Need a Workshop? Something New: You’re likely familiar by now with much of the PATINS-Project Website: www.patinsproject.com, but on the NE Regional Site Info page, you can now request specific workshops on what you need by simply submitting an online form just like you’ve been doing to register for scheduled workshops: www.patinsproject.com/ne.html
Promethean Try B4 U Buy! Dave Tutton at Promethean Inc. has offered the opportunity to evaluate Activclassroom and accompanying products for a period of 90 days as a try before you buy sort of opportunity. As many of you know, I’m a big believer in the instructional power of interactive whiteboards. This may be an offer you want to look into. Full offer details available and a download of the form to take advantage of this offer here: http://www.patinsproject.com/ExperienceActivClassroom TC’s Final 1 19 2009 97 version.docAny questions should be directed to tutton@empower-learning.com
Priory Woods: Check out these cool switch/touch screen videos from Priory Woods! www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/resources/videos.htm
Online Teaching in Florida: Check into this article from eSchool News on teaching and learning in virtual environments. A quote, “As virtual schooling continues to surge in popularity, there is a growing need for new K-12 teachers who understand how to teach in an online environment successfully. ” www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=57314
While we’re on the topic of online learning and professional development; I realized this week that there are people out there who simply are not aware of the educational potential of these tools. Most of you know that I’ve been blogging about the potential of professional development in immersive 3D environments like Second Life, Jumpstart World, Pixie Hollow, etc., for most of this school year. We’re getting closer, I feel, to doing some professional development in an online immersive environment every week and I find it exciting in many ways. We’ve got a lot to learn, thats for sure. I realized this week however, that perhaps I haven’t shared with you all some of my reasoning behind supporting tools like Second Life for teachers to learn and develop their professional skills in. I am, by far, not the first to think of implementing these tools for educational purposes. I thought it would be worthwhile to use the rest of this week’s post to share some resources, data and general information on the topic. I hope it is beneficial and informative.
Just a select few other respected educational organizations and campuses utilizing Second Life include:
- Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System: http://www.paec.org/fdlrsweb/
- More than 300 universities including: Duke, Harvard, Purdue, Indiana University, Bowling Green, Ohio, Ball State, etc.
- Center for Advanced Technology at Oregon University
- PBS Teachers: http://innovateclassrooms.blogspot.com/2008/11/are-you-pbs-teacher.html
- Austin Educators Coop
- Marlboro College Graduate Center
- Lighthouse Learning Island: A Second Life professional learning community created by four K-12 school districts in southeastern Massachusetts.
- Another helpful article in “THE Journal” http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23777
- The Appalachian Ohio K-12 Second Life Learning Community
- IBM, NASA and International Spaceflight
- Ann Myers Medical Center: A training/teaching hospital in second life for real life doctors and nurses.
- A slideshare from the University of Cali Berkeley on Academic Library 2.0:
http://www.slideshare.net/HVX.Mica/second-life-education-in-a-virtual-world-slidecast - Specific information on educational usage from the Second Life folks themselves can be found here: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses
- The top 20, according to Second Life folks, educational locations in Second Life here exist here: http://simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Top_20_Educational_Locations_in_Second_Life
- Discovery Educator Network: http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/secondlife/
- A strong listing of Second Life URLs for K-12 education continues here: http://kathyschrock.net/k12secondlife/
I realized this week that some people new to the blog who maybe hadn’t read my early postings on immersive environments might not have this foundation which would help in understanding my interest in the concept for teacher learning and professional development. The main point I want to make is that we are not the first, nor the only educational orgazation to recognize the potential in these immersive technologies like Second Life. There are true pioneers of this concept listed above and it would be well worth your time to check them out before forming an opinion for or against this idea of immersive 3D virtual world teaching and learning.
Tech Expo: Don’t forget to register for the 2009 PATINS Tech Expo here: www.patinsproject.com/training.html
ROL: …and to download your district’s FREE UNLIMITED license of Don Johnston’s Read:OutLoud software here: www.icam.k12.in.us/DJ/DJLogin.aspx
Indiana’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teams gathered in Indianapolis this Monday. One team has already blogged about their experience there: http://esmspatins.edublogs.org/2009/02/24/udl-collaboration-day/
Photos from the UDL Collaboration Day next week!
Indiana Moms: I came across this blog this morning from “real Indiana moms of a child with a disability,” and was completely impressed! Check this out and get yourself subscribed to their blog for sure: http://4thosewhofollow.blogspot.com/
