Tomorrow on Thursday, February 4, 2010, the Oklahoma State Board of Education will hold it’s monthly meeting at Crescent Public Schools. This is a BIG deal. Crescent Public Schools is one of only FIVE public school districts in Oklahoma (out of 530+) which is currently implementing a 1:1 learning initiative. That will change later this
(Read More…)
I received the following via email today from Terri Silver, Director of Board Development for the Oklahoma State School Boards Association: With the beginning of the New Year, the annual OSSBA/CCOSA Conference and Exposition will soon be here! This year’s conference will be August 27-29th at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Enclosed, please
(Read More…)
Kevin Jarrett tweeted me the following question today: If you happen to be reading this post at a school or in another location which currently blocks access to Flickr, here’s the text version: Hey @wfryer looking for the 411 on eDiscovery: http://bit.ly/9hcxe9 (your wiki) Bottom line: do schools have to archive STUDENT email? Before replying,
(Read More…)
On January 28, 2010, a group of students in grades 5-12 from Van Meter, Iowa, shared testimonies for the Iowa House/Senate Education Appropriations Committee about 21st Century Learning and the way learners can be empowered with digital tools. This podcast is an audio recording of a skype conversation with Deron Durflinger, secondary principal of Van
(Read More…)
Podcast337: Evangelizing Educational Transformation and 1:1 Learning in Iowa Schools [ 31:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2636)
I’m a big fan of digital witnesses to history. If you have not already, be sure to read Iowa principal Deron Durflinger‘s post from last Friday, “I Witnessed History Today.” How can we not only get the attention of our state legislators to recognize the power of 1:1 computing, but change their perceptions about our
(Read More…)
Today’s USA Today article, “Tennessee teen expelled for Facebook posting,” highlights the need we have in ALL our schools for social media guidelines. According to the article: Taylor Cummings was a popular basketball star on the verge of graduating from one of Nashville’s most prestigious high schools until a post on Facebook got him expelled.
(Read More…)
I shared the following yesterday as a comment on one of my “Technology 4 Teachers” students’ blog posts. Her statement to which I was responding was, “Technology in classrooms today are too often dependent upon money, rather than the needs of the student.” Money is always an excuse that is pulled out for technology not
(Read More…)
On the first day of class this semester in “Technology 4 Teachers” at the University of Central Oklahoma, I shared the following fifteen minute / nineteen slide presentation with my students on the topic, “Things I Want To Model As Your Teacher.” I’ve shared this as a synchronized Slidecast on SlideShare. Things I Want To
(Read More…)
The EduTopia video “YES Prep Boasts a College-Bound Culture” is right on target: Helping students “picture themselves” at college, develop the goal orientation which leads to college attendance as well as the SKILLS required for success in college all start with face-to-face visits to different university campuses. This video inspires me to think about setting
(Read More…)
Larry Lessig is a thought leader and author I deeply respect. Thanks to Michelle Thorne’s post yesterday on the Creative Commons blog, I learned about Dr. Lessig’s presentation from November at EduCause which is available on blip.tv, “It is About Time: Getting Our Values Around Copyright.” If you are remotely interested in copyright and intellectual
(Read More…)
Kevin Honeycutt has published an updated YouTube version of his wonderful song, “I Need My Teachers To Learn.” Instead of using video for the b-roll footage, his friend Rae helped him use still images synchronized to the music. It’s just over three minutes long, take some time today and check it out: In many ways
(Read More…)
Gary Stager recently tweeted me a link to Evgeny Morozov’s article “Techno-utopian fail.” Of the “techno-utopian” view which predicts social media will lead to democratic revolutions around the world in repressive countries like China and Iran, Morozov asserts: But this is an anachronistic view of the world. Modern authoritarian states have eagerly (but selectively) embraced
(Read More…)
I’ve submitted a proposal for the January 14th IgniteOKC event, titled “Ubuntu Netbooks for All Learners – Now!” Here’s the session description: Every learner in our classrooms today needs immediate access to mobile, wireless technologies, along with opportunities to learn how to use these tools in powerful, constructive ways. Learning today should not be limited
(Read More…)
I’m in Norman Public Schools this morning, continuing to work with Matt Tilley and a group of his students on a OKC3 Project about Clara Luper and the civil rights movement in Oklahoma. Matt has the following inspiring paragraph on his desk, and I think it’s worth sharing. I will hold my students to a
(Read More…)
This just in… St. Maximus Academy proves a focus on high test scores is all you need! Politicians, administrators and parents, rejoice! Students, repent… thy judgement awaits thee… This one minute video is a teaser-trailer for “The Bracey Report On the Condition of Public Education, 2009.” (PDF – Nov 2009) Now that’s an innovative way
(Read More…)
In the past couple of years, have you noticed how many fast food chain restaurants have undergone a complete facelift? This is a photograph, taken with the Pano application on my iPhone, of our Oklahoma City KFC restaurant on 23rd street. Wow! What a change from the “typical” fast food restaurant! The physical environment has
(Read More…)
Monday, December 7, 2009 is a special day for several reasons. Two years ago, I had the privilege to witness memorial services for military veterans at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of our Oklahoma World War II Digital Learning Project. As always, I’ll be remembering our Pearl Harbor veterans and those traumatic events from 1941
(Read More…)
These are my notes from Maria Henderson’s presentation, “Learning with Apple: New Content, New Connections, New Communities.” This session was shared at the Apple 1:1 Informational Event at MetroTech in Oklahoma City on December 1, 2009. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. This is an all-day event, sponsored by Apple Computer, but I
(Read More…)
These are my notes from the Apple 1:1 Informational Event at MetroTech in Oklahoma City on December 1, 2009. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. This is an all-day event, sponsored by Apple Computer, but I am just able to stay for the morning. Today follows the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Pre-bidder’s
(Read More…)
These are my notes from Bruce Dixon’s session titled “21 Steps to 21st Century Learning” at the AALF / Oklahoma SDE 1:1 Learning Conference, November 30, 2009. This event is organized by the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, and sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. 5
(Read More…)
