Technology Conference

This post is all about the most interesting things I learned at the ACTEM conference I attended on Friday, 10-17-08.

1. I was very surprised at how much Google has to offer! I always assumed Google was used primarily for research but I couldn't be more wrong! Google can be used to communicate with others in all sorts of ways. You can make blogs, calendars, and perhaps the coolest is Google Reader. Google Reader allows you to create your own newspaper with all things online that you read daily. Check out www.google.com and click on more, then even more at the top right hang corner. You'll be amazed at all that google has to offer!

2. Twitter was a cool way I learned how to communicate with others. It reminds me of instant messaging. A lot of awesome people that work hard at education use twitter. www.twitter.com Twitter is IMing for teachers!

3. I was introduced to Delicious a few times during the day. Delicious sounds so delicious! On this site you can create your own list of "favorite" websites. You can also share these sites with others. Perhaps the neatest thing about Delicious is you can subscribe to other people's lists and use their websites! It is an awesome way to share sites that may be helpful to teachers, students, etc! www.delicious.com

4. www.spellingcity.com is a really neat website that you can plug in your child's spelling words for the week and it will help them practice their words. It is a fun and interactive way to get kids to spell correctly. Say good-bye to those "Mom, can you ask me my spelling words?" days!

5. Voice thread is a cool way to have students make movies, talk with other people all over the world, and respond to movies, readings, etc. Example: Students read a book by Karen Hesse. The teacher emails Karen Hesse and tells her about the book her students just read and how they wish to ask her some questions. Using voice thread, Karen Hesse can talk directly to the students! Also, if you have a web cam you can see the people talking. Very personable way to communicate and students will love it! www.voicethread.com

6. Edu Blogging is a great way to get your students to communicate with other classes across the country, or even world. In Edu Blog you can create a blog for all your students and manage their accounts. You can see what is being posted and preview their comments before allowing them. You can also prevent them from seeing spam. http://edublogs.org

7. Flickr is an image and video website where you can share your photos or movies with anyone. It is just another easy way to stay connected and share. www.flickr.com

8. Ning is a site where you can create your own social network. It is like Facebook and MySpace only YOU create the social network. For example you can create a network specifically about education where people who are interested in education can subscribe to. It is a very easy way to connect to people who have the same interests as you. You can put photos and videos up, too.
www.ning.com to get started on your ning network!

9. WiiRemote is possibly the coolest invention I have ever seen! It uses a wii remote and a ultra violet light pen to write on an over head projection. The remote reflects ultra violet radiation onto your projection screen. You can use the pen to move things on your compute screen that show up on the projection. You and your students can easily make the pens yourself out of almost anything; highlighters, pens, lights, etc! The whole setup (wii remote, pens) cost less than 50 dollars compared to a smart board which is about 5 grand. Some of the same features for so much less!

10. Over all reaction: I enjoyed attending this conference. My favorite part was learning about all the interesting websites, especially the ones I shared with you in this post. Those sites will surely come in handy when I become a teacher. I am sure there will be many more by then, also! The wii remote fascinated me beyond belief. It was so cool to see something so simple be used in such a different way many people never would have thought of! The conference was very informative. I really enjoyed walking around the exhibition area and seeing all the neat teacher tools. I received a free poster made by this machine that prints on both the front and the back. It is energy efficient and Eco-friendly! Sadly, I cannot remember the name of the machine. All in all, it was a very good experience and I can definitely see myself returning to another ACTEM conference in the future!