Karen's NECC Ning Page

I am really excited about two hands-on sessions I'm facilitating at NECC in DC this year. They both concern open educational resources (OER), which are free and open digital content resources for educators. I think that OER can be a critical piece is differentiating instruction.

In these sessions, we'll be exploring open licensed photos, clip art and music; looking at open wiki-based textbooks; using an an open licensed kids dictionary; and creating and improving other OERs. Here are the… Continue

This was a great session. It was an excellent model of how to present information and engage the audience in a meaningful, participative experience. Chris started the session with 25 minutes or so of presentation on the approach of SLA and the approach of understanding by design.

Then he launched into an activity in which the audience as a group designed… Continue

We had a great time at the Web 2.0 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet workshop in San Antonio.

All of the resources we shared are available for anyone to access, share, and use in any setting in the Web 2.0 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet wiki.
… Continue

Web 2.0 in Teacher Education

Redesiging teacher education program -- What technology should be included? "Scared to use the term Web 2.0" -- what term better phrases what they need to learn?
Answer: Read-write web

New pre-service teachers don't have the skills we assume they have like how to make a web page. "I've actually seen a decrease in income student tech literacy." They don't know what we think they know.

Analogy of cooking -- first you need the basic ingredients, then you can a… Continue

If the Leaders Don't Get It, It's Not Going to Happen

Opening question: Do we have a perspective on what issues leaders are facing?

Discussion of "managing up"

What does it take to educate students for the 21st century leaders? What do we want to accomplish? What is the right thing to do?

"Current school culture doesn't value LEADERS, but ADMINISTRATORS."
[This is so true...I have heard so many principals say 'Curriculum isn't my thing.' They should all be fired.]

"Everyone wants to… Continue