Presentation Topics

The following presentations were created over the past several years. They can be updated to fit your needs. Be sure to check my most recent presentations.

Presentation Topics and Descriptions

Flight Plans for Learning: Differentiation & Deep Thinking through Technology

Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the flight... the pilot's job is to provide a safe and successful journey. In much the same way, a teacher must design an age-appropriate environment where students can develop a love of learning. Each teacher designs their own flight plan to meet the individual needs of their children. Although the approaches may vary, the destination is the same. This session focuses on ways to differentiate reading, writing, and math experiences through technology-rich activities. It also examines ideas for developing inferential thinking across the curriculum. Finally, tips are provided for using virtual experiences such as virtual field trips and simulations to promote deep thinking. Learn more

The Power of Handhelds: Reading, Writing, & Math Across the Curriculum

When you combine handheld devices such as the Palm with practical applications and authentic assignments, educators can create a powerful environment for learning. This session examines the array of resources and tools that promote reading, writing, and math across the curriculum. From ebooks to visual information organizers, explore how handhelds complement your existing resources, expand learning opportunities, and facilitate differentiation. Learn more

Fun with Flash: Practical Applications Across the Curriculum

Can we address standards and have lots of fun at the same time? Yes! Adobe's Macromedia Flash is a great tool for creating cool multimedia animations, but did you know that this popular software is used to produce some of the most effective, efficient, and appealing instructional materials on the web? In this fast-paced session, you'll explore engaging Flash websites across content areas, as well as learn the basics of creating your own Flash projects! Learn more

Flash in a Flash: Practical Applications Across the Curriculum

Macromedia Flash is a great tool for creating cool multimedia animations, but did you know that this popular software is also used to produce effective, efficient, and appealing instructional materials? In this fast-paced hands-on workshop, you’ll create exciting, engaging Flash animations to address standards across content areas. Learn more

Inquiry, Imagination and Insight: Snapshots of Student Information Scientists at Work

Current research in teaching, learning, and technology provides insights into the changing needs of inquiring students and evolving roles of teacher librarians, technology coordinators, classroom teachers, and other instructional specialists as they collaborate to enrich the learning environment through a school-wide laboratory for information inquiry. This session will provide snapshots of what’s realistic, relevant, and practical as educators wade through the technology, resources, and research available to today’s young information scientists across the subject areas. Learn more

Information Inquiry: Student Information Scientists and Instructional Specialists in the Learning Lab

Ready for a new vision for teaching and learning? Think of your school as a learning laboratory filled with wonderful information resources and technology tools and your role as a mentor to emerging information scientists. Explore how to facilitate the creation of information fluent young people who love learning. Learn more

Technology Trekking: Exhausting, Exhilarating, and Energizing

Is it possible to be overwhelmed, baffled, and perplexed as well as eager, enthusiastic, and energized? How will you apply what you’ve learned to empower yourself and impact student learning? Now that you know how to use your laptop, GPS, and videophone to build multi-sensory learning environments filled with websites, Wikis, and WebQuests… what’s realistic, relevant, and practical? Follow a group of educators as they decide whether blogging and podcasting will lead to improved test scores or early retirement. Learn more

Open the Door to Learning: Reading, Writing, and Technology-Rich Learning Across the K12 Curriculum

Reading opens the door to learning across the curriculum. In this workshop you'll learn to integrate standards-based, technology-enhanced reading and writing experiences into your curriculum; incorporate authentic, online primary source materials; and connect reading with web-based resources and activities including literature circles, collaborative projects, and blogs. Explore practical strategies to address essential skills, differentiate instruction to meet individual needs, and promote a love of reading. Learn more

Energizing Your Program: Collaborating Across the Curriculum

While reading, writing, and mathematics are tools for expressing and understanding ideas and information, curricular areas such as art, music, health, and physical education inspire students to be active and creative. From books and blogs to GPS and video projects, this session stresses practical strategies for collaborating with teachers across the curriculum to address standards, as well as promote a passion for learning. Learn more

Discover Dynamic Digital Worlds

Are you prepared to lead your program into unknown territory? Like the explorers of the past, librarians and educators are leading expeditions into exciting new worlds of information, inquiry, and innovation. From the bias of blogs to the boundaries of bandwidth, today’s knowledge adventurers face unique obstacles. This session provides strategies for planning and guiding a successful journey into dynamic digital worlds. Learn more

Survive and Thrive: Strategies for Leadership and Collaboration

To survive and thrive, your school library media program must play an indispensable role in the life of your school. This session provides practical leadership and collaboration techniques for invigorating your program by connecting to essential school functions, nurturing critical relationships, establishing exciting learning environments, and demonstrating the unique value of you and your program. Learn more

Building Partnerships: Transforming Learning through Data-Driven Collaborations

Like panning for gold, the school library media specialist must collaborate with teachers and administrators to sift through tons of data to discover the "nuggets" that will address the needs of learners. This session focuses on strategies for building collaborative relationships and developing effective, evidence-based programs that increase student achievement. Learn more

E-photography to E-scrapbooking: Thinking, Test Scores, and Beyond

Use your digital cameras, computers, and real-world experiences to promote deep thinking and increase test scores too! In this workshop, you’ll try out lots of practical ideas for creating powerful, time-saving assignments such as digital scrapbooks and photo journals that promote reading, writing, and content-area thinking. Learn strategies for using the tools you already have in new ways and have fun at the same time! For more information go to the workshop page.

Blogs and Blogging: A Homerun for Students, Teachers, and Technology

Blogs and Blogging: Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
Blogs are the hottest new way to promote reading, writing, and thinking in all content areas and grade levels. In this workshop, you’ll learn to create and integrate these “web logs” into your classroom. Using free, simple, online tools, you and your students can add digital photos, web links, and multimedia elements to bring writing alive! If you want an easy way to promote thinking, address standards, and promote collaboration, let’s blog! For more information go to the workshop page.

Extreme Website Makeover: Javascripts, CSS, and Multimedia

You're building web pages, but are you creating a cool virtual environment? If you know the basics of web design and are ready to add some great new, interactive elements, this workshop is for you! Try out dozens of easy to implement approaches to enhance your website through simple javascripts, CSS, and multimedia features. Learn about using blogs, podcasting, and discussion groups through your website. Use these extensions along with Dreamweaver or other web development software to create your dream home on the web! For more information go to the workshop page.

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. For more information go to the workshop page.

Keeping it REAL: Relevant, Engaging, Authentic Learning through Effective Technology Integration

This workshop explores technology-rich resources and activities that promote meaningful, standards-based learning. Explore ways to challenge students through real-world assignments that require little prep time, but promote creative and critical thinking in your subject area. Use technology to transform your classroom and meet the needs of today’s multi-sensory learners. Regardless of your subject area or technology skills, you’ll find lots of practical ideas to motivate your students. For more information go to the workshop page.

Transforming Classrooms: Using Assessment Data to Enrich the Learning Environment

Testing, testing, and more testing… does all this focus on assessment really lead to higher achievement? The answer is no... unless you’re using the test results to transform the teaching and learning environment in your classroom. Learn to create and implement a project-based learning environment with your students, reflect on the experience, and revise your approach and materials by focusing on topics, testing connections, techniques, and technology.

This session will help you address some of the following questions: How can test results help you impact teaching and learning? With large class sizes and limited time, what are realistic expectations? How can technology engage students in meaningful learning experiences?

Examine your existing instructional materials in-depth and identify ways that they can be enhanced by: focusing on essential questions and content, building testing connections, incorporating proven teaching and learning techniques, and integrating effective technology tools and resources. For more information go to the workshop page.

I-TOTEMS: Seven Essentials of Successful Technology-Rich Learning

To bridge the digital divide and address our diverse student population, apply the I-TOTEMS of technology-rich learning: information, time, opportunities, tools, experiences, motivation, and strategies. This session examines specific technology resources and tools that can be used to facilitate life-long learning and promote information fluency in K12 students across content areas.

What if education helped students learn to make informed decisions? What if it taught the art of learning? Let’s provide students with I-TOTEMS to help them connect their personal world with the global world.

I-totems are the information processes, resources, and tools students need to identify essential questions, evaluate multiple perspectives, and make informed decisions. I-totems involve Information, Time, Opportunities, Tools, Experiences, Motivation, and Strategies that students need to tell stories, show relationships, and describe understandings. Learning is a life long journey, not a 6, 12, or 16 year destination. It's about experiences, personal growth, and expanding understanding. It's about adventure and self-awareness. Learning is about stretching, challenging, and exploring. Technology-rich learning environments can provide the tools and atmosphere to support this type of 21st century learning.

GPS Devices and Place-based Learning

Explores ways GPS devices are integrated into classroom and community activities. Also, provides endless activity ideas and curriculum connections.

Whether talking about learning or a Global Positioning System device, it’s important to start where you are. This session examines how GPS devices are used in schools and community and provides endless activity ideas and curriculum connections. Place-based education connects schools with the local community by grounding learning in local phenomena and lived experiences. Rooted in Dewey’s focus on authentic learning, placed based approaches include cultural and historical studies, nature exploration, and real-world problem solving. Students use technology including GPS to mark, trace, track, identify, coordinate, and conduct experiments. In addition to many classroom activities, the session will explore Geocaching, benchmarking, and other established GPS-based projects.

Discussions, Chats, and Blogging: Interacting On the Web

Use the power of communication technology to help students share their understandings. Reading and writing in the content areas are more meaningful when they incorporate authentic tasks and audiences. Use discussions, chats, blogs, and other web-based tools to promote active learning.

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. For more information go to the workshop page.

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.

From No Child Left Behind mandates to grass roots parent groups, schools and communities are increasingly seeking ways to build ongoing collaborative relationships. Regardless of whether you're using web development tools, word processing documents, or desktop publishing software, there are many ways to build effective school-community connections through effective communications. Newspapers, newsletters, and other documents are just a few of the many tools that can make parents and other members of the community feel a part of the school.

Electronic newsletters and websites are a great way to build positive relationships with parents. Photographs of children at work and play demonstrate for parents the supportive atmosphere of the classroom. Student produced artwork and articles show parents that their students are productive. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate emphasizes the importance of communication between schools and parents. NCLB also stresses the importance of reading and writing. These ideas are combined through the development of innovative, informative, and interdisciplinary approaches to school to home communications. This workshop guides participants through the process of evaluating existing communications, along with designing and producing their own print, electronic, and web-based newsletters. Rather than focusing on time-consuming technology tools, the workshop stresses using existing resources such as Microsoft Word and digital cameras. For more information go to the workshop page.

Virtual Adventures: Integrating, Adapting, and Creating Virtual Experiences

Learn to explore, use, modify, and build virtual field trips, interactive adventures, and other exciting, active learning experiences with your learners. Explore how simple tools such as PowerPoint can be used to develop these exciting virtual adventures.

Whether you'd like to explore a far off place from the safety your classroom or create your own online exhibit for others to experience, this website provides a great place to begin learning about virtual field trips. Many students come to school with very limited experiences. They may never have left the town or county where they live. Schools help children reach beyond their small world. The learning environments that we create impact the careers students choose and their paths later in life.

Why spend the time and effort? Scientifically-based evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach that combines: authentic learning, real-world writing and audiences, inquiry-based learning, varied learning modalities, and flexible learning. For more information go to the workshop page.

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 reading, writing, information fluency and life-long habits of mind. This workshop will provide specific strategies to increase student performance and success.

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, reading, and writing 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. For more information go to the workshop page.

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.

Are we asking students to solve difficult problems? Are asking them to live fully and think deeply?
Choices and challenges are what learning is all about. Technology provides the tools to develop rich inquiry-based, learning experiences. Traditional testing only gets to a small part of the things we learn in school. It doesn't address the talents and insights that are often the most useful aspects of school.
In schools we often focus on the “thinking” aspect of the mind. However, human consciousness also involves perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination. Without concentrating on these elements also we’re missing much of the power of the brain. In addition to thinking, reasoning, and knowledge, our brain also processes opinion, motivation, and desire. By focusing so closely on the rational side, we may be losing the power of synergy. By focusing so hard on critical thinking, we may miss wonderful opportunities for creativity.

A balanced curriculum doesn’t take more time. Instead, it focuses on both process and product. As students better understand the why’s and how’s of learning, they are better able to address essential content.

Metacognition involves asking students to “think about thinking”. Whether practicing math facts or making high-level decisions, students need to understand the process of thinking. Technology can help and hinder this process. Mindless drill and practice does nothing to help students understand the why’s of math. Having access to billions of web pages doesn’t help students make good decisions. Technology is only useful if students are information fluent.

We need to nurture the bodies and brains of our students. Rather than junk food, our brains need meaningful learning experiences that will promote mental connections, motivate students to go beyond the basics and encourage positive habits of mind. Like our bodies, our brains need variety. Although students might like ice cream for every meal, we know that they need well-balanced meals.

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. For more information go to the workshop page.

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 session places particular emphasis on answering 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 session 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 presenter challenges teachers to find their “tipping point”. Specifically identifying those small changes that can make a big difference in teaching and learning with technology. For more information go to the workshop page.

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 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. For more information go to the workshop page.

From Takeoff to Landing: Strategies for Successful Online Courses

Explore a wealth of real-world examples and practical ideas for creating and enhancing your online courses.

From “frequent fliers” to “nervous newbies,” educators face a wide range of learners when teaching online. Successful courses must meet the individual needs of students, while still addressing course goals. This workshop provides a wealth of real-world examples and practical ideas for creating and enhancing your online courses. Going beyond the standard packages such as Blackboard, this workshop explores strategies for creating and incorporating web resources, email communications, threaded discussions, audio, video, images, and other technologies to build rich learning experiences for students. Offered by two educators who teach totally online, this workshop stresses ideas to ensure unique, interesting, and motivating courses. For more information go to the workshop page.

Information Architecture for the Web

At this free website for educators and librarians, learn about information architecture and website development through three, practical WebQuests with hundreds of resources and activities.
Whether you're evaluating the quality of an existing website or designing your own, the resources in this website will help you view web-based information with a more critical eye. The website for this web poster is located at http://eduscapes.com/arch/

Originally designed for professional development workshops and a university course, this free website contains hundreds of pages and activities. It is available to anyone who wants to learn more about information architecture and website development. Although the materials are aimed primarily at those interested in creating school and library websites, they should also be useful for anyone interested in developing effective, efficient, and appealing web-based environments.

The website is designed around three, inquiry-based learning projects that access three sets of resources. Section 1 materials focus on website and HTML basics. Learners explore and evaluate school and library websites. Links to hundreds of quality resources are provided. Next, users access resources to build a beginning level web page. Section 2 materials examine information architecture and website development. Emphasis is placed on designing effective websites for schools and libraries. Section 3 materials emphasize the development of active, living websites. Advanced content and technical aspects are explored.

Ready, Set, What's Missing? Success through Differentiation and Technology

Your students are interested, motivated, and ready to learn. You've got computers, resources, and Internet access. You've even got a lesson that addresses your exact grade level standards. What's missing? Nothing, unless your class is "normal". In a typical class, each child is unique. Some students won't be able to read the materials you've selected, a few won't find the activities challenging, and others will have difficulty with the concepts because they lack the life experiences of others. Use technology to help you differentiate the learning environment. This session explores ways to use the Internet to locate quality materials to address individual differences. In addition, ten tips are provided for connecting students to the learning environment through technology-rich resources.

Multimedia Seeds: A Starting Point for Audio, Video, and Visual Resources on the Web

Seeds are the starting point of any effective learning environment. Learn how to locate quality audio, video, and visual elements on the web that can be integrated into a wide range of technology-rich projects. In addition to specific resources, the session focuses on the evaluation, selection, use, management, and integration of online "multimedia resources". Issues such as access, copyright, and censorship are also discussed. Multimedia literacy (i.e., visual and auditory) and integration of multimedia resources into the K12 and higher education curriculum are examined, along with techniques for sharing and disseminating audio and visual elements (i.e., PowerPoint, Word, Inspiration, web pages). Finally, remote (i.e., video conferencing, streaming media) and emerging technologies (i.e., DVD) are highlighted. Explore multimedia seeds that will help students and their teachers grow a crop of great technology-rich projects.

Coasts to Corn Fields: Real-world, Field-based Learning with Two-Way Satellite Systems

From bookmobiles and field-based projects to rural schools and mobile labs, two-way satellite systems provide a way to design a truly anywhere, anytime learning environment. Whether students are collecting and uploading information at the beach, in a field, or on a mountaintop, these systems allow high-speed, wireless Internet access anywhere in North America. Popular with FEMA emergency crews and full-time Rvers, these systems have recently found their way into innovative K-12 and higher education institutions as a tool to facilitate and encourage real-world, field-based learning at all levels. This session explores examples of the many applications of this exciting technology along with ways that laptops, handheld devices, and other new technologies can be combined to build effective learning environments for students.

Orchestrating Success: Web-based Instruments for Technology Services and Support

Examine the design, creation, and delivery of web-based modules for technology service and support as a means to meet technology and professional development demands. Faced with increased demands, technology support and service departments have stretched their personnel and resources to the limit. Are there any solutions other than bigger budgets, added people, more time, more of everything? This session will examine the design, creation, and delivery of web-based modules for technology service and support as a means to meet technology and professional development demands. It will look to the advantages and limitations of such service and support strategies, provide models and examples of these web instruments, and cover their evaluation and evolution.

Join the Beam Team: New Frontiers in Teaching and Learning

Join the "beam team" and explore new frontiers of teaching and learning. No traffic jams, security lines, or costly tickets for this trip. All you need is a thirst for knowledge, a destination, and a guide to lead the way. From Palm Paradise to Internet World, remember it's the journey and not the destination that's most important. This session examines how technology can help you address important standards, meet individual needs, and engage students by taking you to new worlds of teaching and learning.

Avoiding Deja Vu: A Diet of Technology Trends that Work

Haven't we done this before? Technologies, innovations, standards, and educational strategies... we're constantly bombarded by new and recycled information and opportunities. We can't do everything. Like finding the right diet, we need to make good choices that will have a lasting, positive impact on teaching and learning. Rather than filling up on "junk food" technology, let's make fundamental changes in how we view technology in the learning environment. This session will provide specific strategies for matching the best of traditional approaches with innovations that work.

The Octopus Odyssey: Literature-Rich WebQuests, PowerQuests, and Inquiry-Based Learning

Do you feel like an octopus trying to manage multiple classroom books or reading projects at once? You don't need eight arms to be effective. Instead, you need eight strategies for engaging your students and promoting a love of reading and inquiry. This session explores practical, technology rich projects that will engage students in reading.

The Technology Storm: Fun and Frustration in the One Computer Classroom

Do you feel like you're in the middle of a technology storm without an umbrella? Although many schools have computer labs, portable laptops, and multiple classroom computers, some teachers are still dealing with a single computer in the classroom or a few old machines. Frustrated teachers ask, "What can I do with just one computer?" This session explores ways that teachers and students can use the computer in a large group setting to assess, present, access information, communicate, and produce and publish. It also examines how to use the computer as a teacher productivity tool and set-up a learning center. Finally, the session will explore integration, management, and technical issues.

Turning Dreams into Reality: Using Technology to Address the Needs of All Children

Our children have gifts, talents, challenges, and dreams. Technology can help you develop effective, efficient, and appealing learning experiences to address the individual needs of your students. This session will explore strategies for infusing a wide range of technology tools to meet diverse needs while still focusing on essential questions and standards. Learn to differentiate learning experiences by selecting channels of communication (i.e., text, visual, auditory) and technology-rich activities that meet the diverse prior experience, skills, and speeds of your students. Finally, promote critical and creative thinking through the use of webquests, powerquests, and other challenging, inquiry-based technology-rich projects.

Lessons from the Lizards: The Art of Adaptation in a Technology-Rich World

Like the reptiles, teachers must learn to adapt. There's just no time to develop new materials to meet the ever-changing standards. Instead, locate materials online, adapt existing resources, and transform activities by focusing on critical and creative thinking. This session demonstrates how to adapt the content, process, product, and evaluation elements of technology-rich lessons to build an effective learning environment in all content areas. From camouflage to replication, apply practical strategies of adaptation to explore, expand, and enhance existing teaching materials.

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.

Walls, Fences, Potholes, and Orange Cones: Overcoming Barriers to Information Age Learning

Is your world always "under construction"? Do you have a good program that you want to make great? It's time to transcend the walls that block success and explore practical ideas to balance the demands of educational standards with the importance of life-long learning, global understanding, high level thinking, and subject matter content. As we rethink our curriculum, let's consider ways to ensure that all children have the information and technology skills they need to be successful today and tomorrow. It's time to jump into the construction zone, grab an orange cone, place it on your head, and lead your school in constructing innovative ways of thinking about teaching and learning.

Extreme Thinking: Transforming Traditional Technology Projects into Effective Learning Environments

From snowboarding to skysurfing, extreme sports have stretched people's ideas about sports. We need "extreme thinking" to take our technology-rich student projects to the next level. It's time to rethink our assignments and redesign our assessments. Generative and interactive projects challenge students to seek out new ideas, build content connections, collaborate with others, and develop flexible communications. This session will provide practical ideas for "raising the bar" on student, technology-rich projects as teachers and learners work together to transform the learning environment. We'll examine levels of complexity in student products and explore what's realistic in terms of matching standards and activities with time and resources. From web projects to PowerPoint presentations, we'll discuss options for evaluating collaborative, interactive, and ongoing projects.

PANs, blogs, and eActivism: Separating the Fads from the Trends

You've heard of WANs and LANs, but what about your PAN (personal area network)? Your students do journaling, but what about blogs? You use the web, but are you eActive? The dictionary is bursting with new technology-rich words. Learn to separate the fads from the trends that will really impact teaching and learning. WebQuests, wireless laptops, and visual literacy are just a few of the current trendsetters. Explore a dozen relevant trends for educators.

Catching the Best of the Web: From Selection to Integration

Do you feel like you search and search, yet come up with few quality resources? Are you concerned about the quality of information on the Internet? You need a few good strategies to "catch the best of the web." This session will help you find partners on the web, identify quality resources, adapt online resources, and develop practical, realistic approaches to integrating Internet into your classroom. Finding good fishing buddies and the best fishing hole is the key to catching the "best of the web."

Literature Circles to EBookBuddies: Technology-Rich Learning, Libraries, Literature, and Literacy

Technology is a powerful tool for information access and communication. Literature circles have become a popular way to differentiate instruction in the classroom. This session explores the development of thematic units that focus on a set of related books. Internet resources, educational software, and technology tools are used to help students better understand the book and communicate their ideas with others. Connecting learning, libraries, literature, and literacy is critical in the information age. Webquests, online discussions, auditory and visual resources, and other technology-rich tools provide the foundation of an effective learner-centered approach to bring reading alive for students of all ages.

Discover the New World of Handhelds: Geocaching, Photo Essays, Data Collectors, and More

A long time ago, people thought the world was flat and desktop computers ruled. Schools are now discovering a whole new world of technology that includes handheld computers such as Palms and Handsprings, Global Positioning (GPS devices), digital audio recorders, tiny digital cameras, smart keyboard, calculators, and other small devices. Find a secret location, collaborate on projects, share your results, and beam your homework. These small devices can have a big impact on your classroom by adding a new dimension to accessing and sharing information. It's not time to toss your desktop computer, but it is time to explore this new world of powerful handheld devices. Right now your toolbox has only one tool. This explosion of handhelds provides a wealth of new tools to explore. This session will share the variety of handheld tools and provide practical examples of integrating these devices into the classroom.

Learning Luaus: Building Technology-Rich Learning Environments

Learning Luaus bring teachers, students, resources, and tools together in an exciting learning environment. Learning in isolation lacks meaning and isn't much fun. Join others for fun, authenticity, and synergy! Turn a lonely luau into a learning luau! We'll do a series of four activities that focus on K-12 learners as consumers, collaborators, creators, and communicators. Learners as Consumers focuses on developing technology-rich, thematic, inquiry-based learning environments that actively involve students in practical literacy activities including reading, interpreting, and evaluating words and visuals. Learners as Collaborators explores standards-based projects that emphasize meaningful learning through working and sharing with others both near and far. Questioning, information gathering and organization, and project synthesis will be explored. Learners as Creators focuses on ways to move projects from low-level copying activities to high-level thinking and creating activities. Thinking takes time, so emphasis will be placed on realistic activities that make good use of time. Learners as Communicators focuses on a wide range of ways that students can communicate their knowledge and skills to real-world audiences. Emphasize will be placed on addressing individual differences and alternatives to traditional assessment.

Technology Landscapes: Adapting to Changing Learning Environments

Explore the changing landscapes of learning through the "As" of the technology integration including how to apply good practice, adapt current skills, activate learning environment, address individual differences, acquire new partners, and advance new ideas. Examine how Internet can be used as a tool to facilitate learning. Find out how educators are changing the landscape of teaching and learning through the use of technology. Regardless of whether you feel like you're alone in the arctic or with friends at the beach, this session will help you climb the mountain of success with your technology projects.

Stuck in the Mud: Bridging the Technology Knowing-Doing Gap

Are you spinning your wheels, but not making much progress with technology integration? Most educators now have lots of "technology stuff" and know what they should be doing... but issues such as time, expertise, access, resources, and support seem to get in the way. There's a gap between what we know we should do and what we actually do. It's time to figure out how to most effectively manage and integrate all the hardware, software, and other resources available to enhance learning. This session will focus on strategies for technology leaders that will spark the interests of your students, teachers, and administrators.

Pigeon Power: Thinking Simple in a Complex World

When you compare the outcome to the time invested, are your technology projects really worth it? The problem may be that we're thinking "big" instead of "small." There are hundreds of ways to infuse technology into our curriculum without spending hours surfing the web, learning software, and creating large-scale projects. When it comes to technology, we need to start focusing on simple projects that can become a transparent part of our curriculum rather than complex, time-consuming endeavors. This session focuses on practical ways to more effectively and efficiently engage learners through simple, technology-rich activities that stimulate higher level thinking. Did you know that in some cases carrier pigeons are still the fastest way to move information? Sometimes you need to think simple in a complex world.

Lumberjack Leadership: School Administrators and Technology Integration

It's not easy being a lumberjack or a school administrator. With difficult decisions, entrenched staffs, and changing times, school administrations face an uphill battle when it comes to technology integration. For the lumberjack it's not about the cool clothes, the equipment, or cutting trees. The bottom line is getting the lumber to market. For educators, the bottom line is not the technology, but using these resources and tools to help students access and process information, solve problems, make decisions, and communicate ideas. Get out your chain saw and cut through the technology and red tape to get to the bottom line, learning.

Information Technology and the Curriculum: Unlock the World of Learning

Unlocking the world of learning requires a convergence of technology, information, curriculum, standards, and assessment. The key is to set a direction that connects curriculum areas with information technology knowledge and skills. This session helps you identify where in your teaching students need to access, process, and communicate information. Then, exploring the technology resources and tools needed to build these connections. Unlock the link between information technology and the curriculum.

Beyond the Book: Matching Reading Standards and Technology-Rich Thematic Projects

The Internet is overflowing with resources for teachers and students. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to locate worthwhile resources and build effective, efficient, and appealing curriculum materials. This workshop will help you create thematic, web-based reading/literacy units that address common reading standards and benchmarks. Learn to create web-based and technology-rich learning materials with activities, projects, and performance assessments based on reading benchmarks. Integrate a variety of web-based, reading resources for students and teachers. Explore web-based, thematic units developed by classroom teachers.

Learning Together: Internet-Rich Collaborative Projects
Collaboration involves working together toward a joint goal. This session focuses on exploring, locating, selecting, adapting, and creating successful online projects. Explore different types of Internet projects such as interpersonal exchanges, information collection, analysis activities, and problem solving projects. Learn about places to locate current and ongoing projects. The session will also help you select a project that fits the needs of you and your curriculum in terms of size, length, background, content, and technology. Learn how to adapt projects to meet your needs and the technology you have available. Finally, find out how to create and direct an online project that involves sharing through surface mail, email, the web, or video conferencing.

Riding the Reading Roller Coaster: Information Age Literacy
Information age literacy is like a reading roller coaster of opportunities. Although we often equate literacy with books, children are now reading ezines on the web and electronic books on CD. From historical events to contemporary issues, popular literature can bring reading and the world alive for students. Explore how to connect popular children's and young adult literature with online reading projects, Internet resources, and technology-rich activities to promote information age reading.

Playing Well with Others: Mentoring, Teaming, and Conducting Workshops
You need enthusiasm, tact, and patience to work with teachers. Traditional approaches to staff development for technology integration have often been ineffective in producing widespread change in teaching practices. This session explores formal and informal ways to address the professional development needs of educators. Learn ways to be prepared and make the most of "teachable moments" with technology and teachers. Examine other techniques such as study groups, creation crews, and field trips as ways to promote curriculum development activities. Find out how to recruit e-contributors, e-coaches, and e-mentors to help your technology staff expand their impact. Finally, try out a dozen ways to motivate your teachers. Learn to play well with others and bring passion and enthusiasm back into your technology program.

Becoming User-Friendly: Support, Sharing, & Smiles
The print paper is stuck, the system crashed, and I lost everything... does this sound familiar? For many teachers, technology equals hassles. Turn frustration into fun! The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything. This is the message of user-friendly technology leaders. This session focuses on ways to recruit teachers and provide practical, classroom-based technical and curriculum support. Explore ways to plan for positive teacher learning experiences and expand projects beyond the scope of the classroom. Finally, learn user-friendly techniques for dealing with people without saying "no" or making anyone feel "dumb". Remember, a smile is a passport that will take you wherever you want to go.

Windows to the World: A Dozen Ideas for Teaching and Learning at a Distance
Interactive communication systems such as two-way video, email, and web-based information sharing have given educators and their students exciting windows to the world beyond the classroom. This session explores practical, meaningful examples of engaging educators and their students through technology. A dozen ideas will be provided for teaching and learning at a distance. Topics include active learning, authentic resources, real-world audiences, problem solving, information processing, creativity, communication, collaboration, competition, motivation, multiple perspectives, and global connections. Finally, the session will focus on leadership strategies for opening these windows to the world.

Roosting in a Cactus: Planning and Assessing Technology-Rich Student Projects
Using technology in the classroom can be like trying to roost in a cactus. Look beyond the problems and explore ways that technology can enrich teaching and learning. This session focuses on guidelines for planning and assessing technology-rich student projects including designing a realistic task, creating meaningful activities, selecting technology tools, organizing resources, and promoting effective communications. If you're using a word processor as a typewriter , it's time to break out of the mold and explore new pathways for expression through effective image, word, and voice communications.

Open a Can of Worms: Managing Technology-Rich, Engaged Learning Environments
Using technology with your students can be like opening a can of worms. This workshop will help you develop realistic strategies to create an effective and efficient technology-rich learning environment in your classroom. Examine a wide range of technology options (i.e., productivity tools, multimedia, imaging, Internet) and learn to systematically select, manage, and integrate these resources to fit your grade level and content area standards and needs. Regardless of whether you have one computer or a dozen computers in your classroom, management is the key to effective, engaged learning environments. Explore practical, management guidelines for "real-world" technology integration.

Digital Glyphs: Imaging Ideas for a Visual World
Use practical, curriculum-connected activities to teach important visual literacy skills through the use of scanners, digital cameras, and imaging software. From ancient rock art to children's sidewalk drawings, we live in a visual world. Teach important visual literacy skills through the use of scanners, digital cameras, and imaging software. Packed with practical projects, participants will leave with a wealth of curriculum-connected activities that incorporate digital imaging. Explore ideas for KidPix, Photoshop, PowerPoint, HyperStudio, and other popular software packages. Regardless of your grade level or content area there are many ways to enhance learning by connecting pictures and words.

Technology Butterflies: Creating Engaging Learning Environments
Break out of your classroom cocoon and become a technology butterfly. Use technology to engage your learners in exciting, motivating activities that reach beyond your classroom. Explore technology-rich problem solving, information processing, collaboration, communication, and authentic activities. Finally, learn practical tips that will help transform you and your students into technology butterflies.

Web Walking: Developing Practical Web-Based Course Materials
Are you overwhelmed by the prospect of integrating web-based materials into your courses? Do your distance learning materials need pizazz? Are you frustrated by the endless list of constantly changing software and hardware options? Rather than chasing after the latest technology, this workshop will emphasize practical approaches to developing useful web-based course materials. The turtle won the race by walking, not running! Effective distance education programs begin with the careful creation of quality course materials. This workshop will explore a variety of techniques for incorporating existing web-based materials into your courses, as well as developing new instructional materials. Addressing the individual learning styles of students is critical in developing effective online courses. The workshop will examine strategies for building meaningful online activities and assessments that meet the needs of different types of learners. From authoring tools such as WebCT to programming languages such as JAVA, there are many ways to build web-based courses. Regardless of the tools you choose or your level of technical expertise, the steps in designing and developing specialized single pages, web-based courses, and web sites is the same. The workshop will end by exploring the keys to an effective web-based course.

Hot Wheels, Barbies, or Legos: Educational Technology Leadership
Cars, dolls, or building blocks: which were your childhood favorites? Take the technology temperament test. Do you have a guardian, artisan, idealist, or rational personality? How does your personality impact your technology leadership? In this session, participants will gain insight into their leadership skills and address a dozen key questions facing educators integrating technology into their programs. The session will conclude with building blocks of technology leadership. From modeling and coordinating to sharing and mentoring, explore ways to expand your role as a technology advocate.

Internet Expeditions: Creating WebQuest Learning Environments
Take your students on exciting Internet Expeditions by creating dynamic learning environments that put your students at the center of the action. Use the power of Internet to expand your classroom and extend your activities. WebQuests provide an authentic environment for problem solving, information processing, and collaboration. Participants will explore four ways to build WebQuest learning environments including using existing resources, adapting or modifying a WebQuest, creating a new webquest, or co-producing materials. In addition, examine instructional and classroom strategies for successfully integrating these activities into the K12 classroom. If state standards are getting you down, use WebQuests to help you address those higher-order competencies and proficiencies.

Entering Rattlesnake Gulch: Searching for K12 Internet Resources
When you use the Internet, do you feel like you're entering Rattlesnake Gulch? This presentation will provide you with some ideas for getting started using Internet yourself and with your students. Explore search tools for children and adults, locate teacher resources, and identify good starting points. Learn to live in rattlesnake country.

Student Starships: Leading and Learning in the New Millennium
Innovators unite! It's time to use the tools and resources of technology to reach for the stars. Explore effective ways to integrate Internet into the classroom, match standards and instructional development ideas with teaching and learning strategies, and consider ways to meet the individual differences of your students. The Internet can be the great discriminator or the great equalizer. You decide. Give students the tools to build their own student starship and set a unique course into the new millennium!

Information Overload and Other Techie Bugs: A Prescription for Healthy Internet Integration
Have you noticed that you can never find exactly what you need, but you can always find interesting, irrelevant websites? Do you need a personal assistant to help you wade through all the websites you've written on scraps of paper? Do you have more bookmarks than books? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you need Dr. Lamb's prescription for Information Overload. This session will help you find the "best of the net" and provide realistic strategies for integrating Internet resources into classroom activities.

Prairies, Pioneers, and Partnerships: Matching Standards, Resources, and Engaging Projects
Survive on the cyber-prairie by aligning standards, selecting useful resources, and developing engaging, technology-rich projects. Find partners and build your 'Little School on the Cyber-prairie.' To survive on the prairie, pioneers had to modify their old ways and learn new skills. We need to do the same thing on the cyberfrontier. Without careful packing, those new standards won't fit in your curriculum wagon! Pioneers toss stuff as they go and pick up new things along the way. This session will help you align standards, select useful resources, and develop engaging, technology-rich activities. Find a partner and build your 'Little School on the Cyberprairie.'

Classroom Campfires: Don't Do Internet, Do Integrate!
From identifying resources to building webquests, this hands-on workshop will help you light a virtual campfire in your classroom! Start with a spark through enticing, information-rich web-based resources. Engage students by designing active, exciting, "real-world" learning environments including an introduction, catchy focus, meaningful activity, tools, directions, and a realistic timeline.
Learning can be easy, hard, fun, or boring. How can we make our classroom an exciting place to learn? Light a campfire in your classroom! Start with a spark! Identify enticing, information-rich web-based. Identify a purpose for your fire. What are students supposed to learn? Why? Embers are the hot remains of a fire. Engage your students by designing active, exciting, "real-world" learning environments. Create a project that will keep the fire going! Sing around the campfire. Share an idea. Find out what your students have. This hands-on experience will help participants build effective web-based activities for students.

Building Treehouses for Learning: Technology in Today's Classrooms
This full-day workshop focuses on ways to effectively integrate technology into today's classrooms. It will demonstrate how you can create active learning environments that provide students with the tools they need to create their own treehouses for learning. We'll explore tools you might use in planning, producing, and presenting information in your classroom as well as a range of technologies from handouts and displays to desktop presentations, computer software, and Internet. First, the workshop focuses on developing effective teaching/learning environments including identifying outcomes and creating technology-rich lessons. Next, the workshop discusses the integration of all kinds of technologies into the classroom including books, computer software, and Internet resources. Designing and producing effective informational and instructional materials including print, visual, projected, display, multimedia, and web-based materials comes next. Finally, the workshop examines issues and ideas for dealing with management and evaluation of technology-rich learning environments

Information Age Learning: The World is at your Fingertips
Internet provides the world at your fingertips through easy information access, varied perspectives, and tools for communication and collaboration. However, users also have to deal with information overload, time consuming searches, and inappropriate materials. From identifying the information need to integrating resources into the classroom, this session focuses on using Internet as a teaching/learning resource. Explore good student starting points, varied types of information, and reasons for using the Internet. Consider current information resources such as electronic newspapers and journals, online reference materials such as encyclopedias and almanacs, and resources for teachers such as lesson plans, class management ideas, and professional development resources. Integrate web-based learning materials such as case studies, investigations, virtual field trips, practice/testing, simulations, and tutorials. Finally, the session will provide tips for surviving in the information age.

Literature Ladders: Linking Books and Internet Resources
Literature Learning Ladders is a project that uses children's books as the focal point for technology-rich thematic activities. Themes such as adventure, family, friendship, nature, fantasy, and history serve as the ladder rungs of this exciting online learning resource. From Dustbowl era historical fiction to contemporary issues such as animal abuse and divorce, popular literature can bring reading and the world alive for students. By adding the power of Internet, educators can build information-rich thematic technology connections. This session will explore how to connect popular children's literature with online resources and technology-based classroom projects. The session includes a book list, web addresses, author resources, software titles, and lots of activities that can lay the foundation for technology connections.

Caldecotts Connections: Thematic Book-Internet Links
Illustrations are a powerful way to draw children into the world of books. By adding the power of Internet and other technologies, educators can build information-rich, thematic technology connections. This session will explore how to connect Caldecott award winning books with online resources and technology-based classroom projects. Participants will leave with book lists, web addresses, and software titles that can lay the foundation for your technology connections.

Imaging and Imagination: Visual Tools in the K-12 Classroom
We remember what we see. Visuals are a powerful means of expression whether trying to teach a concept, express an idea, or change an attitude. Digital camera images, scanned pictures, still video captures, clip art, and original digital artwork can dramatically enhance your desktop presentations, multimedia projects, and web pages. This workshop will focus on ideas for integrating visual resources into K-12 classroom projects. Techniques for selecting, modifying, and using the best graphic for the project will be demonstrated. Participants will examine alternative imaging tools and output options, compare graphic file formats, and explore techniques for creating and enhancing images. Finally, the session will apply these ideas to realistic classroom projects using popular imaging software such as KidPix and Photoshop.

Ringmasters, Clowns, and Tightropes: Educational Technology Management and Leadership
If you're supposed to be the ringmaster but feel more like a clown, this session will help you address 15 "biggie" educational technology questions that teachers, parents, and school board members often ask. Do you feel like you're walking a technology tightrope? This session will help you deal with the fun and frustrations of life as a technology leader. We've got answers to the big questions: correct, incorrect, and just plain silly. Do computers really make a difference in kids' learning? What's technology integration? How many computers are enough? How do you handle aging technology? How do you assess the technology program? How do you prepare for new technology? How do you motivate teachers? How do you handle the implementation dip? What's the best way to configure computers in schools - singles, clusters, labs? What's the role of the Internet in schools? Where do we put our emphasis? This session will address 15 "biggie" educational technology questions that teachers, parents, and school board members are always asking. If you're supposed to be the ringmaster but feel more like a clown, this session is for you.

Producing Pearl Projects: Technology-Rich, Engaged Learning Environments
Create a 'pearl of a project' that engages learners through technology-rich, meaningful learning environments. Learn to apply engaged learning ideas including problem solving, information processing, collaboration, communication, and "real world" activities. Explore practical, K12 projects that integrate technology tools and resources including books, Internet, CD-ROM, imaging, video, and multimedia. Not all oysters produce pearls and not every classroom project is a success. How can you create a pearl of a project that engages learners through technology rich, motivating, meaningful, and authentic learning environments? This workshop applies ideas related to engaged learning including problem solving, information processing, collaboration, communication, and "real world" activities. Rather than focusing on "what engaged learning is", the workshop will examine practical projects that apply these ideas to classroom settings through the use of technology tools and information resources including books, Internet, CD-ROM, imaging, video, and multimedia. For example, a book, historical site, video, or small animal may serve as the focus point, Internet resources provide background information, and meaningful activities engage students in reading, exploring information, and learning.

Technology Tools in Teaching and Learning
Engage students in learning by creating exciting, real-world projects that integrate the tools of technology for communicating, calculating, and organizing ideas and information. Hammers, spoons, shovels, and thermometers... every profession has its tools. Teachers and students use the tools of technology for writing, calculating, and organizing ideas and information. In this workshop you'll learn to integrate productivity tools including word processing, and databases into the K-12 classroom. Engage students in learning through the development of exciting creative, real-world classroom projects that require students to locate, evaluate, organize, analyze, and communicate information in order to solve problems, make informed decisions, and effectively share their ideas with others.

Seven Simple Starters: Realistic Internet Integration
This short (30 minute) presentation focuses on seven simple "starters" for teachers interested in integrating Internet into their classroom. From daily activities to engaging projects, this session provides seven simple "starters" for teachers interested in integrating Internet into their classroom. Internet integration can be so overwhelming. Where do you begin? This session focuses on seven simple "starters" for teachers interested in integrating Internet into their classroom. From daily activities to engaging projects, this poster session will provide lots of practical, classroom integration ideas.

42eXplore: An Approach to Internet Integration
We need three legs for a sturdy chair. We also need at least three quality resources for a foundation of Internet information. With four sites, one can be down and we still have enough for information comparisons. This session will help you evaluate and select Internet resources, then create effective learning activities. Explore a weekly web resource called 42eXplore (http://eduscapes.com/42explore) that provides help you get started with topics and activities across content areas and grade levels.

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Presentation Topics

Technology Integration

Reading, Writing, and Technology

Management and Programs

Specific Technologies

Information Inquiry and Technology

Presentation Topics and Descriptions