iLearn in New York City

OIT Partner Schools Make Finals in ThinkQuest Competitions

2008-06-06T12:34:00Z

Great news from Ms. Nancy Costa at PS 131:

"Our Life Under The Sea Website won 2nd Place and The New 7 Wonders website received an Honorable Mention Award in the TQNYC Website Challenge.

More great news! Our New 7 Wonders Website is also going to be showcased on the international website http://www.new7wonders.com They were very impressed with our website and will now be seen by people from around the globe!

For the third consecutive year, our ThinkQuest NYC website teams have made the finals of this website competition. In the two prior years, one of our teams made the finals and the other the semi-finals. On June 4th we were thrilled to learn that this year both of our teams made the Finals and received their awards on the 11th at the Awards Ceremony. With over 500 website entries over three divisions, this is amazing! We should all be very proud of our students.

Both of my teams integrated the use of Scratch into their websites. I'm sure that the judges were impressed!

To view the work created by Ms. Costa's students, click here:http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC085362 The New 7 Wonders of the World

http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC085372 Life Under The Sea

In related news, Mr. William Wonders' students at JHS 49 in Brooklyn won 1st Prize in the NBC Universal Digital Media Competition for their wonderful video, Circle Of Life. Jonthon Coulson's students at Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics made the finals with 924 Trees a Day. Ms. Faye Shaw's students at IS 55 made it to the finals with their thought-provoking Say No To Gangs. The group attended the Awards Ceremony that was held at Columbia University on Wednesday, June 11th. Congratulations !

All of the digital documentaries can be viewed here.

Paul Robeson High School's United Nations Global Warming Project

2008-05-30T15:52:00Z

Students from Paul Robeson High School presented their Global Warming Project at the United Nations on May 28. The project is a wonderful example of subject-based technology integration. Click here to access the school website. You'll find links to several departments, each of which has a webpage devoted to student research into global warming. There are documentary videos, timelines, PowerPoint presentations, photographic slideshows, and even a Flash video game programmed by a very talented student.

This project demonstrates how instructional technology can be infused successfully into all core curriculum areas.

Block/Unblock Websites

2008-05-14T15:15:00Z

Here's the DOE link for blocking and unblocking websites. It typically takes about 24 hours. https://nycboe.net/adminorg/divisions/diit/sws/

Parental Consent Form

2008-04-29T15:20:00Z

Parental consent for their children's photograph, artwork, poetry or other work produced in conjunction with a school project, class or extracurricular activity, to be put on the Department of Education's World Wide Web (WWW) site, in accordance with the policies set forth in the DOE's Internet Acceptable Use Policy.

Brad's Portaportal Page

2008-04-18T18:32:00Z

I have links to many useful educational websites. Follow this link: http://guest.portaportal.com/bvelcoff

Use "bvelcoff" in the Guest login to access the page.

Portaportal is like del.icio.us...very helpful to list and link to resources. Let me know if you'd like help setting up your own portaportal page.

Alan November on March 18th

2008-03-11T20:17:00Z

Alan November

recognized internationally as a leader in education technology

Wednesday, March 18, 2008

8:30 - 3:00

MS 143

800 Gates Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11221

Alan was named one of the nation's fifteen most influential thinkers of the decade by Classroom Computer Learning Magazine. In 2001, he was named one of eight educators to provide leadership into the future by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse. His writing includes dozens of articles and the best-selling book, Empowering Students with Technology. Alan was co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership Through Technology and is most proud of being selected as one of the original five national Christa McAuliffe Educators.

To register for the presentation visit

http://pd.nycoit.org/

Title : OITK: March 2008 North Brooklyn Tech Liaison Meeting

Department: Instructional Technology

Scholarship Opportunity for Spring Robotics!

2008-03-06T13:51:00Z

Vision Ed Inc. and Make are pleased to announce an exciting new scholarship opportunity for Robotics teams grades K-6 throughout the New York City Area. This scholarship will allow one team of up to 12 members to compete in the first annual ROBOFEST NYC, a new robotics event that will be held at SONY Wonder Technology Labs on April 12^th.

ROBOFEST NYC was designed as an opportunity to celebrate creative work by children in the field of robotics. The event will feature both a student expo of original projects and a robotics performers competition. Teams and exhibitors may work with any robotics system including RCX, NXT, and Pico Cricket, and medals will be awarded for ingenuity, design, and programming.

For more information about ROBOFEST NYC, please visit: http://www.visionedinc.org/robofest/index.htm

The ROBOFEST NYC scholarship will cover the cost of a team coach for 8 sessions and the competition registration fee.

To apply, please submit the name of the school or organization at which your team will be based, contact info for the team organizer, and a brief summary (500 words or less) of why you think your team should be chosen to receive this scholarship. All applications are due by March 12^th. No experience in Robotics necessary!

Last Chance to Enter Video Contest | Deadline: Feb. 29

2008-02-25T16:53:00Z

Be a Video All-Star and Win Amazing Prizes!

Enter the Video Contest
12 prizes for Elementary, Middle and High School StudentsHave your students upload their videos now before the February 29 deadline!

Technology & Learning and 21st Century Connections is launching a new multimedia video contest to challenge the imagination and creativity of your students. And the great news is that if they win, you win, too!

The list of prizes includes a high performance Lenovo laptop computer , Adobe Digital School collection software , professional development classes , and airfare and accommodations for an upcoming 21st Century Connections event .To enter, your student needs to create a public service announcement—a short video that showcases why digital learning tools are critical to your school or curriculum. If the video is chosen as one of our 12 winners, you and the student could win a digital prize package that will take you to the next level of digital filmmaking. The contest, sponsored by the 21st Century Connections program, is open to all K-12 students.Learn more about the Be a Video All-Star Contest Contest deadline: February 29, 2008

Sponsored by:

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Interesting article about the Global Marketplace

2008-02-12T18:18:00Z

A conversation between Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, and
best-selling author Thomas Friedman on the implications of the global
marketplace for K-12 education and the politics of school reform:
http://www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?mnitemnumber=&tnite
mnumber=&itemnumber=9736&unitemnumber=&pf=1&snitemnumber

Next Vista

2008-02-07T14:00:00Z

What's NextVista.org?

An online library of free videos for learners everywhere - find resources to help you learn just about anything, meet people who make a difference in their communities, and even discover new parts of the world. And Next Vista for Learning wants to post your educational videos online, too. Everyone has an insight to share and yours may be just what some student or teacher somewhere needs!

Empowered Education Video Contest

2008-02-05T16:50:00Z

Students, all grade levels, produce videos documentaries on the topic, "How Technology Helps me Learn". Winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work in Washington DC in an international showcase.

Competition Overview

Rules and Regulations

Submit videos until April 30th

Sponsered by eSchool News

FETC Impressions

2008-01-31T15:56:00Z

Valrie's Impressions:

Adobe Premiere Elements Integrated Classroom Projects
This workshop provided hands-on experience using the Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 to create 2 short videos. The instructor shared some valuable resources and allowed us to share our resources as well. I found this program to be user friendly more sophisticated than Movie Maker on the PC Platform and would recommend it to upper elementary and middle school students. Students could produce videos that range from very simple to very advance using this program. I would recommend this software for our schools.

The Media Evolution
Scott Kinney showed various statistics on how the media greatly affects the lives of our students. The research shows that students are exposed to 8.5 hours of media each day. He states that our students want to be active participants and are leading the wave of collaborative communication technologies with the educators behind them. Educators need to embrace the new technologies before they fall further behind. We have much work to be done!

Using Games and Simulations to Teach and Motivate Today’s Students
The panel was in agreement that gaming and simulation activates higher order thinking skills; allows students to experience various concepts/events that probably would not have been possible; creates competitiveness amongst peers; allows for collaboration; and creates decision making situations. Research shows there is an increase in test scores, motivation, higher order thinking skills, leadership, teamwork and the quest for additional knowledge. Another result is that practice is seen as more fun and students practice more often and more willingly. If gaming and simulation can yield these results, why aren’t more teachers using it?

21st Century Tools for the Classroom
Howie Diblasi looked at the various technology tools- blogs, wikis, Photo Story, Lintor Books, podcasts, Shutterfly, Scratch, collaboration projects, Frames and others. He also provided projects for tools mentioned. Like many of us, Mr. DiBlasi believes teaching needs to change, because everything around us is. This new global economy of digital natives is forcing us to think differently with so many 21 century tools. School leaders need to use technology and set clear expectations for integrating technology into teaching and learning.

Software to Consider
iSupport Learning, Inc. - knowledge and skills in programming are delivered through their interactive software and curricula.
Curriculum At-A-Glance
 Video Game Design
 Music Video Production
 Cartoon Animation
 Web Game Design
 Robots & Invention
 Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Robotics
Resource CD
 Project Overview
 Worksheets
 Rubric
 Standards
 Tutorial videos

Hardware to Consider
Promethean Interactive Board

ePals
 SchoolBlog™ and SchoolMail™ are now FREE.

Brad's Impressions:

Ticketed Workshop: Gaming for Students
This is consistent with what we're doing in iLearn--using Scratch and Game Maker to create animations, sound effects and games to enhance education. A good opportunity for me to try hands-on activities and hone my Scratch knowledge.

Cultivating a World-class Work Ethic--Alan November
Alan's presentationa are always provocative, especially when we get to actually use some of the new technologies available to students and teachers. We used Activote clickers from Promethean to take surveys, which were instantly recorded, and charts were automatically generated to demonstrate the results. Alan's message remains important--our curriculums must adapt to the changing world; our pedagogies must evolve to allow students to truly compete in a global marketplace.

The Lessons of Chaos--Stevan Kalmon
This workshop reinforced the idea that students today are very different from previous generations in that they're growing up as digital natives (with inherent advantages and disadvantages). Traditional pedagogies are ineffective; we can no longer treat students as passive recipients of information. Instead, we must encourage them to create and disseminate content, then use available technologies to shape and give focus to "creatoration" processes.

Leading the Leaders: Strategies for Technology Leadership--Chris O'Neal
This was a practical workshop that focused on specific tactics to influence school and district leaders to integrate technology into their classrooms. A few sugesstions: keep up with and be able to relevantly quote research, schedule specific times to read and write blogs and keep abreast of important developments, and be visible...put yourself into meeting agendas to effectively influence policies.

Making a Video in 10 Minutes--Ruston Hurley
This workshop, while entertaining, did not teach me anything new. Sure, we can create digital videos very quickly with our students, but I believe that quality is more important than speed, so more time needs to be spent to ensure that the content of student and teacher-made videos is truly educational.

Copyright: Your Questions Answered--Gary Becker
Even educators must receive written permission to use digital content created by others. We can show videos are play audio files, but we cannot duplicate or share these files. Becker showed us several websites that contain allowable content, and encourages teachers and students to create their own, rather than using copyrighted materials.

What Next for No Child Left Behind? --Alexander Russo
No changes will be made during 2008, since it's an election year, but despite the fatc that we'll (finally) have a new president next year, NCLB will likely remain. Apparently the seeds of NCLB were planted during the Clinton administration, and refined by the Bush admin. States that don't comply will lose federal monies, which are needed to maintain schools. Numbers can be manipulated, but if schools opt out of NCLB, what alternatives will they implement?

The Revenge of the Digital Immigrants: Revise Teaching with Media Technology--Hall Davidson
This was a very entertaining and informative workshop. The main gist supports the idea that traditional classroom practices no longer apply to 21st Century students. Use short videos, podcasts and other digital media to reach students who are used to sitting in front of screens. Use their input, energy and tech-savviness to develop new curriculums and new methodologies.

Access OIT's Conference Blog here.

Teaching & Learning Celebration

2008-01-30T15:51:00Z

On Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 2008, thousands of educators will come to the Hilton New York to attend the third annual Teaching & Learning Celebration. The Celebration features internationally known speakers, compelling panel discussions and hands-on workshops that can't be found anywhere else. We hope to see you there. Join us and learn more!

Celebration 2008 will feature exciting special guests including renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, news anchor Ann Curry, and ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau. Featured speakers and panels will focus on science, global awareness, integration of technology into classrooms, and important questions of educational policy.

Enter to Win the 2008 Schools of Distinction Awards!

2008-01-28T13:26:00Z

Does your school demonstrate excellence in math and science?The yearly Intel Schools of Distinction Awards recognize U.S. schools that implement innovative, replicable programs that inspire their students and lead to positive educational outcomes in the areas of math and science. Who Wins?

Two categories: Math and Science
18 Finalists: 3 each in grade group: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12
6 Winners
1 Star Innovator for 2008 (one school selected from the 6 winners) Awards:
Winners receive $10,000 each from the Intel Foundation and more than $100,000 in products and services from the program award sponsors.

The Star Innovator for 2008 receives an additional $15,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation as well as additional services and products from the award sponsors.

Apply now for the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards
before February 14, 2008!
About the Intel® Education Initiative Each year Intel spends over $100M on education programs in more than 50 countries. Intel's global education initiative is designed to meet the local needs of each country. In the United States, we firmly believe maintaining the country's competitiveness in today's global economy will in large part depend on the success of our nation's students. Whether it is to train educators on improved methods of teaching and learning or to engage student interest in math and science, Intel's education programs are designed to help students graduate with the skills they need to be successful in college and the work place.For more information on our program, click herePrograms of the Intel Education Initiative are funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation.Copyright © 2008 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, Intel logo and Intel Education are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Please note that the Schools of Distinction application is being administered by the University of Oregon. Any information submitted will not be shared with other 3rd parties.If you have any questions about the application, please send an e-mail to applicationhelp@continue.uoregon.edu If you do not want to receive this service, or have changed your e-mail address, or if you would rather receive this service in text format and not in HTML, please visit this Web page to change your preferences.

Blogs for Newbies

2008-01-16T20:18:00Z

What's a blog, anyway?

Teacher and class blogs are very useful tools for several reasons. Teachers can post not only assignments and homework, but also discussion questions. Students can respond by posting comments to the teacher's post. There are at least two pedagogical advantages to this type of discussion. One is that students are writing, not just speaking. The second is that everyone can participate.

Too often, class discussions are dominated by a handful of students who do all the talking while others never speak up at all. Using a blog discussion forum enables every student to contribute. Furthermore, they can respond to each other, which leads to many possibilities for constructive peer criticism.

Blogs are quick and easy. Comment moderation requires little time on your part, and is a 100% effective way of keeping inappropriate comments off your blog.

Furthermore, you can easily add links to many useful resources specific to your subject. You can add files, pictures, and media to your blogs.

Blogs: Create our own weblog to communicate to our learning communities

Best Practices: Principal blogs, specialist blogs, teacher blogs
Understanding the importance of knowing your audience, posting with consistency, developing blog writing tone, and wrapping the blog in its purpose
Creating a blog account for ourselves on Blogger.com
Writing our first post: audience, tone, purpose
Types of blog entries: article spotlights, interviews, professional thoughts, opinions, investigative
Dealing with security: settings, comment moderation, permissions and levels
Things you should change: blog description, time zone, who can comment
Email assitance: enabling comment notification, enabling posting via email

Here's an excellent blogging resource page.

Contact me by commenting here or by email at bvelcoff@schools.nyc.gov if you want to create a teacher and/or class blog.