Chisholm Creek Park
Oliver St/KS 96, Westside Shelter
Wichita, KS
Lat: 37.74292 Long: 97.27283

So, check your email daily and be ready to hunt and respond as the Kanas Discovery Education Leadership Council sends out daily scavenger hunt emails. First two folks to respond correctly to each question will win a prize. Good luck and happy hunting!

P.S. Keep your eyes open for news coming soon regarding a Geocaching Day event in Wichita!

Although we arrived late Friday evening, we stayed up until 2 AM, sharing how to use Discovery Education resources within the Rover app while being advised on Ikea funiture choices.

Much of our late night dinner was focused on motivating teachers and students to become more active as 21st Cent. Learners through DE and how to navigate the different obstacles we encounter.  We were 7 : Liz, Gina, Katie, Trace, Jan, Margie & Peg. Poor  Amy had her flight cancelled so she arrived with  Emma & Wendy  who drove in from MI, on Sat AM.  We took on the city streets, braving the wind, heading to Old Towne for 2 shows of “Second City”.  Thank Goodness we had Liz W. to help us efficiently navigate the city! She empowered us to  use our time together wisely, using the city transit without losing anyone!

Being the Dedicated DEN Sisters we are, we shared geocaching stories and ideas. Once Genny arrived from the PA DOD Sunday morning, we headed out to experience the Science Museum and Mythbusters exhibit! What a great interactive display with a clear educational motive, helping people understand the scientific method and real world connections through testing myths! We all plan to return with our kids to enjoy this exhibit again! There is Great learning and fun for the whole family!

After the Museum of Science and Industry, we headed back to the hotel for more iPad sharing, surfing each other ‘s wikis and resources! Genny even held a raffle with tickets and prizes! We had DENnis Grice join in through FaceTime, and the “draw something app marathon” continued!

On Monday Morning, we had our final mission: visit the Discovery Office in Chicago.
We put on our walking shoes and headed out to the Office.  Security was off-balance, but persisted to gain us access. We were thrilled that Mike Bryant was in the building! Mike gave us a tour, introducing us to all the hard working, behind the scenes people, who make the Discovery Education product so great!

Now, I can’t possibly share everything we learned, but here are a few lessons we can share:
1. IKEA supplies furniture to the hotel… Be gentle!
2.  If you forget your smart phone when traveling, it was probably a gift from God.
3.  There is no way to stop room 105 except pure exhaustion.

4.  The safest iPads have iBallz.

5.  Always have a DEN buddy in the City! They catch you when you fall, pick up your wallet when you leave it on the bus, buy tickets on credit knowing you will pay them back, watch your back when you enter establishments
6.  Always carry your  phone charger.
7.  Bus routes matter!
8.  Chad L can’t draw… and blames it on his kids!
9.  Former school administrators become floor managers at Second City
10.  When on a stair case, Shift Left!
11.  You can never sing Happy Birthday too much to a DEN Star!
12.  Not every establishment in Chicago is meant for women!

13.  Steve Dembo has no sticky-notes or tape in his office.
14.  Discovery Streaming has audiobooks for Hunger Games!

But most importantly,  DEN Friends are always willing to share and help each other!  Discovery Education has created a healthy atmosphere of support through constant modeling of professional development and innovative educational approach.    The energy and excitement we share for motivating kids to love learning in the 21st Century never fades!  Our little   “DENSI PreCon” was a great fix! Now we wait for the Real thing with all our DEN Friends!  Hope to see you all in MT!

Matt Monjan has blended technology and education for more than ten years in the worlds of business and K-12 instruction. Prior to joining the Discovery Education team in 2004, Matt designed, developed, and implemented adult education and certification programs for two of the largest trade associations in the country. At Discovery, Matt has worked with classroom teachers on the nuts and bolts of implementing technology and with administrators on using data from technology management to develop effective strategies for technology integration. Matt speaks across the county including presentations at local, state, and regional conferences, among them FETC, PETE&C, MASSCUE, Christa McAuliffe, VSTE and MICCA.

Contact Jim Clark (jclark559@att.net) with any questions.

The day will start at 9 a.m. with opening statement and an overview of the process for educators to become a “STAR Educator”. Following the opening session, participants will have the opportunity to participate in multiple sessions throughout the day. The sessions being offered are:

• Building For Differentiated Instruction – Using the builders to create Writing Prompts, Quizzes, and Assignments for classes and individuals.
• Fluid Classrooms (Focusing on EPUBS & media integration)
• Establishing Classroom Management – Using the Classroom Manager to create classes and manage student work in DE Streaming.
• Creating a Digital Resource Kit – Organizing resources identified in searches in folders as well as shared locations.
• Interacting with DE via Interactive Whiteboard Applications – Tips and tricks to using media and resources available the Discovery Education website.

So, those interested in saddling up and joining the posse in Dodge City. Be sure to register for the event and learn from the members of the Kansas Discovery Education Leadership Council.

• Consumer to Creator - The Student as Both the Learner and the Teacher.

• Not only does today’s student want to be engaged through technology, media, and conversations at the same time, they also want to be able to instantly share their own content, ideas, and creativity with their peers and, in fact, the world. Our students have progressed beyond consumers of content to become producers and publishers. How do we, as educators, teach to someone who is technically proficient, and social media-minded? During this session we’ll explore different avenues in which the traditional model of learning is replaced with a challenge that requires students to draw on prior learning, acquire new knowledge, and tap their creativity to fashion solutions.

Don’t stress about deciding which sessions to attend. All participants will be able to attend the sessions provided by Matt, Justin and Joe as they are being conducted as concurrent sessions. Here is the schedule for each session as well as lunch.
9:20 Session 1
10:30 Session 2
11:30 Lunch and Private Screening Event
12:30 Session 3
1:30 Wrap-up and Door Prizes

• Justin Karkow will be presenting “Digital Integration & the Common Core”

This presentation focuses on how school and district leaders can maximize effective teaching practices and improve student engagement resources through quality professional development with an emphasis on coaching and mentoring. Concepts and ideas discussed include a focus on articulating explicit goals that are measurable and observable, as well as conducting professional development that includes the integration of common core focused content, pedagogy best practices, and available technologies.

• Matt Monjan’s breakout session is entitled “A Tangled Web of Content Untangled for Administrators”

There has never been more award-winning and innovative content on the Web to use in the classroom. How does an administrator cull through the sites for the best materials? During this session we’ll explore the web to find safe source material and interactive web 2.0 sites that you can use to engage your students. We’ll also examine different ways in which you can marry this new found content together with the content you already have access to within Discovery Education streaming.

• Joe Diaz will be addressing “Coast to Coast Collaboration for the 21st Century Educator”

Don’t let distance come between your schools and collaboration! Whether it is across your district, county, or state, learn how to close the distance with on-line collaboration tools. In this session you will learn how to incorporate a host of free resources that will allow you and your teachers to streamline instructional planning, deliver professional development, raise student test scores, and connect classrooms for FREE!!! A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles, so let’s take the road less travelled!

The Kansas Leadership Council encourages everyone to come learn, collaborate, and enjoy this Day of Discovery with us in Wichita!

-Geared Clock
-Balance scale
-Connecting Cubes
-A variety of backgrounds including game boards (with pieces), work mats, and story mats.
-Much, much more!

Those educators found themselves having problems selecting from the nearly bottomless bag of treats provided by Traci Blazosky’s Monster Mash-Up and the buffet list of lesson resources from Nancy Sharoff. Two of the big hits shared during those sessions was Animoto and Blabberize.

Personally, I have not experimented with Blabberize in a couple years. So, I created the following example to share and express my gratitude for our hosting school district Goddard as well as Jim Clark and Doug Mann for taking the lead in arranging this onsite event.

As a final share, I am embedding a portion of my virtual conference presentation “Treat Yourself to a Story”. The first few slides will provide links to the examples used to focus on the technical and content aspects that compose a digital storytelling project. Be sure to review the Google doc “Technical Lens” evaluation for the video A Woman Serves along with the spreadsheet containing feedback focusing on “Content Lens” of Girl Fiddler.

Haven’t come across this tool yet?  Here is how to access it!  Begin by logging into your Discovery Education account.  Then, locate the Teacher Center under the navigation bar.  The icon and link for Discovery Atlas Interactive Map is on your Teacher Center page!