Friday, April 30, 2010

ISTE 2010 Community-Created Events and a Meeting Tomorrow About Them!

Tomorrow morning we're doing a special Classroom 2.0 LIVE show on the FREE Classroom 2.0 community-based activities happening as a part of the ISTE 2010 Conference in Denver at the end of July.  We're going to talk all about:
  • EduBloggerCon - now in its fourth year, this all-day unconference gathering for those interested in social media / Web 2.0 in education takes place the Saturday (July 26) before the official ISTE start.  Honestly, this is a great event, and many will tell you it is the event to attend at ISTE because it's all about connecting and sharing.  The website for EduBloggerCon is at http://www.edubloggercon.com, but the organizing for the actual events of the day won't start for a few weeks yet.  If you want others to know that you are going to attend, you can sign up here, although no advanced registration is required.  We meet in the Colorado Convention Center thanks to the generosity of ISTE, we have access to free wireless, but bring extra computer batteries or make sure you're fully charged up because this is a BYOP (bring-your-own-power) event.
  • OpenSourceCon - for the first time ever, a parallel FREE all-day unconference for those interested in Open Source in education.  Same basic details and the same day as EduBloggerCon (you can even go back and forthe between the two), but not organized at all yet!  :) Will be soon--in fact, email me if you want to help!  http://www.opensourcecon.com is where the details will emerge.
  • Bloggers' Cafe - also in its fourth year, this is an amazing gathering place at the conference center where there are couches, tables, chairs, and fun people to meet all during ISTE.  Do not be intimidated if you are new to the social media world--we want you to come and be a part of this informal gathering.  Biggest idea for this year:  a live webcam and mic so that those not at ISTE can say hi and chat with those who are.
  • ISTE "Unplugged" - this will be the second year of this incredible opportunity to present at ISTE even if you have never done so before, weren't accepted to speak, or just have something valuable to say!  Run inside the convention center near the Bloggers' Cafe, on the same timetable as the conference, we have a small presentation area where you can sign up to present to both a live and a remote audience (those not at ISTE can watch all the presentation via Elluminate).  We still can't believe that ISTE let's us do this, but they do, and we think they are awesome because of it!
  • Classroom 2.0 Birds of a Feather Meeting - Tuesday, 6/29/2010, 4:45pm–6:15pm.  Come meet other members of Classroom 2.0 and have some fun as we share with each other.  Usually a BIG crowd for this one!
  • Classroom 2.0 LIVE Broadcast - time and date to be determined.  Come meet with Peggy, Kim, and Lorna as they broadcast a live show from ISTE that features YOU as the guests.  :)
  • Open Source Pavilion, Speaker Series, and Playground Area - this terrific speaker track, supported generously as a formal part of the ISTE conference now, is not to be missed if you're an Open Source enthusiast or wanna-be.  We need volunteers, too, who can help to man some of the playground stations!  
  • Global Education Poster Session - as part of the amazing 5-day online global education conference in November that we're just starting to announce, we'll be manning a poster session table on Sunday night to give details and make connections with the larger community.  Volunteers also needed for this!
Does this list amaze you as it does me?  I'm so excited to see so many of you at the show!  And for those that can't attend, we hope we provide you with lots of good, streamed content so that you can have some of the same fun.  

Our meeting tomorrow helps us to plan and brainstorm together.  For instance:  what do you hope we'll do at EduBloggerCon this year?  Do we want Classroom 2.0 buttons or EduBloggerCon buttons, or something else?  Do you like the idea of the Bloggers' Cafe webcam?  Please do come and tell us!  I'm also posting this message as a forum discussion in Classroom 2.0 in case you can't make the event and want to contribute ideas there.  

Date: Sat., May 1, 2010
Time: 9:00am PST / 10:00am MST / 11:00am CST / 12:00pm EST / 4pm GMT
Location: In Elluminate at http://tinyurl.com/cr20live.  The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Seth Godin Discusses His Book Linchpin and Implications for Education, Live May 5th

I'll be interviewing Seth Godin live in Elluminate next week about his newest book, Linchpin:  Are You Indispensable?, and the implications for education.

Aside from reading the book, you might want to check out:

This will be a 30-minute event, half of which we'll reserve for audience Q+A.  More information on Seth is below, as well as instructions on connecting.

Date:  Wednesday, 5 May, 2010
Time: 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 3pm GMT (international times here)
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event (and Recordings) Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/71871

From http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/bio.asp:  "Seth Godin is the author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages, and his ebooks are among the most popular ever published. He is responsible for many words in the marketer's vocabulary, including permission marketing, ideaviruses, purple cows, the dip and sneezers. His irrepressible speaking style and no-holds-barred blog have helped him create a large following around the world.  His latest book LINCHPIN hit the top ten on Amazon the first day it was released. "

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Monday, April 26, 2010

This Week's Live and Interactive Webinars

Below are this week's public, free, and interactive webinars through LearnCentral.org, the social learning network for education that I work on for Elluminate.

The time of the events below will show up automatically in your own time zone when you are registered in LearnCentral and when you have chosen your time zone in your profile. Event recordings are posted and available after the events if you aren't able to attend them live. Be on the lookout for Australia-time-friendly events as part of the new Australia Series. And this week our Spanish-language Webinars begin from the Aula 2.0 network!

A number of folks have emailed me looking for an easy calendar import / RSS feed for these events, and while the developers at LearnCentral are working on a good long-term solution, you'll find my Google Calendar "hack" at LearnCentral.tv. Hope it helps!

I also hope you'll consider hosting your own public webinars using the LearnCentral public room--instructions are available by joining the "Host Your Own Webinar" group on the main announcement tab (http://www.learncentral.org/group/3432/host-your-own-webinars).

Monday, April 26th
  • 3pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 10pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ANVILL SERIES
    “Designing online speaking activities.
    " “The Yamada Language Center has recently updated its suite of web-based speech tools called ANVILL. As you know, speech and discussion tools lie at the heart of ANVILL. Our goal has always been to make it easier for you to assign and assess open-ended spoken language tasks. In this webinar on April 26, we'll focus on ANVILL's three core tools for doing so: Voiceboards, Quizzes and Surveys, and TCast. The latter is our newest tool--it allows teachers to add audio or video commentary almost anywhere in a lesson or task. Colleagues are using it in a variety of ways and we'll spend some time looking at examples from different courses.”
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/59723

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    STUDENTS 2.0 SERIES
    “Robert Epstein on Teen 2.0.
    " Our "Students 2.0" mini-series starts tonight with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Robert Epstein on his encyclopedic book, Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70701

  • 10:45pm PDT (US) / 1:45am (next day) EDT (US) / 5:45am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    AUSTRALIA SERIES
    “Tech Talk Tuesdays: Learning Adventures
    " with host Anne Mirtschin. In order to model a more constructivist educational setting, Gary Stager coined the term 'learning adventures' to replace 'assignment' in describing classroom activity. He argues that this simple rhetorical shift has a profound impact on teachers spirit and effectiveness in teaching. In this session, Adrian Camm from McGuire College will focus on the particpation in learning adventures that are deep, rich, have inherent cross-curricular opportunities and can be used in your own classroom.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/69278
Tuesday, April 27th
  • 9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 5pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    “SEO - Search Engine Optimization" with host Marian Heddesheimer. “This is an experimental workshop to help people to get a better ranking in search engines. I am not an SEO specialist but I can share some of the 'common sense' tips and tricks to get your web site ranked better on Google and other search engines.”
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70272

  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 5pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINARS
    “Beyond Slideshows: Influence Decisions With Effectively Planned And Delivered Web-Based Presentation.
    " Presenting online - versus presenting in-person – brings own set of challenges and opportunities. Sure you don’t have to fret about what you’re wearing or if you’re going to trip while on stage, but you do have to think about how to engage and interact with your audience – all while you cannot see them! Join Webinar expert and author of the new book, “The Virtual Presenter’s Handbook,” Roger Courville, to jumpstart your success when planning, designing, and delivering online presentations. This event is specifically designed for sales and marketing professionals using virtual presentation tools with the aim of influencing client decisions and advancing the decision-making process.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62847 (pre-registration required)

  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE SPOTLIGHT WEBINAR
    Our Unified Learning And Collaboration Philosophy." Teaching, learning, and collaboration are evolving from traditional classroom lectures and activities to online courses, collaborative ad-hoc discussions, and easy access to information and experts. To best address the changing needs of today’s academic institutions and training organizations, something more is needed than just “unifying communication.” This webinar discusses a unique approach called Unified Learning and Collaboration (or ULC). ULC is the delivery of a cohesive set of technology solutions to bring content, instruction, and community expertise to teachers, trainers, and learners, regardless of who or where they are, what or when they need to learn, or their individual learning styles. Join Gary Dietz and Mike Damiano as they share Elluminate’s vision for Unified Learning and Collaboration.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70706

  • 12pm PDT (US) / 3pm EDT (US) / 7pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    TLN SERIES
    Open Source: Intelligent Implementation." This webinar is designed for district leaders who are considering the use of Open Source in their school district. Topics of discussion will include a generic definition of what Open Source is, questions about implementation and maintenance school leaders should be asking their staff, the benefits and challenges of using Open Source, and tips on implementing Open Source in your school or district.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/60498

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    MSP2 BOOK CLUB
    Why Does E=mc2?" “Our next selection for the MSP2 Book Club is Why Does E=mc2? (of course the 2 is squared) and Why We Should Care. This book should appeal to science and math educators alike - what every part of the equation means to modern science as well as where every part came from - even the = and what it means to be 'squared.' The book is available online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/23760253/Why-Does-E-mc2. It might make my mind hurt to think about time, space, distance, energy, and matter but I'm up to it! Hope others will join me. We'll start the discussion in the MSP2 Book Club Group (http://msportal-2.ning.com/group/omnivoresdilemmabookgroup) and then 'meet' online at this time.”
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/61117

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    STUDENTS 2.0 SERIES
    User-Generated Education.” Our "Students 2.0" mini-series continues on Tuesday, April 27th, with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Jackie Gerstein on "User-Generated Education." This session will explore the following questions: "Should a student-centric, user-generated education be the predominant learning model for this era of the 21st Century?" "Can networked-learning based on communities of practice with multiage learners be a model-platform for education in this century?" Resources for this presentation can be found athttp://jackiegerstein.wikispaces.com/User-Generated+Education.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/node/70950
Wednesday, April 28th
  • 2:30am PDT (US) / 5:30am EDT (US) / 9:30am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    STUDENTS 2.0 SERIES
    Introduction: What Is Students 2.0 All About?” with Jenny Luca. Launching the Students 2.0 webinar series, Jenny will answer the big questions! “Why have we set this space up? What do we hope it will do for you? Why are we offering sessions about Web 2.0 tools? Join this introductory session to have these questions answered and contribute your ideas about what you may be looking for from Students 2.0.”
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/68340

  • 3am PDT (US) / 6am EDT (US) / 10am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    AUSTRALIA SERIES
    “eT@lking - The Power of Mobile Technology in Learning - iPod touches”
    with host Anne Mirtschin. Louise Duncan is our guest presenter tonight. Louise won the 2009 Lindsay Thompson Fellowship - Victoria's Education Departments' highest award to a teacher for her work on mobile devices - iPod touches. Louise has transformed learning at Shepparton High School with the humble iPod. She is considered an eLearning champion at the school where she has taught for seven years. Ms Duncan’s tireless fundraising has enabled the school to increase its technology assets and successfully embed the use of ICT into the curriculum, with a strong focus on personalised learning through one-to-one technology – namely, the iPod. Her determination and unstoppable enthusiasm to transform learning with technology has inspired schools across the nation and impressed other project participants in Singapore, USA and the UK.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/69024

  • 12pm PDT (US) / 3pm EDT (US) / 7pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES
    “Quality in E-learning: Engaging Learners”
    with Randy LaBonte. A fundamental question in understanding quality in e-learning is not only how to define it, but how to foster quality instructional and leadership practices – to be better than face-to-face teaching. This session provides an overview and discussion about a quality-driven approach and invites discussion about what constitutes effective learning, and quality, in an e-learning environment. A description of British Columbia’s K12 quality review process for it distributed learning schools is provided..
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65725 (30 minute session)

  • 12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES
    “Collective Intelligence and Idea Generation in eLearning Environments”
    with Niki Lambropoulos. Web 2.0 offered the opportunity to work, learn and have fun together by breaking time, space, and cultural and even personality boundaries. Such convergence of minds can produce unlimited opportunities for creating new context which in turn is the context of reference to generate new ideas. Participation in such collective intelligence eLearning contexts requires adaptation to different teaching and learning styles occurring simultaneously creating major pedagogical and technical challenges for eLearning 2.0.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65727 (30 minute session)

  • 3:30pm PDT (US) / 6:30pm EDT (US) / 11:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    NEXT VISTA SERIES
    Getting Kids to Higher Quality in Their Multimedia" with Rushton Hurley. Learn how to help kids make better multimedia projects, and find some great tools along the way!
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70734

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 1am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    STUDENT 2.0 SERIES
    DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education." Join me for a live and interactive interview with Anya Kamenetz, author of DIY U. "It’s a story about the communities of visionaries who are tackling the enormous challenges of cost, access, and quality in higher ed, using new technologies to bring us a revolution in higher learning that is affordable, accessible, and learner-centered."
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70704

  • 6pm PDT (US) / 9pm EDT (US) / 2am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    NetGenEd/Discovery Education Zone 2 Webinar." Join the teachers and students of the NetGenEd 2010 (A Flat Classroom Project(tm)) project for a session on 'Acting' with Hall Davidson of Discovery Education.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/67563
Thursday, April 29th
  • 7am PDT (US) / 10am EDT (US) / 2pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    PBS Cyberchase Summer Challenge Training.” Learn more about PBS's Cyberchase and our upcoming summer challenge!
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/66513

  • 10a PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE SERIES
    Eco-Tain Your Meeting Attendees: Ideas For Engaging Your Attendees And Making Green Meetings Fun. Over the last few years, you have come to understand how green meeting practices can reduce your footprint – and help you save money. But how can you engage your attendees to ensure that your meeting is fun, as well as responsible? This session provides new and innovative ways to integrate green elements into your meetings while improving the delegate experience.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65134 (pre-registration required)

  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATI WEBINARS
    “Exceptional Virtual Instructors Building Effective Virtual Communities.”
    A close up look with Shannon Forte and Shari Godard at how Elluminate's certification programs help moderators and teachers go way beyond basic instruction and community building.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65680

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUBLOGS SERIES
    “Edublogs Serendipity - unconference session.”
    Join Jo Hart in our fortnightly unconference sessions. Bring along the burning issues and hot topics YOU would like to discuss. Topic is chosen by poll at the start of the session
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/59849

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    PBS Cyberchase Summer Challenge Training.” Learn more about PBS's Cyberchase and our upcoming summer challenge!
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/66513

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    AUSTRALIA SERIES
    Nuclear Weapons - Who gave you permission to mess with my future?Dr Bill Williams will talk about how nukes work, where they came from, how they've been used, what they do, where they're at now, how we've got rid of lots already, what we need to do - together - to get rid of the lot of them and fast. He will emphasise the global nature of the threat, including the climate effects of nuclear war, affecting earth's temperature and the knock-on effects on farming, food production and famine. Dr Williams is aiming his presentation at students from year 5 - 12. He is a dynamic presenter with a depth of experience and knowledge and he welcomes input throughout his presentation.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/68987
  • 6pm PDT (US) / 9pm EDT (US) / 1am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    AULA 2.0 SERIES
    Que Es Un Webinar? Conversemos un moment.” Tomas Chaskel. Nuestro primer webinar. Tema - Que es un webinar? Una invitación a encontrarnos y conversar sobre Aula 2.0.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70716
Friday, April 30th
  • 11:30am PDT (US) / 2:30pm EDT (US) / 6:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    BEYONDWEBCT SERIES
    Exploring Gaming, Culture & Education with Professor Roger Travis with host Barbara Lindsey. Almost all American teens aged 12-17 (97%!) play video games. That's according to a 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project survey undertaken with support by the MacArthur Foundation. One in five play three to five times a week, while one third of teens surveyed play every day. Those who play daily do so for an hour or more. Clearly, gaming holds great appeal for our students. But do video games have any educational value? According to the survey, they do, in that many of the activities young gamers engage in mimic aspects of civic and political life. While the report hints at gaming's potential for learning, what does it look like in actual practice? In this session, talk with Professor Roger Travis about his unique Video Games and Human Values Initiative and his innovative application of gaming environments in courses in classics—including both culture and language courses.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/70627
Saturday, April 31st
  • 9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    CLASSROOM 2.0 LIVE!
    Planning for ISTE 2010!I'll be hosting a special session to help plan the extensive community-based activities we now have at the ISTE conference—EduBloggerCon, OpenSourceCon, ISTE Unplugged, the Bloggers' Cafe, and the Open Source Pavilion. Come and help us as we organize, or just come to learn more!
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65732
Thanks for your attention, and see you online!

Jackie Gerstein on "User-Generated Education"

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series continues on Tuesday, April 27th, with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Jackie Gerstein on "User-Generated Education."

Date:  Tuesday, 27th April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/70950

This session will explore the following questions:
  • "Should a student-centric, user-generated education be the predominant learning model for this era of the 21st Century?"  
  • "Can networked-learning based on communities of practice with multiage learners be a model-platform for education in this century?" 
Resources for this presentation can be found at http://jackiegerstein.wikispaces.com/User-Generated+Education.

Dr. Jackie Gerstein's byline is " I don't do teaching for a living, I live teaching as my doing, and technology has AMPLIFIED the passion."  More about Jackie's experiences and passions can be viewed at http://jackiegerstein.weebly.com/.

Anya Kamenetz Live and Interactive on Her Book, DIY U

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series continues Wednesday, April 28th, with a live and interactive interview with Anya Kamenetz on her book, DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education.

Date:  Wednesday, 28 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/70704

DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher EducationDIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education is Anya's new book about the future of higher education. "It’s a story about the communities of visionaries who are tackling the enormous challenges of cost, access, and quality in higher ed, using new technologies to bring us a revolution in higher learning that is affordable, accessible, and learner-centered."

“This book is not only a smart and forward-thinking look at new and exciting trends in self-directed higher learning, it’s also a smart resource guide for students and their families anxious to take their education into their own hands” -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

Anya's Bio, from her DIY Y website:

"I grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Yale University in 2002.

"I cover technology, innovation, sustainability and social entrepreneurship as a staff writer for Fast Company magazine. In 2005, when I was 24, the Village Voice did the huge favor of nominating me for a Pulitzer Prize for the feature series and column Generation Debt, which led to a book published by Riverhead in 2006. Generation Debt drew national media attention and passionate online debate with its argument that young people are facing unique and unprecedented economic challenges.

"As a national figure representing my generation, I’ve been in several documentaries including the “Generation Next” series on PBS and the upcoming Default: The Student Loan Documentary, on media outlets including CNN’s Larry King Live, ABC’s The View and NPR, been featured as a “Yahoo! Finance Expert,” and submitted testimony to Congressional committees and state legislatures about student debt and college affordability.

"I’ve written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, New York magazine, Slate, Salon, the American Prospect, and the Nation. I wrote an essay, “Mutual Aid Revisited,” about my experiences with Hurricane Katrina and the power of community, to the anthology Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age (Tarcher, 2008).

"With a growing awareness that we’re living in a time of profound change, I feel so lucky to be engaged in this work of envisioning the future, connecting with others who are excited about change, and telling stories about the possibilities. I speak across the country, I blog at Fastcompany.com, the Huffington Post, and anyakamenetz.blogspot.com, and–I Tweet, yes I do, at Anya1anya. I live in Brooklyn with my husband & cat."


(Photo by Jayd Gardina)

Dr. Robert Epstein on Teen 2.0, Live Tonight

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series starts tonight with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Robert Epstein on his encyclopedic book, Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence.

Date:  Monday, 26 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/70701

Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of AdolescenceFrom drrobertepstein.com:  Working with colleague Diane Dumas, Dr. Robert Epstein, a longtime researcher and professor and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, has developed a unique and comprehensive test—the Epstein-Dumas Test of Adultness (EDTA)—that measures 14 different competencies that appear to define adult functioning in modern society.

Based on scores obtained from tens of thousands of adults and teens, Dr. Epstein recently concluded that many teens are as competent or more competent than adults—and that adults greatly underestimate the abilities of teens. Epstein and Dumas have also demonstrated a link between "infantilization"—the extent to which teens are treated like children—and behavioral problems in teens.

Praise for first original edition of the book, called The Case Against Adolescence:

ALBERT ELLIS: “...one of the most revolutionary books I have ever read.” (from the Foreword)

NEWT GINGRICH: “If you are concerned about America's young—and about
America's future—this is a must-read.”

M. SCOTT PECK: “...has vast consequence for our society.”

JOYCE BROTHERS: “…a profoundly important book.”

BUZZ ALDRIN: “This book will bring our ideas about teens down to earth.”

DEEPAK CHOPRA: “We need to reexamine our basic assumptions about young people, and Epstein shows us how.”

ROBERT COLES: “Here are America’s youth, regarded keenly, knowingly....”

LEON BOTSTEIN: “...a vital book for parents and policy makers on the state and federal levels”

MARIEL HEMINGWAY: “This book has opened my eyes….”

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI: “...a very original approach, sure to ignite discussion and controversy.”

ALVIN TOFFLER: “If you care about the future of our young people, The Case Against Adolescence is an essential read.”

DREW PINSKY: “...a landmark book”

SUZANNE SOMERS: “Dr. Epstein makes a good case for adolescents to be treated not as a group with a formula, but as individual unique people.”

JEAN LIEDLOFF: “...a powerful case”

ELLEN LANGER: “His arguments deserve serious consideration and open debate.”

JOHN TAYLOR GATTO: “Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a policy maker, or a recovering victim of enforced childishness, you need to read this book.”

CURTIS SLIWA: “…an amazing book, long overdue.”

From drrobertepstein.com:  ROBERT EPSTEIN is an author, editor, radio talk-show host, and longtime psychology researcher and professor—a distinguished scientist who is passionate about educating the public about advances in mental health and the behavioral sciences. The former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, Dr. Epstein is currently a contributing editor for Scientific American Mind and a lecturer at the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego. He is also the founder and Director Emeritus of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in Massachusetts.

Through 2003, he served as University Research Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. He received his Ph.D. in psychology in 1981 from Harvard University.

He has hosted a number of psychology-related radio programs, most recently a show called Psyched!®, which aired throughout the U.S. and Canada on Sirius Satellite Radio between 2005 and 2008. In connection with the magazine or his radio programs, Dr. Epstein has interviewed many notable people, including Laura Bush, Jimmy Carter, Tipper Gore, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Christie Brinkley, Sally Field, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Ferguson, and Steve Allen.

His research on creativity and innovation has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, and Discover, as well as on national and international radio and television. He has published nearly 200 articles, including scientific articles in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although best known for his work on creativity, Dr. Epstein has also conducted research on adolescent and adult competence, self-control, relationship skills, sexual orientation, and other topics, and a seminal article he wrote for The Washington Post helped stimulate a worldwide call for an armistice on January 1, 2000. He has also developed a number of unique online competency tests which are taken by thousands of people every week.

Epstein's 14 books include The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen; Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodological Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer (with Grace Beber and Gary Roberts); The Big Book of Motivation Games (with Jessica Rogers); The Big Book of Stress-Relief Games; The Big Book of Creativity Games; Creativity Games for Trainers; Stress-Management and Relaxation Activities for Trainers; Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays; The New Psychology Today Reader; Pure Fitness: Body Meets Mind (with Lori "Ice" Fetrick of the American Gladiators); Self-Help Without the Hype; and Irrelativity. He is also the editor of two books of writings by the eminent psychologist, B. F. Skinner—Skinner for the Classroom and Notebooks—with whom Epstein collaborated at Harvard.

He has taught at Boston University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of California San Diego, the HAL College of Technology and Design (Japan), and other universities. Dr. Epstein also served as Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology at National University, where he was subsequently appointed Research Professor. From 1990 to 1995, he directed the Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence, an annual contest in which human intelligence is pitted against machine intelligence.

Dr. Epstein has been a commentator for NPR's "Marketplace," the Voice of America, and Disney Online, and his popular writings have appeared in Reader's Digest, The Washington Post, Psychology Today, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, and other magazines and newspapers.

His upcoming books include Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence, Making Love: How Couples Learn to Love and How You Can Too and Finding the Inner Adult in Your Teen: A Guide for Parents. Dr. Epstein is the father of four children and two stepchildren. An autobiographical essay about his life and work was published recently in Perspectives on Psychological Science and can be downloaded here. Dr. Epstein can be reached at repstein@post.harvard.edu.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Ning Survey of Educators & My Notes

John McDonald, the VP Advocacy for Ning, has sent me the link to an online survey that they are hoping educators will fill out to tell them about their use of Ning for educational networks.  The survey is at http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?B793FFE5B6F7E1E3B7, and if you have created or run any Ning networks, I encourage you to fill it out.  Ning is asking for responses by this Monday, April 26th.  (I encountered two error while filling out the survey, but have alerted John and hopefully they'll be corrected quickly.  Currently, you can't indicate having created more than 18 networks, and the email and membership responses for network #7 create errors.)

John called me earlier in the week, having heard about our live event, and we talked for about 45 minutes.  I think it's hard for a company like Ning, since they are really not in the education market and don't have a background there, to fully understand how much of what takes place falls into the category of the "gift economy."    I also tried to communicate that much of the work that has been done to build up Ning networks--as creators and contributors--has been done by individual educators, without institutional support, and on their own time.  Many of those who have created and lovingly cultivated Ning communities don't have someone they can turn to who would fund the cost of premium services; and those who do have institutions behind them may have a hard time justifying the costs of their networks, as they often cut across traditional institutional boundaries.

I also expressed concern about the content which has already been created under assumptions of it being freely available.  When he asked how many networks I thought were classroom versus professional development focused, I really had no idea.  My guess is that we lean heavily toward the latter because of COPPA, cultural, and practical concerns around classroom use.

John seemed genuinely interested in understanding the education market, and mentioned a couple of times that he was going to watch the recording of our event.  I hope he does, as I think he'll see a rich and nuanced picture of the education community using Ning.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Ning in Education Discussion--Recording and Forum Links

We had over 150 people join us in an Elluminate session tonight to discuss the changes taking place at Ning and the impact this will have on educational uses of social networking.  It was a tremendous community gathering, and felt enormously productive to me.

Just after the session finished I received an email from John McDonald, the "VP Advocacy" at Ning, asking if we might be able to talk by phone in the next few days, and then later asking if he and others at Ning could have access to the recording.  As this was one of our desired outcomes--the ability to present the community feedback to Ning--it allows us to claim at least one early success.  :)

Many thanks to those of you who were able to join.  It did have the feel of history in the making.  While it will take a bit to organize the combination of text, voice, and white-board feedback, when that's done I'll post it here and on http://www.EducationalNetworking.com.  It will hopefully serve as a public springboard to further discussions.

Here are some links:

Monday, April 19, 2010

Tim Magner on School 2.0

Join me for a live and interactive interview with Tim Magner as we discuss "School 2.0" and the proper role of government in education.

Date:  Thursday, 22 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.


Tim is Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, for KC Distance Learning.  Prior to joining KCDL, Tim served as the Director for the Office of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education and was responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of the Department's educational technology policies to maximize technology's contribution to improving education.

Tim's work experience includes serving as the Deputy Executive Director for the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Deputy Director for the Office of Educational Technology, the Executive Director of K12 Education for the Microsoft Corporation and the Director of the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF). He also served as the Director of Technology for the Framingham Public Schools in Framingham Massachusetts, and taught graduate courses in educational technology at Framingham State College and George Mason University. Tim began his career as a social studies and theater teacher at the middle and high school levels in the US and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William & Mary and a Master's Degree in Education from Harvard University.

Live Event: Innosight Report on Wichita Public Schools’ Learning Centers

In this live and interactive event with Michael B. Horn and Katherine Mackey of Innosight Institute, they discuss their recently released education case study about an innovative Kansas-based program that demonstrates how hybrid learning can combat the dropout epidemic in the United States. The program has given adults and youth – including teenage mothers and former gang members – who failed to complete high school a second chance to earn diplomas and escape the lasting economic disadvantages of dropping out. It has also prevented students from leaving high school in the first place by allowing them to retake courses they had failed or dropped. The case study is online at: http://www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/publications/education-publications/wichita-public-schools-learning-centers/

Date:  Thursday, 22 April, 2010
Time: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Michael B. Horn is the co-founder and Executive Director, Education of Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank devoted to applying the theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector. He is the coauthor of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (McGraw-Hill: June 2008) with Harvard Business School Professor and bestselling author Clayton M. Christensen and Curtis W. Johnson, president of the Citistates Group. BusinessWeek named the book one of the 10Best Innovation & Design Books of 2008Strategy + Business awarded it the best human capital book of 2008, Newsweek named it as the 14th book on its list of “Fifty Books for Our Times,” and the National Chamber Foundation named it first among its 10 “Books that Drive the Debate 2009.”
Disrupting Class uses the theories of disruptive innovation to identify the root causes of schools’ struggles and suggests a path forward to customize an education for every child in the way she learns. Horn has been a featured keynote speaker at many conferences including the Virtual School Symposium and Microsoft’s School of the Future World Summit.
Prior to this, Horn worked at America Online during its aol.com re-launch, and before that he served as David Gergen’s research assistant, where he tracked and wrote about politics and public policy. Horn has written articles for numerous publications, including Education Week, Forbes, the Boston Globe, and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, he has contributed research for Charles Ellis’ book, Joe Wilson and the Creation of Xerox (Wiley, 2006) and Barbara Kellerman’s Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters (Harvard Business School Press, 2004).
Horn earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Yale University, where he graduated with distinction in History.

Katherine Mackey is a Research Fellow in Innosight Institute’s Education Practice.  Prior to joining Innosight Institute in September 2008, she was an eleventh-grade English teacher at Highland High School, a public high school in Utah.  She worked previously as a designer at Houghton Mifflin Children’s Books.  She is the co-author of a strategic five-year Academic Master Plan for Salt Lake Community College and has assisted with the formation and writing of professional development packets for the Utah State Office of Education.  She has also worked as an intern for Senator Orrin G. Hatch for two summers. Mackey holds a BA in English and French from Wellesley College and an MA in Education from Harvard University.

Larry Ferlazzo on English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies that Work

Join me for a live and interactive interview with Larry Ferlazzo, author of the brand-new English Language Learners:  Teaching Strategies that Work.  Larry's Websites of the Day…For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL is consistently recognized as one of the great resource blogs for educators.

Date:  Wednesday, 21 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Larry's Bio:  "I teach Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced English Language Learners (as well as native English speakers) at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California.  I’ve been a high school teacher for five years after spending nineteen years working as a community organizer.  In addition to writing this blog and maintaining my website, I also have another blog titled Engaging Parents In School. In addition, I write regularly for the In Practice blog. “In Practice” is written by a group of teachers from around the world who teach in low-income communities. Alice Mercer began In Practice in 2007."

English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies that WorkFrom Amazon.com:  "Written by an award-winning practitioner, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies that Work offers educators a five-step methodology for teaching this burgeoning population. Rather than viewing these students through the typical lens of "deficits" they might have, the process helps educators recognize and use the assets ELLs bring to the classroom.

"The five principles around which the process revolves are: building relationships, accessing prior knowledge through student stories, developing student leadership, learning by doing, and reflection. The book shows how these ideas can be used in all subject areas to help ELLs master both content and language using 'high-order' thinking skills. In addition to providing detailed lessons, the book shares a framework teachers can use to create their own lessons, and it shows how to take advantage of technology and games as teaching tools. References to extensive research studies are included to provide evidence of effectiveness, and each lesson is linked to state standards in English Language development."

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ning Changes and the Impact on Educational Communities

The news today of changes to Ning, based on a purported (but I think likely authentic) internal memo from the new Ning CEO, is reasonably going to cause some concern in the education community.  Ning has facilitated a pretty historic change in the connecting of educators, often in self-directed ways, through the ability to "create your own social network."

If there are changes coming to Ning, then as a community we'll want to work together to respond and to help each other.  Some initial thoughts are below.  I'm also going to open up a live Elluminate session on Tuesday, April 20th, at 5pm Pacific Daylight Time (US) / 8pm Eastern Daylight Time (US) / 12am Wednesday GMT (international conversions here).  Let's gather information and then use that time to talk about what is currently known and what the potential courses of action are for existing network creators.  We'll use the FutureofEducation.com Elluminate room:  log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. I'll open up the room 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early, and we'll run as long as is needed. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support.

Some initial thoughts:

  • If you have an exiting Ning network, while you can only export the networks membership, I'd suggest doing that now just to be safe.  (In your network go to Manage > Members and then look for the link at the bottom of the page to export.)  I don't think it's appropriate to import those members into any other system without their express consent, but you will want to have their email addresses in a worst-case scenario.
  • I'd urge some thoughtfulness at this stage.  It's not clear what Ning's long-term intentions are for educational networks, and once your user data is backed up, speculating before Ning makes any official decisions or announcements is not likely to provide you with a practical outcome right now.  
  • We know at Elluminate that our LearnCentral.org network's user interface does not yet match the Ning experience, but hopefully, for some of you, LearnCentral becomes an attractive alternative to Ning.  Our model is different than Ning's:  we're creating a single education-wide network with stronger group capabilities, and we're doing so for free because it's a great introduction to the already existing paid services that Elluminate offers.  There will be some scrutiny of commercial models right now given this turn of events, and hopefully we end up looking pretty good in this regard.
  • The Ning networks that I run are all ones where I pay for premium services.  While it's not clear from the above-mentioned Ning memo what or how many premium services will be required to continue your Ning network, I don't have any concerns about my existing networks at this point.  You can see a list of them some way down the left side of this blog page.  Some of them are generously sustained by organizations who support the financial costs, and I can explain how I approached and then have worked with those organizations in our Elluminate session if that's a route you want to go.  
  • I'm also glad, time permitting, to work with individual networks whose continued existence is important to our larger community, as was the case with the Library 2.0 network Bill Drew had grown for some years but which he was going to shut down and we were able to find sponsorship for (hurrah, Brentwood School librarians!).  Feel free to contact me directly at steve@hargadon.com in this regard if and when it becomes clear what Ning's new policies will be.
This does seem like a dramatic turn of events, but something really powerful has happened in the education world, for which Ning has been a great springboard.  Educational networking, however, is now more powerful than one company's services alone.  The road may not be completely smooth, but we will figure this out together. :)

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Live Interview with Scott Rosenberg on the Historical Importance of Blogging

Join me for a Conversations.net live and interactive interview with Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters.  This is a downright FASCINATING history of blogging and its historical importance.

Date:  Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event and Recording Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/60495

Book Description from the Say Everything Website

Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters"Blogs are everywhere. They have exposed truths and spread rumors. Made and lost fortunes. Brought couples together and torn them apart. Toppled cabinet members and sparked grassroots movements. Immediate, intimate, and influential, they have put the power of personal publishing into everyone's hands. Regularly dismissed as trivial and ephemeral, they have proved that they are here to stay.

"Say Everything chronicles blogging's unplanned rise and improbable triumph, tracing its impact on politics, business, the media, and our personal lives. The book offers closeups of innovators such as Blogger founder Evan Williams, investigative journalist Josh Marshall, exhibitionist diarist Justin Hall, software visionary Dave Winer, 'mommyblogger' Heather Armstrong, and many others.

"These blogging pioneers were the first to face new dilemmas that have become common in the era of Google and Facebook, and their stories offer vital insights and warnings as we navigate the future. How much of our lives should we reveal on the Web? Is anonymity a boon or a curse? Which voices can we trust? What does authenticity look like on a stage where millions are fighting for attention, yet most only write for a handful? And what happens to our culture now that everyone can say everything?

"Before blogs, it was easy to believe that the Web would grow up to be a clickable TV -- slick, passive, mass-market. Instead, blogging brought the Web's native character into focus -- convivial, expressive, democratic. Far from being pajama-clad loners, bloggers have become the curators of our collective experience, testing out their ideas in front of a crowd and linking people in ways that broadcasts can't match.

"Blogs have created a new kind of public sphere -- one in which we can think out loud together. And now that we have begun, it is impossible to imagine us stopping."

Bio from Scott's Blog:
I’m a writer, editor and Web site builder. I co-founded Salon back in 1995. I served as its first technology editor and all-around Web geek for years, then became managing editor just in time for the dot-com bubble to first over-inflate and then collapse.
In 2003 I began working on a book about software development and its discontents. I took a leave from Salon in 2005 to write it. It’s titled Dreaming in Code and was published by Crown in January, 2007. The full web site for the book is at dreamingincode.com.
I left Salon in July 2007 to begin work on a new book project.... I began blogging in July 2002. Before that most of my writing online was at Salon; there’s a full directory listing of my pieces here.
I started making Web pages in November 1994 as an editor of the short-lived San Francisco Free Press — an early experiment in Web publishing by the striking Newspaper Guild workers in San Francisco. In early 1995 I posted a prototype of a solo Web magazine called Kludge. I quickly discovered that being a one-person publishing operation was more than I could handle at that point in my, and the Web’s, career, given that I still held down a full-time job at the SF Examiner. As the year progressed I began working with David Talbot and the team he was then pulling together to start Salon. I left the Examiner that fall and helped Salon plan and post its first issue in November 1995.
I continued to maintain my own Web site, first at www.dmz.com and later here at Wordyard. Here’s the old Wordyard home page that was supplanted by this blog. Here’s the old dmz.com home page that preceded it, with some older links to my writing, many of which have yet to rot.

This Coming Week's Live and Interactive Events

Below are this coming week's public, free, and interactive webinars through LearnCentral.org, the social learning network for education that I work on for Elluminate.

The time of the events below will show up automatically in your own time zone when you are registered in LearnCentral and when you have chosen your time zone in your profile. Event recordings are posted and available after the events if you aren't able to attend them live. Be on the lookout for Australia-time-friendly events as part of the new Australia Series!

A number of folks have emailed me looking for an easy calendar import / RSS feed for these events, and while the developer at LearnCentral are working on a good long-term solution, you'll find my Google Calendar "hack" at LearnCentral.tv. Hope it helps!

I also hope you'll consider hosting your own public webinars using the LearnCentral public room--instructions are available by joining the "Host Your Own Webinar" group on the main announcement tab (http://www.learncentral.org/group/3432/host-your-own-webinars).

Monday, April 12th
  • 8am PDT (US) / 11am EDT (US) / 3pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Using Emotional Intelligence To Improve Decision Making" with Lou Russell. Current research shows that when we lose our cool over something, it takes us over four hours to get over it. When we’re stressed, our decision making ability is compromised because the brain is working at survival. In this session, Lou will share some of this research and map it to ways you can help improve how your teams react to circumstances. You can help them build resiliency by helping them identify the triggers that take them out, and showing them ways to avoid or react to them.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/64512 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 10:45pm PDT (US) / 1:45am (next day) EDT (US) / 5:45am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Tech Talk Tuesdays: Going 1:1 Laptop" with Anne Mirtschin and Helen Otway. When thinking about beginning a 1:1 laptop program what do you need to consider? Hardware? Software? Infrastructure? Support? Costs? Yes these are all the practical considerations and are very important. But what scaffolding needs to take place for our learners - teachers and students - to prepare for 1:1 learning? Learning styles? Team work vs Independent work? Confidence? Digital Citizenship? Personal Learning skills and attitudes? These are some of the challenges that started to take shape in our first year of providing our Year 7 Laptop Program. Helen will share the Manor Lakes College (Victoria, Australia) story so far and future directions.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/68067
Tuesday, April 13th
  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 5pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Puzzling Opportunities: How To Use Puzzles In Your Training Session" with Dr. Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan and Tracy Tagliati. Do you know someone who wastes his or her time solving Sudoku puzzles? (Could that be you?) Attend this session to discover how the addictive and motivating aspects of puzzles can be leveraged to reinforce the learning-and-transfer process before, during, and after your training workshop. Learn how to design and use instructional puzzles to train your participants and to assess their competencies. Explore the instructional use of crossword puzzles, word puzzles, cryptograms, chunks, anagrams, triplets, logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, wire puzzles, and Sudoku puzzles. Leave the session with a how-to handout, online tools, and a daily dose of instructional puzzles through Twitter.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62843 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Formalizing Informal Learning: What Are We Talking About" with Lance Dublin. The buzz about informal learning has turned into a clamor. Organizations know they need to jump onto this bandwagon, but they worry about how. Formal learning is well established and is well understood. Yet, informal learning seems obvious but too ill-defined. Now is the time to move into the third dimension of learning, where formal and informal learning intersects with intention. Some experts have called this 'formalizing informal learning' while others term it 'non-formal' learning. Come and join me in this webinar to learn the distinctions between formal, informal and non-formal learning, and the learning theory behind them. We will explore how then these can be applied in your organization to extend, enable and enhance learning in effective ways never possible before. And we will look at a model for learning that moves beyond the linear either/or choice of formal - informal, and takes us into a third dimension drive by the new social media tools.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62844 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 1pm PDT (US) / 4pm EDT (US) / 8pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    MSP2 SERIES: “Google Apps for Educators" with Rachel Lacy. Not just a search engine...Google has created numerous free applications just for educators. Google Tools are one of the many emerging Web 2.0 concepts for educators that allow social networking, sharing, collaboration, etc...
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/58400

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    CONVERSATIONS.NET SERIES: “Scott Rosenberg on Say Everything." Join me as I interview Scott on Say Everything, his fascinating book on how blogging began, what it's becoming, and why it matters. Seriously, don't miss this one.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/60495
Wednesday, April 14th
  • 1am PDT (US) / 4am EDT (US) / 8am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “eT@lking - Gimp Installation and First Steps” with Marian Heddesheimer. Gimp is a popular Open Source image processing software. It’s features can be compared to commercial programs like Photoshop® or Corel Photopaint®. Gimp is free software so you can download and use it without cost. Using Gimp is a bit different from other programs you may know, but if you get the hang on it, it will be easy to use it. Gimp can be used to edit your photos or create images and graphics from scratch. In this class we will just edit an existing photo (you will get an example photo during the class) and learn how to use the smudge tool from the gimp toolbox.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/67213

  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “eT@lking - Gimp Installation and First Steps” with Marian Heddesheimer. Gimp is a popular Open Source image processing software. It’s features can be compared to commercial programs like Photoshop® or Corel Photopaint®. Gimp is free software so you can download and use it without cost. Using Gimp is a bit different from other programs you may know, but if you get the hang on it, it will be easy to use it. Gimp can be used to edit your photos or create images and graphics from scratch. In this class we will just edit an existing photo (you will get an example photo during the class) and learn how to use the smudge tool from the gimp toolbox.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/node/67212

  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Trainingmagnetwork.com- The Psychology Of Growing A Large Learning Community” with Ray Jimenez and Gary VanAntwerp. TrainingMagNetwork.com has 13,000. How did we grow to this number? What did we do consistently to increase the network interactions, sharing and groups? What theories failed and what new insights did we gain? These are some and many other topics we will cover in this session. The psychology of growing a large social learning community required we adhere to some core values, philosophies and practices to allow members to keep on coming back. We believe these practices and beliefs built trust and confidence among members to continue the growth.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62845 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 12pm PDT (US) / 3pm EDT (US) / 7pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Adventures in Virtual Collaborative Authoring” with Sandy Hirtz and Dr. Kevin Kelly. The collaboratively authored book, Education for a Digital World 2.0, and its predecessor Education for a Digital World represent a shift in how educators are sharing their research, experiences and best practices in online teaching and learning. Facilitated completely through virtual interactions, this new model of authoring went beyond writing and editing to become an international effort in community building and professional growth. The success of the first edition has resulted in a second, more inclusive book that offers improvements on the last version and addresses the constant changes in the global eLearning landscape.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65716 (30 minute session)

  • 12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Immersive Gameworlds for World-Wide Change” with Natasha Boskic. An overview of the role of video and computer games in the context of contemporary educational practice, looking at designing games for learning through engagement in building narratives and making positive modifications in real life behaviour. The question is whether those can have the ability and power to bring social changes and eventually to solve important world-wide issues..
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65718 (30 minute session)

  • 3pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 10pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Co-Creation of Content to promote Learning, Activism and Advocacy” with June Kaminski. This session will introduce educators to the use of a variety of ICTs to promote activism and advocacy, and in the process – learning, using a co-creation of usable content approach within the online learning environment. A key question that will be addressed is: How can communicative and creative technologies be used to stimulate meaningful activist engagement with ecological, sustainability, environmental and quality of life dialogue and praxis in education and society at large?
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65719 (30 minute session)

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    MSP2 SERIES: “Why Does E=mc2? Meeting of the MSP2 Book Club" with Kim Lightle. Our next selection for the MSP2 Book Club is Why Does E=mc2? (of course the 2 is squared) and Why We Should Care. This book should appeal to science and math educators alike - what every part of the equation means to modern science as well as where every part came from - even the = and what it means to be "squared." The book is available online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/23760253/Why-Does-E-mc2.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/61117

  • 6pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 1am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    NETGENED/DISCOVERY EDUCATION SERIES: “Hall Davidson on Budgeting / Big Picture."
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/node/67557
Thursday, April 15th
  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    PBS SERIES: “Dinosaur Train Geocaching Informational” with Maura Thompson. Informational session for PBS stations and any one else who wants to learn about this exciting educational initiative.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/67352

  • 12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Business Breakfast - Managing Projects with Elluminate and DotProject” with Chris Sutton. In this second of the Business Breakfast Series, Chris will describe the time, people and cost benefits of using internet based tools for the total management of a complex development project. Using Elluminate and DotProject, a web-based project management tool, client and business teams have been able to work together efficiently and effectively across vast distances without the necessity to travel or use expensive tele/video conferencing. The combination of these and other tools for business enable SMEs to keep their costs down, remain competitive and produce high quality results.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/52137

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Edublogs Serendipity - unconference session” with Jo Hart. Join us in our fortnightly unconference sessions. Bring along the burning issues and hot topics YOU would like to discuss. Topic is chosen by poll at the start of the session.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/59847
Saturday, April 17th
  • 9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    CLASSROOM 2.0 LIVE! SERIES: “Parent Engagement using Sharepoint as Communication Portal and Learning Platform” with Mike Herrity, Asst. Headmaster at Twynham School, UK.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/56483
Thanks for your attention, and see you online!