Freefalling+Blog+Club+First+Date

toc Welcome to Free Falling in December. A new Blog Club (like a book club but better :-)

The first meeting of the Free Falling Blog Club will take place on December 2nd 16:00 CST or 22:00 GMT. The format will be similar to When Night Falls. There will be a Skype cast and simultanious Tapped in chat. Here is the [|skypecast address.] = = =Participants= Please add you name to the table below if you are interested in participating.
 * ||  ||   ||   || **Name** ||   ||   || **City, Country** ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || **email** ||   || **Skype** ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Chris Harbeck ||   ||   || Winnipeg Canada ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || chris.harbeck@gmail.com ||   || charbeck1 ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Glenn E. Malone ||   ||   || Puyallup, WA USA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || malonege@gmail.com ||   || gemalone ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Jeanne Simpson ||   ||   || Decatur, AL, USA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || Jeanne.Simpson@dcs.edu ||   || jeannes1109 ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Julie Lindsay ||   ||   || Dhaka, Bangladesh ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || lindsay.julie@gmail.com ||   || julielindsay ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Konrad Glogowski ||   ||   || Toronto, Canada ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || kglogowski@gmail.com ||   || teachandlearn ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Michael Cridland ||   ||   || Brisbane, Australia ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || mjc44@tpg.com.au ||   || dizne44 ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Vinny Green ||   ||   || Valley Cottage, NY ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||  vinnygreen@gmail.com ||   || **vincent.green** ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach ||   ||   || Virginia Beach, VA, ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || snbeach@cox.net ||   || snbeach ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Paul Harrington ||   ||   || Gilwern South Wales ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || ivycot@aol.com ||   || pj23harry ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Sharon Peters ||   ||   || Montréal, Canada ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || sharonpeters@gmail.com ||   || eebee1 ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Susan Roseman ||   ||   || Ottawa, Ontario ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || sue.roseman@gmail.com ||   || sueandted ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Jennifer Wagner ||   ||   || Corona, CA USA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || technospud@gmail.com ||   || JenW0424 ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Cheryl Oakes ||   ||   || Wells ME USA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || cheryloakes50@gmail.com ||   || cheryloakes ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Darren Kuropatwa Joyce Valenza ||   ||   || Winnipeg, MB, Canada Abington, PA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || dkuropatwa@gmail.com joyce_valenza@sdst.org ||   || dkuropatwa joycevalenza ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ||  ||   ||   || Darren Kuropatwa Joyce Valenza ||   ||   || Winnipeg, MB, Canada Abington, PA ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   || dkuropatwa@gmail.com joyce_valenza@sdst.org ||   || dkuropatwa joycevalenza ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

= = =Topic 1= The Topic of our Blog Club Skype chat will be on [|Planning the 21st Century School]. A brief synopsis of the presentaion is listed below.

//In this presentation, Principal Chris Lehmann and Technology Coordinator Marcie Hull of the Science Leadership Academy talk with many of the founding members of the Science Leadership Academy, a new inquiry-driven, project-based science and technology high school in Philadelphia. The founding teachers spent seven months planning on and off-line to create curriculum that would take advantage of the progressive pedagogy and 1:1 laptop environment. Now in its first year, The SLA faculty is working to merge progressive, project-oriented pedagogy with 21st Century tools to create a unique opportunity for students in Philadelphia.//

If you did not watch the presentation here is the [|Movie.]

Possible Discussion Questions
(Please add your questions to the moderators list) 1. What obstacles are you encountering using 2.0 tools in your classroom? 2. In the movie about the SLA, Chris talks about the aim of School 2.0 as being 'student-centered, constructivist, to teach kids to be critical consumers and producers of information'. What professional development approaches and methods are being used to raise teacher awareness and use of information and digital literacy tools? 3. Has anyone defined "best practices" for different content areas using 2.0 tools? If so, where can this be found? If not, would this be an idea worth exploring? 4. The idea of collaboration to me is the biggest benefit for the 21st Century. Does anyone have a progressive introduction of Web 2.0 Tools for the resisters amongst us?

=Topic 2= This is more of a homework assignment. [|Alan Levine] introduced us to some really cool [|Flickr Tools]. Your homework is to use flickr to introduce us to a part of you. It could be your family, your house,city,school or anything of interest to **you**. This is to be done before December 2nd. Post your flickr pictures here

The reason why I chose a second topic for discussion is that I was lucky enough to be part of [|Vicki Davis'] wiki workgroup during the conference. the more we played with the tools the more we learned. The homework is meant to be fun and interesting. While you are doing the homework think of all the ways you can use this flickr technology in your classroom. If time permits we will discuss your thoughts. This is the doing part of the Book Club not necessarily the talking part of it!!

See you on December 2nd. =Comments or concerns= From Julie Lindsay in Bangladesh: This is such a great idea! However I am not sure if I will make this one. If you are planning the skypecast at 16:00 CST, then it is 22:00 GMT (not 10:00), and unfortunately 04:00 in Dhaka on the Sunday morning......I usually get up at 05:00 on Sunday as it is a working day for us. Will try to make that extra effort for an hour earlier. At the specified time, local time in Dhaka is 12 hours ahead of Regina
 * Location || Local time || Time zone ||
 * [|Regina] (Canada - Saskatchewan) || Saturday, 2 December 2006, 16:00:00 || UTC-6 hours [|CST] ||
 * [|Dhaka] (Bangladesh) || Sunday, 3 December 2006, 04:00:00 || UTC+6 hours ||
 * Corresponding UTC (GMT) || Saturday, 2 December 2006, 22:00:00 ||

I had to pick a time and try to make it fit my schedule. I knew that whatever time I chose I would be causing problems for one group of educators. Thanks for signing up and I will leave a page for those who want to participate but cannot be part of the Skypecast. Thanks for your interest. Chris. You can alway set your enter tapped in and then exit after the Skype/tapped in and receive the transcript.

From Vinny Green (vinnygreen@gmail.com) OK- apparently I wasn't paying attention at Wiki school, but I can't figure out how to add myself to the list of participants. If someone could either a) add me (Valley Cottage, NY USA) or b) teach a man to fish, I'd be grateful. Vinny I put two of the four columns in the table at the top. Yes it is a table. Go into edit mode and click on the table. Hit enter after the last name or word and put your info into the table. Have a great day. Chris