http://hosted.stats.com/interactives/olympics/vancouver_2010/index.html
(interactive map of Vancouver with video. Also, be sure to check out the “Historical Medal Counts” tab where you can view a timeline of past games and lists of medals that each country won)

http://www.nbclearn.com/olympics
Watch videos about the science of the Winter Olympic Games. Great stuff!

http://images.google.com/images?q=Winter+Olympics+source:life
LIFE Magazine photos of Winter Olympics. Great way to see how technology has changed over the years (check out those bobsleds!)

http://www.vancouver2010.com/
Official site of the Olympic Games featuring medal counts, videos, photos, and descriptions about each sport

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/specials/articles/0,28285,1963870,00.html
TIME for Kids site on the Winter Olympics

And here’s the real-time medal count:

• What we want students to learn and do?
• How do we know if they’ve learned it?
• What do we do if they don’t?

Using common formative assessments, teachers can be assured that all students are being taught the same skills, and that teachers are closely monitoring their progress towards learning targets. One statement that has stuck with me through this process is this: “A PLC is not something that you Do, a PLC is something you ARE.” That means that in order to implement a successful PLC in schools, we need to change the entire culture of the building, allowing time for teachers to talk, collaborate, discuss, and share their knowledge with others. We started a wiki page to help guide our learning at http://meadowpoint.pbworks.com/PLC

Later in July, I attended the National Staff Development Council’s Summer Conference in Boston, MA. I summarized the experience on my blog. CLICK HERE to see a day-by-day synopsis of what types of workshops I attended, with links to resources and materials included.

1. Web version that you can read online

2. PDF version that can be downloaded for printing offline

What is the Horizon Report? To quote directly from their wiki: The Horizon Report is produced each fall using a carefully constructed process that is informed by both primary and secondary research. Nearly a hundred technologies, as well as dozens of meaningful trends and challenges are examined for possible inclusion in the report each year; an internationally renowned Advisory Board examines each topic in progressively more detail, reducing the set until the final listing of technologies, trends, and challenges is selected. The entire process takes place online and is fully documented at horizon.nmc.org/wiki.

The five “key trends” to watch over the next 3-5 years have a DIRECT impact on teaching and learning:

1. Technology continues to profoundly affect the way we work, collaborate, communicate, and succeed.

2. Technology is increasingly a means for empowering students, a method for communication and socializing, and a ubiquitous, transparent part of their lives.

3. The web is an increasingly personal experience.

4. The way we think of learning environments is changing.

5. The perceived value of innovation and creativity is increasing.

This is just a start, but my question for teachers is this: What are YOU doing to support these trends? Are your students communicating with other students, experts on a topic, or with other classrooms online? Are students publishing their learning on the web? If the web is becoming a “personal experience” how are teachers helping students develop these experiences? Are teachers allowing students to be creative contributors? Are students developing their own “personal learning networks?” Do teachers share their OWN learning online?

Our district is using Google Docs to share and collaborate online. Instead of emailing files back and forth as attachments, Google Docs offers a “live” version of a document that changes and evolves as users enter information. The original company was called “Writely” which Google purchased about 2 years ago.

Now comes Google Books. With Google Books, you can read over 100-page previews, start your own library collections, and share your books with others. With this advancement, we are slowly becoming a paperless society. Learn more about Google Books here.

CLICK HERE to see an example of the books I’m reading, along with my fellow coaches, as part of our own professional development. Instead of making copies of pages to share with teachers, I can now refer them to a link and they can read passages online. For example, want to learn about the difference between Coaching Heavy vs Coaching Light? Read pp. 21-28 of Joellen Killion’s article on Coaches’ Roles, Responsibilities, and Reach from the book edited by Jim Knight, “Coaching Approaches and Perspectives.”

How can Google publish a book’s content on their site? Read the details of the groundbreaking agreement they established with publishers and authors.

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Today, together with the authors, publishers, and libraries, we have been able to make a great leap in this endeavor,” said Sergey Brin, co-founder & president of technology at Google. “While this agreement is a real win-win for all of us, the real victors are all the readers. The tremendous wealth of knowledge that lies within the books of the world will now be at their fingertips.”

When kids at the Suffern Middle School were asked to talk about education and their future, they gave Peggy Sheehy, the SMS media specialist, an earful. Listen and learn the bits of wisdom that can be gleaned from the students, if we only dare to ask them. Students from The Elisabeth Morrow School Tech Club contributed machinima created in Quest Atlantis. Marianne Malmstrom (aka Knowclue) worked remotely with the students of Suffern to create machinima of their avatars on Teen Second Life. Original music,

Location: Suffern Middle School, Suffern, NY Ramapo Islands, Teen Second Life, Quest Atlantis, The Elisabeth Morrow School Technology Club, United States

CLICK HERE TO VIEW