Electronic Scrapbooking: A Tool for Analysis, Synthesis, and Technology-Rich Learning

Promote technology-rich learning and critical and creative thinking through visually-rich, hands-on electronic scrapbooking student projects across subject areas and grade levels.

By connecting with standards, authentic materials, and higher-order thinking activities, electronic scrapbooking becomes a powerful learning tool. Scrapbooking is the practice of combining photographs, memorabilia, and written narratives, poetry, quotations, stories, or other textual content into a scrapbook style album. Many different types of scrapbooks can be made including family histories, personal journals and memories, and historical records of organizations, military units, and other groups. Personal scrapbooks provide a unique view into the thoughts, lives, and activities of their creator(s). Some of the best and most valuable scrapbooks are simple, focused documents that are directed to one single topic, theme, or subject. Technology has expanded the techniques available for producing, duplicating, and distributing scrapbooks. This session provides specific examples and strategies for integrating electronic scrapbooking activities into the K12 classroom. (Updated 6/05) Learn More...

Engaging Learners the SMARTboard Way

Interactive whiteboards are gaining in popularity in schools.

SMART technology is one of the most popular interactive whiteboard options. This workshop explores a dozen ideas for using interactive whiteboards in the classroom, adapting existing Notebook projects, and integrating resources for each subject area.

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Desktop Publishing: School - Home Communications

Learn to evaluate, plan, manage, and produce effective school-home communications such as newsletters.

Build interdisciplinary student projects that involve children and young adults in the developing of meaningful, authentic communications. (Updated 6/05) Learn More...

Virtual Adventures: Exploring, Using, Adapting, and Creating Virtual Field Trips

Learn to explore, use, adapt, and create virtual field trips.

Explore how tools such as PowerPoint can be used to develop exciting virtual adventures. (Updated 6/05) Learn More...

The Learning Keystone: Thinking, Reading, and Technology Equals Information Fluency

Investigate realistic approaches for facilitating higher-order thinking by using books, web resources, and other technology to promote information fluency and life-long habits of mind.

We’ve purchased hardware and software, built elaborate infrastructure, created an immense list of content, information, and technology standards, and developed a rigorous testing system. However these elements simply provide a foundation for the more important task of addressing information fluency. Help students bring their skills, experiences, and resources together to promote higher-order thinking and powerful “habits of mind” across the curriculum. This session goes beyond the basics to explore how traditional (i.e., books, conversations, maps, documents) and modern (i.e., Internet, audio, video) technology can provide an information-rich learning environment for higher-order thinking across the content areas. Make learning active, meaningful, and motivating through a practical and easy-to-understand approach to information age learning.

Information fluency is the ability to apply the skills associated with information literacy, computer literacy and critical thinking to address and solve information problems across disciplines, across academic levels, and across information format structures. Information Fluency requires that students develop “habits of mind” that help learners bring their ideas together in to meaningful applications. In architecture, the keystone is the central wedge-shaped stone of an arch that locks its parts together. We’ve built the foundation and have the raw building materials, teachers and students just need the keystone to bring the ideas together. Learn More...

Web Portals: Rabbit Holes to Grand Gateways

Explore the spectrum of educational portal possibilities and the continuum of portal options such as their focus, flexibility, and fees.

From very specific entry points to broad, general interest gateways, portals provide the starting point for millions of web users. This poster session examines the spectrum of possibilities and the continuum of portal options such as their focus, flexibility, and fees. The session also explores the specific needs of students and educators while providing a wealth of practical examples. Learn More...

Enriching Student Minds: Meaningful Learning Experiences through Technology-Rich Information Inquiry

Learning is about choices and challenges.

Learn to develop technology-rich, inquiry-based learning experiences. Create mental synergy by combining motivating activities with critical and creative thinking. This session provides dozens of examples across grade levels and subject areas that address the need to provide choice and challenge as we focus on higher-order thinking. It also highlights an approach to information inquiry that promotes both critical and creative thinking using technology as a tool for questioning, data collection, synthesis, communication, and evaluation. Learn More...

The Technology Race: Who Wins? The Tortoise or the Hare?

Explores strategies for creating practical K12 activities that combine the power of technology with active learning and thinking to address standards and meet individual needs.

The hare focuses on the technology, while the tortoise concentrates on active learning and thinking. They're both important elements of an engaging learning environment. Which will win the race? This session explores strategies for creating practical K-12 classroom activities that combine the power of popular technology tools and resources with active learning and thinking to address important standards and meet individual needs. From multimedia tools to Internet resources explore ways that you can use technology to help students succeed.

The web page places particular emphasis on asking the question: what value does technology add to the learning experience? Then describes a dozen ways technology facilitates learning experiences:
How can you use technology to provide… data for comparison, alternative perspectives, another sense, more reading resources, connections with parents, promote reading, global discussions, interesting starting points, quick resources, both critical and creative thinking, both content and information skills, and different ways of thinking? Next, the web page discusses how to use technology to facilitate life experiences and promote life-long learning through a combination of content standards, information standards, critical thinking, and creative thinking. Finally, the author challenges teachers to find their “tipping point”. Specifically identifying those small changes that can make a big difference in teaching and learning with technology. Learn More...

Learning Experiences

What does it take to make technology worth the time and effort? It's really about the learning experience that technology can help provide.

Reflect on your current uses of technology and consider ways to impact the learning experience through technology. This project was specifically designed for Grades 4-6. Learn More...

Stellar Classroom Presentations: Promoting Active Thinking, Interaction, & Meaningful Learning

Spinning graphics, bizarre sounds, and wild transitions are popular ways to spice up traditional lectures or boring slide shows, but they're not the best way to promote critical and creative thinking. Instead, engage your students through effective instructional strategies.

PowerPoint presentations are plentiful in today's classrooms. Are yours stagnant or stellar? You don't need "bells and whistles" to produce a powerful presentation. Instead, you need an essential question, quality content, and motivating teaching strategies. This workshop focuses on the design and development of stellar presentations that promote active thinking, interaction, and meaningful learning. Learn More...