Mar31

So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish

Massachusetts State House
For me, the Boston Conference ended with a brilliant blue sky, a warm stroll through and around the public gardens and Beacon Hill, and a trip through Callahan Tunnel to the airport. I didn't see any dolphins there.
 
Cityscape
I've had hundreds of conversations with teachers, and once again feel humbled to work with and for such creative, smart, and dedicated people. Thanks for coming to Boston, for being so opinionated, yet practical, and for taking the time to show why teaching is such an essential profession. We appreciate it.
 
Thanks also to our incredible blogging team -- Mary "Lightening Keys" Bigelow, Debra Shapiro, Lynn Petrinjak, Dale Basler, and Brian Bartel. We hope these fleeting glimpses of the NSTA conference gave you an appreciation of what happens at "The NSTA."
 
While strolling, I came across a few sites worthy of a better photographer than me, but unfortunately, I didn't see anyone else. So you're stuck with me. Here are a few final shots:
Running show planters
Spiraling fire escape
Where running shoes go when they retire? Nice building, but a tough way to bring in the groceries.
Published: Mar-31-08 | 1 Comment | 851 Links to this post

Mar30

Next Year in New Orleans!

Well, this conference is history, and I'm exhausted in a good way - both physically and mentally. From talks by astronaut Barbara Morgan, Rodger Bybee, and Bill Nye the Science Guy to the awesome resources in the exhibit area to the sessions in which educators so generously shared their experiences and expertise, it was a great event. Thanks to all who planned this! Of course there were a few glitches (such as a shuttle bus driver new to Boston who unexpectedly gave us a roundabout tour of the city), and the sheer size of the conference center and the surrounding hotel area was daunting, but I'm sure that all of the more than 15,000 (so I'm told) attendees found new ideas and resources for their classes and schools. I hope that they found time to soak up a little Boston history and culture, too.

Next year, the conference is scheduled for New Orleans. See you there! Until then, as they say in Louisiana, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!"
Published: Mar-30-08 | 1 Comment | 915 Links to this post

Mar30

Moodles, Wikis, and Blogs

So, you're a presenter and your time slot is the last one of the conference, and your room is the farthest from the lobby. Will anyone come? In the case of Sami Kahn's presentation on Wikis in the elementary classroom, she didn't have to worry! Those of us who attended (and there were quite a few) were treated to some excellent modeling (or should I say Moodle-ing) of how these tools can be used by actual 4th-graders. A lot of teachers are not keen on their students using Wikipedia as their main source of information. But Sami described a project in which her students at the Collegiate School in New York City create their own Wiki related to their annual "invention convention" showcase. The Wiki is limited to her students, and she is notified whenever any changes are made. She showed us some entries that were created while she was here at the conference. Her younger students are creating their own wiki on ocean animals, using a forum in Moodle to discuss what animals to include.
Published: Mar-30-08 | 2 Comments | 4659 Links to this post

Mar30

Planting Trees

Sunday morning is a tough time for a presenter. Early departures, church services, brunch dates, or too much Saturday evening make it difficult for some to attend sessions at this time. I'm sure that Michael Barnett from Boston College was pleased to see a nice crowd at his session on "Using GIS to Model Urban Street Value." He demonstrated a program that starts with a satellite image of an area. The students add the location of trees, buildings, parking lots, and grassy areas. He provided us with laptops to see the actual maps created by the students and then we ran an analysis program that calculated a summary of the economic benefit of the trees. But the really cool part was that the model could be modified to answer questions such as What happens if we plant more trees? Are some species of trees more beneficial than others? What happens if we pave over a grassy area to make a parking lot? Check out the Urban Ecology website for more information, including a nice tree identification resource.
Published: Mar-30-08 | 0 Comments | 925 Links to this post

Mar30

Active Learning

Some presenters had basic lectures with PowerPoints, some provided "think-pair-share" opportunities for participants, some had laptops for participants and guided us through simulations or software tools (an advantage to sitting up front), and others had the participants actually do the hands-on activities. Most had handouts, although i was glad to see that many had just a basic one-pager outline and then gave us the URL of their website to download a variety of resources - less to carry and a lot greener!
Published: Mar-30-08 | 0 Comments | 657 Links to this post

Mar29

Dynamic Duo

ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) sponsored a series of seven sessions presented by two of the most dynamic educators I've ever met: Ben Smith and Jared Mader of the Red Lion School District in PA. I attended the sessions on Creativity and Innovation and Digitizing the Science Classroom: Preparing Students for the Global Society. Rather than "forbidding" students from having cell phones, digital cameras, and iPods in class, these high school teachers (Ben teaches physics and Jared is now the district's Technology director but is still a chemistry teacher at heart), encourage students to use these tools, along with laptops and probes, in authentic and productive ways. From incorporating digital video into projects to submitting assignments online to communicating via podcasts (and the students create them), their classrooms are infused with creativity that helps students learn science and communicate their learning. it's obvious that they do a lot of modeling and guiding in their classes, and they were very patient as audience members created their first MP3 files. The website of these EdTechInnovators is a wealth of resources, links to downloads, templates, tutorials, presentations, and examples of student projects that they are generously willing to share with us. Click on the "Resources" link at the top and on the NSTA link in the list of conferences at the bottom.
Published: Mar-29-08 | 1 Comment | 504 Links to this post

Mar29

Bring a Shopping Bag!

The exhibit hall is like a science teacher's paradise! There are so many new things, as well as some tried and true ones. All of the major textbook and trade book publishers are here as well as many of the lab equipment and supply companies. The reps are eager to share their catalogs and demo their products. Some even have elaborate seating areas for the presentations and drawings for prizes. I was dazzled by all of the cool stuff! Being a bird watcher, one of my favorites is a motion-sensitive, all-weather camera that can be aimed at your birdfeeders to snap pictures remotely! Lots of microscopes, robotics, probes, models, software, and calculators, too. From maps and posters to pens, magnets, bookmarks, and rulers, there are also many "freebies" to take home. When I would get home, my students would always ask, "What did you bring us, Ms B?" What they didn't know was that the most important things I brought home (in addition to the goodies for them) were new knowledge, lots of information, suggestions for improving my instruction, and memories of new friends.
Published: Mar-29-08 | 1 Comment | 891 Links to this post

Mar29

SciLinks at the Conference

Virginie Chokouanga, the SciLinks database administrator, did a session on using SciLink's online assignment tool. This tool allows the teacher to create assignments based on the websites in SciLinks. The students can show what they've learned. Check out this feature at the SciLinks site.

Published: Mar-29-08 | 0 Comments | 806 Links to this post

Mar29

March Madness

 
Cheryl Miller 2
 
Is it madness to give away $150,000 worth of science equipment and supplies? No way! Cheryl A. Miller, a high school science department chair from Murrieta, California, was one of four winners in NSTA's Ultimate Science Giveaway. Miller said winning a slew of prizes donated by exhibitors--including a trip for two to Costa Rica--made the money she spent to come to Boston all worthwhile.
I've seen and met a lot of happy teachers during the conference, but I nominate Cheryl as the happiest. I think she will be smiling in her sleep tonight!
Published: Mar-29-08 | 0 Comments | 311 Links to this post

Mar29

A Student Mission to the Moon

 
This session prepared us to lead a one-week unit in which  students take a "journey" to the Moon. Facilitators Tara Clopper and Heather Slatoff led us in hands-on activities, including designing our own mission patches. One perk with this session--a free CD containing the whole unit, including video clips.
 
moon mission t-shirt patches
Teachers examine Tara Clopper's t-shirt decorated with lunar mission patches designed by students. Clopper and Slatoff said they stayed up late ironing patches on t-shirts, and as someone who hates this task, I was relieved that they advised us to recruit help for this part of the unit!
 
moon mission communication activity
During a mission communication activity, teacher teams played the roles of "senders" and "receivers." Senders shaded squares on a grid and tried to convey the design to the receivers without showing them the grid. It reminded me of the game "Battleship," which was popular when I was in seventh grade.
Published: Mar-29-08 | 1 Comment | 656 Links to this post

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