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’ve been off the blogging path for a while, sidetracked by a number of projects that I have kept me quite busy for the last 3-4 months. One of those projects was an eTech Ohio Teacher Planning Grant program I have been leading called the Digital Text Initiative. Over the course of the 2011-2012 school year, I’ve been working with 9 K-2 teachers in 3 local districts to study the ways elementary teachers incorporate eBooks in their classroom.

This has been a great project, and one that was noticed by a writer from the New York Times. He published a piece titled “Bringing up an E-Reader” back in March that featured students, parents and a teacher from the DigiTXT program. I’m currently working on data analysis from a variety of sources and also starting to put together some of the greatest hits from the project for the a final report. This report is slated to be released as a white paper about mid-June. I was asked for 3 DOs and 3 DON’Ts for using eBooks that we could use in the white paper. Here they are.

DO:

1. Look for eBooks with content that has direct ties to your curriculum and student’s personal experiences.
2. Allow students opportunities to self-select eBooks for independent and shared reading experiences.
3. Consider the role space plays in the reading experience and design a quality-learning environment for browsing/reading eBooks in the classroom.

DON’T:

1. Select eBooks with multimedia or interactivity that is extraneous and/or not relevant to the story.
2. Use an eBook with students until you have thoroughly previewed and evaluated its potential as an instructional resource.
3. Underestimate the “WOW” factor that eBooks bring to the table. Use their natural engagement to capture reluctant reader’s interest and motivate them.

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

eTech Ohio is hosting the 2010 Ohio Educational Technology Conference — an idea factory for P-20 education — from February 1-3, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. On Tuesday, February 2, 2010 from 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM, Ohio educators Toby Fischer (@futureofedu) and Jeremy Brueck (@brueckj23) will be leading a panel discussion titled “Leading for 21st Century Learning: What Every Ohio Adminstrator Needs to Know.”

Panelists we hope to include:

• Dr. Dwight McElfresh, Director of Professional Development Services, Ashland University
• Dr. Wade Lucas, Superintendent, Olentangy Local School District
• Dr. Paul Kulik, Director of School Study Council of Ohio

Description from online conference planner:

As Ohio becomes the 14th state to join the Partnership for 21st century skills, what does this mean for district leaders? This interactive session will showcase promising practices, stories, and behaviors linked to 21st Century leadership success. Topics include ethical leadership, sustaining a culture of learning, professional development, and promoting instructional and curriculum excellence.

Read the rest of this entry…