Moving at the Speed of Creativity Podcasts

Podcast333: Reflections on Social Media, School Change, 21st Century Learning Skills, and China

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:17:35 -0600

This podcast is a reflection I recorded on a flight back to the United States from the October / November 2009 21st Century Learning Conference in Hongzhou, China. There are some issues about which I am reticent to blog, given their poliltical sensitivity in China, but want to share and reflect upon because of the importance they have for a variety of reasons. In this podcast I reflect about social media, the similarities faced by Chinese as well as U.S. educational leaders seeking to integrate digital technologies and 21st century skills into formal school settings, and the opportunities presented by social media for educational as well as societal change. I became more aware of "the power of place" and the uneven distribution we have today of digital technologies and open access to digital content as a result of my experiences in China this week. The opportunity to disagree, to speak openly, and to form groups are all so important within a free society. I would like to present a new session at upcoming conferences titled something like, "Don't Filter Your Network Like a Communist." We need to recognize the value and importance of open access and discourse in our society and in our schools, and take steps to insure our learners are empowered to create, communicate, and collaborate on a regular basis. Note: A little after the twenty minute point of this podcast, for some reason there is some distortion in the recording. This distortion just persists for about 20 seconds, however, and does clear up for the remainder. My apologies for this, I'm not sure what happened!

Podcast332: WordPress Saves Lives - Learn How #actem09

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:54:51 -0500

This podcast is a recording of the ACTEM 2009 conference breakout session, "WordPress Saves Lives - Learn How," by Wesley Fryer on October 16, 2009. ACTEM is the Association of Computer Technology Educators in Maine, and their 2009 conference was held in Augusta. The official conference description for this session was: WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) and blogging platform which powers many dynamic, engaging websites today. Whether you are a classroom teacher, a librarian, a school administrator, an instructional technology specialist or an IT technician, you should know about WordPress and the powerful as well as moderated / safe ways it can be used to publish interactive content online. In this session we'll explore the basics of Wordpress as well as the extensible features it offers with custom themes and plug-ins. Help end the online suffering which continues thanks to websites created with Microsoft Frontpage in the late 1990s! Learn about WordPress, use it, and share its power with others! [END OF DESCRIPTION] Check out the podcast shownotes for referenced links and resources from this session.

Podcast331: Leveraging the Potential of Social Media for School Public Relations

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:16:26 -0500

This podcast is a recorded presentation from the 2009 Oklahoma School Public Relations Association conference at Quartz Mountain on April 23, 2009. This session, presented by Wesley Fryer, was titled, “Leveraging the Potential of Social Media for School Public Relations.” The official presentation description was: Social media technologies offer excellent opportunities for school public relations officials as well as teachers, administrators, librarians and others to communicate with parents and other community constituents. In this session we’ll explore how educators and students are using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, as well as a variety of wiki and blog platforms to “tell their story” about the wonderful learning experiences and opportunities available in their schools. We’ll address legal issues including confidentiality, CIPA, FERPA, and liability concerns, as well as practical issues like how to moderate community comments as well as student-created text and media postings. School officials should proactively embrace opportunities to use social media technologies in smart and effective ways to safely communicate with constituents on the global stage which is the Internet.* This session will showcase current examples of educational leaders who are doing this successfully, as well as share ideas for how school leaders can get started. [end of description] Refer to the podcast shownotes for links to presentation slides on SlideShare as well as referenced videos and websites

Podcast330: Get Out of Your FUNK, Cut the JIVE! Make Your Classroom Come Alive!!!

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:13:17 -0500

This podcast is a recorded presentation from the Podstock 2009 conference on May 1 in Wichita, Kansas, by some of the most innovative elementary teachers you could ever hope to meet. Linley Voboril, Tamara Padfield, and Kimberly Herron presented this session titled, Get Out of Your FUNK, Cut the JIVE! Make Your Classroom Come Alive!!! The official conference description for this session was: Get your students totally psyched about Social Studies by seamlessly integrating technology into your classroom. We have weaved Google apps, Voice Thread, iMovie, podcasting, and many other 2.0 tools into content to make learning seriously groovy! [end of description] Linley's bio on the conference website stated: I am a fifth grade teacher at a very progressive district in Inman, Kansas. Our fifth and sixth grade classrooms are the recipients of back-to-back Technology Rich Classroom grants for the past two years. As educators, we have worked hard to seamlessly weave technology into existing curriculum and develop new, exciting activities to accompany that. As a teacher of 17 years, ranging from kindergarten through 6th grade, including special education, I feel empowered by technology. The excitement to share and learn with other educators has impacted my instruction in numerous ways. I received my undergraduate degree from Kansas Wesleyan University and my Master's degree from Wichita State University. I have had the privilege of teaching 13 years in the McPherson school district and four years at Inman. [end] Kimberly noted in her conference bio: The utilization of project-based research, cooperative learning, computer software and web 2.0 tools. These tools enhance the educational experience of her students helping them achieve both academic and personal growth. [end] I thoughtlessly placed my recorder for this session right next to the projector fan, so there was a lot of background noise in this original recording. I attempted to use Apple's Soundtrack Pro to remove a lot of the background noise, but the results are just marginally better. Please accept my apologies for the uncharacteristically poor quality of this audio recording - but realize the IDEAS these teachers shared are fantastic!

Podcast329: Playing Civilization Revolution on the iPod Touch / iPhone

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:55:33 -0500

This podcast features an interview with 11 year old Alexander, discussing his experiences playing the iPod Touch / iPhone version of the game Civilization Revolution. According to the English WikiPedia entry for the game: Civilization Revolution is a turn based strategy game. In past installments the player had more control over the rules of the game and often the game could last for more than ten hours. In Civilization Revolution the games for the most part can be finished within three hours... Players can control one of 16 different civilizations, each with a different leader. Each civilization starts the game with a different special bonus that can be either a technology, a Great Person, or a special ability. As the game progresses through time, the civilizations also obtain new abilities when they reach a specific number of technologies. In a given game each civilization can have up to four bonuses that vary from civilization to civilization. Many of the civilizations have specific specialized units that only they can build but unlike previous installments, these are for looks only. Special units do not possess abilities beyond the normal unit but may have varying stats. [END OF WIKIPEDIA TEXT] Alexander first played the "lite" / free version of the game, and over the Labor Day weekend bought the game (on sale) for $3 US. I'm amazed how complex this game is, and how far games have advanced in the past years. Alexander also contrasts this game to the online, browser game Travian, which he has also played extensively.

Podcast328: Students as Self-Advocates: Why/How Learners Should Craft Their Own Digital Footprints (Ginger Lumen)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:01:50 -0500

This podcast features a recording of Ginger Lumen's presentation with her students at the 2009 PodStock conference entitled, "Students as Self-Advocates: Why/How Learners Should Craft Their Own Digital Footprints." The official conference description of the session was: When you last "Googled" your name, what did you find? All learners should ponder those results when considering potential colleges, scholarships, jobs, and even future mates. Is it better for the results to come up poorly or not at all? Come learn how we can help our children become more digitally literate and earn an A+ in Digital Citizenship. [END OF DESCRIPTION] The Podstock conference bio for Ginger Lumen stated: Ginger is the Director of the f2f Program at Turning Point Learning Center, a charter school in Emporia, KS. The f2f Program has been developing over the past 3 years with a PBL, 21st Century, global orientation for our 5th-8th graders. The result has been the Life Practice Model, where students are practicing skills and habits that will truly prepare them for the real world. Ginger graduated from Emporia State University with a BSE in Social Science and an MS in Psychology/Special Education: Gifted Education. She also serves as the KS Education Policy and Legislative Liaison for the Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative and serves as part of the Kansas Learning First Alliance. [END OF BIO] Please refer to the podcast shownotes for related links and resources.

Podcast327: Using Digital Technologies and Personal Learning Networks to Enhance Learning by Clif Mims (Podstock09 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:45:48 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Dr. Clif Mim's outstanding keynote on day 2 of the Podstock 2009 conference held in Wichita, Kansas, on May 2, 2009. The title of Clif's session was, "Using Digital Technologies and Personal Learning Networks to Enhance Learning." Clif's website bio states: Clif Mims is a native of the Mississippi Delta and has more than 16 years of teaching experience. He taught elementary and middle school students and coached basketball and math teams to numerous championships. He later became a faculty member at the University of Georgia while simultaneously earning his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from UGA. Dr. Mims became an assistant professor of elementary mathematics at the University of Mississippi in 2003. Clif joined the University of Memphis' Instructional Design and Technology faculty in 2005 and now serves as Program Coordinator. His research interests are related to the effective integration of technology with the processes of teaching and learning, especially in teacher education. [end of bio] This was a great session by Clif! Please refer to the podcast shownotes for links to Clif's slides, Ustream video archives of this session, and additional related resources.

Podcast326: Reflections on the Google Teacher Academy - Boulder, Colorado

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:17:24 -0500

This podcast was mobile-recorded from the road, driving across Kansas following the Google Teacher Academy in Boulder, Colorado, on August 5, 2009. The GTA is a packed day of learning, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to not only learn more about Google and Google Tools, but also network with some extremely innovative teachers from around the United States. According to the official GTA website: The Google Teacher Academy is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region. [end of description] This podcast includes some of my reflections on my experiences as well as learning takeaways from #gtaco.

Podcast325: Implementing a Shared Vision for Digital Learning in Kingman, Kansas

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:28:18 -0500

This podcast is an interview with Scott Carter, superintendent of schools in Kingman, Kansas. Scott is continuing to lead his district to implement a bold strategic plan which was collaboratively created three years ago. The district's top priority is to support "learning connected and related to the real world through the use of integrated curriculum." The second priority involves orienting education and curriculum to the interests and abilities of students. Priority three is informing and engaging the communities [served by the school district] through coordination with all city and county entities, and the fourth priority is to be a leader in using technology as a leaning tool. These strategic goals are being operationalized in several ways in Kingman, including a focus on administrative expectations for effective technology integration (utilizing the LoTi framework and H.E.A.T. analysis tools) and a new middle school one-to-one learning initiative in 2009-2010 utilizing Lenovo netbooks. Thanks to Scott for sharing background information about the work of educators in his district to prepare students to thrive in the 21st century. I also included a shout-out to Scott Elias and Melinda Miller for their fantastic podcast, The Practical Principals, which I listened to today on my commute to and from Kingman. If you're a school administrator, don't miss "The New Administrators Wiki" project they showcased in their episode from April 2009. See the podcast shownotes for links!

Podcast324: Gaming, Fun, and Digital Citizenship at the Internet Cafe in Cushing, Oklahoma

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:04:06 -0500

This podcast is a recording of an interview I conducted in February 2009 with Linda the Computer Lady at her Internet Cafe in Cushing, Oklahoma. The young people in Cushing (as well as older folks who are digitally inclined) are extremely fortunate to have an entrepreneur like Linda in their community who has provided this accountable and safe environment for Internet-based gaming and fun since 2004. Where Internet Cafes focused on gaming for teens have failed in some other Oklahoma communities, this business in Cushing (a small community of approximately 8000 people) is continuing to survive. Linda’s cafe is the 21st century version of the corner drug store or soda fountain. I was impressed with the ways Linda maintains a climate of accountability for her patrons, and the ways she is helping them learn about digital citizenship, accountability, and the responsible use of digital resources as they enjoy gaming online. In the introduction to the podcast, I also share a few experiences about testing the Platronics 470 headset for podcasting. I recorded this interview after recording a webcast for the Oklahoma Technology Assistance Center (OTAC) which is located across the street from Linda’s Internet Cafe in Cushing. I wish all our Oklahoma communities could have an Internet Cafe environment like Linda’s to enjoy and in which they could learn.

Podcast323: R U In My Space? Y Have A Social Media Policy Guideline? (NECC09 Preso by Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:02:37 -0500

This podcast is a recording of the presentation "R U In My Space? Y Have A Social Media Policy Guideline?" at the NECC 2009 conference in Washington D.C. on July 1, 2009. Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer shared this presentation, along with Gina Hartman who joined us via Skype. Gina and Karen collaborated with others to create social media guidelines in spring 2009 for the Francis Howell School District in Saint Louis, Missouri. The official session description at NECC was: As school districts explore the use of social computing throughout the school day and as an approach to extend instruction, many educators are making the decision to create a wiki, publish video online, or to participate in blogging, social networking or virtual worlds. Social media guidelines encourage educators to participate in social computing and strive to create an atmosphere of trust and individual accountability. Teachers who must hide their online activity because of nonexistent social media guidelines risk losing their jobs and reputations. A better approach is to collaboratively develop a policy that is acceptable to administrators, school board members, teachers and parents allowing for involvement in the global conversation in which many are contributing. (end of description) Please join our Facebook group, linked in the podcast shownotes. This is an important conversation which needs to take place with students, teachers, and parents in all our schools.

Podcast322: Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning (Ingredients 1 - 5)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:42:57 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a videoconference I shared with educators in Texas and Ohio on July 7, 2009, as part of the summer Tandberg Connections professional development program. The session description was: Good teaching is similar in many ways to good cooking. Recipes are helpful, but master cooks often modify those to meet different needs and situations. The same is true for teachers. If we extend this analogy of cooking to teaching and learning in a web 2.0 world, what are the best "ingredients" to use as we help both teachers and students learn to be more effective, safe, and powerful communicators in our flat world? In this working session we will focus on five key ingredients: Social Bookmarking, Collaborative Document Writing, Synchronous Conferencing, Online Photo Sharing, and Minimal Click Digital Storytelling. Cooking can be intimidating for novices, but richly rewarding. Let's learn to cook up some gourmet learning with some powerful (and free) web 2.0 tools! (end of description) We addressed ingredients one through five (of ten) in this session. Learn more about the Powerful Ingredients writing project (which Karen Montgomery and I are doing) by visiting powerfulingredients.com.

Podcast321: Getting a Global Perspective - The Power of Collaborative Projects by Dyane Smokorowski

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:33:43 -0500

This fantastic presentation by Dyane Smokorowski (Mrs. Smoke) was shared at the PodStock 2009 conference in Wichita, Kansas, on May 1, 2009. Dyane is an instructional technology coach in Andover, Kansas, and is one of the most enthusiastic advocates for telecollaboration in the classroom you’ll likely ever hear! The official description for this Podstock09 session was: Telecollaboration refers to the activity of engaging learners in intercultural exchange with students from other countries through the use of online learning. The learning outcomes of these exchanges can be both powerful and enlightening with an amazing potential for language, data collection, and global awareness. The best part of these projects is they are easier than ever to implement with the use of Web 2.0 tools. Here we’ll explore different collaborative projects and how your classroom can open the door to global learning.

Podcast320: Lessons Learned Recording, Editing, and Publishing Digital Audio

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:33:16 -0500

This podcast is a collection of recorded audio from a workshop shared with teachers in Gadsden City Schools, Alabama, on June 10, 2009. In the workshop, teachers learned how to use a Sony UX-70 mp3 digital audio recorder to record audio in an oral history interview. Teachers also learned how to use free Audacity software to do some basic audio editing of their recording: selecting different clips of audio, deleting selections, splitting selections into new tracks, moving tracks to different places in the recording, importing background music, adjusting the audio level so it does not overwhelm the narration, and exporting the finished, edited audio file as a WAV or MP3 file. Teachers were introduced to the free website SlideShare, which can be used to upload PowerPoint and other multimedia presentation files that are synchronized to recorded audio. Following our workshop, I interviewed Eric Lee, who is an educational technology professional development specialist with the “Technology In Motion” project of the Alambama State Department of Education. This podcast concludes with a brief overview of some excellent educational application for the iPod Touch (iTouch) as well as the procedures for subscribing to free podcasts on the iTunes Store.

Podcast319: Integrating Podcasting into the Classroom Using Moodle by Dean Mantz and Brian Richter (PodStock2009)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:14:46 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Dean Mantz and Brian Richter's presentation on May 2, 2009, at the PodStock 2009 conference titled, "Integrating Podcasting into the Classroom Using Moodle." The session description was: How you use podcasting in the classroom-Integrating them into the class using moodle. This will include a quick lesson on how to do a Drop.io cellphone podcast. Dean's bio in the PodStock09 program was: Dean Mantz is currently at USD 376 in Sterling, Kansas as their Network Coordinator. One of the biggest benefits of taking this position is getting to work with my wife and be in the same school district as both of my children. As a teacher I was responsible for developing an Exploring Technology module class. I also taught American History. In 2000, I assisted in the development of the Rice County Technology Academy. The academy provided opportunities for students to enroll in a variety of career curriculums. Students could participate in A+ training, Webmaster curriculum, and develop themselves as Certified Cisco Network Associates. I have truly enjoyed my time working with kids and teachers on how to integrate technology. Brian's PodStock09 bio was: Brian Richter has taught at Sterling High School since 1989 in the Social Science department. During that time, he has focused much of his time integrating the teaching of economics into world and US history. He has served as a staff teacher and consultant for the Kansas Council on Economic Education for the last six years and also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. He was selected as the Kansas Economic Teacher of the Year in 2006. Brian graduated from Emporia State University in 1989 and earned his Master’s Degree in Teaching Social Sciences from ESU in 1995. He is following his father’s footsteps; Don Richter of Syracuse was elected to the Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame class of 1995.

Podcast318: Empowering Students as Digital Witnesses (Storychasing Part I - PodStock09 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:47:53 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my keynote address for the 2009 PodStock conference, held in Wichita, Kansas, on May 1-2, 2009. This part 1 of a 2 part series on Storychasing: Empowering Students as Digital Witnesses. Part 2 will be presented online this weekend on Saturday, May 23, 2009, at 1900 GMT (2 pm CST) as a keynote for the Webheads in Action Convergence 2009 Conference. Please join us for part 2! (It will also be recorded and shared here afterwards.) The official conference program description for this sesson was/is: Just as a stormchaser uses available technologies, knowledge and skills to pursue and document an impending thunderstorm, storychasers use their tools and abilities to document stories of local, regional, national or international interest. In our classrooms and after-school programs, as educators we can empower learners of all ages to become digital witnesses and responsible citizen journalists as storychasers. Whether on a school field trip, conducting research for a class project or school journalism assignment, or interviewing local residents to share about their lives and experiences, storychasers can and are utilizing a rich array of new media tools to create, communicate, and collaborate. Come learn how to join the storychaser's communication revolution, and catalyze the development of a diverse array of 21st century as well as traditional literacy skills with students in your local community who can become empowered storychasers!

Podcast317: Comparing Drop.io and Gabcast for Cell Phone Digital Recording

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:42:18 -0500

In this podcast from the road, I compare the available features, limitations, and relative benefits of using the web service drop.io compared to Gabcast for cell phone (or regular land line phone) digital recording. Gcast is another available option for phone-in recording, and I discuss it a bit as well. Both Gabcast and Gcast became commercial-only phone recording services in the spring of 2009, but drop.io still offers 100 MB or about 450 minutes of free phone recording to anyone. In the podcast I provide an overview of a lecturecasting via cell phone pilot project I helped facilitate this past spring with a local university using Gabcast, and also describe how participants in our Celebrate Oklahoma Voices digital storytelling project have used Gabcast in the past to permit relatives in different towns to record and share oral history interviews digitally. Cell phone digital recording can be used to create “no-edit” podcasts which are immediately available on the Internet for others to access. When students are asked to provide summary podcasts of instructor lectures for class, these types of solutions can be ideal. It is also wonderful to be able to empower ANYONE with access to a phone to be able to provide audio input or feedback for a project. I am loving drop.io and highly commend it to you. Check out the shownotes for this podcast for extensive links to the resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast316: Behold the Glory and Honor of the Snack Leader!

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:42:50 -0500

This week, the honor of being her preschool class snack leader falls again to my five year old daughter, Rachel. Inspired by her enthusiasm and excitement for the honor and responsibilities of being the class snack leader, this podcast features some dramatic narration from her dad, a little John Williams music reminding us of closing scene of "A New Hope," and Rachel herself sharing her well-laid plans for this week when again she becomes, THE SNACK LEADER. This podcast was recorded in GarageBand 2009 using several of the built-in vocal effects as well as the default audio ducking for imported jingles.

Podcast315: Exemplary Educational Entrepreneurship in Higher Education - The Fort Hays State University Connection to China by Dr. Edward Hammond

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:21:48 -0500

This podcast is a recording of the luncheon presentation by Dr. Edward Hammond, President of Fort Hays State University, at the Rotary Club of Manhattan, Kansas, on April 30, 2009. Dr. Hammond shared the extraordinary story of Ft Hays State University and their relationship to the government as well as educational institutions in China. He began his address by placing the relationship of Ft Hays, Kansas, and the United States overall with China. From foreign investment in U.S. debt instruments, to oil interests, to grain needs, China has a deep relationship with the United States as well as Kansas specifically. Before hearing Dr. Hammond present, I was not aware of the “surrender” policy of China for its own residents when they return to their own country with U.S. dollars. I also had no idea that Ft Hays State University had played and continues to play such a leading role in both providing educational opportunities in China by U.S. professors as well as subsidizing lower tuition costs for Kansas students as a result of this innovative partership program. Many thanks to Dr. Hammond for both sharing these thoughts at Rotary in Manhattan and giving me permission to record and share his message here as a podcast. There are more English speaking citizens in China than there are in the entire United States. The statistics shared by Dr. Hammond paint a clear picture of the increasing importance of China to US relations in the years ahead. Higher education leaders should take not and pay attention to the message of Dr. Hammond as well as the trail he has helped to blaze through these partnerships with Chinese leaders as the President of Fort Hays State.

Podcast314: An Innovative Partnership Supporting Families with Autistic Children in Central Oklahoma (Developing play skills, sharing resources, reducing isolation)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:47:43 -0500

This podcast is a recording of an interview with Renee Damon, Jenny Moyano, Teri Jones, and Shelly Fryer on May 4, 2009. Participants discussed an innovative partnership involving the Oklahoma Autism Alliance, the Oklahoma Family Center for Autism, First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, and the Edmond Family Center for Autism. Parents of children diagnosed with autism can frequently feel isolated. In addition, children with autism often have comparatively fewer opportunities to intentionally develop important play skills as well as socialization skills in supportive environments away from school or a clinic. Nursery staff and members of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond are providing evening care for children diagnosied with autism once per month so parents can attend support group meetings together. In addition, an innovative play group program involving a mix of autistic as well as typical children ranging in age from 20 months to three years is being held weekly to develop play skills. Children learn to work with playdough, play with kitchen toys, dolls, blocks, toy cars, and tools / construction toys in a six week program of planned activities. Melinda J. Smith’s book, “Teaching Play Skills to Children with Autism” has been an important influence on the development of this playgroup. This partnership is an example of a wonderful collaboration between a chuch community, local families, and a variety of support agencies to better meet the needs of autistic children and their families in central Oklahoma.

Podcast313: Top 10 Reasons to Be a StoryChaser

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:27:21 -0500

Storychasing is using digital recording devices to create, archive and share digital stories on the web. Story Chasers, Inc. is a new nonprofit, educational organization incorporated in the state of Oklahoma which presents the Celebrate Oklahoma Voices oral history project in partnership with a variety of other Oklahoma organizations. In this podcast, recorded on the road with a Sony ICD-UX70 mp3 audio recorder, I provide an overview of ten reasons learners of all ages should consider becoming storychasers in their local communities. These ideas will be presented this coming Friday, May 1, 2009, at the PodStock conference in Wichita, Kansas. If you have feedback, ideas, critiques, or suggestions relating to these ideas, please let me know so I can incorporate them in my presentation Friday! The top 10 reasons to be a Storychaser discussed in this podcast are: 1- Touch hearts and win over parents, 2- Develop literacy skills, 3- Develop critical thinking skills, 4- Provide a window into learning, 5- Preserve family and local history, 6- Model constructive uses of digital and social media, 7- Develop digital citizenship, 8- Develop digital literacy and 21st century skills, 9- Inspire creativity, 10- Catalyze the learning revolution locally. Overall, of course, another great reason to be a storychaser is to have FUN!

Podcast312: Reinventing Education for the 21st Century (Designing School 2.0)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:14:34 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my opening keynote session at the 2009 eTechOhio conference, held in Columbus, Ohio, on February 2, 2009. This is the audio-only mp3 version, a video podcast version is available on the eTechOhio09 portal in iTunesU Ohio. Check the podcast shownotes for a direct link to iTunes. The official conference program description for this session was: As Thomas Friedman persuasively argued in this book "The World is Flat," we live in a very different and rapidly changing economic and cultural environment. Schools need to change to prepare students for the dynamic opportunities of the 21st century workforce. Collaboration in most of our schools today is still called "cheating." Our factory model of transmission-based education must be transformed into one where learners regularly collaborate, access and "remix" digital information, and extend their learning beyond the traditional bell schedule. One to one laptop initiatives, where every student and teacher have wireless computing devices; schools and libraries becoming community learning hubs offering public wireless and wired connectivity to the Internet; and the deregulation of education which frees learners to spend time in real-world, problem-based and project-based learning need to become hallmarks of education in the 21st century. This presentation shares this vision for reinventing education: Designing School 2.0, and offers suggestions for how civic leaders can move toward this vision at local levels.

Podcast311: Digital Magic Tricks - An ecclectic series of digital learning tools and techniques

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:54:23 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my presentation at the Oklahoma Technology Association (OTA) conference on February 11, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Check the podcast shownotes for links to the session wiki, which includes referenced websites and tools as well as others we didn't have time to address in this session. The official program description was: Often the most valuable learning outcome of a professional conference is a single website, collaboration idea, or software application which can transformatively help students and teachers more effectively demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills included in the curriculum. This presentation focuses on a diverse array of web 2.0 tools teachers and librarians can use to enhance classroom websites, collaborative projects, and multimedia reports created by students individually or in distributed teams.

Podcast310: All a Twitter about Twitter: Micro-Blogging as a Professional Networking Tool by Beth Knittle (MASSCUE 2008)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:28:46 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a presentation shared by Beth Knittle titled, "All a Twitter about Twitter: Micro-Blogging as a Professional Networking Tool." Beth shared this presentation on November 19, 2008, at the MASSCUE 2008 conference in Sturbridge, MA. I helped out a little bit sharing some ideas too. The official program description was: Twitter is a free social messaging service for staying connected in real- time, using the web, your phone, or IM. It is a cross between chat and micro-blogging. Twitter can play a key role in developing a learning environment. Participating in the network can provide just-in-time support and continued learning, and it facilitates a better understanding of the people you collaborate with. Come discover some tips and tricks to make Twitter work for you. (We’ll also examine Plurk, another Twitter- like tool.) Wesley Fryer, a world-class Twitterer, will join the discussion.

Podcast309: Google Apps - Implementation and Changing the Way We Do Business (from CoSN09)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:58:55 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a session presented by Meghen Ehrich and Sharon Tompson, school technology support staff members from Prince George's County Public Schools in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. This session was shared on March 10, 2009, at the CoSN 2009 conference in Austin, Texas. The official conference program description for this session was: Prince George’s County Public Schools decided in March 2008 to implement the Google Apps Suite. The panel will share their experiences on how they migrated 28,000 users from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail. Google is integrated into the network and users are provided with single sign-on access. It’s also a ubiquitous tool for staff to access their work from anywhere. In addition, the panel will discuss how they are providing 1000+cell phone users with options, how they are securing the environment, providing tools for e-discovery, and will identify future plans for integrating Google Apps with a LMS to create a low cost anytime, anywhere learning environment for all staff and students.

Podcast308: A Long Overdue Personal and Professional Life Update (March 2009)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:38:05 -0500

If you listened to Podcast299: Dreaming of the Storychaser’s Peace Train, you might have wondered just want sort of disruptive changes were taking place in my life (this past January) which I was only able to reference obliquely in that podcast. In this 40 minute podcast recorded in the car this past week driving up to Kansas for Spring Break, I discuss some of those changes and my new professional status as an independent / international learning consultant. I also share some reflections on the changes I've experienced as an educator and learner the past three years, since moving to Oklahoma from Texas. We're living in dynamic times, and as one door closes another one opens. Please refer to the podcast shownotes for links to my updated list of professional development workshops, keynote addresses, and other presentation topics I have and am able to present for educators worldwide.

Podcast307: The Challenges of Integrating Web 2.0 in Missouri Schools by Bob Martin

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:45 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Bob Martin's presentation at the 2009 COSN Conference in Austin, Texas, on March 11th. Bob is a technology leader for MORENET, a nonprofit providing a variety of technology services (including connectivity as an ISP) for over 500 schools in the state of Missouri. MORENET is part of the University of Missouri. Over the past year, Bob and others at MORENET have led a series of roundtable discussions with a variety of educational stakeholders in Missouri, talking about the issues surrounding the use of web 2.0 technologies in schools. Through their research, which Bob summarized and synthesized in this session, MORENET leaders have identified significant disconnects between the vision of educational technology and school change leaders regarding web 2.0 technologies, and the framework / outlook of many other educational leaders in schools who have and continue to enact policies which (in many cases) obstruct the effective use of web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. Many thanks to Bob and others at MORENET for conducting and sharing these research findings. We need more dialog about these issues in our schools, and organizations like MORENET are ideally situated to catalyze these conversations to get school leaders thinking differently about the ways communication and collaboration tools are being leverated (or not utilized) by students and teachers in their schools today.

Podcast306: Voices of COSN 2009 (Grantwrangler, a handheld data projector, and cloud-based computing)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:46:10 -0500

This podcast from the 2009 COSN conference in Austin, Texas, features interviews with three individuals focusing on the website Grantwrangler, the 3M Micro Professional Projector MPro110, and the cloud-based computing model embraced by the company Stoneware Inc.

Podcast305: Science Education from a Technology Leader’s Perspective by Dr. David Thornburg

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:55:40 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Dr. David Thorburg's presentation "Science Education from a Technology Leader’s Perspective" at the 2009 CoSN Conference on March 11, 2009. The official conference program description of this session was: K-12 education science, technology, engineering and mathematics is a hot topic today, with conversations spanning from the classroom to the Oval Office. Technology can be used in ways that help address many of the challenges facing K-12 STEM programs. This dynamic talk explores five challenges: Shortage of qualified teachers; Learning that science is a vibrant human activity, cutting back on hand’s- on science instruction; Science as inquiry and projects; Connecting science to other subjects. By moving toward a more constructionist approach to science instruction, taking advantage of various cutting-edge probe-ware tools and other computer based resources, many of these challenges can be addressed in ways that greatly increase student appreciation for more analytical subjects. Our economic recovery requires a highly educated populace, and this presentation tackles some of those challenges head-on.

Podcast304: The Landscape of 21st Century Learning: Personalised and Differentiated (learning@school09 keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:24:16 -0600

This podcast is an audio recording of my keynote address on February 27, 2009, in Rotorua, New Zealand, for the Learning@School 2009 Conference. I also included some reflections I recorded on stage just prior to the keynote. The official conference presentation description of this session was: Personalised, differentiated learning defines exemplary education in the 21st century. Blended learning models offer teachers and students a diverse menu of content delivery and assessment options which can be tailored to meet individual needs. In this session we will explore how a variety of web-based environments and instructional strategies are permitting educators to provide learners with choices in not only the ways they can access and consume content, but also in the ways they “show what they know” through performance-based assessment methods.

Podcast303: Transforming Pedagogy in NZ Schools, Duck Hunting in Hobbiton, the Easy Talk Microphone, and Kid Witness News

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:19:14 -0600

This podcast includes a series of three interviews from the Learning@School 2009 conference in Rotorua, New Zealand. The first is an interview with Dean, a school principal near Matamata. One of the families whose children attend at Dean's school own the farm where Hobbiton was built for the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. He has actually gone duck hunting there! Two new movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book "The Hobbit" are in production now and scheduled for worldwide release in December 2011 and December 2012. See the WikiPedia link in the podcast shownotes for more details. The final interview is with a Panasonic representative about their worldwide digital storytelling contest "Kid Witness News."

Podcast302: Copyright for Educators (ITSC 2009 Portland)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:20:53 -0800

This presentation, Copyright for Educators, was shared at the ITSC 2009 Conference in Portland, Oregon, on February 16, 2009, by Wesley Fryer. This presentation is also available via Slideshare as a synchronized multimedia slide presentation also. (See the podcast shownotes for the link and other referenced resources.) The session description was: Teachers, principals, and students all need to understand not only the basics of US copyright law as they relate to the creation and publication of media products, but also the opportunities presented for LEGAL remixing and reuse of media materials licensed through Creative Commons. This session presents practical suggestions for schools, educators, and students to avoid intellectual property liability problems and empower learners to LEGALLY create as well as share a wide variety of media/knowledge products on the global stage. We will focus specifically on fair use provisions of US copyright law and address common misconceptions about fair use which often inhibit/chill legal educational uses of multimedia materials.

Podcast301: How to Create a Great PowerPoint Without Breaking the Law: Take 2.0 by Alvin Trusty

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:57:13 -0600

This presentation was shared by Dr. Alvin Trusty at eTechOhio 2009 on February 2, 2009, in Columbus. The official session description was: This is a followup to last year's presentation of this topic. Learn how to create an engaging presentation using free resources and established techniques in visual design. How much does "fair use" protect a teacher from the copyright police? Explore the four factors of "fair use" and look at licensing strategies like Creative Commons.

Podcast300: Educator Voices from the eTechOhio 2009 Conference

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:49:54 -0500

This podcast includes a series of six interviews I recorded at the eTechOhio 2009 conference in Columbus on February 2, 2009. The episode begins with Gabe Ross, a student at Ohio State University studying video production and part of the documentary film crew at the eTechOhio 2009 conference. Second, Kieli Fergusen of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati tells about the virtual learning opportunities offered by the center via web-based videos, podcasts, and videoconferencing / virtual field trips. Third, Lee Gambol of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History discusses their extensive array of virtual field trips for students not only focusing on natural history topics but also health issues. Lee has had extensive experiences designing and delivering virtual field trips, and shared some of the best practices they follow at CMNH as well as some of the lessons they've learend after making MANY connections about diverse topics with K-12 students. Fourth, Elise Hillis of eTechOhio discusses details of the release today of iTunesU Ohio. This is a statewide portal for PK-20 educators and learners in Ohio as well as around the world, featuring over 1500 audio and video podcasts today at launch. Fifth, Sasha Thackaberry of The Idea Center in Cleveland discusses their innovative videoconferences providing career exploration opportunities for students. She also discusses professional development opportunities available via WVIZ/PBS ideastream. Last of all, Leslie Charles, videoconferencing coordinator for Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center in Zanesville, Ohio. They are offering a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers as well as exciting course offerings for students which includes a new class in Mandarin Chinese.

Podcast299: Dreaming of the Storychaser's Peace Train

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:12:24 -0600

This podcast is a bit of an ecclectic mix of ideas, song snippets, and educational project ideas. Foundationaly, these relate to the idea that we're going to have an enduring need to help younger students as well as older learners use digital tools in powerful, appropriate, and constructive ways. Whether we use the words citizen journalist, digital witness, storychaser, or ethical digital citizen, the ideas of responsibly using media to publish at will on the global stage of the Internet are included. The prospect of the Heartland Flyer Amtrak train being extended from Oklahoma City to Kansas City in less than two years will open up some exciting possibilities for a summer digital media travel experience for teachers and students in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The Storychaser's Peace Train would begin in Saint Louis and end in Fort Worth, providing opportunities for student-teacher teams to develop and refine their own storychasing skills alongside others from around our nation. Stopping in small, rural communities along the way to learn local history and interview community members, to videoconference "live" back to home communities via satellite-based videoconferencing units, and "sharing the journey" with others via photo sharing, video sharing, and blogging would all be part of the Storychaser's Peace Train experience. Who knows where these dreams and our digital connections will take us in the months and years ahead? Perhaps the Storychaser's Peace Train will be passing through a small town near you soon.

Podcast298: An Interview on Manitoba Morning Radio with Darren Kuropatwa about Numeracy, Literacy, Student Summary Blogging, Digital Learning and the K-12 Online Conference

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:53:32 -0600

This podcast features a recording of this morning’s live radio show interview in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on CJOB|68 with Darren Kuropatwa, minus the news and advertisement breaks. The conversation focused on Darren’s utilization of scribe posts by his Calculus and Pre-Calculus students at Daniel McIntyre Academy in Winnipeg, the imporance of numeracy as well as literacy, and the power of online learning communities to support as well as motivate students inside and outside the classroom. Darren was joined in this series of interviews by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Dean Shareski, and Wesley Fryer, who along with Darren are co-conveners of the free and global K-12 Online Conference. K12Online is an online conference for teachers, by teachers, amplifying the possibilities for using digital technologies as well as online learning communities to support engaged learning. One of Darren’s former students also joined in our discussions. Many thanks to radio program host Richard Cloutier for sharing these stories with radio listeners around Manitoba as well as the world! We had about 35 educators in a backchannel chat room (via Chatterous) discussing these conversations, listening to the radio program live as it was streamed over the Internet. Kudos to Darren not only for his outstanding leadership for educators in his school and nation, but also for his work in bringing about this mainstream media radio interview in Canada. I hope this is the first of MANY more mainstream media interviews we’ll see in the months and years ahead about the K-12 Online Conference and the innovative ways digital technologies are being used by educators like Darren to engage students in the learning process.

Podcast297: An Oklahoma One to One Fairy Tale Obstructed By The School Secretary

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:55:37 -0600

This podcast features an interview with a teacher from eastern Oklahoma who was ambitious, creative, persistent, and fortunate enough to receive 150 free HP laptops from FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) at the end of the 2007-2008 school year for students in the elementary school where she teaches. Unfortunately, however, the secretary for this K-12 Oklahoma school decided that the laptops which were donated for student use were too delicate for students to be able to use, and since May 2008 has successfully blocked all the teachers and students in the school district from using ANY of these donated laptop computers except for ten of them. I am sharing this recorded interview with the teacher in the hope that listeners can offer suggestions for how this stalemate can be broken, and these laptops can be utilized by students as well as teachers in a one to one learning initiative. Certainly there are MANY issues which need to be addressed for a successful one to one learning initiative: digital curriculum, professional development, wireless and other networking infrastructure, on-site technical support, just-in-time instructional support, insurance for student laptop use at home, content filtering at home, etc. Recognizing the complexity of these issues, however, the COST for laptops for students is also a significant obstacle in our Oklahoma schools. Having 150 free laptops provided to a school for student and teacher use sounds like a fairy tale, but that fairy tale can't have a happy ending if the school's administrative secretary won't allow the laptops to be used by students and the superintendent won't even inform the school board members about the availability of these laptops in the district. Please share your thoughts and suggestions for how this situation can be constructively addressed.

Podcast296V: Introducing and Explaining Travians, A Free Online Simulation Game (by 11 year old Alexander)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:43:21 -0600

This podcast is a 57 minute screencast recorded by 11 year old Alexander, giving an in-depth introduction to the online browser game Travians.com. Travians is different from the singular Travian game, which he has discussed in two previous podcasts (linked in these shownotes) and is more of a simulation game rather than a team-based warfare game. Alexander recorded this podcast using the software program ScreenFlow and a M-Audio Producer USB microphone. I edited the screencast afterwards, adding video effects to zoom in on the parts of the screen containing game elements he discussed. I was impressed not only by the complexity of the game and Alexander's ability to teach himself the game, but also by the ways he is learning about economics and contextually using his mathematics skills to succeed in the game. He clearly is constantly solving problems in the game too, as well as learning to safely navigate challenges presented by online, interactive games. Should I grant a friend request? How much information should I disclose about myself? This podcast is a good example of something one of my graduate education professors taught me several years ago, regarding the topics we often provide to students to discuss and share. Too often we ask students to write about topics where they are shallow, or have very little knowledge and experience. This podcast is an example of a presentation on a topic about which Alexander is very deep, or knowledgable. I was amazed that with a minimal amount of prior planning, he shared this screencast lasting almost an hour. Alexander was very aware of his online audience for this presentation, and found the prospect of not only having my undivided attention for this presentation but also having a chance to publish this on the global stage to be a very engaging activity. Many thanks to Alexander for sharing this presentation and these ideas!

Podcast295: Reconsidering Paradigms of Value and Rewards for Teacher Expertise with John Costilla of WeAreTeachers.com

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:22:42 -0600

This podcast features an interview from early December 2008 with John Costilla of WeAreTeachers.com. According to the company’s about page, “WeAreTeachers wants to level the playing field and avail teachers of the wonderful new tools of the digital age. In the Web 2.0 world, technology empowers individuals and groups to come together for the purpose of aggregating resources and knowledge. From social networks and e-commerce, to on-line video and other forms of digital content, the time is right for leveraging these trends and apply them to teaching and learning. WeAreTeachers provides a tangible business opportunity, enabling teachers to productize what they do, to be paid for their expert advice, and to have a stake in the knowledge marketplace.” As John discusses, WeAreTeachers.com proposes a very different paradigm of thinking about value and rewards for teacher expertise in the 21st century. These are challenging and exciting ideas, worthy of consideration as well as advocacy. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I voluntarily interviewed John for this podcast, and was not compensated in any way for recording and sharing this.)

Podcast294: An Interview with NASA Flight Engineer Tom Weichel discussing Gemini, Apollo 11 and Apollo 13

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:47:46 -0600

This podcast features an interview from November 2008 with Oklahoman Tom Weichel, who served as a flight engineer for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the 1960s and in 1970 for the Gemini and Apollo space programs. Tom was at mission control in Houston for both Apollo 11, the first successful moon landing mission, as well as Apollo 13, which was nearly a tragedy. Many thanks to Daniel Moore, who introduced me to Tom and arranged for this interview. Tom has worked with Daniel at the Caddo Kiowa Technology Center in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma. To encourage and inspire a new generation of engineers, scientists, and mathematicians Tom believes educators must help students take a more HANDS ON approach to learning. He relates that growing up on a farm, fixing things, and learning figure things out was an important part of his childhood. It was inspiring to visit with Tom and hear about his experiences with NASA firsthand. The NASA programs leading up to and including the Apollo program are some amazing chapters in our global history books.

Podcast293: Creating and Collaborating: The Keys to 21st Century Literacy (MASSCUE 2008 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:15:37 -0600

This podcast is a recording of the keynote address I shared at the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators educational technology conference in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on November 19, 2008. The official conference program description of this session was: U.S. educators in the early twenty-first century face formidable challenges but are blessed with access to unprecedented tools and opportunities for shared professional learning. As teachers we must help our students master content area knowledge and skills, but also develop and refine a set of important 21st century literacy skills that are not measured on traditional, multiple- choice examinations. How can we effectively and realistically enable our students and teachers to meet the learning demands we have inherited from 20th century legislative mandates, and simultaneously embrace and encourage the development of 21st century skills? A focus on creating and collaborating within a context of project-based learning offers hope in the face of these challenges. Let’s explore together practical ways students and teachers are using digital tools to create and collaborate together, reaching new heights of student achievement and documentable learning.

Podcast292V: Blogging - The New Conversation

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:26:36 -0600

This 6 minute mashup video was created by H. Songhai, an educator and blogger in Philadelphia, using some of my audio podcasts and conference presentation recordings. Among other questions, this video mashup asks and answers the question, What is the most powerful form of writing? The answer, IMHO, is hyperlinked writing.

Podcast291: Humanizing the Learning Technology by Tammy Parks

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:18:18 -0600

This podcast is a recording of the 2008 Oklahoma Distance Learning Association (ODLA) conference keynote by Tammy Parks. Tammy is a fantastic educator who teaches in Howe Public Schools in Howe, Oklahoma. Tammy teaches broadcast journalism, and utilizes videoconferencing technologies as well as web 2.0 tools with both students and teachers in engaging ways. This week alone, students at Howe participated in four different virtual field trips! Last spring students in Tammy’s broadcast journalism class won the nationwide KC3 contest for their student-led virtual field trip of the nearby archeological site Spiro Mounds. KC3 is sponsored by the CILC and Tandberg. Tammy is inspirational and it is wonderful to hear about all the creative and engaging ways she is helping learners in Howe learn in new ways. Lance Ford, who was previously the director of technology for Howe Public Schools, also talked at the end of the keynote about the ways Howe students are now bring video from the field using a Tandberg Mobile Commander. With a satellite uplink, students and teachers can now videoconference with anyone online, anywhere. Lance also told about their latest project to bring student-created video content into the teen grid on Second Life.

Podcast290: The Magic of Digital: Collaborative Interaction in Teacher Professional Development

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:04:09 -0600

This podcast is a recording of the NECC 2008 presentation “The Magic of Digital: Collaborative Interaction in Teacher Professional Development,” shared on July 2, 2008. The offical description of this session in the NECC program was: There is a tangible electricity present when teachers connect with each other, and connect their students to others in safe ways using digital technologies. In this session, we’ll share stories about the different ways teachers have and continue to experience this “magical electricity” through synchronous as well as asynchronous digital connections for professional development as well as classroom instruction. To be effective, teachers need to literally EXPERIENCE the constructive power of digital interactions online rather than simply hear about the possiblities in an “awareness workshop.” Teachers need to “make stuff” with other teachers using digital tools, and meaningfully collaborate with others over digital networks. We’ll explore ways teachers are doing these things today using the technologies present in their classrooms and available read/write web resources.

Podcast289: Guidelines and Instructional Applications for Cell Phone Use at School

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:27:04 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my breakout session at the TechCon 2008 conference on October 17, 2008, in Naperville, Illinois. The official description of this session was: Cell phones are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in many school communities, but their presence in the classroom is commonly viewed as disruptive and unwanted. Modern cell phones offer a variety of capabilities, which are being used effectively by educators in different schools to support curricular learning objectives and boost student achievement. Explore reasons some school districts are embracing the use of cell phones for learning both inside and outside the classroom and examine specific guidelines school districts are utilizing for student cell phones. Explore specific applications of cell phones for learning, including use as electronic response systems, data access, media recording, homework tracking and social networking.

Podcast288V: Using FeedForAll To Update K-12 Online Conference Podcast Channel Web Feeds

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:15:17 -0500

This 20 minute screencast describes how I’ve used the commercial software program FeedForAll for Mac (it is also available for Windows, however) to update the web feeds or XML feeds for the 2008 K-12 Online Conference. This presentation is being submitted as a contribution to the notk12onlineconference.org website. If you have suggestions or better ways to do any of the things discussed and referenced in this screencast, please let me know! I’d love to know better ways to do this. There are multiple ways to create podcast RSS feeds. This one takes a lot of “clicks,” but it does provide the functionality we need (and perceive our community needs) for the K-12 Online Conference. This screencast was recorded using ScreenFlow (commercial) software, and compressed with iSquint (free) software (discontinued but still available for downlo

Podcast287: Navigating Opportunities and Risks in Hyperconnected Schools (TechCon 2008 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:43:37 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my keynote address at the TechCon 2008 conference held in Naperville, Illinois, just outside Chicago on October 17, 2008. TechCon is jointly sponsored by The Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Illinois Computing Educators and Illinois Chief Technology Officers. The description of my session was: Rapid advances in communication technologies continue to present a multitude of risks, as well as opportunities for school district leaders. Telecommunciations convergence and the advent of web 2.0 technologies present challenges related to cyberbullying and irresponsible uses of social networking websites by students and staff. Open source software projects and open content initiatives (WikiBooks, MIT Open Courseware) offer robust functionality and curriculum options for learners that were not available even ten years ago. Exploring how school district leaders can proactively respond to these risks as well as opportunities to responsibly address liability concerns, meet obligations for fiscal responsibility and support a learning environment that cultivates ethical and responsible digital citizenship in the twenty-first century.

Podcast286: Learning about Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Powered Vehicles from Dr. Peter Sherwood of Oklahoma State University

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:12:56 -0500

This podcast features an impromptu interview with Dr. Peter Sherwood of Oklahoma State University, who is the proud owner of a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier automobile which is powered by both CNG (Compressed Natual Gas) as well as regular gasoline. Dr. Sherwood explained how he came to purchase this amazing car and the benefits of it (CNG is currently $1.19 per gallon in Oklahoma and yields about 30 miles to the gallon in his car.) I never knew cars like this existed until today. I had hard of CNG-powered cars, but assumed they were not "dual fuel." Now I want to find a company which can relatively inexpensively install a dual-fuel setup for me in my old 1993 Toyota Camry!

Podcast285: TechShoppingCart Episode 10 - Challenges with Integrating Web 2.0 in Schools

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:20:47 -0500

Welcome to episode 10 of the Technology Shopping Cart Podcast, recorded as a live webcast on September 26, 2008. This episode features a conversation with Bob Martin and Brad Meyerhoff, educational technology trainers for MOREnet in Missouri. Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer visited with Bob and Brad about the challenges which sometimes arise when teachers begin using read/write web tools to facilitate collaboration, communication, and content creation in classrooms. Bob and Brad work with a wide variety of teachers in diverse Missouri school districts, and have facilitated a number of conversations at educational conferences in the past year which focus on overcoming the obstacles to effective web 2.0 integration in schools. In addition to discussing strategies which are working to open the door to web 2.0 tool use, webcast participants also discussed a few educational technology news items and shared several new "geek of the week" websites. This was our first live webcast in which we used free CamTwist software, which permits (among other things) a slideshow of static images to be shared in the Ustream video window instead of just a live video feed. This audio podcast version is longer than the Ustream archive for this episode because it includes the first fourteen minutes in which we had some audio technical problems with Ustream. Those problems were entirely user-generated! We are continuing to learn more each week about podcasting as well as webcasting. As always we welcome your feedback and comments.

Podcast284: Media Literacy as Literacy for the Information Age by Dr. Rene Hobbs

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:02:14 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Dr. Renee Hobbs’ keynote at the 2008 OTEP Reading Conference on September 19, 2008 at Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The title of her keynote was “Media Literacy as Literacy for the Information Age.” The conference theme was “Critical Literacy for Adolescents.” The Oklahoma Teacher Enhancement Program (OTEP) is a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant awarded to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education by the U. S. Department of Education. Renee Hobbs is one of the nation’s leading authorities on media education. She is the director of the Media Education Lab at Temple University, and over the past 20 years, she has helped bring media literacy to the forefront, educating thousands of students across the United States through her collaborative work with state education agencies and media companies. Hobbs is also the co-founder of the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA), the national membership organization of the National Media Education Conference; the co-principal investigator at the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health; and the co-director the Ph.D. Mass Media program at Temple.

Podcast283: Dr. Cathy M. Roller’s keynote at the 2008 OTEP Reading Conference

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:43:51 -0500

This podcast is a recording of Dr. Cathy M. Roller’s keynote at the 2008 OTEP Reading Conference on September 19, 2008 at Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The conference theme was “Critical Literacy for Adolescents.” The Oklahoma Teacher Enhancement Program (OTEP) is a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant awarded to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education by the U. S. Department of Education. Dr Roller is director of research and policy at the International Reading Association, develops policy statements with the board of directors, generates professional partnerships and oversees the traditional role of the research division. She is the author and co-author of four books published by the International Reading Association, including her books So…What’s a Tutor to Do? and Variability Not Disability: Struggling Readers in a Workshop Classroom. She is the editor of Learning to Teach Reading: Setting the Research Agenda, and she has published and regularly edits a number of journal articles. She has also received research grants and has presented at and attended a multitude of regional, national and international presentations and professional meetings

Podcast282: A Conversation with Superintendent Doug Taylor about Student Engagement, Digital Storytelling, and Collaborative Digital Technologies

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:40:35 -0500

This podcast is a recorded conversation with Doug Taylor, superintendent of Gage Public Schools in Oklahoma, at the EncycloMedia conference on Thursday, September 18, 2008. Doug discusses how students and teachers in Gage schools are utilizing netbooks like the Asus eeePC, open source software programs, Linux, and Google Documents. Gage educators are realizing the benefits of spending money which would otherwise go towards software and operating system licensing fees toward curriculum resources and other educational needs supporting literacy. Doug participated in our Celebrate Oklahoma Voices project in February 2008, and is supporting hands-on, relevant and personal curriculum projects including oral history projects in Ellis County. Doug had a bit of a "conversion experience" when it comes to the power and leveling potential of digital technologies when he investigated all the things a 21st century librarian and media specialist needs to know and help students be able to do. As the leader of a small, rural school district in Oklahoma, Doug's enthusiasum for engaged, relevant learning is contagious and gives me great hope for the cause of school reform in our state. We need more school leaders with the vision, passion for student learning and leadership characteristics of Doug Taylor in our public schools.

Podcast281: Brisinger Book Release, Home Run Books, Flow, and Reading Advice from 10 Year Old Alexander

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:34:30 -0500

This podcast is a recorded interview in the car with 10 year old Alexander. Two years ago, as a third grader, Alexander read the book Eragon after he saw the movie and it become his "home run book." Literacy scholar Jim Trelease coined the phrase "home run book" to describe a book which someone reads that hooks them on reading and propels them to thereafter be a member of the literacy club. Since Eragon and Eldest (Christopher Paolini's sequel to Eragon) are two of his favorite books of all time, today's book release of Bristinger, the third book in the series, was understandably a day of great excitement for Alex. In the car to and from the Hastings bookstore the first time we tried to purchase the book this morning (before the store actually opened in Brownwood, Texas) I interviewed Alexander about his home run book experience, why reading for him is now a "flow" experience. (In his words, "like a movie playing in my head.") He discusses his favorite book series titles to date: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter, and the Eragon series. Alexander also discusses the differences between listening to someone else reading him a book, and now being able to directly read and experience a book by reading it.

Podcast280: Get Wiki With It!

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:10:18 -0500

This podcast is a recording of my presentation at the EncycloMedia 2008 conference in Oklahoma City on September 18, 2008. The session description was: This presentation focuses on helping teachers and students utilize WIKIS to effectively collaborate and learn. A wiki is a website that permits designated individuals to jointly author and edit documents. The wiki software TRACKS each person's contributions, and facilitates easy comparisons between different document versions. Wikis can be used in safe, powerful ways to not only help learners work together but also showcase their work for a global audience. [END] This was the first time I've preseneted this particular session and it was a lot of fun. Reference podcaast shownotes for links to my presentation slides as well as referenced resources.

Podcast279V: Setting up a SubDomain with cPanel

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:36:17 -0500

This video podcast is a short screencast describing how you can use the free website management tool CPanel (provided by my own webhost, Siteground, as well as many others) to set up a subdomain on your website. The main reason to set up a subdomain is so you can use a subdomain web address to tell other people how to find your website. As an example, my main website is speedofcreativity.org. I have Wordpress installed at the root level of my domain. I have other instances of Wordpress installed into subdomains of my website, however, which gives these sites their own unique addresses. Of course I could have simply installed these programs in subdirectories of my site, but I think it looks more professional and its handier to use subdomains. Examples of subdomains on my main website are our family learning blog: learningsigns.speedofcreativity.org, my personal Moodle site: moodle.speedofcreativity.org, a Christian team-blog to which I contribute: eyesright.speedofcreativity.org, and my personal wiki: wiki.speedofcreativity.org. I have installed (but not used lately) the free wiki engine TikiWiki on my personal wiki site. More recently I installed and have worked with MediaWiki on the StoryChaser’s project wiki: wiki.storychasers.org. If the ideas and information included in this podcast are helpful and of interest to you, please leave a comment on this blog post. Good luck!

Podcast278: TechShoppingCart Podcast09: Digital Wishes, Flip Video Labs, and Manifest Destiny for EdTech

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:08:42 -0500

Welcome to episode 9 of the Technology Shopping Cart Podcast, a podcast (and now live webcast) where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas. This episode features a conversation with Heather Chirtea of ToolFactory, Vicki Allen, Karen Montgomery, and Wesley Fryer about podcasting, digital storytelling, mobile podcasting labs, mobile flip video labs, "ushering" technologies which encourage teachers to extend their journeys of learning with educational technologies further, and "manifest destiny" for educational technology use in our 21st century classrooms. Of course we also include a variety of "geek of the week" websites, resources and tips, which includes a discussion of the superb "Global Nomads" videoconferencing content providers and facilitators. Check out the podcast shownotes for links. We are tentatively scheduling our next live webcast for Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 10 am US central time to discuss challenges and pitfalls of integrating web 2.0 technologies in school districts. We're asking some special guests from Missouri to join us who are in the trenches of IT and have some interesting perspectives to share.

Podcast277: A Conversation with Carol Anne McGuire - Imagineering the Ideal K-6 Classroom Learning Environment (Part 2)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:17:44 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a conversation I had this evening over iChat with Carol Anne McGuire, discussing her experiences helping kids soar with their learning using a variety of project-based learning, collaboration and technologically-infused teaching methods. Carol Anne is the architect of the successful "Rock Our World" project, and has helped students create some of the most compelling podcasts I've heard to date. (Her students' "Mother's Day Podcasts" are some of my favorites.) In our conversation Carol Anne discusses the importance of community building between students in collaborative projects, the importance of high expectations for student learning, and the prospects she now faces at a new school where she has been challenged in imagineer the ideal classroom learning environment for both students and teachers. We hope to follow-up this conversation with part 3 in this series, which will be a live webcast discussing these ideas and inviting others to share their perspectives about what the ideal classroom learning environment might look like in the 21st century. We also might put together a presentation on this topic for the "NotK12OnlineConference" event later this year. :-)

Podcast276: Imagineering the Ideal K-6 Classroom Learning Environment (Part 1)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:23:23 -0500

In this podcast I share 45 minutes worth of brainstorming on the subject, "Given all the resources, administrative and parental support needed, how would you imagineer the ideal K-6 classroom learning environment?" Imagineering is a term I associate with Walt Disney and Disneyland, where creative and capable individuals come together to both imagine and engineer new worlds together. Carol Anne McGuire asked me last week to share some ideas with her along these lines, and prior to our conversation later this week I did some brainstorming and created this podcast tonight to clarify some of my thoughts. In the podcast shownotes you'll find a link to the eighteen different ideas or suggestions I offer in this recording, as well as Stephanie Sandifer's excellent wiki for "Designing the 21st Century Global Learning Environment." As always I welcome your comments and feedback on the ideas of this podcast.

Podcast275: Installing Moodle via Fantastico from CPanel on a Custom Sub-Domain

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:45:11 -0500

This video podcast features a tutorial screencast explaining how to use the free web-based software installation tool Fantastico to install the open source learning management system Moodle onto a custom sub-domain of a website you pay a web host to use. I use the web host Siteground, which permits me to create an unlimited number of MySql databases to use with different web applications. These can include Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, TikiWiki, and Moodle to name a few. These choices are amazing, particularly considering the fact that a robust account with a commercial host like Siteground costs less than $100 US per year. Moodle is a robust, flexible, and powerful learning management system which is entirely free to use as an open source project. Fantastico and CPanel make it very straightforward (I hesitate to say “easy” but that word almost fits here) to install and keep these programs updated on your website. Check the podcast shownotes for links to referenced programs.

Podcast274: StoryChasers Brainstorm #3 from 21 August 2008

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:42:10 -0500

This podcast is a recording from our third online brainstorming session for the StoryChasers project on August 21, 2008. I was joined by Cheryl Lykowski, a 5th grade teacher from Michigan as well as James Sigler, a 3rd grade teacher from Missouri. We will convene a fourth brainstorming session (and hopefully our last one before formally announcing the project and sending our invitations to others to participate via the CILC and ePals) next week on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 9 pm Eastern / 8 pm Central time. Please join us if you can! Also please contribute to our project wiki, and join our learning community on our main website if you have not already. Refer to our podcast shownotes for these links as well as a link to the text chat transcript. The website description of StoryChasers currently reads: Storychasers is a multi-state (and potentially multi-national) educational collaborative empowering students and teachers to responsibly record and share stories of local, regional and global interest as citizen journalists. Where STN (Student Television Network) participants may focus more narrowly on student broadcast news productions, Storychasers has a broader focus on not only student-created news broadcasts, but also student-created documentary films and live event coverage (webcasting). Storychaser media productions can be shared as live broadcast events or recorded, asynchronously shared audio and video files.

Podcast273: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast08 - Screencasting for Learning

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:11:11 -0500

Welcome to episode eight of the Technology Shopping Cart podcast where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas! This episode was recorded on August 8, 2008, and shared live over the web using Ustream.tv and Skype. Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer discuss reasons to use as well as create screencasts, places to find educationally related screencasts, and tools to use on both Windows and Macintosh platforms for screencapture and screen recording. Near the end of the webcast we were joined by Tony Vincent, an amazing educator from Omaha, Nebraska, and author of learninginhand.com. Tony shared some of his favorite screencast tools and also joined us for our closing "geek of the week" exchange. Refer to our podcast shownotes for links to the resources and websites we discuss in this show, including the Ustream chat transcript of our live webshow and Ustream archive.

Podcast272: A Conversation about the Cell Phone Audio Tour at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:31:07 -0500

This podcast is a recorded interview with Nancy Coggins, Marketing and Communications Director for the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, discussing the new cell phone audio tour which museum staff have made available for the past two months. The Memorial and Museum's video podcast virtual tour has won national recognition in the past and remains available on the official website. As Nancy relates, however, many visitors to the memorial come sponataneously and may not have had a prior opportunity to download a video podcast and sync it to their iPod or iPhone. By providing a cell phone walking tour, memorial and museum staff are facilitating greater access to a richer, guided experience as visitors come to Oklahoma City. This cell phone audio tour was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the AT&T Foundation. I am enthused about the possiblities which new media initiatives like this one present not only for people who come to the memorial and museum face-to-face, but also for students and teachers in other locations who can potentially be empowered to create virtual field trips and cell phone tours about areas of local interest in their community. Many thanks to Nancy for sharing these thoughts and reflections. Links to educational curriculum and resources related to terrorism, violence prevention, and the educational outreach activities of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum are available in the podcast shownotes.

Podcast271: Podcatching Tips for Mac Users - Using PodNova with iTunes and an External HD for an iTunes Library

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:03:01 -0500

This podcast is a screencast featuring an explanation of how Macintosh users can keep their iTunes folder on an external hard drive, and periodically update iTunes podcasts. This technique can be helpful if you are using a laptop and do not have enough free hard drive space for all the files in your iTunes library. Be careful, however! Make sure to have iTunes CLOSED when you are renaming the iTunes library folder / directory as explained in this screencast. The use of PodNova to maintain a OPML list of podcasts is also described along with a site for accessing podcasts “live” online with an iPhone or iPod Touch without syncing iTunes.

Podcast270: A Conversation with Benjamin Franklin- Inventor, Statesman, Author and Civic Activist

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:52:19 -0500

This podcast features a recording with Steven Smith, a wonderful re-enactor of Benjamin Franklin, at the 2008 Oklahoma A+ Schools Conference on August 1st. In the character of Benjamin Franklin, Steven recounts historial events of his life as an inventor, statesman, author and civic activist. If there is a more memorable and impactful way to learn about historical characters than having an animated conversation like this one with Benjamin Franklin, I’m not sure what they are! This was a lot of fun! Thanks to Steven for granting this interview and permission to share it online. Steven role plays several characters in addition to Ben Franklin including Peter Cartwright, Professor B Looney and Tupper the Clown. Visit the podcast shownotes for links to his websites. He is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but shares his wit, wisdom and life lessons with audiences young and old around the United States

Podcast269: Background and Formative Ideas for the Storychasers Project

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:06:20 -0500

This podcast is a recorded skype conversation between Cheryl Lykowski and Wesley Fryer, discussing a new idea for a collaborative project titled "StoryChasers." The current (but evolving) "about" page for the StoryChasers website states: Storychasers is a multi-state (and potentially multi-national) educational collaborative empowering students and teachers to responsibly record and share stories of local, regional and global interest as citizen journalists. Where the STN (Student Television Network) focuses on student broadcast news productions, Storychasers has a specific focus on student-created documentary films as well as live event coverage (webcasting). If you are interested in these ideas, please join our open Skypecast on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 for a skypecast discussion about this proposed initiative. We will start at 8 pm Eastern / 7 pm Central / 6 pm Mountain / 5 pm Pacific.

Podcast268: Conversations with Scott Swanson and April Hope about the first OLPC High School Student Chapter, 1 to 1 Laptop Immersion with Tablet PCs, and EduBloggerCon 2008 Student Reflections

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:53:50 -0500

This podcast includes interviews with Scott Swanson, the Strategic Technology Coordinator at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois, recorded in March and July of 2008, as well as April Hope, a 2008 graduate of IMSA and Scott’s current intern. They discuss the activities of IMSA students in forming the first OLPC (XO Laptop) High School Student Chapter, their experiences working in and supporting a one to one laptop learning initiative with tablet PCs, and their responses to conversations at EduBloggerCon 2008 prior to the NECC conference in San Antonio in July. The first conversation with Scott in this podcast was recorded at the COSN conference in Washington D.C. in March 2008. Many thanks to both Scott and April for sharing their thoughts, experiences, and perspectives!

Podcast267: A Discussion about Lego WeDo Robotics at NECC 2008 (Coming in January 2009 to North America)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:45:42 -0500

This podcast is an interview with Lars of Lego Education on the vendor floor at NECC 2008 in San Antonio, Texas, discussing the recently announced “WeDo Robotics” product designed for elementary students ages 7-11. According to the official Lego Education press release, WeDo Robotics “redefines classroom robotics, making it possible for primary school students 7-11 years of age to build and program their own solutions. Bridging the physical world, represented by LEGO models, and the virtual world, represented by computers and programming software, LEGO Education WeDo Robotics provides a hands-on, minds-on learning experience that actively involves young students in their own learning process and promotes children’s creative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills – skills that are essential in the workplace of the 21st century.” Unlike the Lego NXT robotics kits, WeDo robot models remain tethered to the laptop computer running the iconic software program which controls the robot. WeDo is being released in North America in January 2009, and its software program runs on Macintosh OS X, Windows, and the XO Laptop’s “skinny Linux” operating system.

Podcast266: Open Minds, Open Education, and a View of Open Culture by David Thornburg (NECC 2008)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:17:05 -0500

This podcast features a recording of David Thornburg's NECC 2008 presentation "Open Minds, Open Education, and a View of Open Culture." The official conference program description and purpose / objectives for this session were: This talk explores how open education and culture are supported by 1:1 computing facilitated with open source tools, worldwide. True universal access, worldwide, requires innovation in hardware and software. Linux and open source software play a critical role here. In addition, a shift toward a more education-friendly copyright scheme (such as creative commons) is essential in opening up the educational process for all. As liberty, equality, fraternity becomes rip. mix and burn, the remixing of educational content by teachers and students alike is quite powerful. Most importantly, the cultural elements of education around the world can finally be addressed in ways that build true understanding and appreciation for the disparate peoples of the world.

Podcast265: Digital Learning Objects on the Open Web

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:31:58 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a session I shared on July 9, 2008, at the Missouri Distance Learning Association's Annual Conference in Osage Beach, Missouri, titled "Digital Learning Objects on the Open Web." The ideas shared in this session were strongly influenced by Karen Fasimpaur's February 2008 presentation at NCCE titled "Free Content + Open Tools + Massive Collaboration = Learning for All." The official conference program description for this session was: The Internet's world-wide web offers unprecedented access, publication, and collaboration opportunities for connected digital learners. In this session we will explore the dynamic world of digital learning objects, paying particular attention to the ways learning objects can be effectively integrated into existing course curriculum and student assignments for both K-12 and higher education learners. We will also explore the educational ethic of publishing content on the open web, which contrasts sharply with traditional notions of limiting access to content and ideas by sharing on a closed web via login-restricted learning management systems like BlackBoard, WebCT, or Moodle. Creative Commons licensing is playing an important role in the continued evolution of the digital learning object landscape, and a case will be presented for encouraging learners at all levels to both utilize as well as contribute to learning object collections shared under permissive Creative Commons licenses.

Podcast264: Grassroots Creativity: Helping Everyone Become a Creative Thinker by Dr. Mitchel Resnick

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:51:46 -0500

This podcast features a recording of Dr. Mitchel Resnick's NECC 2008 presentation "Grassroots Creativity: Helping Everyone Become a Creative Thinker." This session was shared on July 2, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Resnick is a professor at MIT and works at the MIT Media Lab with some of the most innovative and creative thinkers in the world focused on learning and education. The official conference description of this session was: In today’s fast-changing society, everyone needs to think creatively. I will discuss new technologies from MIT Media Lab that help students develop as creative thinkers. When people think about creativity, they often think about people like Mozart, Picasso, Curie, and Einstein, people who transformed their fields with radically new ideas and creations. But creativity is not only for the select few. In today’s fast-changing society, everyone needs the ability to come up with creative solutions to unexpected everyday problems. Our research group at the MIT Media Lab has been developing a family of educational technologies, including Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) and Crickets (www.picocricket.com), with the explicit goal of helping students develop as creative thinkers. In this presentation, I will discuss the ideas and strategies underlying these new technologies, and I will present case studies of how students are using these technologies to create, invent, experiment, explore – and become more creative thinkers.

Podcast263: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast07 - iPhone Web Apps and Poll Everywhere in Education (Part 2 of 3 in our Cell Phones and Mobile Devices for Learning series)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:34:20 -0500

Welcome to episode seven of the Technology Shopping Cart podcast where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas! This episode was recorded on July 1, 2008, in San Antonio, Texas, at the National Educational Computing Conference. Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer were joined by Brad Gessler of Poll Everywhere to discuss mobile applications for learning: Specifically Poll Everywhere and iPhone Web Apps. This is part two in our Cell Phones and Mobile Devices for Learning podcast series. (We apologize it has taken so long to get this second part recorded and posted!) Refer to our podcast shownotes for links to the resources and websites we discuss in this show.

Podcast262: Powerful Ingredients for Digitally Interactive Learning (MODLA 2008 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:57:15 -0500

This podcast is a recording of the keynote address I shared on July 9, 2008, in Osage Beach, Missouri at the Missouri Distance Learning Association (MODLA) annual conference. Approximately 90% of those in attendance for this keynote were higher education faculty, instructors, and support staff members. The official conference program description for this session was: Good teaching is similar in many ways to good cooking. Recipies are helpful, but master cooks often modify those to meet different needs and situations. The same is true for teachers. If we extend this analogy of cooking to teaching and learning in a web 2.0 world, what are the best "ingredients" to use as we help both teachers and students learn to be more effective, safe, and powerful communicators in our flat world? In this working session we will focus on six key ingredients: del.icio.us social bookmarks, Flickr photo sharing, VoiceThread digital storytelling, collaborative writing tools, websites for phone recording as well as SMS polling, and videoconferencing.

Podcast261: Student Perspectives on Reading, Writing, Literacy, Technology Use, Gaming and Publishing on the Global Stage of the Internet

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:25 -0500

This podcast features interviews with 14 year old Solana and 8 year old Jack who share their perceptions and ideas relating to reading, writing, literacy, technology use, gaming and publishing on the global stage of the Internet. Solana has had her own computer since she was eight, and with the help of her father found the website KidPub to publish and share her own stories, poems, and other creative writing projects. KidPub requires that parents pay a small fee (about $12) per year for kids to participate and have an account. This prevents people from creating free accounts and commenting on others’ work without accountability and attribution. Solana discusses how motivational she has found KidPub and the opportunity to share her voice with others on the Internet, problems encountered with plagiarism and the ways the KidPub community self-polices itself, and the exciting connection she had made with other students who have taken one of her published novels (with permission) and started to create a movie based on the story on YouTube. Solana also discusses what she has learned about computers and technology at school compared to what she has learned at home, including her experiences using Diigo and trying to collaborate with other kids. She discusses things she would change (if she could) about technology use and Internet access at school so she could extend and further develop her technology skills there. She also discusses her experiences with online safety, accessing websites like YouTube and extending her searches beyond engines like AskJeeves to Google, and her experiences with inappropriate content which she has accidentally stumbled upon when doing Internet searches. She also discusses issues related to social networking and directly contacting other kids online. In addition to Solana’s comments, 8 year old Jack discusses the ways he uses computers at home primarily to play strategic games. (Note: The names Solana and Jack are aliases used at the request of the parents.)

Podcast260: EduBloggerCon 2008, Intellectual Property and Recording: A Conversation with Elaine Roberts of Pearson

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:09:55 -0500

At EduBloggerCon 2008 in San Antonio, Texas, on June 28th, some controversy arose regarding the presence of videographers hired by Pearson Education. Steve Hargadon, who was the primary organizer of EduBloggerCon, gave permission to Pearson to attend and videotape many of the sessions pending permission from the presenters and speakers themselves. Today I had an opportunity to interview Dr. Elaine Roberts, the Director of Product Development and Professional Growth for Pearson, about the video recording which took place at EduBloggerCon this year and Pearson's plan for utilizing this video content. In my view, it is a real compliment that a respected and large educational publishing company like Pearson views the conversations and ideas discussed by educators at EduBloggerCon to be important enough to document and share. If we, as change agents in our schools and communities, want our voices and ideas to gain a broader and more mainstream audience, I think we should embrace opportunities like this to both share our perspectives as well as further educate educational publishing companies themselves. Respecting intellectual property rights is VERY important, and the conversations which took place before, during, and after EduBloggerCon regarding the recording and sharing of ideas are needed. How do we change? Through conversations. Hopefully the opportunity to have Pearson record and share participant perspectives at EduBloggerCon on Friday will lead to more constructive conversations about learning and educational change in the 21st century in the classrooms and educational board rooms around our nation and world. We've still had LOTS of great opportunities for "unconference" conversations at NECC 2008, and things are just getting underway here in San Antonio!

Podcast259: Drupal for Education by John Jones

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:03:39 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a presentation by John Jones on June 12, 2008, titled Drupal for Education. John presented this session at the Trends, Tools, and Tactics for 21st Century Learning conference in Wichita, Kansas, hosted by the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas (ESSDACK). The conference program description of this session was: Drupal is an open source web community engine that has the power and flexibility to provide highly customized user experiences for schools and districts. This presentation will review the software, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open source solutions like Drupal, and showcase what these sites can do. A link to John's PowerPoint presentation is available in the podcast shownotes.

Podcast258: Trends, Tools, and Tactics for 21st Century Learning by Kevin Honeycutt

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:08:11 -0500

This podcast is a recording of the keynote address shared by Kevin Honeycutt at the Trends, Tools, and Tactics for 21st Century Learning conference in Wichita, Kansas, on 12-13 June 2008. The TT conference is hosted by ESSDACK, the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas located in Hutchinson. Kevin is one of the most innovative and passionate educators I know, and is a compelling storyteller. He is able to masterfully focus educators not only on issues related to learning and educational technology integration, but even more importantly on the vital role teachers play each day forming and strengthening relationships with students. Kevin reminds me about what matters most in the classroom and in education, and that is students. Many thanks to Kevin for sharing permissiosn to podcast this session, as well as the entire ESSDACK staff for hosting a fantastic conference last week in Wichita. Be sure to also check out the Ning social network which Kevin facilitates, titled Art Snacks. (Links are available in the podcast shownotes.)

Podcast257: Natural Learning - What Schools Don’t Do by Steve Wycoff

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:25:59 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a presentation by Steve Wycoff on June 12, 2008, titled “Natural Learning - What Schools Don’t Do” at the Trends, Tools, and Tactics for 21st Century Learning conference in Wichita, Kansas. TTT is sponsored by ESSDACK, the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas in Hutchinson. The official program description for this session was: How we learn naturally is far different than how we are taught in schools. If we are going to succeed in actually leaving no child behind, we’ll need to understand better how individuals learn and more importantly how schools will need to look to accommodate the learning needs we all have. We’ll also demonstrate what curriculum might look like in a learning environment designed for the way we learn naturally. We’ll also connect this new learning environment to the needs we are experiencing in society related to workforce readiness. Be prepared to have your thinking stretched.

Podcast256: Internet Safety and Safe Social Networking Presentation for Kingfisher 8th Graders

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:38:43 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a presentation shared with approximately 300 eighth grade students in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, on March 26, 2008. Our topics were Internet safety and safe online social networking. I was the final speaker in Kingfisher for a day of presentations focusing on health and safety issues organized by the school counselors in Kingfisher and nearby school districts. It is quite challenging to address 300 eighth graders for almost an hour right after lunch, at the end of their learning day! (Note that in the introduction, the speaker erroneously stated I taught courses at Texas Tech University. That was incorrect. My only higher education teaching experience (to date) was for Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock, Texas.)

Podcast255: Implications of Transfer of Wealth for Schools and Communities

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:12:14 -0500

This podcast is a recorded interview with Tom Fryer discussing the transfer of wealth opportunities which exist for schools and other nonprofit organizations in our communities. Tom is one of the 2008-2009 trustees of the Manhattan Community Foundation (in Manhattan, Kansas) and an advocate for educational efforts focused on estate planning which include giving to community foundations as well as nonprofit organizations via endowments. According to the Kansas Association of Community Foundations, $66 billion will be transferred from one generation to the next in the state of Kansas by 2020. If only five percent of those dollars could be preserved in community foundation endowments, that would equate to $3.3 billion in funds being available for Kansas schools and other nonprofit organizations in Kansas communities in the next 12 years. The transfer of wealth (TOW) opportunity is not limited to Kansas, this is a nationwide phenomenon and opportunity. Educational leaders and other community advocates need to be both aware of and proactive about their local TOW opportunities, and partner together to allow local citizens to give back to their communities via local endowments. In contrast to one-time gifts which have a limited impact, endowments supported by community and school foundations can create and leave a positive legacy which can benefit a community in innumerable ways for years to come. Virtually everyone involved in U.S. public education today faces funding shortfalls for worthwhile programs. Community / school foundation advocacy and partnerships can help address these funding shortfalls and open up superb opportunities for learning which otherwise may be impossible for students and teachers in our schools.

Podcast254: Coaching and Leading Faculty on the Blended Learning Journey: An Interview with Scott Charlson

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:34:25 -0500

For the past three years, Scott Charlson has served as the Director of Learning Support Systems at Western Oklahoma State College (WOSC) in Altus, Oklahoma. In this role, Scott has served as a facilitator and coach for college instructors teaching entirely online and in blended learning environments. In this recorded interview from May 28, 2008, Scott relates many of the successful strategies he and WOSC technology director Kent Brooks have employed the past three years to help instructors redesign their courses to integrate identified best practices for distance learning and blended learning, as well as the pivotal role which relationships and peer coaching have played in the learning revolution underway at Western. WOSC is a state leader in the utilization of Moodle as an open source learning management system, and continues to innovate with many other open source and web 2.0 technologies to help improve opportunities for learning. Scott is leaving WOSC to accept a new role at the K-20 Center at the University of Oklahoma this summer, and will continue to support collaborative learning as well as pedagogic change in the K-12 school districts working with the K-20 center to implement customized versions of its IDEALS framework. Oklahoma is lucky to have passionate, innovative, and dedicated educators like Scott Charlson helping other instructors and teachers "make the change" from 19th and 20th century paradigms of instruction to more learner centered, engaged models of learning focusing on student media products and digital interaction.

Podcast253: Developing 21st Century Skills in School and District Leaders (COSN 2008 panel)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:31:26 -0500

This podcast is a recorded panel discussion from the 2008 COSN conference in Washington D.C. which was facilitated by Helen Soulé. Panelists included Terry Clark, Christopher Corallo, Marianne Hauser, and Susan Norton. The official program description for this session was: Education leaders must harness the value of information and communications technology and reconsider the longstanding goals for technology integration that are systemically focused on student outcomes. What are the skills that educational technology leaders need today? In this session, panelists will discuss the 2007 revised framework of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which offers such a vision. The panel, comprised of experts from cutting-edge districts and thought leaders from higher education and the nonprofit sector, will examine common assumptions and goals for technology integration in the context of the 21st century skills movement. More importantly, panelists will foster dialogue with attendees about what skills, knowledge, and expertise school leaders must have for evolving learning expectations.

Podcast252: Effective and Appropriate Use of Text Messaging with High School Students (Digital Etiquette)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:49:11 -0500

This podcast features an interview with Rhonda, the drama teacher at Yukon High School in Yukon, Oklahoma. This past year, for the first time, Rhonda has shared her cell phone number with her high school students with clear guidelines about the hours when she checks text messages. She receives over 1000 text messages per month from her students, and they respect her boundaries for having her cell phone number. Rhonda has been able to significantly increase her communication with students before and after class as well as rehersals, and makes a compelling case for teachers (in at least some contexts) sharing their cell phone number with students and helping them learn how to appropriately and respectfully utilize a teacher's cell phone number.

Podcast251: Geocaching in the Classroom by Barbara Wilson

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:47:27 -0500

This podcast is a presentation by Barbara Wilson of Allen ISD at the ESC10 Technology Conference in Richardson, Texas, on May 15, 2008. Barbara provides an overview of the history of geocaching, explains to to get started geocaching with basic equipment and the website geocaching.com, and explores different classroom lesson possiblities for geocaching.

Podcast250: An Overview of Streaming Video Standards, Technologies, and Considerations from John Copeland of VBrick

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:37:01 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a presentation shared by John Copeland of VBrick at the Oklahoma Distance Learning Association (ODLA) spring conference on April 28, 2008, in Oklahoma City at MetroTech Springlake. John discussed the company VBrick as well as their products, but also provided an excellent overview of streaming video formats, standards, technologies, and considerations to keep in mind when working with streaming video solutions. Thanks to John for both sharing this presentation as well as granting permission to share the recorded audio and his slides, which are linked in the podcast shownotes. Slides 14 through 20 are particularly good in providing an overview of what is available in terms of streaming video options today.

Podcast249: Pimp My Ride (digitally) Southeast Oklahoma Style (An Interview with Lance Ford: Mac Jedi)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:57:56 -0500

This podcast features an interview with Oklahoma K-12 educator Lance Ford, who has recently custom modded his Honda Element with an in-car 7" touch LCD screen, a Mac Mini computer, and an AT&T wireless network card to create his own mobile commander: A vehicle for mobile computing, desktop videoconferencing, and webcasting. In this interview (conducted from inside his Honda Element) Lance describes the functionality, hardware, software, and development process for his digitally pimped ride. Lance Ford is the director of technology for Howe Public Schools in southeastern Oklahoma, and won an Outstanding Leadership by an Individual in the Field of Distance Learning award at the USDLA 2008 National Conference held in St. Louis Missouri last week. Lance Ford is the Oklahoma Mac Jedi. I aspire to be his Padawan! :-)

Podcast248: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast06 - Cell Phones and Mobile Devices for Learning (Part 1 of 2)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:33:19 -0500

Welcome to episode six of the Technology Shopping Cart podcast where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas! This week Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer discuss the important but controversial subject of using cell phones and other mobile devices for learning in K-12 as well as university classrooms. This podcast is the first of two parts, our next episode will focus specifically on iPhones and web applications for the iPhone which are relevant for classroom learning. In this episode we address the reasons it is important to utilize cell phones for learning, including helping students learn digital etiquette with cell phones (part of digital citizenship.) Mobile devices like cell phones can be used in various ways to blend learning and extend learning beyond the traditional boundaries of the bell. Refer to our podcast shownotes for links to the resources and websites we discuss in this show.

Podcast247: Transformative Project Based Learning in a 1:1 Laptop Initiative: 10 Years of Lessons and Best Practices at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:10:12 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a conversation on December 5, 2007 with Judy Beaver, director of instructional technology at the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, about their 1:1 laptop learning initiative. Judy discusses how she utilized research findings from Dr. Robert Marzano’s noted book “Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement” when she made the case to the Punahou leaders for their 1:1 project nine years ago. She also discusses how they have effectively utilized those learning strategies in a digitally immersed environment, empowering key teachers to serve as coaches and models for other teachers as exemplary digital learning facilitators. Project based learning has been a key instructional focus of educators at the Punahou School. Many thanks to both Judy as well as Chris Watson for facilitating this conversation! I was able to meet Judy and Chris when I was in Hawaii last December for our USS Oklahoma Memorial Videoconferencing and Digital Learning Project.

Podcast246: A Tech Talk for Retirees by Eric Hileman and Wesley Fryer

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:06:30 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a 1.5 hour presentation I co-presented with Eric Hileman at a local Oklahoma City church about a variety of technology topics including Internet searching, debunking email myths (urban legends,) digital photography, iPods, iTunes, iTunes University, and more. We touched on a lot of topics but certainly didn’t cover EVERYTHING the program said we would! The official program description for this class was: Do you know what “text messaging” is? What are some tips and tricks for using an iPod for learning and entertainment? Learn how to download free university classes on an iPod. What is a wii? What do cell phones offer? Can your phone be a locator in an emergency? Got internet questions? Need a computer upgrade? What is available now on the market? What is a smart board? How is it used in education? Come and learn some of the technology language used today and how it can affect our future? Could a computer chip inside you store all your medical history and records? How can technology improve our lives?

Podcast245: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast05 - Digital Citizenship and an Interview with Kristine of PBWiki

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:03:14 -0500

Welcome to episode five of the Technology Shopping Cart podcast where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas! This week Karen Montgomery, Vicki Allen and Wesley Fryer host an interview with Kristine Molnar of PBwiki. PBwiki is one of our favorite web 2.0 sites for creating collaborative wiki documents with teachers and students. After sharing our geeks of the week, we discussed digital citizenship and the ways teachers in different places are helping students as well as educators connect 21st century skills with digital citizenship skills including Internet safety, safe online collaboration, and netiquette. It is helpful to situate conversations about Internet safety within a broader discussion of digital citizenship, and insure the constructive and positive uses of collaborative digital technologies are also highlighted.

Podcast244: Stories of Life on the High Seas by Jonathan Gayton in Perth, Australia to Oklahoma Over Skype

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:32:24 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a wonderful videoconference conversation with Jonathan Gayton and Sue Waters from the Western Australia Maritime Training Centre in Perth, Australia, with our family in Edmond, Oklahoma. At the time of this videoconference, it was 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Oklahoma (US Central time.) It was 9:30 am on Friday, April 11, 2008 in Perth, Western Australia. Prior to the videoconference (see the shownotes for a link) our children brainstormed a list of questions they wanted to ask Jonathan, who they were told was an experienced sea captain who has logged many days of travel on the open ocean. Jonathan graciously framed the conversation by helping the children understand what it is like to be out on the open water, without any landmarks. He told us about modern day pirates, the ships he has sailed on, what it is like to work 96 hour days as a sailor, the things he finds most challenging as well as rewarding as a sailor, and whether he thinks the stars in the southern hemisphere or northern hemisphere are most beautiful. Jonathan also told an amazing story about thousands of dolphins he and his crew encountered on one of their sailing trips. This was a remarkable learning experience, and we all deeply appreciate both Jonathan and Sue taking their time to share these stories with us and with you via this recorded podcast. We did have some technical trouble with Skype and our Internet connections, and as a result just watched the 1-way video from Jonathan and Sue and only sent audio to them in Australia. This seemed to improve the quality and stablity of our Skype connection, which was made over the commodity Internet. (We didn’t use any private telecommunications lines to make this connection, we just used the commercial/consumer Internet.) It was amazing to talk to Jonathan and Sue who were literally on the other side of planet earth, 11 hours ahead of us in Oklahoma. Welcome to the 21st century, when learning experiences like this are not only possible but actually taking place from the homes of learners connected to the web and the edublogosphere! This conversation took place thanks to edublogging and twitter!

Podcast243: Solutions for High School Reform Efforts in the United States (Part 1)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:44:13 -0500

This podcast is a response to Alan Bersin’s April 5, 2006 lecture at Stanford University titled “Reinventing the American High School: Back to the Future?” Alan Bersin was a former Secretary of Education for the state of California, and a former superintendent of San Diego Schools in California. This presentation is available from Stanford on iTunes in the Education - Education Policy channel. While I appreciate the informative history lesson Alan Bersin provides in this presentation, I vehemently disagree with his wholesale support of standards-based reform in the United States. His support of small schools reform and his focus on teacher quality is laudable, but the prescriptions he suggests for reforming US schools are misguided and erroneous. We do need smaller high schools in many U.S. communities, but we also need to address other issues including curriculum, instructional time, digital access, learning tasks, and student engagement. We need to address the elephant in the room of these discussions (which was not mentioned at all by Alan Bersin) of competitive athletics in high schools, especially football. We need to fundamentally re-examine many of our assumptions about our high school curriculum in the United States, and craft educational policies which emphasize both what students KNOW and what students can DO. We need to better align the skills employers tell us they want new employees to possess when they start work, and the actual skills our high school graduates have when they leave our schools. Graduation rates in the United States are dismal, and we DO need to take action to improve our high schools and K-12 educational system. The standards-based movement is NOT the path to educational nirvana, however, as Alan Birson apparently believed in 2006. The educational policy path focused on standards-based reforms and high-stakes accountability which US political and educational leaders have pursued since the mid-1980s is the WRONG path. We need educational reform in our US high schools, but we need reforms and a vision for reform which extends far beyond that of the small schools movement and that of Alan Birsen. (I apologize for the relatively poor quality of this audio recording. I recorded this in the car this evening on my iPhone using Gabcast.)

Podcast242: Solving the Publish At Will Challenge for K-12 Teachers with Podcast Producer

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:06:21 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a conversation I had with Kamala Jolly-Stewart of Mid-Del Schools in Midwest City, Oklahoma. For some time, I have viewed the ability of individuals with access to digital technologies and the web to publish their ideas and voices DIRECTLY on the global stage of the Internet as the ability to “publish at will.” The publish at will challenge for schools and colleges has multiple facets. For school leaders who understand the value of blended learning and distributed learning, it is very important to determine how ALL teachers, instructors and professors can be enabled to relatively easily publish their lectures, handouts, and other media files directly to the web in a user-friendly podcast feed to which students can subscribe using their desktop computers, laptop computers, or portable devices like iPhones. Creating a podcast in a program like GarageBand or Audacity can be relatively straightforward, but it can still require a lot of “clicks” of the mouse. How can this process be streamlined? How can coursecasting for an entire school, department, or college be enabled? Podcast Producer is part of the new Macintosh Operating System 10.5 (Leopard) Server and utilizes the free Mac OS 10.5 desktop client utility “Podcast Capture” to solve the publish at will challenge. The Mid-Del school district is starting the third year of professional development for educators in the district’s “Pod Squad,” but adding the ability to utilize Podcast Producer as a publishing process instead of using iWeb. (An application included in the iLife software suite.) Kamala and I discussed the background of Mid-Del’s Pod Squad, why they are utilizing Podcast Producer, what we understand to be the capabilities of this solution, and the questions we have moving forward into the implementation phase of this digital media publishing project.

Podcast241: 100K of New AT&T Foundation Grant Funding for Oklahoma Digital Storytellers, Museums and Memorials

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:21:55 -0500

This podcast is an audio recording of a fifteen minute press conference held on April 1, 2008, at the Oklahoma Heritage Association in downtown Oklahoma City. During this event, AT&T Oklahoma President Don Cain announced $100,000 of new grant funding from the AT&T Foundation for Oklahoma non-profit organizations. These groups include the Oklahoma Heritage Association, the Oklahoma Art Museum, and the Oklahoma National Memorial Museum. Grant funds provided to the Oklahoma Heritage Association will support expansion of the Celebrate Oklahoma Voices project, which is a statewide digital storytelling initiative which began as the Oklahoma Digital Centennial project. The Oklahoma Art Museum will be expanding its virtual exhibits as well as its offered podcasts. The Oklahoma National Memorial Museum, among other things, will use its grant funding to create cell phone audio tours for visitors to the Memorial and Museum.

Podcast240: Travian Tips and Lessons Learned After Four Months Playing Online

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:30:35 -0500

This podcast is a recorded conversation about the online game Travian recorded thanks to Skype-out VOIP technology, Call Recorder software, iPhone conference calling, and a very tech-literate ten year old Oklahoman named Alexander. Alexander, Devin Henley, and Wesley Fryer recorded this conversation from their respective locations in Edmond, Oklahoma; Wichita, Kansas; and northbound on Interstate 35 between Edmond and Wichita on Saturday, March 22, 2008. This discussion built on the ideas shared in a mid-December 2007 podcast recording about Travian, which is linked in the podcast shownotes. In this recorded conversation, participants discussed the experiences of the US Speed Server 3 ending (as the “Wonder of the World” was built to level 100), the importance of communication and courtesy in Travian diplomacy, and many of the lessons learned relating to alliances. The importance of alliances for protection, the varying ways forums are used, and an incident which amounted to “Travian terrorism” or bullying was also discussed. The conversation touched on issues relating to the founding of new villages, resource fields and the benefits of multipliers as well as a trade office, the importance of sitters, and the benefits as well as pitfalls of using an iPhone to play Travian. A wealth of lessons as well as fun await Travian players, who are engaged in an ongoing, real-time war game with thousands of others located around the world. Welcome to a much-evolved game of “Risk” in the 21st century connected infoverse: Travian! Participants hope by listening to this podcast you’ll learn more about the game Travian. If you have feedback or comments about our discussion or ideas, PLEASE leave a comment!

Podcast239: 21st Century Learning: Embedding New Skills and Assessments by Dr. Richard Hersh (COSN 2008 Keynote)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:07:04 -0500

This podcast features a recording of Dr. Richard Hersh's comments on March 10, 2008, at the COSN Conference in Washington D.C. in the opening keynote panel discussion. Dr. Hersh currently serves as the Co-Director of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) the College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA.) He is focused on encouraging educators (as well as the legislators who write policy which dictates many of the roles and tasks of the 21st century U.S. classroom) to embrace assessments which move far beyond the lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, at the knowledge and comprehension level, and instead assess critical thinking skills. This is a challenging task, but an extremely important one. Of all the presenters I heard at COSN 2008 this year, Dr. Hersh stood out as the most thought provoking and challenging speaker. This recording also includes some commentary from Dr. Chris Dede of Harvard University, who was also on the opening keynote panel. The description of this session in the conference program was: There is a growing awareness that students need new skills to succeed in our global economy. In addition to traditional core subjects, students need critical thinking, creativity and collaboration skills. Yet how do we embed these new skills in student’s education? How can these new skills be assessed? What role might technology play to enable and support this new learning environment? Hear from a leading large scale global assessment expert and U.S. educational researcher and practitioner as they explore this critical issue.

Podcast238: K-12 Online Conference - Free Professional Development on Web 2.0 Technologies

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:19:20 -0500

This podcast (introduced by my wife, Shelly) is a recording of a session I shared at the 2008 Oklahoma Technology Association (OTA) conference in Oklahoma City on February 5, 2008, titled "K-12 Online Conference - Free Professional Development on Web 2.0 Technologies." The conference program description for this session was: The K-12 Online Conference offers a fantastic, free opportunity for educators around the world to learn together about innovative and effective ways web 2.0 (read/write web) technologies are and can be used to engage students as well as improve opportunities for learning. Each October, over 40 free presentations created by teachers around the world are posted on the k12onlineconference.org website. Over 50,000 educators from around the world participated in the conference in 2007. A series of live events as well as asynchronous interaction options are available during and after the conference. Learn how you can participate, AND earn professional development credit. Learn more on www.k12onlineconference.org.

Podcast237: Unleashing the Transformational Power of One-to-One Computing in K-12 (COSN Panel)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:28:53 -0500

This podcast is a recording of a session at the COSN 2008 conference in Washington D.C. on March 10, 2008, titled "Unleashing the Transformational Power of One-to-One Computing in K-12." Members of the panel included the moderator: Leslie Wilson, President, One-to-One Institute; Chris Lehman, Principal, Science Leadership Academy, School District of Philadelphia; Dr. Rae Niles, former Director of Curriculum and Technology, Sedgwick Public Schools, USD 439, KS (Rae now works for Apple Computer); and Elaine Wrenn, Technology Coordinator, Echo Horizon School, CA. The official program description of this session was: The number of one-to-one computing initiatives around the nation continues to grow, and best practices keep improving and evolving. This panel session will explore research-based best practices for beginning and sustaining a one-to-one laptop computer initiative. Panelists will discuss successes, challenges and rewards of teaching and learning in a one-to-one laptop learning environment. Attendees will also hear specific examples of how teachers’ and students’ use of laptops and inquiry-based learning evolved, the impact of one-to-one initiatives on digital—as well as traditional and literacy—skills, how to sustain and build on the progress and lessons learned about leadership.

Podcast236: Let's Invent the Future - A Presentation for Oklahoma Superintendents

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:54:21 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a presentation I shared with Oklahoma superintendents on March 5, 2008, in Oklahoma City at an Apple Leadership Institute. If the world is flat for those with connectivity, what are we going to do to change our learning environments in schools to support the development of 21st century skills alongside traditional literacy skills and content knowledge? I propose, as school leaders, we get creative, work together, and (in the words of Dr. Alan Kay) “invent the future” together. The Celebrate Oklahoma Voices project is one way Oklahoma students, teachers, and administrators are preserving the oral history of our state and promoting the development of digital literacy skills for teachers as well as students. (For learners of all ages.) Good leadership matters. Let’s step up to the challenges before us in education and provide the leadership the students, teachers, and families of our state and nation desperately need.

Podcast235: Copyright, Fair Use, Intellectual Property and Podcasting - NCCE 2008

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:30:44 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a presentation I shared at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington, on February 29, 2008. Intellectual property law, Creative Commons licensed media, and the guidelines under which students can legally publish their ideas in a variety of multimedia formats on the OPEN WEB (accessible by anyone) are important issues for ALL teachers. Gone are the days when teachers could reasonably pass off questions about copyright issues to the district technology director: All teachers and instructors, as well as students from middle-elementary grades through college need to have an accurate and functional knowledge of intellectual property issues as they apply to legal media publishing. Fortunately, homegrown media as well as Creative Commons licensed media offer ways to go "around the mountain" of traditional copyright and intellectual property law which previously may have seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle for educators.

Podcast234: Lead Differently - Digitally Informed School Leadership for the 21st Century

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:22:14 -0600

This podcast is a recorded interview from a presentation I shared at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington, on February 29, 2008. The official program description for this session was: School administrators need to understand the implications changes in information and digital communication modalities should have for teachers and students in schools. This all-day workshop for administrators focuses on understanding the implications of these changes for learning, and empower campus principals to be constructive change agents for appropriate and constructive digital learning.

Podcast233: Building Bridges for Conversation Between IT and Instructional Leaders in Washington Schools

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:17:42 -0600

This podcast is a recorded interview with Julia Fallon at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington, on February 27, 2008. Instead of sponsoring separate technology leadership summits for IT and instructional administrators this year, NCCE conveners (including Julia) coordinated a joint leadership summit. This provided an excellent opportunity, through panel discussion and small group breakout sessions, to build bridges for conversations between educational leaders in these different areas. In this interview, Julie discsussed the formative results of the 2008 NCCE leadership summit as well as the outstanding work being supported through educational technology grant initiatives in the state of Washington. Educational leaders in other parts of the United States should follow the lead of NCCE and Washington department of education leaders in fostering these critical conversations between different educational leadership groups. Our educational system has many goals, and to insure groups within it are not working at cross-purposes regular commuincation is vital. Julia and others in Washington are working to capture video vignettes of innovative educational technology projects in their state which will be showcased online later this year. Kudos to these educational leaders in the state of Washington for their leadership in fostering these conversations between IT and instructional administrators, and making plans to follow-up on those conversations in the months ahead!

Podcast232: Compelling Reasons to Involve Students in Technical and Instructional Technology Support with GenYES and TechYES

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:03:08 -0600

This podcast is a recorded interview with Megan and Emily of GenYES at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington, on February 29, 2008. GenYES offers several programs to involve students meaningfully in the ongoing provision of technical and instructional technology support in schools, as well as involve students in decisionmaking processes which concern educational technologies. In addition to learning technical skills, students involved in GenYES programs learn and refine their interpersonal skills working with both teachers and peers. Students have opportunities to develop teamwork and leadership skills through their participation in the program, and as Emily (a graduate of a school which implemented GenYes) attests in this podcast, those skills are important in virtually all job roles into which students will transition following high school. If your school, district, educational collaborative, or state is not already utilizing GenYes's programs and curriculum, carefully consider doing so in the near future.

Podcast231: Global Voices - Using Synchronous and Asynchronous VOIP Applications for Worldwide Classroom Collaborations

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:51:22 -0600

This podcast is a recording of my final presentation at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington, on February 29, 2008. We were fortunate to have Dr. Scott Mcleod join us over Skype for the first ten minutes of this session from Mubai, India! The program description of my session was: Amazing new voice technologies are enabling classrooms to connect across distances and engage in collaborative projects using both synchronous and asychronous voice interactions such as interactive podcasting, Skype or Google Talk. This session presents examples of successful interactive podcasting and voice over IP (VOIP) classroom exchange projects, as well as discusses reasons why campus administrators and district leaders should encourage these types of collaborative projects to develop student literacy skills as well as content area knowledge

Podcast230: Free Content + Open Tools + Massive Collaboration = Learning for All by Karen Fasimpaur

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:10:19 -0800

This podcast is a recording of a presentation by Karen Fasimpaur about OER (Open Educational Resources) and open content licensing options at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle, Washington. The program description of Karen's session was: Learning should be free and accessible to everyone! Come learn about how the Open Educational Resources movement is reshaping education. We'll look at Open Source tools, repositories of free textbooks, images, videos, music, lessons, and more. You'll learn how to access these and contribute your own resources so others can benefit.

Podcast229: Educators Share Learning Points about Audacity, Switch, and Mobile Audio Recording

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:05:58 -0600

This podcast is a recording from Thursday, February 21, 2008, on day two of a three day workshop shared as part of the Celebrate Oklahoma Voices project at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Participants had just spent an hour using their Olympus WS-110 portable digital audio recorders, Switch software, and Audacity software to create recorded interviews with each other about a variety of topics. We spent about twenty minutes discussing the challenges, obstacles, roadblocks, work-arounds, and learning points they encountered during their work time together. Celebrate Oklahoma Voices is a statewide digital storytelling project empowering learners to become digital witnesses, archiving local oral history and sharing that history safely on the global stage of the Internet. More information is available on our main project website celebrateoklahoma.us.

Podcast228: Pedagogic Crimes Against Students

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:00:44 -0600

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs indicates the perception of a safe environment, along with basic physiological needs, are pre-requisites for the development of higher order needs eventually culminating in self-actualization. This podcast focuses on our ethical obligations as moral educators to speak out and take action when pedagogic crimes are taking place in our schools against students. The specific pedagogic crimes I address in this podcast include verbally threating elementary school children with the loss of their entire summer vacation if they don’t work harder and score better on high stakes tests, and the departmentalization of students in first grade. Neither of these actions are supported by educational research as ways to enhance student achievement or promote the sort of school culture in which learners of any age can thrive. Both of these actions have been and are being taken in a Texas elementary school, whose identity I am not disclosing for reasons I explain in the podcast. These reprehensible actions are NOT taking place everywhere in all our schools, and I am not wanting to further erode public perceptions of teachers and our schools in general by sharing these stories and ideas. I do believe, however, that cultures of fear are more prevalent than ever in many of our public schools today because of NCLB and our predominant, destructive political culture emphasizing high stakes accountability. As moral human beings in our communities, we have obligations to speak out when children are being harmed both physically and verbally, even if those actions are being taken in the name of “raising student achievement,” “improving test scores,” or “getting our kids ready for high school.”

Podcast227: Digital Storytelling Through the Eyes of a Child by Christy Paradise

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:29:59 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a wonderful presentation by 4th grade teacher Christy Paradise at the Oklahoma State Department of Education's annual Social Studies and Fine Arts conference on Saturday, February 2, 2008, at the Moore-Norman Technology Center just south of Oklahoma City. Christy applied and was selected to participate last fall in a special digital centennial project in Mid-Del Public Schools. Along with 8 other teachers, she received her own Macbook laptop computer, a digital camera, an iPod Nano, and an iMic which permitted the iPod to be used as a mobile digital recorder. The iPod and iMic were added to the library inventory at Christy's school so students could check them out and take them home to use in digital storytelling projects. Christy permits students to regularly use the digital camera during the day to capture non-linguistic representations of concepts and ideas they are studying in the formal curriculum, and also create images which serve as story prompts for writing activities.

Podcast226: Celebrate Oklahoma Voices (A statewide digital storytelling project)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:02:51 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a session which I co-presented with Dr. Dana Owens, Dr. Don Wilson, and Whitney Allen at the 2008 Oklahoma Technology Association's annual conference on February 6, 2008 in Oklahoma City. The program description was: The Celebrate Oklahoma Voices Project seeks to equip and empower Oklahomans to record and share oral history interviews and other digital stories relating to the history and people of Oklahoma with the world. Our project is currently focused on providing three day professional development workshops for Oklahoma educators. The workshop cost is $150, but thanks to supplementary grant funding each participant receives over $500 of equipment including a mobile digital audio recorder, a digital camera, a USB headset/microphone, and more. Come learn about our workshop curriculum and scheduled dates for 2007 sessions!

Podcast225: The K-12 Online Conference - Free, World-Class Professional Development for Educators about Web 2.0 Tools for Learning

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:18:54 -0600

This podcast is a recording of my spotlight presentation at the Oklahoma Technology Association's annual conference on February 5, 2008, about the K-12 Online Conference. The program description for this session stated: The K-12 Online Conference offers a fantastic, free opportunity for educators around the world to learn together about innovative and effective ways web 2.0 (read/write web) technologies are and can be used to engage students as well as improve opportunities for learning. Each October, over 40 free presentations created by teachers around the world are posted on the k12onlineconference.org website. Over 50,000 educators from around the world participated in the conference in 2007. A series of live events as well as asynchronous interaction options are available during and after the conference. Learn how you can participate, AND earn professional development credit.

Podcast224: An Interview with Patrick Henry

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:41:58 -0600

This podcast is a recorded interview with Richard Schumann of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, who was the keynote speaker at the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s annual Social Studies and Fine Arts conference on February 2, 2008. The title of the conference was Revolutionary Matters: “The Virginia Firebrand of the American Revolution.” Schumann portrays Patrick Henry at Colonial Williamsburg, and in keynote addresses like the one he shared yesterday here in Oklahoma City. I asked him for advice he has for a nation beset by divisions and factions. I also asked him about his well known disagreements with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and Mr. Henry discussed issues of both agreement and disagreement with Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison. I asked him how he sees our nation as able to use the lamp of experience to light our way in our “new” experiment of democratic and republican self-government. I also asked him about his recommendations of political philosophers to read, and found his discussion of Thomas Paine, John Locke, Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and “the good book” (the Holy Bible) to be illuminating and thought provoking. He concluded by exhorting our young people to take their responsibilities as citizens seriously, and persevere despite frustrations and failures in their lives. As he said, NEVER GIVE UP.

Podcast223: Strengthening America's Foundation in STEM Education by Dr. Steven Beering

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:35:20 -0600

This podcast is a recording of Dr. Steven Beering's keynote address at our luncheon today during the 2008 OU K-20 Center's MidWinter Conference in Norman, Oklahoma. Dr. Beering is the Chair of the National Science Board of the United States. He was appointed by the President of the United States and his appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Dr. Beering shared key highlights of a recent report he just shared in Washington D.C. with our President and other national leaders, regarding steps that need to be taken to strengthen our educational support of students in STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Dr. Beering has had and continues to have a remarkable career in public service, which included (as Dr. Lee Williams shared in the introduction) being the medical doctor for the original Mercury 7 astronauts in the 1960s. Amidst calls for a focus on "right brain" thinking by author Daniel Pink and others, it is worthwhile to listen to Dr. Beering and his perspectives on the importance of "left brain" analytical thinking and scientific aptitudes as well as dispositions for the future of our nation and world. Many thanks to Dr. Beering for granting permission to share this presentation here as a podcast.

Podcast222: Using Technology for Building Learning Communities by Alan November

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:59:37 -0600

This podcast is a recording of Alan November's first breakout session on January 31, 2008, at the MidWinter Conference of the OU K-20 Center held in Norman, Oklahoma, on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The title of his session was "Using Technology for Building Learning Communities." The program description was: We now have tools to build and strengthen our learning communities. We have the opportunity to provide our students with authentic assessment realtionships over the web that can help dramatically improve student motivation. We can take advantage of the communication tools the Internet provides, such as Instant Messenger, video conference or email. Research suggests many students are more willing to ask for help and accept criticism when they are online.

Podcast221: Balancing Access and Freedom with Safety and Liability Protection

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:27:14 -0600

This podcast is a recording of my presentation on January 31, 2008, at the MidWinter Conference of the OU K-20 Center held in Norman, Oklahoma, on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Most Oklahoma school districts censor and filter Internet content more strictly than the communist government of China. It is very important to protect students from objectionable content on the Internet as well as our school districts from liability risks, but it is also critical that we provide more open access to learners of all ages who are the digital netizens of the 21st century. In this session we will explore practical ways school district leaders in Oklahoma and elsewhere are providing differentiated Internet access for teachers and students, encouraging cultures of accountability and responsibility when it comes to the use of digital resources, and helping learners develop capacities for media literacy as well as the ethical use and creation of media resources.

Podcast220V: Cleaning Up Downloaded Podcasts with Juice Receiver

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:13:16 -0600

This podcast is a short (3 min, 16 sec) screencast explaining how you can use free Juice Receiver software to quickly identify and clean up podcast channels that have more episodes than you want to keep, or episodes you've already watched / listened to. Juice Receiver can work in conjunction with iTunes, and when you "clean up" episodes in Juice Receiver those episodes can be automatically deleted from your iTunes library. I find Juice Receiver (in combination with PodNova) to be a wonderful way to manage my podcast channel subscriptions. This "clean up" feature is one of my favorites in Juice Receiver, and a primary reason I use this open source software. A larger version of this screencast is also available for download in the podcast shownotes.

Podcast219: Powerful Tools, Powerful Possibilities

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:52:09 -0600

This podcast is a recording of my keynote address at the STARtech: Technology for the Next Generation conferece at Salina South High School in Salina, Kansas, on January 21, 2008. An amazing array of digital tools are now available for anyone connected to the Internet to use and share his/her voice with the world using text, audio, and video. The emergence of this read/write web (called "web 2.0 by some" is both exciting and scary to many. In this session we'll explore many of these tools which can be used to communicate and collaborate on the global stage. We'll discuss the ethical responsibility which comes with using powerful tools like these, and explore ways learners of all ages can safely and legally use these tools to create and share digital stories, music, and socially network online with others. The age of the read/write web has dawned. Let's use these tools safely, legally, and responsibly to CREATE, COLLABORATE, and develop the literacy skills required to thrive in the 21st century!

Podcast218: Technology Shopping Card Podcast04 - An Interview with Steve Muth and Ben Papell (Co-Founders of VoiceThread) Discussing the new VoiceThread for Education

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:39:05 -0600

Welcome to episode four of the Technology Shopping Cart podcast where educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas! This week Karen Montgomery and Wesley Fryer host an interview with Steve Muth and Ben Papell, the co-Founders of the VoiceThread website and web 2.0 tool. Steve and Ben discuss the background for how VoiceThread started, design principles of simplicity and "the amazon.com model" of task completion in a few clicks, their implementation of layered complexity within their site's functionality, and the benefits of creating living multimedia documents via VoiceThread which can live forever. They also discuss the brand new website "VoiceThread for Education," which is customized with several changes that make it a thoroughly accountable environment safe for student publishing and interactive feedback. Their hope is that more school districts, students and teachers will now be able to benefit from as well as enjoy using VoiceThread as a learning tool inside and outside their classrooms on a regular basis.

Podcast217: Making the Case for Blended Learning

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:39:34 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a thirty minute skype connection I made to GT teachers in Ector County Schools, Odessa, Texas, on January 18, 2008. The focus of my presentation was making the case for using and supporting blended learning tools and learning methodologies in the 21st century classroom. There are an enormous array of web 2.0 tools and resources available, but we do not need to jump right to the "point and click" conversation if educators (and educational leaders) are not on board understanding REASONS traditional teaching methods need to change as well as the pedaogogic assumptions which should undergird those methods and tools. These speaking points are included on the wiki curriculum for the presentation, Creating, Collaborating, and Blending Learning in the 21st Century Infoverse. I am including a link to that page in the podcast shownotes. These five reasons I discussed include ENGAGEMENT, RESEARCHED-BASED METHODS FOR IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING / ACHIEVEMENT, DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING, AUDIENCE, and REAL WORLD SKILLS (21st century skills.) This podcast includes a musical shoutout to Eric Langhorst, the 2008 Missouri State Teacher of the Year. Give a listen and learn why I'm compelled to include the song "There's No Where Like Nebraska" as my musical transition in this episode. :-)

Podcast216: Conversations about Classroom Blogging, Instructional Change, and Schooliness by Clay Burell and Ken Carroll

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:40:03 -0600

This podcast features excerpts of the conversation during an unconference session facilitated by Will Richardson at the Learning 2.0 Conference in Shanghai, China, in September 2007. Although there were many more participants, the only ones whose permission I was able to obtain to share their comments were Clay Burell and Ken Carroll. For that reason, I have edited out comments by the other participants. Despite these omissions, I think you'll find the commentary and dialog by Clay and Ken both thought provoking and challenging. How can we avoid using blogs as electronic means for turning in homework? (I've heard of learning management systems at some colleges becoming basically more sophisticated mechanisms for exchanging file attachments, which is a similar problem.) How can we avoid, to use Clay's term, "schooliness" in our use of web 2.0 tools? Is a more inquiry-based pedagogy of learning feasible in our climate of high stakes accountability, and in many contexts a focus on AP test preparation? Is there an agenda for educational change, and if so, how do we understand it and the ways web 2.0 tools can facilitate its advance?

Podcast215: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast03 - Strategies for Helping Teachers Integrate Technology

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:33:53 -0600

Educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas. Welcome to the “Technology Shopping Cart,” and our third episode when we focus on “Strategies for Helping Teachers Integrate Technology” as well as our “geeks of the week.” Access our show notes below and on our wiki for links to the websites and resources we discussed in this episode.

Podcast214: Surrender of the Japanese to the United States Aboard the USS Missouri (a retelling in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:31:31 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a presentation shared by a docent aboard the USS Missouri battleship, now docked at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 5, 2007. It was on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Harbor aboard the USS Missouri that generals representing the Empire of Japan surrendered to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and other officials representing the United States of America. The USS Missouri is now docked right next to the location where the USS Oklahoma was docked on December 7, 1941, when it was attacked by the Japanese Navy and sunk after sustaining nine torpedo hits. Two days after this presentation was recorded, a memorial to the men who died aboard the USS Oklahoma was dedicated in Pearl Harbor, only five hundred feet away from where the Missouri is now docked. This presentation and retelling of the surrender of the Japanese to the Americans aboard the USS Missouri was shared especially for junior ROTC students from Claremore, Oklahoma, who had spent the previous night aboard the USS Missouri and were concluding their tour of the battleship. These junior ROTC students served as part of the color guard participating the dedication ceremony of the USS Oklahoma Memorial two days later. It was a moving and powerful experience to stand on the deck of the USS Missouri, in the exact location where the Japanese surrender to the United States had been signed sixty-two years before in Tokoyo Harbor, and look out onto the placid waters of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial. Let us pray the nations and people of our planet never again experience a world war as terrible and costly as World War II. The courage, fortitude, and sacrifices of the men and women who fought and struggled to bring that conflict to an end should never be forgotten.

Podcast213: Comparing Parental Control Options in Windows Vista and Mac OS 10.5 Leopard

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:56:13 -0600

This podcast is a conversation with my brother in law, Max Divine, who recently upgraded computers in his home to Windows Vista and has been exploring the options available within the new parental control settings. We discuss his experiences with the AT&T Smart Limits parental controls system, options available in Vista's parental controls, and how those compare with the options available in the parental controls available with Macintosh OS 10.5 Leopard. We also discuss briefly the network-level content filtering available with OpenDNS, a free web-based service. As we mention several times, technology solutions like parental controls do NOT offer a substitute for ongoing, regular communication between parents and children. If parents want to use some sort of parental controls to limit Internet access and computer use, there are a variety of choices available depending on the age of the children and other factors. While there is not a "one size fits" all solution, it is good to see both Microsoft and Apple providing more tools for parents when it comes to digital boundaries. Whatever operating system(s) you use on home computers, I recommend that everyone look into and utilize the free OpenDNS service for content filtering.

Podcast212: XO Laptop First Impressions from Colin Davitt

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:50:20 -0600

This podcast is a recorded skype interview with Colin Davitt, Instructional Technology Specialist with the Lindbergh School District in St Louis, Missouri, about his initial impressions of the XO Laptop. Colin received his XO Laptop two days ago, and is VERY enthused about the capabilities and power of the XO! After hearing him talk, I am REALLY wanting to order one. How exciting to hear from a first-hand witness about the exciting capabilities of this $180 laptop! Note: The XO Giving program requires a $400 purchase: This provides one XO Laptop to a student in a developing country, and one XO Laptop to the person ordering the XO. The actual cost of the XO Laptop hardware is $180 presently.

Podcast211: Technology Shopping Cart Podcast02: Wikis, VoiceThread, and MathCasts

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:40:23 -0600

This episode features a conversation with Karen Mongomery, Tim Fahlberg, and Wesley Fryer about why wikis should be considered a "basic ingredient" for gourmet learning in the 21st century, and how Tim's MathCast project is a phenomenal example of using digital storytelling technologies to learn and share our learning with others. Like writing, learning mathematics should be viewed as a process and not simply a series of final answers. Meta-cognition is the ability to "think about one's own thinking," and Mathcasts provide a great window into the thinking and learning process of students as well as teachers. By using a $50 graphics tablet and free digital technologies like VoiceThread, PBwiki, and software from the Jing Project, learners of any age can (and ARE) creating MathCasts to document and share their learning. The ability to comment on and provide feedback on the learning and ideas of others via VoiceThread provides superb opportunities for asynchronous, thoughtful mentoring. Possibilities abound! Check out our podcast shownotes for links to resources discussed in this episode, including our "Geek of the Week" websites! Happy Holidays to everyone from your hosts at The Technology Shopping Cart! :-)

Podcast210: Powerful Ingredients for Digitally Interactive Learning (Workshop Part 1)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:45:04 -0600

This podcast is a recording of the initial hour (with group working times edited out) of a workshop I led for approximately 125 educators at Education Service Center 10 in Richardson, Texas, on December 17, 2007. The description of this workshop was: Good teaching is similar in many ways to good cooking. Recipies are helpful, but master cooks often modify those to meet different needs and situations. The same is true for teachers. If we extend this analogy of cooking to teaching and learning in a web 2.0 world, what are the best "ingredients" to use as we help both teachers and students learn to be more effective, safe, and powerful communicators in our flat world? In this working session we will focus on four key ingredients: del.icio.us social bookmarks, Flickr photo sharing, VoiceThread digital storytelling, and videoconferencing. The hands-on portion of our workshop will focus primarily on using social bookmarks to both document/archive our individual "gems" we find online, as well as collaborate and share those resources with others. Cooking can be intimidating for novices, but richly rewarding. Let's learn to cook up some gourmet learning with some powerful (and free) web 2.0 tools!

Podcast209: A 10 year old discusses Travian, an online simulation war game

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:19:54 -0600

This podcast is a 40 minute interview with Alexander, a 10 year old fourth grader who has been playing the online simulation war game Travian for the past month. In addition to being fun and highly engaging, Travian requires players to quantitatively manage multiple resources (wheat, clay, iron, and wood,) negotiate alliances, effectively deal with external threats, and manage both economic relationships and personal relationships with other players. Travian does NOT involve any animations or video simulations, but rather involves managing resources and making decisions about those resources in realtime. In this podcast, Alexander explains what he has learned in playing the game so far, mistakes he has made and learned from, and advice he'd offer to others wanting to play Travian. Clearly online, interactive simulation and role-playing games offer a host of opportunities for players of all ages to cultivate problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as knowledge about economics, mathematics, social sciences, history, and other content areas. There is NO CHARGE to play Travian online, although "Travian Plus" options are available for a fee which provides additional capabilities to players. Neither Alexander or I have paid any money up to this point to play Travian.

Podcast208: Blending Learning with Powerful Ingredients

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:30:24 -0600

This podcast is a keynote address I shared on December 12, 2007, with teachers at the Good Shephard Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas, over skype as a videoconference to kick off a day of professional development focused on distance learning. We discussed the ways audio recording and podcasting technologies can be viewed as disruptive and threatening to teachers and professors, and the ways these and other technologies can be leveraged to enhance learning opportunities. We discussed analogies between cooking and teaching, including the "Ratatouille Effect" (everyone can learn) as well as the lesson from Ratatouille about the need to start with the best ingredients when cooking. We wrapped up sharing our perceptions of the most powerful ingredients for digitally enhanced and engaging learning. Mine (linked in the podcast shownotes) are del.icio.us social bookmarks, Flickr, VoiceThread, and Skype.

Podcast207: An Inspirational Message from Songwriter, Musician and Educator Monte Selby

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:07:40 -0600

This podcast features a recording of songwriter and educator Monte Selby’s keynote at the Oklahoma Alternative Education Student Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 7, 2007. Monte is an amazingly talented guitarist, songwriter, and singer. As a former teacher, middle school principal, and college professor, Monte shares unique perspectives on creativity, artistic expression, learning, and the choices we each make in life. The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Alternative Education division sponsored this conference for students in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also in Edmond, Oklahoma the following day. Monte provided a motivational, entertaining, and inspirational start to this full-day conference for students. If you ever have an opportunity to hear Monte present, perform, and share in person, do not pass up the opportunity! I was able to bring my own children to hear Monte on day two of this conference in Edmond, and they were both amazed, captivated, and inspired by his artistic talents as well as message. Monte rocks! As educators, we need to spend more time hanging out with musicians and other creative artists. It was a privilege to hear Monte in person, and I appreciate him granting permission to share this recording as a podcast so more people can hear his compelling message.

Podcast206: Inventing The Future: Safely Empowering Learners in the Read/Write Society (ODLA 2007)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:26:41 -0600

This podcast features a recording of my keynote address at the 2007 Oklahoma Distance Learning Association (ODLA) conference in Tulsa on November 5, 2007. Although this presentation shares the same title as one I shared at the Learning 2.0 conference in Shanghai in September, the content of this session is entirely different. The description of this keynote in the conference program was: As Dr. Lawrence Lessig has observed, we live in the era of a "new read-only" and a "new read-write" culture. This environment is full of rapid, discontinuous and disruptive change, but the opportunities for empowering people to constructively communicate and share their voices appropriately with the world is unprecedented. We'll explore how learners of all ages across the world are utilizing media and communication technologies to literally reinvent the future.

Technology Shopping Cart Podcast01: Digital Storytelling

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:24:54 -0600

Educational innovation thrives on the food of creative ideas. Welcome to the “Technology Shopping Cart,” a collaborative educational podcasting effort by Karen Montgomery, Vicki Allen, and Wesley Fryer. We are aspiring to create at least two podcasts per month, approximately 20-30 minutes in length each, and are launching this project in late November 2007. This podcast is something we’ve talked about for many months, and are enthused to begin! We follow a similar format to The Seedlings podcast, sharing “geek of the week” websites as well as discussion around our show theme, which in this first episode is digital storytelling. Access our show notes on our wiki for links to the websites and resources we discussed in this episode.

Podcast205: Innovation, Integration and the K-20 Center: Why Educational Leadership Needs Technology (Quyen Arana)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:44:11 -0600

This podcast features a recording of the luncheon presentation by Quyen Arana at the Oklahoma Distance Learning Association's Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 6, 2007. The title of Quyen's presentation was, Innovation, Integration and the K-20 Center: Why Educational Leadership Needs Technology. The program description of his presentation was: The K20 Center at the University of Oklahoma is nationally recognized for educational leadership development that creates systemic and substantive changes impacting student learning. The center's research has shown substantial improvements in student achievement and professional learning community development when leadership models technology adoption in light of organizational change. This session will brief participants on the K20 Center's leadership development program, professional learning community development, and learning innovations taht bring technology to the forefront of educational reform.

Podcast204: How Can I Create a Podcast? Let Me Count the Ways! by Lance Ford

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:05:58 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a presentation about classroom podcasting shared by Lance Ford on November 6, 2007, at the Oklahoma Distance Learning Association's annual conference. Lance is the director of technology for Howe Public Schools in southeastern Oklahoma. Students in Howe are producing the weekly video podcast CLE LIve, which stands for Camera, Lights, Education! You will be hard pressed to find a more enthusiastic advocate for the appropriate use of videoconferencing technologies as well as student created media across the K-12 curriculum than Lance Ford. A former music educator, Lance has a contagious passion for learning and teach-nology, as he refers to technology, and he is eager to share this passion with others. As Lance says in his introduction, his educational focus as a teacher has been on making things happen. Very positive things certainly are happening in Howe Public Schools, and Lance Ford is playing a key role as a catalyst and advocate for engaged teaching and learning.

Podcast203: Empowering and Protecting Tomorrow's Digital Citizens (with Miguel Guhlin)

www.wesfryer.com/contact (Wesley A. Fryer) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:55:51 -0600

This podcast is a recording of a session I co-presented with Miguel Guhlin at the Southwest TechForum in Austin on November 2, 2007. Whether we're with them or not, today's young people are venturing into the virtual world, where they face challenges of the sort we could hardly have dreamed of a few decades ago. If we ban new technologies in schools we are not protecting our students from them; we're simply asking them to venture into this new world alone. Just as adults must help young people learn to drive before setting them loose behind the wheel of a car, we have a responsibility to help our students and children learn how to safely navigate the virtual environments of the 21st Century. In this session we will explore how to be proactive rather than merely defensive, how to reassure community members without ignoring real dangers, and how to help students make the connections and participate in the collaborations that are crucial to digital citizenship today.