PEPSICO K-12 Technology Mentor Program

Activeboards Rock November 5, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Schools, Uncategorized , add a comment

I met with Robin Franklin, the technology mentor from Lakewood elementary school last week. She has a new activeboard in her classroom. She talked about the way this wonderful tool has challenged her teaching techniques. She told me how she had used it to show her students how to search for books from the Durham Public Library.

As she was teaching the lesson, she wasn’t sure how to do something so she picked up her personal communication device (cell phone) and called a librarian. As the librarian explained the process to her over the phone, she was relaying that to the class and showing them how to do it with the Activeboard. When they were finished, the kids applauded and she held the phone up so the librarian could hear them.

The students learned about databases, they learned how to search and reserve books. They also learned who to talk to when they need help at the library. Ms. Franklin’s next project for her students is to find out where the bookmobile stops and then have them write letters to request stops in their neighborhoods.

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Road Trip to South Carolina November 1, 2007

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The Rogers-Herr middle school mentor and mentees attended the South Carolina Association for Educational Technology Conference in Myrtle Beach last week. The theme of the conference was Back to the Future. (Yes, that is a DeLorean)

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Rubrics,Rubrics October 9, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Teacher Resources, Technology, Uncategorized , add a comment

Kathy Shrock is a K-12 Technology dynamo. She has been helping the K-12 community with technology for years. She has an email newsletter you can subscribe to and also a fantastic website.

This weeks email highlighted her rubrics page.

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Social Networking for Kids October 1, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Uncategorized , add a comment

Last year one of my teacher friends discovered that there was a “trash site” about her teaching team on Bebo.com. She went to look at it and found that many of her students had profiles on Bebo. Some of them had posted photos of themselves and information like where they went to school, where they lived, and even some phone numbers. Since then, we have had many discussions about how to teach students to use social networking in a responsible way.

A fellow instructional technologist shared imbee.com with me last week so I checked it out.

A teacher can set up a class to use this tool like other social networking sites but with the added security that it is monitored by the teacher and is only open to people the teacher approves. There are imbee sponsored groups the participants can join or they can start their own groups all with the teacher’s supervision. Social networking is everywhere and this is an opportunity to help students understand how to use these tools effectively and ethically.

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Inspiration comes from many sources September 26, 2007

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Last week I was scrolling down my yahoo page and I saw a short blurb from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about computer science professor Randy Pausch giving an exuberant “last lecture” I clicked on the link and there was a short video of part of his lecture. I was enthralled by him. After I finished watching the video I wondered if his whole lecture was somewhere on the web. I scrolled down the comments and someone had posted this link to it. It is 1 1/2 hours long but well worth the time to watch. As of this morning, it had been viewed 31,000 times since last week. Randy was already going to have a great legacy in the lives and careers of his brilliant CS students but now he has shared some of his most wonderful insights with the rest of the world. After watching this video I believe that the world is a better place because Randy Pausch was in it.

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Why I love my job September 23, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Uncategorized , add a comment

Last Thursday was our first full day of training for this year’s K-12 Technology Mentors. You will soon see their profiles. At the end of the day, I asked them to use our wiki to write a reflection of what we had done that day. Robin shared these “Big Ideas” she came away with:

Ethics of how we use material, what we post, how we give credit
-How to think critically about the information that we find on the web, Is it valid? What are the writers purposes?
-How can students use these tools as a way to share their own thinking and creations.

Wende was thrilled to have the time to learn about all of the tools that Durham Public Schools have available for teachers. “I found out that there are many programs available right on the DPS network. I made sure that I had all of my logins and passwords so that I can access these resources at home and school. My co-workers are going to be so excited to see and use all of these hidden gems”

It is truly a joy to work with teachers who see the value of learning new things.

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The plate is too full September 18, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Blogging, Uncategorized , add a comment

Last week I met with two teachers about a project to save our local YMCA. They were passionate about the project and how excited their students were about participating in saving a community treasure. During the conversation I mentioned the blogs I read. They both squinched up their faces and said they didn’t have time to do that. I gently suggested that there were some excellent authors on the web that had really influenced my thinking about education. As I usually do in these situations, I backed off. I will wait for the appropriate moment to share a blog that will be meaningful to them. Then this afternoon I read Chris Lehmann’s post about not blaming the teacher for being technologically illiterate. He had some excellent points to make.

A few months ago I read this blog post by Greg Farr. I was so impressed that I sent it to a middle school teacher and asked her to pass it on to her principal. He was so impressed that he made it mandatory reading for the next faculty meeting. Chris and Greg, like all teachers, won’t ever know how many teachers and students they have positively influenced. I’m just glad they blog and that I can share it when they do.

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A New School Year and a New Look September 17, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Blogging, Technology, Uncategorized , add a comment

Welcome to the new face of the Pepsico K-12 Technology Mentor Program. I decided to move my previous website into a Wordpress blog to make it more flexible and accessible to the teachers I am working with. I hope you like the new design. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Last fall I attended the NCETC in Greensboro. The keynote speaker was Will Richardson. In his presentation, he showed the list of blogs that he reads on a regular basis. He refered to the list as his textbook and the authors as his teachers. Over the past year I have come to understand what he was referring to. I have learned so much from Will and David Warlick and several other leaders in the K-12 technology field whose blogs I read regularly. I hope I have a chance to teach my new audience some of the great things I’ve learned from my new teachers and from being a part of the Duke Center for Instructional Technology. I am looking forward to a very productive year.

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K-12 Technology Showcase 2007 May 31, 2007

Posted by Dottie Black in : Events , add a comment

On May 31st, 2007, The Durham Public Schools Department of Instructional Technology and the PepsiCo K-12 Technology Mentor Program hosted the first K-12 Technology Showcase at Rogers-Herr Middle School. It was our goal to offer a venue for teachers and students to highlight technology projects they worked on during the school year. By all accounts our first ever showcase was a great success.