But honestly, when I started hosting projects in 1999, I had no idea where I would be in 2009.  (Perhaps I would have planned it out a bit more — hmmm, not sure!)  But, for now, most of me can be found at www.jenuinetech.com/resources.html.

But don’t miss the conversations!!!

A few months ago, while in WI, I was persuading my friend, John Pederson, to come to the TechForum conference in IL, and especially to spend the night so he could join us for dinner.

He was reluctant, he would be traveling with a colleague, he could not say a “YES” for sure.

But as the date got closer, things changed, and he booked a room.

We both arrived to the Tech Forum conference and had a grand time……chatting with people we both see not often enough…and then we went to dinner — with 27 friends — and then we went to the hotel lounge — with 6 friends……and about 10pm, he turned to me and said “Thank you for asking me to stay over.”

And I just smiled.

Luckily, I have realized that it is not the conference but it is the conversations that are important.

So - if you are headed to NECC or DEN or Lausanne Laptop or BLC or or or……….don’t let the conference become your focal point.

Take the time to linger a bit with conversations.  Strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know.  Invite someone sitting near you to join in a conversation you are a part of…….or mosey yourself into a conversation that is already going on.

Please — Don’t be too busy that you don’t have time to talk!
And PLEASE — Don’t be talk so much that you don’t have time to listen!!

Go head and miss some of the conference.
The sessions can wait…and hopefully they will be blogged, ustreamed, twittered, and archived.

But take the time to have a conversation WITH someone –

You will be glad you did!

Jen

I originally posted this last year — but feel perhaps it is worth a revisit.  My additional comments are added in italics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lots of conferences are happening……….NECC happens next week, BLC, Lausanne Laptop, and more are coming up soon……….I invite you to take the Conference Challenge……….(and I will be taking it as well)

1.  Do not equate Name Recognition with Greatness.  Take the time to get to know the “knowns” — they are approachable, they are human beings, and they have life beyond tech.  Don’t assume because their name is “KNOWN” that they are unapproachable.  Be brave — get to know them!

If you are shy, ask someone to invite you to someone you wish to know.  Also, go up to ask a question……..I met and became friends with Tony Brewer and David Warlick by just asking questions after the session.

2.  Name drop NEW NAMES.  Go to a session presented by someone you have never heard and LISTEN and then blog, wiki, or skype about it.  Share what you learned.  Expand their session by being town crier and share NEW NAMES!!

It is easy to quote the people we all know and take their word as the final say……..but honestly, the newbies add a new fresh tone to the conversation.  And remember to drop their blog address, twitter name, and websites!!

3.  Step back and don’t critique — but learn.  Some of us (I will admit I am one) have become a conference snob and if you don’t wow me in 5 minutes, I move on…..and that is a fault.  Some people need momentum to get going.  Races are not always won in the first 10 minutes — but in the endurance to finish…..so take the time to give someone a break and push past the (very hard) first 5 minutes of the speaker connecting with their audience……and then blog what you learned.

Most people will live up to your expectation.  Sometimes you do need to wait for that “moment” of inspiration.

4.  Check out the poster sessions.  As I have said, and will say again, these areas are overlooked — and often are the most exciting.  Take the time to walk through and talk with the presenters.  This is a wonderful time for the personal contact, the individual questions, more…….and then blog about what you learned.

Cannot say this enough   VISIT THE POSTER SESSIONS!!!

5.  Try something different.  Go ahead and go out to eat with your “favorite friends” but invite someone new to the conversation.  At CUE, our small dinner group of 4 ended up being 13 — and it was great to get to know new people — it was great talking with old friends too — it just became better because new voices were added.

Take the time to find out what “events” are happening and go to the Google party, the DEN event, the TechLearning gettogether……besides free goodies, you will rub shoulders with people you should meet - and who should MEET you too!!

6.  Take some time to just walk away.  Excuse yourself from the conversation, eliminate all outside influences, and just re-evaluate what is happening with you.

Write your thoughts down and blog them later.

7.  Walk the exhibit hall, find something WORTH sharing, and then blog about it.  What’s the newest toy that is not just a gadget but is going to bring change to your classroom — let us know.  What new software will make things easier for the office staff — let us know!!

I walk the exhibit hall the first time without stopping at any booth.  That is the way I sift through what I want to return to, what I can bypass……plus, it is good exercise.

8.  Smooz Smooz Smooz!!  Take the time to visit the BIG BOOTHS and introduce yourself and become a KNOWN yourself.  I always stop by Inspiration, Google, DEN, Tech4Learning, Atomic Learning, etc….just to say hi and reintroduce.  After enough “Hi’s”, you are remembered……and they become a great resource when you just might need a door prize, to test a new software, or a connection for future reference.

Don’t sell yourself short………YOU are important to these people!!  If you like their product, let them know!!  If you do not like their product, ask them questions, share concerns, ask to be added if they bring out a new beta.  Let them know that you are interested in what they are offering.

9.  Share with us what is HAPPENING and not just being talked about.  Let us know names of teachers that are creating incredible and exceptional opportunities with their students and let us know HOW they are doing it.

Can’t say this enough either — share share share.

10.  Don’t make it just “ANOTHER” tech conference………..look for the “OHWOW” moments and share them.  Be an “OH WOW” moment and stop by “the Bloggers Cafe”, or “Necc Unplugged”, or “Edublogger Con” or whatever venue there is for conversation and SHARE YOUR STORY TOO!!!

One of the benefits of the bloggers cafe is that you get the best of all sessions in a crunch period of time.  Ask people — what session they went to and what were the highlights!!  And share your highlights as well.

Enjoy your time at NECC & other conferences.!
And consider sharing on your blog, wiki, twitter…what session you are going to…….and invite others to skype in with you.  (Just remind them to mute their mike!)  And if the session is being ustreamed………share that link too!!

Jen

But it should mean so much more.

First the background:
On June 12th, Iranians went to the polls to vote at their 10th presidential election since 1979.
The opponents were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (the incumbent) and Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former Prime Minister of Iran.
After the election, Mir Hossein Mousavi was not declared the winner.
Protests began.

In a nutshell — that is what I knew……..

Then Twitter started coming alive with “TURN YOUR AVATAR GREEN” in support.

Hmmm, in support of what???
Hmmm, I click this link you provide for me to turn my avatar green………but what do I really know??

SO…………I ask a question to my PLN, to my network, to my peers — why did you go green?  What information do you have that persuaded you to take a stand?

I am not being rude or cocky — I just really want to know.  What facts did you have before making a decision to change your avatar color and take a stand for something?

And I also ask another question — what information have you provided to people to help them become more aware of the situation other than just a link to turn green?

And again, not being rude here………just really wanting to know how as educators we can (it seems) ask for people to make a choice just based on a click of a link that will change your avatar to green.

Going green……..without knowledge of why you did………….is……………….WAIT……
NO BACK UP………..

Doing anything……..without the understanding of why you did………is so unwise.
And providing a link to click on (in this case avatar color change) without providing more information of the situation and of the whats and whys is educationally irresponsible.

I would like to persuade everyone who has provided the link to “going green” to back up and also offer a link to exactly what going green is saying.  Provide links to articles of the unrest.  Provide information provided truthfully by the news of what is going on.  Be a resource of more than just “click here to change the color of your avatar.”

Show your support by sharing information!

Jen

Though it is still up in the air about going to NECC, I did spend sometime today looking at the schedule.
And the following are the sessions that (for now) are on my radar.

Sunday, June 28
The Wonders of Wikis: A Wiki Certification Course

Monday, June 29
GoNorth! Adventure Learning Series
34Fun Galore!!! Pioneers: Third Graders Leap into Digital Times
Global Kids: Making a Difference, Changing the World
Measuring the Value of EdTech Projects
Nebo Elementary Students Demonstrate Their Scratch and Alice
Projects
Global Connections in the Primary Classroom
Power Boost Your Lessons with Wikis
You Can Make a Video in 10 Minutes
Library Tools Smackdown: A Sharing Session for Teacher-
Librarians
Comic Life: Because Teaching is Fun!

Tuesday, June 30
Tuesday Keynote: Debate and Dialogue
Small Changes, Big Returns: Give Your Lessons a Makeover
Creating Powerful Digital Essays–It’s All About Critical Thinking
Wiki Central: Creating Inquiry, Collaboration, and Engagement in
Biology
ClayMania: Digital Storytelling using Clay Animation
Print, Cut, Fold–Creative Technology Foldables
Engaging Students Through Active Technology Integrators and
Projects
Using VoiceThread for Interactive Projects
Calling All Google-Certified Teachers
International Collaboration

Wednesday, July 1
Be a Moodle Site Administrator for a Day
Using Place-Based Storytelling to Teach Historical and Geographical
Thinking
Microsoft for Educators: Improving Collaborative Learning
Digital Storytelling: The What, Why and (Especially) How
Oh, the Places You Will Go: Google Earth, Sketch Up, and
3DConnexion’s SpaceNavigator
Show Me the Tools! Collaborative Learning in 2009 and
Beyond
Mr. Popper’s Penguins: Web 2.0 Tools in Project-Based Learning
Inspiring Girls in Technology: A Recipe for Successful Outreach
Teaching Copyright: A Balanced Curriculum
The World in Your Classroom: Online Global Education and
Collaboration
Mapping Mash-ups that Motivate: Sharing Research Using Google
Maps and Geolocation
The Ten Coolest Technologies You Never Heard Of
Caravans: Around the World with Google Earth
Still in Need of TLC?
Classsroom 2.0: What Is Web 2.0’s Role in Schools?
Beyond the Workshop: Using Moodle to Create Professional
Learning Communites
Tear Down Your Walls and Join a Project
Integrating and Differentiating Technology Throughout Fourth Grade
Social Studies
Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Integrating K-5 Science and
Literacy
The Purple Cow Purposeful Podcast Project: Teaching Creativity
Digitally
Inspired Kids: Technology Integration in Elementary Classrooms
Catch A Wave on a Promethean Board: Teacher Tips!
Club 2:45: An After-School Technology Enrichment Program
Do So Much with an iPod Touch!
Totally Cool Google Tools for the Classroom

It seems evident to me that Wikis, Google, and Projects are sessions at the conference which I really wish to tap into.

What is especially exciting, is that with the exception of 6 classes, all the classes are being taught by people I have NOT heard before.  (smiles)

If I attend NECC……..watch for the blur running past….that will be me!
If I don’t attend NECC…..please twitter the sessions you will be at if you are willing to have me piggyback through skype or a backchannel.

Either way — NECC 2009 — we are counting the days!!!

Jen

I am supposed to be in Texas — right now.
I am supposed to be in Texas — celebrating participating in 3 great session conversations and the fun we had with the Cool Tool Duel.
I am supposed to be in Texas — talking with people I have admired a long time but never saw them F2F.

But I am not.  Due to Thunderstorms and timing, I didn’t get to go to the conference today.  And I was sad.

BUT — actually I did get to to to the conference, from the comfortableness of my own front room.  (smiles, I even twittered that I didn’t even need to wear socks!)

With the cooperation of Paul, John, Scott, & Dean — we pulled off Jen being able to join the conference via the “tools of tech.”

The tools we used to make this happen today:
Cellphones
iChat
AOLIM
GoogleDocs
Twitter
XMeeting
Skype (Video)
iTunes
GMail
PowerPoint
Poll Everywhere
Ning
uStream
Moodle
Elluminate
Google Earth
A Mac and A PC w/ the ability to switch cabling on the projector
And a very stubborn pair of speakers

With the use of each of those tools — working like a plan a, plan b, plan c, plan d, and almost a plan z — it all worked out.

But what I appreciated the most was — we never (none of us) ever lost our cool.  When something didn’t work, we thought of another idea.  Couple of times, we needed to step away and think of options…….but we came back and made it work.  And we all learned from each other and helped each other.

Do I still wish I was in Texas — OH YES!!!
But am I glad that we kind of proved that being “at a conference” does not mean you have to be sitting in the conference area!!
And I think Scott — and his gang — have now proven that with flexibility, patience, and perseverance — pretty much anyone who is willing can now present at any conference from anywhere.

Now all I have to do is figure out why my router won’t let xmeeting work.  (grins)

Jen

PS:  Oh, and I did get to see my pals F2F via video chat saying “hey” to me and me saying “hello” back. 

Let’s backstory just a bit.

Yesterday — taught class on Google Docs.
Today — attendee invited me to share a presentation.  Caption on slide — out with the old, in with the new.
What I did — took a screen shot, placed it on twitpic, bragged about her a bit.
What I heard — when showing off the slide to some other staff and how many people viewed it was - “Wow, some people just have too much time on their hands.”

Hmmmmm

Let’s see — well except for when perhaps we might travel through time zones — we both have the same amount of hours in our days.
And my time is just as valuable as yours.

So when you say “some people have too much time on their hands”, I hear that as a chastisement or perhaps a judgement on how I choose to spend my time….when in actuality, I don’t have too much time — I have the same as you do.

And when you say “some people have too much time…..” does that mean that you don’t have time for frivolous things such as twitter — because I can assure you that twitter is not frivilous.  This last week — I needed help with finding out about Interactive White Boards because I was clueless — so I went to my network and asked for help and received 198 replies.  Hmmm, how many replies did you receive the last time you were stuck and needed guidance.

And when you say “some people have too much time…….” does that mean you feel that I am not doing my job…..because actually I have found that I am even more productive thatn I was before because I prioritize pretty well and don’t waste a great deal of time searching for answers when I know of many experts who are but moments away ready to help on my network.

And when you say “some people have too much time……” does that mean you see this as “fun time” rather than productive and educational time……because don’t get me started on that one.

And finally, when you say “some people have too much time……..” are you perhaps not even intrigued just a bit how this all works out so well that we are able to accomplish so much ………….

in the same amount of time that everyone has??

Just my thoughts today.
Jen

I walked away from reading the Tech and Learning blog about a year ago.

Franky, I found the ads on their pages (right in the middle of blogs at times) and the lack of moderation on comments unacceptable for an EdTech environment.  (Harsh — perhaps so…..but it just wasn’t what I would call a professional educational environment — or at least one that I wanted to be within.)

Recently though — they have done a total page makeover and comments are moderated and it has the professional feel that it did in the past.

If you walked away from T&L Blog — or perhaps not visited it in a while — I invite you to wander back.

http://www.techlearning.com/Blogs

Couple of minor suggestions though — (if I may)
a.  Set the moderation on comments to “Comment author must have a previously approved comment”.  That way — once someone’s first comment has been approved, following comments won’t have to wait in the que.
b.  Your largest content on the page should be educational based.  Right now — your ads still are dominant.  Please reduce their size so the true value of the site is maximized.
c.  Please consider adding a few more female writers — but more importantly, please add some additional “in the classroom teachers”.  Though your list of authors is impressive, respected, and truly knowledgeable — please throw in a bit more variety of tech leaders.  (and no, I don’t wish to write for T&L — but would enjoy hearing from more elementary teachers especially)

Just my thoughts!
Invite yours as well!
Jen