Monday, March 3, 2008
8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Abstract:
Discover how you can use and integrate social networking tools to support face-to-face learning communities within your own school and district. This workshop will be a combination of lecture, guided instruction, and hands-on practice.
Objectives:
Participants will have an understanding of how educational leaders can use social networking tools to build learning communities within their own schools or districts.
Participants will experience creating blogs and wikis, and use other social networking tools to establish and sustain virtual support systems for teaching and learning.
Participants will see examples of social networking tools used by actual educators.
Outline:
OVERVIEW
(30 minute talk and discussion) Introduction to social software. Discussion of how to build successful online communities. Participants will complete a survey about prior knowledge, experience, as well as needs and expectations for the workshop.
DEMO AND HANDS-ON
(15-minute instruction/demonstration; 25-minute exploration) Key features and applications of wikis will be demonstrated. Participants will then build and edit a simple wiki.
(15-minute instruction/demonstration; 25-minute exploration) Key features and applications of blogs will be demonstrated. Participants will then build and edit a simple blog.
(15-minute instruction/demonstration; 20-minute exploration) Key features and applications of RSS feeds will be demonstrated. Participants will experiment with finding and adding feeds to their blogs.
(15-minute instruction/demonstration; 25-minute exploration) Key features and applications of Google will be demonstrated. Participants will practice creating, editing, and sharing documents online with Google Docs, learn about Google Calendar, and many other FREE features of Google.
(30-minute instruction/demonstration) Educational applications for using conferencing software (Skype, Live Office Conferencing, and Elluminate) will be demonstrated.
(15-minute instruction/demonstration; 40-minute exploration) Educational uses of podcasts (and vodcasts) will be demonstrated, as well as practical tips for developing podcasts. Participants use podcast directories, review and integrate existing podcasts. If time permits, participants will create their own podcasts using Audacity and QuickTime Pro.
(2-hour instruction/demonstration/exploration) Educational applications for using Moodle, a free open-course online course management system (comparable to Blackboard), to support an online learning community. Participants will have an opportunity to try out features of Moodle and incorporate the other social networking tools they have been using during the workshop into the Moodle environment.
(In last half hour) Review of resources available for the participants after the conference, handouts and support material.
Prerequisites:
Educators who have a desire to learn the use of FREE social online networking tools to build learning communities are encouraged to attend. Basic familiarity with the computer and web browsers is necessary. The research on professional learning communities (DuFour 2006, Hord 1997, Sergiovanni 1994) supports the need for faculty to have time to share ideas, issues, and celebrations. In many districts that type of collaborative time is difficult to find – social networking can be an effective and inexpensive way for districts to support those types of communications.
Administrators are also finding it an essential tool for sharing ideas and getting feedback from teachers. Teachers can use the tools for teaching and assessing…small group interactions…and 21st century types of writing tools.
Intended Experience Level:
Beginner
Instructor Qualifications:
Dr. Leaunda Hemphill has been helping educators develop technology integration skills since 1990. For the past six years, she has been teaching technology-integration courses to pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and administrators. She also conducts technology-integration and technology skills seminars for higher education institutes and businesses.
Dr. Donna McCaw has been working with administrators and district boards for over a decade in the development of effective professional development plans. She is comfortable with technology and understands the power of these FREE and easy to use tools.
Tami Roskamp has a secondary business teacher background and is proficient as a Superintendent of Spoon Valley Public School District in her use of technology with her teachers and administrators. Her examples of practical applications are functional and easy – even for the “techno-fearful” school leader.
Sara Rigg is a proficient trainer of online social networking and open source software. She has had educational and corporate experience in the benefits of online professional learning communities.