It's NOT about Technology
OK! So it’s 2006. We’ve been doing this for more than 20 years! Are the efforts we’ve
ALL been making to support learning with technology effective? Are the digital natives
getting restless? Are grade expectations, performance tasks, and data warehouses going
to do it for us, or more importantly, for them? I wish this was more about answers, than
questions! What resources are available to help in your work and where do we need to
take our efforts in order to meet the learning needs of 21st Century students. Join this
conversation to examine the “state of the state.”

Teachers’ Workplace & Riverdeep Learning Village:
Through its involvement in IBM’s Reinventing Education program, the Department of
Education has been a part of the development of technology products designed to meet
the specific needs of Vermont educators. This work has resulted in Teachers’
Workplace, a web-based suite of tools that foster reflection, collaboration,
communication, and the creation of online portfolios. Riverdeep Learning Village’s
Vermont site is a web-based product to support the creation and dissemination of
electronic classroom lessons and resources, promotion of best practices, and alignment of
lesson plans to the Grade Expectations and Frameworks of Standards and Learning
Opportunities. These tools facilitate the Department of Education’s continuing efforts to
support teachers’ meaningful uses of technology in their professional work both in and
out of the classroom.

Ride the Wave of Technology Integration:
Looking for a tropical getaway on a mid May day? Come ride the wave of integrating
technology throughout a grades 3 and 4 Ocean Unit. You will join us for a guided tour of
creating a unit through Backwards Design. During the voyage you will experience a
variety of strategies to enhance a unit that is connected to the Vermont Grade Expectation
including multimedia presentations done by students, video conferencing, and more.
Catch the wave!

Intrigued by their Own Likeness: Digital Self-Portraits:
What subject fascinates kids more than themselves? What is a user-friendly way to
combine art and technology? This session will provide a demonstration of a simple way
to manipulate photographs using digital photography and readily available digital
imaging software. In the spirit of Andy Warhol's celebrity pop series, we will create a
series of self-portraits that vary in effects and colors. Participants will have time for
hands on participation. The techniques presented can be used for personal and
professional use as well as in the classroom with students.

Portraits of our Senior Friends: Digital Photgraphy, Oral History, and Intergenerational
Connections:
For the past several months, 8th graders at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington have
been breaking down stereotypes and making new friends--with people 7 times their age!
Regular visits to local senior homes, in small groups, have offered a chance for students
to share in activities, and to try their hand at taking photographic portraits. The results are
remarkable--strong bonds, and beautiful artwork.

“How Do You Think Out of the Box When There is No Box?”
Death, taxes, and technology changing … all three are constants. With so much
emphasis on integration, implementation, and professional development little time is
given to the implication of change. This workshop will offer time to discuss how
technology has itself impacted our view of change while brainstorming ways that can
help foster growth in the learning process.

Content + Technology in the Text-less Classroom or, how I kicked my textbook
habit:
Get rid of your textbook! This session is a look at the future of teaching. We will go over
the rationale for dumping textbooks, and then we will examine several student-tested
ideas for how to teach quality content and process without ever opening a
textbook. The presenter is a science teacher, but the lessons are applicable across the
curriculum.

Movie Making: Bring Your Research Papers to Life:
Students love making movies. With music, still images and voice over straight out of
their research papers, students can make a "Ken Burns" style documentary in just a few
class periods. This project allows you to bring authentic use to students' research.
Photostory 3 is simple and intutive and produces professional looking movies. You'll
receive project handouts, "how to" tips and practical advice form someone who has been
down the road before.

Closing the Digital Divide - One Computer at a time:
Schools trying to distribute donated computers to students for home use
have yielded disappointing results until now. Using emerging technologies
you can provide useful and exciting computers to children for free.
“Obsolete” computers have been transformed into useful workstations that
matched the functionality of computers being used within the school. This
talk will describe the process and provide the tools needed to do this in
your own school - just add donated hardware!

Electronic Portfolios: Tools for Success
Join a ninth grade teacher and the Mt. Abe portfolio coordinator to explore the power of
creating electronic standards-based portfolios with high school students. We are noticing
improved attitudes toward school and improved self-esteem when students recognize it is
possible to meet state standards in a variety of ways. Eventually the portfolios are used
to find employment or for the college application process. Student samples will be
shown.

Claymation Video Production Comes to Crossett Brook Middle School
At Crossett Brook Middle School 8th grade exploratory music students composed music,
art students designed claymation characters, sets and storyboards and Technology
Education students shot, edited and produced “Claymation” videos that combined the art,
music and technical components. This was an exciting project that held students interest
throughout the year. A culminating “film festival will be held at the end of the school
year. Learn how we did the integration and how we used digital photos and video editing
software to produce our “Claymation” videos. “Secret tips and tricks” will be revealed to
all participants.

Wanna Wiki?: New Tools for Classroom Teachers
What’s a wiki? Want to find out? In this hands-on session, you will learn about wikis,
open source software that allows people to collaboratively construct documents on the
World Wide Web. In this session, you will learn how to use PmWiki, one of several
open source tools. As we construct a document together, we’ll talk about the pros and
cons of creating a wiki and how we can use wikis in our classrooms and professional
collaborations. It’s easy, and fun and has potential!
Contact Sandy Lathem at slathem@uvm.edu for
userid and password.

Telling Stories the Digital Way
Heard of digital storytelling and want to know more? In this session, you’ll see examples
of digital stories and how teachers are using them in their classrooms. We’ll look at a
couple of examples and then turn our attention to how they are created. We’ll explore the
software you need (both on Apples and Windows), methods of construction, the “basics”
of editing a story, and logistical concerns with digital storytelling projects. This session
will provide a solid overview of this technique and provide a list of resources to help you
learn more.

Beyond the Desktop Computer: Exciting New Technologies~for the Classroom
Are you looking for tools that can help you get more bang for your information technology buck? Have you tried AlphaSmarts or Danas*low-cost, rugged "laptops"? SMARTBoards? Real-time data collection probes? Document cameras? Electronic microscopes? This workshop will explore how teachers are using these and several other tools to either substitute for or enhance what they are doing with the computers in their classrooms.

Authentic Learning through Technology: Public Service Announcements
Research, data collection, writing, filming, editing... High school students with a mission
and a topic collected data from their peers and from national sources on everything from
drinking to West Nile Virus. They took that information and wrote a script for a 30
second Public Service Announcement. Students directed, filmed, and edited their final
products.