Entries in events (24)

Saturday
May102008

Summer Conferences

The summer is usually full of events for educators. This summer is no exception and you can find me at these upcoming conferences:


NECC 2008The National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) is in San Antonio, Texas June 29-July, 2008. I'll be presenting in three ways:

  1. The Special Interest Group for Handheld Computer is sponsoring a forum, Mobile Devices are Shaping the Way We Learn, on Monday, July 30, 2008 from 10am-12pm. Mark van ‘t Hooft is moderating and presenters include Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway, David Whyley, and me. We'll be presenting smaller breakout sessions during the forum. $20 registration is required. Here's the description of my Web Apps To Go mini-session:
  2. There are many tasks that used to require software that you can now do from inside of your Web browser. Web applications are great for students and teachers because they are usually free and you won’t install software. Web apps don't require a specific operating system and so many of them work perfectly fine on ultra-compact and inexpensive laptops like the XO and Eee PC. Because Web apps and their data are stored online, students and teachers can access the apps and data from anywhere. They also tend to facilitate online sharing and collaboration. Tony will share some of his favorite educational uses of web apps, including word processing, text-to-speech, and cartoon creation. The group will even use a Web app to share their favorite ones.

  3. I'll have a poster session (where you just drop in) Tuesday, 7/1, from 1pm-3pm and the title is Meet the Mobile Web: Internet in Your Hand. "Explore Web sites and services designed for tiny devices. Leave with a great list of online destinations for teachers and students."
  4. I'll have a lecture session Wednesday, 7/2, from 12pm until 1pm and the title is Audio is Great! Video is Cool! iPods Can Do More! "More than mere music players, iPods can make for motivating learning tools. Learn about interactive texts, dictionaries, news feeds, flash cards, quizzes, and more!"

MAGETC LogoThe Mid-Atlantic Handhelds & Emerging Technology Conference (MAHETC) is July 24-25, 2008 in Salisbury, Maryland. The conference will have a mixture of hands-on workshops and breakout sessions. I'll be teaching I Didn't Know You Could Do That with an iPod, Doing It Without Software: Web Applications, and Education Image Sets for iPods and other Mobile Devices. I also have the pleasure of presenting the opening keynote presentation, Then and Now:

A lot has certainly changed in the last few years in technology. Laptops used to cost big bucks, but today ultra-portable and cheap laptops can be had for $200. Websites are more interactive and fully encourage participation. There's little need to know HTML as online services now allow easy and instant publishing. Some software no longer has to be purchased and installed because we can do the same tasks online for free. iPods are physically smaller but storage capacity and capabilities have greatly increased. The pace of change only seems to be increasing. Let's examine changes in technology and society so that we can leverage these exciting trends in education.


SuccessLinkThe 6th Annual Successlink Technology Innovations Conference is July 17-18, 2008 at the Tan Tar A resort in Osage Beach, Missouri. Sessions at this conference are hands-on and I'll be conducting ones about handhelds, podcasting, and blogging. The resort is always fantastic and the conference features so many great topics in educational technology!


I do hope I get to see you this summer!

Wednesday
Apr162008

Handheld Learning 2008

HHL StageRegistration is now open for Handheld Learning 2008. The conference takes place in London, October 13-15, 2008. The event is open to everyone. I'll be there along with 1,000 other international delegates.

Handheld Learning 2008 will address items such as 21st century learning, handhelds, iPods, game consoles, affordable laptops, and more.

I've reviewed Handheld Learning 2007 and Handheld Learning 2006 if you'd like to know more about what I think of past conferences. While it is expensive for those of us in the USA to attend, the expense is worth it. The conference just gets bigger and better each year!

Friday
Oct122007

Handheld Learning 2007 Nuggets

Handheld Learning 2007Handheld Learning 2007 conference in London continued Thursday and Friday. Over 800 attended this year's gathering. Here are just a few nuggets from the conference:

  • Just before entering Central Hall, I was handed a flyer with "Voice of Sanity" written across the top. The flyer opens with, "Dear Delegate, learning occurs when brain cells are able to freely communicate with each other. Science now shows that Wi-fi signals disrupt inter-cellular communication and impedes learning." Really? Just because they cite a source doesn't make that statement true. Read more from the Mast Sanity organization. Seems that some in the U.K. are fearful as Wi-Fi's presence is dramatically increasing.
  • Two projects in Bristol have show three key benefits: high motivation and engagement, student ownership of learning; and bridge between teacher-directed and autonomous learning.
  • Asus miniBookRM released their Asus miniBook for £169 ($344). It has a 7 inch screen, Wi-Fi, keyboard, USB ports, microphone and headphone ports, VGA video out, and more. It may not be available outside of the U.K., but it's nice to know that inexpensive laptops (called sub-notebooks) are real. It's unclear to me if the miniBook runs Windows XP or Linux.
  • Francesc Pedro from OECD spoke about today's learners. Most students have more access to more technology at home than they do at school.
  • "Students aren't little us's anymore" -Marc Prensky. We can't teach them the same way we were taught.
  • A theme of many sessions is that mobile in mobile learning refers to the student, not the technology.
  • Online safety is just as important with mobile phones and devices as it is with desktop and laptop computers. 75% of British kids have their own mobile phone. 33% of them pay for the use themselves. 61% have their own PC.
  • Robert Hart wants a RAPID: Really Affordable Personal Internet Device. This won't replace a powerful desktop, but it will let students get online and do 90% of the work they would do on the Web.
  • Check out the Learning Everywhere project.
  • Fellow American Mark van 't Hooft has written much more than I have about Handheld Learning 2007 in his blog, Ubiquitous Thoughts. Additionally, you can do a blog search for "Handheld Learning 2007" and "Handheld Learning" conference for more posts by various bloggers.
  • Over two dozen delegates to the conference posted short Twitter updates throughout the conference. You can read the updates at twitter.com/hhl/with_friends.

 

Wednesday
Oct102007

Learning while Gaming on Handhelds

Marc PrenskyLearning while Gaming on Handhelds is the first session I attended at Handheld Learning 2007 in London. It was lead by Marc Prensky. Marc's specialty is analyzing today's students. He is author of Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.

Marc says that educational computer games are really "mini" games. Only a few things are learned in the 5 minutes to 2 hours spent playing a mini game. Complex games can be played for 8 to 100 hours and involve much more learning.

Complex games have the goal of "being a hero." Many times in school the goal is to master the material or score well on a test. Isn't being a hero a much more appealing ambition? Games also engage students because they involve frequent decision making, create an emotional connection, balance cooperation and competition, and are personalized.

Marc shared the numbers of kinds of computers sold. He admits that finding numbers was hard. I'm not sure about the first number either. But, we know that are definitely many more mobile phones out there than PCs.

  • PCs 200 million
  • PlayStations 100 million
  • GameBoys 150 million
  • DS 50 million
  • Mobile phones 1.5 billion

Marc says that "we just don't have the imagination" to use all those mobile phones in learning. He is a fan of an "open phone test." Teachers who do this say they can ask better questions. Makes me think an open handheld test would be a great alternative. Fill your iPod, Palm, Pocket PC, etc. with the information you need. That's exactly what I did to prepare for my trip to London--it's a real-world skill!

 

One obstacle is getting games on mobile devices. For instance, getting software on a mobile phone is complicated and you often have to go through your cell phone carrier. Also, there are not yet many complex games for handhelds. When better games and software are available for handhelds and mobile phones, maybe we'll imvite them to be used in and out of school for learning.

Wednesday
Sep052007

Attend Handheld Learning 2007

Handheld Learning 2007I want to encourage you to attend Handheld Learning 2007. The conference and exhibition is October 10-12, 2007 at Central Hall Westminster, London. As part of the steering group, I'd like to invite educators from all over the globe to attend.

I blogged about Day One and Day Two of Handheld Learning 2006 last year. I learned a lot in those two days and I look forward to learning much more this year.

I'll be presenting about innovative uses for iPods in learning. The preliminary program is online. A detailed program will be published shortly. Here are some other great sessions, workshops, and seminars:

  • Learning While Gaming
  • Technologies for Learning 2012
  • Reflections on Pedagogy
  • Creating Content for Mobile
  • Science, Math, and Mobile
  • Mobile Application Showcase
I've set up a Twitter group for the conference. If you are attending, please follow these directions to join in. If you would like to read Twitter updates from those attending the conference, this is the page for you.

If you are planning to register, please contact me and I'll provide you a code to save £70 ($140). Last year the conference filled to capacity--early registration is a must. I know, I know: It won't be easy to convince the-powers-that-be to fund your trip to the U.K., but it will really be worth it!

Monday
Jul092007

My iPod Session at NECC

NECC CrowdI Didn't Know You Could Do That with an iPod was the name of a session I presented at last month's National Educational Computing Conference in Atlanta. The room was pretty much full when I entered to set up. By the time the session started, people were crammed in every square foot of space. In fact, blogger David Jakes gave his Most Ironic award to the fact that there was "so much interest in the educational application of a tool that is banned in most schools."

Kyle Stevens took great notes during the session. You can read his notes and listen to a recording on his Final Curve blog.

I used an iPod as a fun way to give away a prize. One of the possible prizes was an iPod Key Chain Connector. Lots of attendees wanted more information on the connector, so I wrote about it here.

USB CameraI got many questions for more information about the camera I was using to show the iPod's screen. Unlike Palm handhelds and Pocket PCs, there is no software that allows iPod's screen to be transmitted directly to a computer. So, the only solution to show an iPod to a group of people is to point a camera at it. Often I've used a document camera. This time I used my iSight camera on top of a flexible stand. The stand is available from MacMice, but you must already have an iSight camera (Apple no longer sells them). Any USB camera can be used, but you'll want it to have a flexible stand so that you can position it over an iPod (or whatever you happen to be showing). USB cameras can be as inexpensive as $30, making them much cheaper than document cameras.

The camera does me no good if I can't show it on a computer screen. I use Monitor Mode, a free Mac program that takes any video source and displays it in full screen mode. With my Mac connected to a projector, I can show what's under the camera to a whole room. I've searched for a Windows alternative to Monitor Mode but haven't yet found one.

The NECC conference was a great event, with thousands of educators everywhere. Many of them blogged from the conference. I was tickled that Diana Laufenberg wrote the she was star-struck to see "the beloved Tony Vincent." Can you see me blushing, 'cuz I am! Furthermore, I got to meet the very sweet Midge Frazel and the brilliant Wesley Fryer, both of whom blogged about meeting me.

While it was a busy conference, the best part was meeting so many great educators. I didn't catch her name, but one technology teacher said she didn't retire this year because of me. She learned about podcasting from me and her students absolutely love it. She enjoys doing it so much, that she's staying on for another year. This is exactly why I share everything I do online!

Next year's National Educational Computing Conference is in San Antonio. Perhaps I'll meet you there!

Sunday
Jun172007

Summer Conferences

Thumbs Up!Here are some fantastic summer conference opportunities:

National Education Computing Conference
This year's conference takes place in Atlanta, Georgia June 24-27, 2007. I will be participating in a panel discussion, presenting a lecture on iPods, and presenting a poster session. Please stop by, say hello, and hopefully learn a thing or two.

5th Annual Technology Innovations/Handheld Computer Conference
Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual Handheld Computer Conference scheduled for July 10- 11, 2007 at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach! Each session will be a “hands-on” experience. There will be sessions for beginner, intermediate and advanced users. Unfortunately, it's the first time I won't be presenting at this conference (I wish I could be two places at once!), but I highly recommend this conference.

Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference 2007
The conference planning committee recently gathered some data from past conference attendees and has decided to expand the conference for 2007! This year's conference will continue to focus on using handhelds in education, but also highlight some emerging technologies. As a result of this expansion, the conference has evolved into the Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference (MAHETC)! I will be doing a keynote presentation, breakout sessions, and a couple workshops.

Thursday
Apr192007

Handheld Learning 2007

Handheld Learning 2007 will take place October 10-12 in London. You might remember my blog posts: Handheld Learning UK. - Day One and Day Two. I also wrote Handheld Learning 2006 - Review for the Handheld Learning community website. The conference organizers are keen to have as many non-UK participants as possible this years. Click here for more information about this great learning and networking opportunity. Also, check out the flyer by clicking the image below.

Handheld Learning 2007 Flyer

Tuesday
Apr172007

Mid-Atlantic Conference Annoucement

MAHETCRegistration is now open for the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference held on the campus of Salisbury University on July 25-26, 2007. This year’s conference has expanded into two full days of hands-on workshops and concurrent sessions that will include a full slate of handheld specific topics as well as other emerging technology. We are excited to have some of the brightest and best handheld and emerging technology personnel presenting at this year’s event. On hand will be Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand, Karen Fasimpaur of K12 Handhelds, and Mike Curtis of Mobile Technovations and other experience presenters.

The conference will include hands-on and concurrent sessions in the following topics (and more):

  • Podcasting
  • VideoPodcasting
  • Radio for Kids
  • eBooks
  • Handheld specific sessions for both Palms and Windows Mobile
  • Blogging
  • MovieMaker
  • Free software for Palms and Pocket PCs
  • Mobile Video
  • Google Earth
  • Web 2.0
  • iPods in the Classroom
  • Multimedia Resources to Support Differentiate Instruction
  • Digital Story Telling
  • Wikis
The cost for the conference is $90.00 for both days or choose a day for $50.00. Breakfast, lunch and beverages are included in the price of the conference.

For more information and to register please visit the following website: www.seaford.k12.de.us/mahc

We look forward to seeing you as the Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference celebrates its’ third year of helping educators integrate handheld technologies!

Thursday
Mar082007

007 Video

I repeated the "Make Marvelous Movies" workshop here at the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) conference in Spokane, Washington. Just like in Minneapolis, I showed participants ways to film and edit video to make movies better. With just over an hour of work time, one of the groups of four educators created the video below. Although they used only one digital camcorder, they stopped, repositioned the camera, and then continued recording to give the illusion of multiple cameras. The theme of this year's NCCE conference is 007: Agents of Change and the theme inspired the teachers. Check out the two-minute video via YouTube:


Tuesday
Dec262006

Summer Mid-Atlantic Conference

There'a a great summer conference opportunity in Salisbury, Maryland. Here's the info for the 2007 Mid-Atalantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference!

MAHETCThe Mid-Atlantic Handheld Conference (MAHC) is pleased to announce that we have expanded and grown into the Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference (MAHETC)! This growth and expansion is a result of input from past conference attendees and the conference committee’s desire to meet the needs of local, regional, and national educators. Visit the conference website at: www.seaford.k12.de.us/mahc

This year’s conference will take place on the campus of Salisbury University (Maryland) on July 25-26, 2007. The main focus of the conference will continue to be handheld computers but there will also be sessions showcasing emerging technologies. Please note: this is a full 2-day conference with both days offering attendees keynote addresses, half-day hands-on workshops, concurrent sessions, and door prizes!

Some of the highlights of MAHETC 2007 include:

  • Sessions, workshops, and keynote by Tony Vincent
  • Sessions, workshops, and keynote by Karen Fasimpaur (K12 Handhelds)
  • Sessions & workshops by Mike Curtis
  • Conference wiki – http://mahc.wikispaces.com
  • Cool Door Prizes
  • Lunch provided with registration!
  • Network with innovative educators
Session and Workshop Topics

  • Handheld Computer Sessions
  • Vodcasting (video podcasting)
  • Podcasting
  • Educational Gaming
  • Wikis and blogging
  • Response Pads
  • Mobile Technologies
  • Network Technologies
We also invite you to submit a proposal to present at this year’s conference. This is a great way to share your wealth of knowledge to other educators who are integrating technology to increase student achievement! Presenters also receive a gift card from BestBuy and their registration fee is waived.

For more information on submitting a proposal and general information about MAHETC 2007, visit the website at: www.seaford.k12.de.us/mahc

We look forward to seeing you in July,
MAHETC Planning Committee

Thursday
Sep282006

6th Annual Michigan Handheld Conference

Handheld Conference LogoI received this email from Ric Wiltse with the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning:

As a participant in last year's 5th Annual Michigan Handheld Computers in Education conference, I know that you'd be interested in attending this year's 6th Annual conference to be held at Washtenaw ISD in Ann Arbor (MI) on November 9-11. Online registration is now available at http://www.macul.org/page.php?pid=83.

We have a great program lined up for this year's conference. Our keynote speakers are Dr. Elliot Soloway and Dr. Cathie Norris, speaking on Big Change for $mall ¢hange. Other breakout sessions will be presented by Mike Curtis, Christine Tomasino, Mark van't Hooft, Steve Best, Jason Carnes, Richard Vath, Paula Sarratt, Sue Hardin, Jane Frank, Mike Glumac, Susan Roustan, and Monique Shorr.

Topics to be covered at the conference include assessment; probeware; Palm OS aps; reading, science and social studies support, handhelds, iPods and Podcasting, and much, much more. For a complete list, link to http://www.macul.org/page.php?pid=88.

The conference schedule includes a preconference day of half day workshops on Thursday, November 9, the conference on Friday, November 10 and a special post conference for pre and inservice educators on Saturday, November 11.

Our preconference (11/9/ workshop topics include Advanced resources for the handheld, including eBooks and web-based content; Vocabulary activities for any content area, Successful grant writing for classroom technology, Data and multimedia resources for the handheld, Planning for ubiquitous technology, classroom assessment with handhelds, and Handheld computers in the social studies classroom.

Exhibits will be on Friday (11/10) and the conference is sponsored by MACUL Washtenaw ISD, as well as our corporate sponsors Apple, EasyGraphics, Edutek Midwest, Pasco, Prismworks and Qwizdom. Costs for MACUL members for the preconference workshops are $45/each, and the Friday conference is $85, including lunch. The post conference is only $25 ($10 for students). For the Thursday and Friday events, non-MACUL members pay an additional $20 for a membership that extends through next April.

It will be another outstanding Michigan Handheld Computers in Education conference that you won't want to miss. We hope to see you there! Again, to register online, link to http://www.macul.org/page.php?pid=83.

Ric Wiltse, Executive Director
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning
http://www.macul.org

The Michigan Handheld Computer conference has been one of the best conferences for handheld computing and I highly suggest attending. In fact, the conference has been mentioned several times in this blog:This year's conference will be the first Michigan Handheld Computers in Education conference I have not presented at in a couple of years (please let the organizers know if you'd like to see me at next year's conference). To those who attend: I look forward to reading your blog postings from the conference!

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