Tech In-service 2012!!

Tech In-service today at National Trail LSD!

 Brian Pool is again leading us into the day with a overview of what we can expect. Several teachers are leading class sessions today with a focus on applying what you have learned, prior to leaving the class! No excuse to come away without learning something today!!!

jeff

Mike Eyler says: "All work and no play, makes Brian Pool a dull boy!"

Ouch! my brain hurts...

Well, another Ohio eTech Conference has come and gone. I learned so many new things, had many other things I knew about clarified and still some things completely blew me away. Obviously technology is changing the way we all learn. This blog is proof of that. I would never have guessed just 10 years ago, that I would spend time putting thoughts onto the web for others to read if they wanted to take the time.

But back to how it is changing how we teach. The tools we have access to on-line and the hardware we can put in kids hands to help them learn is amazing! Not to mention the prices are really cheep if you think about it... my first laptop back in '94 was an LCD monitor with Windows 3.1 and cost me $1000! I saw a slick razor type notebook yesterday that the monitor came off to create a tablet, that would then dock to its keyboard....$630 amazing...

Time to use the best we have for the best we teach (that's all of them!). Make the most of what is available and do your best to give your best every day. The next generation is counting on us!

Today finished with a great session at Ohio eTech Conference. The final session I attended was called 50 apps in less than 50 minutes!

Matt Dunlap was true to his word as he worked his way through the list, masterfully broken into useful sectional topics. He even managed to work in links to examples of the apps he had shown. I have never seen someone so organized, and so knowledgeable in their subject matter with a huge command of the time factor! Many presenters nail the first two items and blow it with the time element. If you missed his session and happen to be reading this here is the link:

   http://tinyurl.com/apps4edu

Finished the day with my good friend BP watching Star Wars Episode I in 3D!! A good time was had by all.

50 in < 50

Getting ready for my next session at eTech. 50 apps in less than 50 minutes! Hope it's worth it...hope they aren't all iphone/pad apps! :0( grrr...

eTech Ohio 2012 Day 2

Hey everyone,

Trying to get motivated, inspired, educated, connected and engaged in all that is technology in education this week.

Here I am at the Columbus Convention Center attending sessions on things to inspire the next generation of learners in ways that will carry them forward in their learning. It makes the mind reel to ponder all the potential ways you can be creative in your classroom given enough time to develop, plan and then implement. This place is always amazing in how it gets your creative juices flowing. Problem is when you return to the "real" world on Thursday duty calls and many times the great ideas and fantastic sessions you attended slip to the back of your mind, never to return. Sad.

I want it to be different this year, I want to connect to people I've never known before. I want to use the information they have to offer to help motivate my kids at school.

So far I have been in these amazing sessions that I will mention

This morning:
Twitter 101 with Gen Simrak - everything to get the novice up and running, including great ideas for using Twitter to communicate with parents and students.

eBooks for Any Device with Zach Vaner Veen- Using Word Press to connect students to text that you have created or properly used within copyright law.

Yesterday at day 1

Extreme Moodling with Lisa Johnson Bowers- Taking Moodle to the next level, getting kids to use to lessons online, collaborative learning on-line just for starters...

Then there was Google Forms for everything with Eric Curts who showed me what I needed to do to create my own forms in Google. This was the #1 for me on this day. Went back to the room and created a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) survey for the kids when I get back on Thursday!

I also attended a Prezi session...still loads to learn there, but very cool! That was Jenna Rahrig giving that one, very artistic and very enthused!

I am currently sitting in a session getting ready to start called Tech Out Your Books! Karen Reiber is giving this information, looks to be a good one!

A much needed breath...

Today is Wednesday, usually the middle of the week it's just that, the middle. This is one of those magical weeks though, where Wednesday is in fact Friday in that it is the end of my work week.

Any way this Christmas Break has arrived, I all but sprinted out the door today excited for a brain break. Problem is I am already planning what is coming up next when we return January 3rd.

I am however, going to make the most of it. I am going to spend time with my good wife, my loving kids, their friends and ours. Relaxing, laughing, eating, and  thinking about God's many blessings in my life and how He is really the only thing that keeps me in balance. He is like an unseen oxygen tent that I need around me always to live.

I am thankful for that unconditional love, that came wrapped in flesh over 2000 years ago in a form we could identify with. Amazing... simply amazing.

Reflections of priorities...

Been  a while... too long, but this evening I have been by myself with my thoughts as I took care of some chores and a couple of honey do's.

This is a good time to reflect on what is important and what we are thankful for. I have been watching on and off this movie called "November Christmas" on Hallmark Channel. It's a movie about a community that comes together for a little girl who has cancer. It made me think of one of my students and her battle with leukemia. She is currently cancer free, but during her battle she and her family shared their faith with many people even though one of the worst possible things in a family's life was going on.

I am so thankful for each one of my family, from my parents, to my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, but especially my wife and children. We so often get so wrapped up in the daily rat race that we forget what is really important. Relationships. I am so thankful for my relationship with my oldest daughter Emily and her husband Alex. They are such a joy when we get together. Just yesterday we spent time making of all things, salt dough ornaments. The two younger kids were just not that interested, which upset me at the time, but I know they have the same seeds planted down in them that Em does.

Each is an individual, and each has their own special gifts and talents to share with the world and those around them.

I just pray that I will continue to think about how blessed we are to be as healthy as we are. I am so thankful for Cindy encouraging me to change how I eat and that in turn has been rewarding with the best of health in years!

Hey! They are starting to come back home now! Time to enjoy!!

~jeff