Session Resources

1. Download When Ebooks Go to School (Epub format)
2. When Ebooks Go to School Bibliography
3. Read the rest of this entry…

EdCamp Columbus was held yesterday at Gahanna Lincoln Clark Hall, which is a beautiful facility. It is also a really nice example of ways private and public sectors can come together to create learning spaces that benefit the entire community. The photo below from Sean Wheeler is a great example of the type of learning space you find in Clark Hall.

One of the conversations I submitted to the Big Board was “Textbooks are Dead, People: The Relevance of Student Created Ebooks in the Common Core.” I’ll admit, I went for a somewhat controversial title in hopes of gather a decent crowd for the conversation.

We had a nice crowd and the comments, questions and suggestions were really good. You can review the Google Doc from the conversation if you’d like to see how the conversation broke down. Not everything discussed made it into the Doc, but there were a few people tweeting from the session. Their Storify story is below. Read the rest of this entry…

I was down in Columbus, Ohio this week to attend eTech Ohio‘s annual educational technology conference, OETC13. I was involved in a number of interesting sessions, but my one “official” conference presentation was a BYOT titled “Student-Created Multimedia eBooks on the iPad in Grades K-3.”

The Google Site I created as a resource can be found here. I included quite a bit of background information that covers the current research on ebooks for young children, types of ebooks, selecting ebooks and also evaluating ebooks. This content is Flash-based, so if you’re trying to review it on an iPad, you’re out of luck. Sorry! But trust me, it is good stuff, so find a desktop or laptop and go through it!

The BYOD activity for the session is here. Please feel free to borrow, steal, use or remix with your students or teachers. If you’re just looking for my app recommendations from the session, here are the FREE ones and the PAY ones. If you want to learn more about how the session went, read on…

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I’ve spent the past few days getting everything in order for my trip to the Ohio Educational Technology Conference in Columbus. The conference runs from February 11-13, 2013. This year, I have a pretty full schedule. Part of that is due to the fact that I’ve been heavily involved in the planning for a new aspect of OETC. For the 2013 conference, a small team of edtech professionals from around the state have been working in conjunction with eTech Ohio to put together OECTx, the “official UNconference of OETC.”

OETCx is an event that’s happening in conjunction with the eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference on Tuesday, February 12, 2013. This event will take place on the second floor of C-Pod (rooms C-224 through C-226) all day.

The idea is to combine social network tools and a participant-driven schedule to make the eTech conference more interactive and engaging.

In 224 and 225, we’ll have a number of areas set up for “unconference” style sessions. We’ll use a format similar to the popular EdCamps, where topics are decided on the fly and participants engage in conversations about those topics. This format allows anyone with an idea to collaborate with others around that shared interest. It also gives regular session presenters the opportunity to have followup sessions to continue the conversation and get feedback from attendees on their sessions.

Meanwhile, in 226, we have a number of sessions scheduled. These will include a simulcast and real-time discussion of the keynote, roundtable discussion of BYOD and 1:1, an Ignite-style session where teachers will share ideas in 5-minute presentations with 20 auto-advancing slides, an App Smack Down, and several scheduled sessions that will be in the conference planner. Read the rest of this entry…

I facilitated two 135 minute discussions around the use of iPads in the classroom with teachers and administrators from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools (BBH) back at the end of August as part of their staff in-service day. Rather than deliver lecture style presentations over a ton of apps, I decided I wanted to create a more meaningful and engaging learning experience to use with the BBH staff.

The concept for the two sessions was to remix ideas and content I had seen used before in other professional learning settings. The first was an idea that I was familiar with from attending and leading conversations at Science Leadership Academy‘s EduCon. It involved the use of a conversation protocol to help guide the session. The second was drawn from a Media Scavenger Hunt that Dr. Wesley Fryer had put together for a session he led called “Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing.” The final idea was adapted from something I’d seen David Jakes use as part of his What If? presentation series.

Sources

• EduCon Session Protocols
• Wes Fryer’s “Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing” Media Scavenger Hunt
• David Jakes “What If?”
• Jeremy Brueck’s BBH iPads 2012 Google Site

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ISTE 2012 is underway. On Tuesday at 12:15 PM PST I’ll be moderating a panel discussion around 1:1 computing in education. A top notch panel has been assembled to contribute to the session. They’re all leading 1:1 initiatives in their districts and bring a wealth of experience to the table. But we need your help, your voice. We need to know what questions you have about going 1:1. However, the questions have to go beyond the device. We need to consider all aspects that contribute to building a successful 1:1 or BYOD program.

How can you contribute? Take a few minutes to look over our backchan.nl document. Vote for the topics and questions you feel are most relevant to this discussion. Feel free to add any questions you feel are missing. Make your voice heard and help shape the conversation that unfolds Tuesday. We appreciate your time and input.

From the ISTE porgram:

Transcending the Device: Crucial Conversations around 1:1

Jeremy Brueck, University Of Akron with Benjamin Grey, Jim Klein, Scott Meech, Matt Montagne and Joe Morelock

iPad2, Xoom, Playbook, iPod Touch, netbook, iPhone, Chromebook, this list of potential 1:1 devices continues to grow on a seemingly daily basis. Nearly everyday, a new device is hyped, over-hyped and pushed into our consciousness by a barrage of media and market glam. Due to the pervasiveness of mobile technologies into daily life, countless questions from school leaders and teachers continue to arise around mobile computing devices, specifically which device is best for creating a 1:1 program in a school or district.

Traditionally, much of the 1:1 discussion centers on “what” device to purchase, rather than what the school intends to accom­plish with 1:1. Through a variety of perspectives provided by the distinguished panel members, we will discuss both the overarching goals of 1:1 implementations, as well as debate the merits of iOS, Android, Linux, netbooks, iPads, laptops and other devices commonly associated with 1:1. This discussion will provide the information ISTE attendees need to begin this journey in their own school or district, including useful advice, best practices and practical strategies, from a panel of highly qualified experts who have an established track record of success in the 1:1 arena.

Creating 1:1 spaces enables students to learn in an environment where students can own their learning and are engaged meaningful work. Establishing a new environment for this type of learning takes careful planning and consideration. There is some research that indicates 1:1 computing can produce impressive results. Findings indicate that 1:1 computing can provide greater access to resources, information, and up-to-date instructional content. In addition, 1:1 environments can lead to increased student motivation, engagement, interest, organization, and self-directed learning. Join a collection of educational thought leaders from across the country for an interactive conversation focused on developing, deploying and sustaining a successful 1:1 program.

Photo Credit: Enjoying the Keynote by Ben Grey on Flickr

So you’re coming to DigiCamp for Teachers and you’re planning to bring your own Apple mobile device, but which apps should you load up prior to camp to make your time on the beautiful University of Akron campus productive? Look no further, I’m here to share with you all the apps that the Center for Literacy has loaded on their “loaner” iPads and iPod Touches. While we made ever effort to pick as many free apps as possible, sometimes it’s just worth paying to get a high-quality app.

iPad Apps

• View App List in Google Docs

iPod Touch Apps

• View App List in Google Docs

Cross-posted on Digi-Camp for Teachers

Session Date:    02/14/2012
Session Room:    D233 – 235
Session Start Time:    1045
Presenter: Jeremy Brueck

The iPad revolution is here! Even our youngest students expect a learning space that integrates digital tools, accommodates a mobile lifestyle, adapts to individual learning styles & encourages collaboration. Teachers must become proficient in an mLearning pedagogical approach grounded in an understanding of mobile technologies hardware, software & OS. How does a teacher incorporate all these technology tools into meaningful learning? Help your students use iOS apps to tell their own stories, boosting reading and writing skills. Find out which apps work best for what grade levels and learn management techniques for projects. Attendees will learn about many different iOS apps to support and enhance the reading and writing process. This session will prepare K-5 administrators, teachers and parents to support student use of iOS devices in the elementary classroom.

Session Date:    02/15/2012
Session Room:    C213 – 214
Session Start Time:    0800
Presenter: Jeremy Brueck
Co Presenter(s): Kelly Kendrick; Kimberly Brueck; Tammy DeDominicis