netTrekker Blog

netTrekker Runner-Up for the EdNET Impact Award

Yesterday, netTrekker was recognized as the runner-up for the 2009 EdNET Impact Award. Randy Wilhelm – CEO, Kirsty Wertz – VP Marketing, Steve Nordmark – VP Solutions Management & Development, and Alan Whisman – Director of Business Development, were in attendance to represent netTrekker at the awards ceremony.

Organizations that have made important contributions through their products and programs to the education industry in the past year are recognized each year at EdNETduring the Industry Awards program. The EdNet Impact Award is presented to the organization having made the most significant, positive impact on education through quality educational support and instructional resources.

EdNET 2009, The 21st Annual Educational Networking Conference, took place September 13-15 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers in Chicago, IL.  EdNET provides the opportunity for those in the business community to immediately connect with top education leaders for the purpose of improving business models, uncovering new market trends, and generating business solutions. 

Hanging by a Thread

Last week I promised you a gem from one of the sessions I attended, and told you that you’d have to take a gamble on whether or not I post it. I am so sorry to leave you hanging by a thread, but I’m ready to start sharing. This first gem has become quite popular over the past year or so. It takes presentations and digital storytelling to a completely new level.

I’m talking about VoiceThread, which is a fantastic tool. We used it to wrap up our field trip in Washington DC, to see what they learned about either a monument, netTrekker and how to use it, or about netTrekker Village. Since we were at a very busy, fast paced conference, I was extremely pleased with the number of teachers that responded. I went ahead and paid the $3 for a downloaded version of the field trip and then loaded it to netTrekker Village.

I just mentioned a price, so some would ask if this is a free tool or a subscription tool. It’s actually both. There are some free aspects, and then there are some that are based upon a subscription. You can learn more about the type of accounts they have on their site. You can even see examples of how to use Voice Thread in your own classroom in their library.

Another thought on how to use this goes back to training. What if you took screenshots of your favorite product, such as netTrekker, and asked for the teachers to comment on how they would use that feature, or leave a tip for a best practice, or even post a question on something else they want to learn? You can have the participants in the workshop comment and share, and continue the learning experience from each other.

Let’s give it a shot. Here is a VoiceThread I started on netTrekker. Leave your comments on the different features and share your knowledge and insight with each other. Let’s see how many comments we can get on this thread. All you need to do is sign up for a free account. Then you need to select if you want to leave a written comment or a voice comment. You can also mark up the page while you comment by using the marker to point out a few things or highlight something of interest. Don’t be shy. Have fun with it and experiment. That’s the best way to learn.

Love to Differentiate

Join me this week while I am in Las Vegas for the SDE Differentiation Conference.  I know the saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, but I just cannot let that happen! I am actually attending the conference to learn more about how differentiation is being used in the classroom in order to add more power to the professional development we offer.   I have signed up for a variety of great sessions, and am excited to share what I learn from them with you!

Before the first session, I sat down with a teacher from Texas. She was flipping through her program book and said, “you sure do have to love teaching in order to want to even try differentiating.” She’s exactly right! So, let’s spread the love of differentiation and teaching this week.

A question that came up in one session was “what is differentiation, and what isn’t it?” The answer for “what D.I. is and isn’t” is a great discussion, but let’s look at what it’s not.  It’s not a single program, it’s not hard vs. easy, or even a single answer for all students.

In another session, we looked at how to share what we know with others in PLCs (Personal Learning Communities). This is why I cannot let what I learn in Vegas stay in Vegas!  The presenter, Joni Turville, reminds us that if you are here as a representative from your school or district, you need to make sure that you go back and share that knowledge with your peers. I plan on sharing with my peers through our team lunch and learn sessions and with my fellow netTrekker users and Village members thru the blog, discussions on the Village, and in the professional development I conduct.

Another great question that was discussed was “what do you want out of your PLC and what can you contribute to your PLC?” I want to learn new ideas, tricks, and tips from my PLC. I want to have a core group of other educators that I trust to give me accurate information and great personal opinions on anything dealing with technology in education, or just education. I hope to be able to share those same items with my fellow PLC members, and not be too weak of a link in the learning process.

In her second session, Joni shared with us her favorite web resources for Differentiation. During our “stand up meetings” I heard a teacher several rows back introduce herself from Texas. I’m not sure why this grabbed my attention, but it did. Then on our way out the door, that same teacher said that Joni didn’t share a great resource that covers all of what she did show in one place, and that was netTrekker. WooHoo! I tried to catch up with her so I could get her to write this blog, but no luck. But this is Vegas. Maybe I’ll get lucky today and find her or another one of our great users!

Terms:

PLN: Personal Learning Network

PLC: Personal Learning Communities

DI: Differentiation Instruction

SIIA Webcast July 22nd, 2009 “Digital Rights and Wrongs: Working Within the Law in the 21st Century Classroom”

This should be a good one to listen in on… netTrekker’s Steve Nordmark (VP Product Development) will be co-moderating!  Register now and put it on your calendar.

“Digital Rights and Wrongs: Working Within the Law in the 21st Century Classroom”

Tune into this important webcast on Wednesday July 22nd at 2:00pm Eastern Time for a review and discussion of the challenges and opportunities associated with new digital learning resources. This panel will have a mix of representation from the state and district level, as well as from content authors and solution platform vendors. Panelists will discuss Digital Rights Management (DRM) from their perspective, providing insights into the challenges associated with respecting copyright while addressing the needs of a broad spectrum of learners. Be sure to pass this on to your company CTO, Product Managers or other interested colleagues.

Co-Moderators:
Michael Jay, President, Educational Systemics
Steve Nordmark, Vice President, Product Development, netTrekker

Panelists:
Kate Kemker, Director, Technology Learning & Innovation, Florida Department of Education
D. Midian Kurland, Vice President, Technology & Development, Scholastic Education
Ann Reed, K-12 District-level Technology and Instructional Leader

You must be registered to participate. Register online by clicking here. Contact Tasiyiwa Mapondera with questions or concerns at 202.789.4467.

Tags: 21st century classroom, digital rights, netTrekker