NECC 2008 Conference in San Antonio

I love to attend conferences! Sometimes, however, I can't attend one that I know is going to be very valuable. Well, that was the case with the NECC 2008 conference (http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/) in San Antonio, Texas this past week. However, nowadays I don't have to miss an entire conference because I often can attend at least parts of it virtually.

I've been reading blogs about the conference to learn about new technologies and about new ways to teach with technology. Some of the bloggers covered selected sessions live. Some shared ideas they picked up from sessions or from networking with other attendees. And the folks who organized the conference have provided webcasts of some keynote addresses and of some other sessions (http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/program/video_on_demand.php).

Check your favorite bloggers and the conference web site to attend this conference virtually. Next year the conference is in Washington, DC. Hmm... that's a bit closer!

Some blogs to check...
David Warlick http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
Kathy Schrock http://kathyschrock.net/blog
Vicki Davis http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com
Scott McLeod http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/mcleod/2627442820/
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
Blogger's Cafe, photographed by Scott McLeod

Library of Congress Photos on Flickr

I read recently on David Warlick’s blog that the Library of Congress has announced a new pilot project. They have posted more than 3,000 photographs on Flickr, the web site designed for sharing photos.

The photos chosen for this project are from two popular collections, the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information (photos chosen are from 1930s to 1940s) and the George Grantham Bain News Service (photos chosen are from 1910s). Some photos are in color; some, in black-and-white. The Library has two goals for this project: (1) to create better access to their collections and (2) to learn more about their photos.

They would like people who view the photos to tag them, to comment, and to make notes on the images. That could increase the information known about these photos. You do not need a Flickr account to view the photos; however, you do if you plan to tag or comment on them.

Images were chosen only if no copyright restrictions are known. See the Library’s FAQ page for more information about copyrights and reusing these photos. The photos can be downloaded and printed.

Flickr has created The Commons as a model for other institutions to participate in projects such as this one with the Library of Congress.

These photos are excellent… and fascinating. It’s well worth taking the time to view them!

Read more about this project at these sites:
David Warlick’s Two Cents Worth, Library of Congress Director of Communications Matt Raymond’s blog, the Library of Congress, and Flickr.

FIRST PHOTO...
Women are trained to do precise and vital engine installation detail in Douglas Aircraft Company plants, Long Beach, Calif.
1942 Oct. Palmer, Alfred T.,, photographer. 1 transparency: color.
No known copyright restrictions... This photo is public
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179925802/

SECOND PHOTO...
School children singing, Pie Town, New Mexico
1940 Oct. Lee, Russell,, 1903-, photographer. 1 slide: color.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
No known copyright restrictions This photo is public
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2178353269/

Tag Clouds by TagCrowd

I read recently on David Warlick’s blog about TagCrowd, a web-based application for creating tag clouds... visual representations of word frequencies.

Warlick tested TagCrowd by applying it to speeches from the presidential debates at Pollster.com. I tried it on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union address. I also tested my last few blog entries (as one unit) and my vita.

How do we use this tool in the classroom? I like Warlick’s idea of comparing speeches of the presidential candidates. I think it would also be interesting to compare authors who have written books in the same genre or in the same time period… or maybe in different time periods. I plan to compare President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union address with the one he delivers in 2008. Could students benefit from comparing their own writing over a period of time? Or just one instance of their writing? Would TagCrowd be a useful tool for teachers to use as they look at their students’ writing?

Attending NECC… Virtually

I’d love to be at the NECC Conference in Atlanta this week!

The NECC conference has been around for approximately 30 years. It has workshops and other sessions, keynotes, and a very large vendor exhibit. ISTE sponsors the conference with the help of the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement.

Topics at the conference include social networking and virtual worlds; 1-to-1 and mobile computing; 21st-century literacy and standards; and the globalization of education. Themes include school improvement, ethics and equity, technology infrastructure, professional learning, 21st-century teaching and learning, and virtual schooling/e-learning.

When the conference has concluded, we will be able to access selected content as video-on-demand and also as podcasts.

We can download handouts from some of the sessions now. So far I’ve found a list of web tools to use to differentiate instruction and also instructions for creating a virtual museum in PowerPoint (including a good looking building with halls and rooms to explore).

There’s a lot of blogging going on at the conference. I’ve been following David Warlick’s blog. He’s sharing his experiences as the day progresses. I feel like I’m at the conference!