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February 9-12, 2010 Austin Convention Center
 * [[image:gmouse.jpg width="216" height="307"]] || ** Gainesville ISD @ TCEA 2010


 * To document what is learned during our time attending the TCEA Convention, please contribute a short entry regarding the topics below.

Please contribute by **__ Tuesday, February 16, 2010. __**

1. Click the **__Edit__** link in the upper-right corner of this frame. 2. Click where you want to add text. 3. Use the toolbar to format text, add graphics, add files, etc. 4. (Jennifer Coleman) Prior to your entry, please identify yourself by entering your name in parentheses at the beginning of the passage. 5. Imagine using this type of collaborative site with your students, or with other teachers as a place to work together on a project, or simply as a place where several people can share thoughts and ideas as a group.
 * __How to add to this page:__**

(Fuller)Jennifer: Am I doing this right? I hope so. Can't wait to go. (Coleman) You did well, Susan! (Callie Wilburn) Jennifer, Thank you so much for allowing me to go! I learned so much and have so many ideas that can help to teach and engage our kids. I can't wait till our school is a 1:1 Campus! || and why it stood out among the others. Is this something that you can integrate into your classroom now?** || ** Question 1 ** (Leslie Stark) I enjoyed Print, Cut, Fold as well. The templates we were given access to will help the students' projects shine. It adds neatness and order to my "foldable" world! I also enjoyed Speed Dating. This concept seemed like a great way to train novice teachers in new technology - "centers" for the adult world.
 * 1. Describe your favorite workshop
 * 1. Describe your favorite workshop

 (Callie Wilburn) All the workshops I attended were great. I learned so much and got so many wonderful ideas. Print, Cut, Fold was awesome, as well as the Google Apps. There is so much that Google provides and it's all FREE! I learned how we as a district and as individual campuses can live stream announcements, board meetings, etc.. all for FREE! I also attended a Web 2.0 workshop that gave me so many websites that students can use to make videos, posters, blogs, and more and once again it's all FREE!

(Jamie P.) I enjoyed Technology for Tots....the session was packed but that didn't matter because the information was GREAT! They had a great list of FREE websites to use for little ones in all subject areas. Being a kindergarten teacher with special ed students blended full time into my classroom, I use technology quite a bit to help for small group instruction to help them develop communication skills, reading skills, and to help reinforce the skills we learned whole group.

(Vonda McFarlin) I attended the "Navigating Integration with a Destination in Mind" session that was presented by Dawn Adams, who is the Integration Coordinator at McKinney-Boyd High School. She walked us through the process that the school went through (and is still going through) in order to integrate all their technology with the curriculum.
 * (Judy London) The SMART in the Everyday Classroom was helpful to me. I don't have a SMART Board, but we're using Ms. Liddell's for a video tech project, so this seemed tailor-made for my needs. I can use all the hints and the "SMART Board for Dummies" booklet to guide that class as they learn enhanced uses of the technology. I expect this group of 14 students to share their knowledge by teaching teachers to get the most out of their SMART Boards for instruction. Callie, I hope you'll share your Web 2.0 learning with me. **

​ (Tiffany Nichols) My favorite workshop was Print, Cut, and Fold. I learned so many ways to use a simple power point slide. It is so easy and something I can use with my laptops. Instead of having the kiddos using glue and scissors all the time I can now just have them do exactly that print, cut, and fold the power point in was to create so many great foldables. I also attended an EInstruction demo on how to use the different tools on my dual board. Fabulous!!!

(Ashley Webb) My favorite workshop was the Print, Cut and Fold too. I currently use foldables in my ELA classes and this workshop used some of the same ideas but integrated technology into the lessons. The ideas were great and the results were amazing student created study tools. This would give the students the opportunity to use basic skills in PowerPoint that they do not get to use on a regular basis. I think that we need to take advantage of any chance that we can use technology in every day activities.

(Susan Fuller) I attended two sessions that were very useful. The first was a Web 2.0 that helped to jump start me on using blogging as a way to create discussion threads for Literature in my English classes. My nieces and a sister have to do mandatory postings for their college courses, so my students will be able to use this skill far beyond GHS. The other was a resources based program directed at Librarians, but extremely useful to all teachers...did anyone know that you could access any/all research databases through the Smithsonian...for free? This type of information has such far reaching consequences and applications that I can't even begin to catalog them.

(Kelly Stogner) My favorite workshop that I attended was "Technology 4 Tots". It stood out to me because it game practical, usuable websites that were free. These websites offered media, interactives, and printable contents...And did I mentioned they were all FREE!! They were researched by educators and they demonstrated them to us and only provided for us the ones that were useful!!

(Laura Becker) My favorite workshop was: "Lost at Sea? We Have the Map to the Hidden Treasures of Language Arts Integration" These ladies shared many ideas using ideas from wordle.net, edu.glogster.com. My favorite was an example they used with a picture book "Tulip sees America" They plotted where the story was taking place on Google Earth. I had not ever seen Google Earth used in this way. I have had an opportunity this week to do this type of activity and my students loved it.

(Bonnie Rucker) My favorite workshop was "Tech Tips for Teading". Even though a lot of the ideas were for upper elementary, I found many different ideas that I can adapt to use in my first grade classroom. One of my favorite ideas was to use the interactive white board to take attendance in the mornings. I plan on using having students respond to different graphs using the interactive board and I will take attendance using thier responses. ||

you in the Exhibits Hall?** || ** Question 2 **
 * 2. What products interested

(Leslie Stark) I agree with Callie. Would love the have the CPS Pulses. I appreciate having what we have, don't get me wrong, but the ability for students to be able to answer open-ended questions is a plus (hint: Kilgo). I also saw the Averpen for our document cameras. I know our Math and English teachers would love to have the ability to write on a document or workbook page without really writing on it - it shows up on the Smartboard as if you did. 

(Callie Wilburn) I want the CPS Pulses! The clickers that we have now are so great to have, but the pulses give the students the ability to answer open-ended questions. There were many other curriculum software programs that would benefit our students as well.

(Jamie P.) I enjoyed several exhibits...my favorites were McGraw Hill (since they may be where our new Language Arts curriculum will come from) and the eInstruction Mobi's. McGraw Hill showed us all the ways to use their tools online to integrate it with the smartboards, small groups, etc. The Mobi's by eInstruction were awesome! It can be used as we walk around the room making sure everyone is on task, it can be passed from one person to the next to create an interactive learning environment without the kids ever leaving their seat.

(Vonda McFarlin) My favorite exhibit was the Scholastic "Expert Space Digital Curriculum and Tools for the 21st Century." This product was designed for grades 4-12, and it is phenomenal. It addresses the TELPAS levels, integrates research skills with Social Studies and Science. It is PHENOMENAL!

(Vonda McFarlin) Jamie, I'd love to hear more about the Mobi's. Will you share?
 * (Judy London) I liked the Interactive-Rovers at the Copernicus Ed Products exhibit. These are mobile stands for SMART Boards complete with projector, laptop shelf, and locking cabinet underneath. This is perfect for my purposes, as I have to re-configure my instructional space quite often. I also like the e-beam gadgets that can turn your whiteboard or a big flatscreen TV into an interactive surface.**

(Tiffany Nichols) I too loved the CPS Pulses. I love my responders I have now, but these were fabulous. I also loved the Mobi. I have one Jennifer just brought me and had not had time to play with it. I used it today. Wish all teachers could have one. It keeps you from being stranded at your computer or interactive white board.

(Ashley Webb) The Mobi's were awesome! They would be great in any classroom setting. Having the ability to move around would not only improve instruction but also reduce students getting off task and reduce discipline problems. The CPS Pulses would be good for the new Kilgo information that requires open-ended questions/answers. I also enjoyed the McGraw Hill exhibit. They gave me so much information for the new textbook. The technology that goes along with this series is amazing! There are so many more opportunities to use technology in the classroom and this publisher has gone above and beyond to integrate this!!

(Susan Fuller) I wanted it all!! The versatility offered by the Rovers and the various products that turn any surface into a Smart board mean that our technological abilities are not limited to our classroom. If you can take a small device and a laptop and make any environment a classroom, think of the applications! Also, we need to think of ourselves as more collaborators than consumers in this forum. The vendors want to know what we need so they can build us the tools to continue the advance.

​(Kelly Stogner) In the exhibits hall, I was interested in the Mobis that work with our e-instructions interactive whiteboards. I think that these would be another way to keep our kids engaged and provide another interactive way to connect the students with the subject matter.

(Laura Becker) There were so many things I liked in the exhibit hall. The Mobi's by eInstruction were awesome! as Jamie P. said. I like the idea of walking around and being able to monitor more. I also like the Averpens. McGraw Hill has come up with many things to increase usage of technology if teachers are willing to take the time.

(Bonnie Rucker) I agree that the Mobi's would be so useful in the classroom. It was so neat that it would interact with your CPS clickers and allow you to see responses and control the quiz from the Mobi pad. Awesome! ||

about the convention with other teachers at your school? ** || **Question 3** (Leslie Stark) I will share the Print, Cut, and Fold information and Smartboard websites. I have already spoken with them about the Averpens. I believe the Print, Cut, Fold will create a waiting list for our computer labs.
 * 3. What will you share

(Callie Wilburn) All the cool Web 2.0 websites, Google apps, Print, Cut, Fold, and definitely the Livestream broadcasting!

(Jamie P.) The FREE websites with interactive learning for kids and the great ways to create interactive lessons from your smartboard without wasting a sheet of paper. :) (Vonda McFarlin) I'll share all the Free websites that I learned about, and I also plan to speak with my department on Friday about devising a plan for incorporating more of the technology that we have at our school into our curriculum. The time has come for the line between technology and curriculum to go away. We must move into the 21st century!


 * (Judy London) I'm giving other teachers my SMART Board hints and a photocopy of the booklet "SMART Board for Dummies". As the opportunities arise, I intend to help others understand how they can integrate our current technology for student use in projects and assignments. And I'll assign my SMART Board "techies" to tutor teachers and show them the many fun and worthwhile applications available to them. **

(Tiffany Nichols) I am going to share everything I learned about the dual board tools and how easy it is to scan your documents and use those on the dual board with the annotate mode. I am also going to share with my campus the print, cut, and fold ideas. When teachers use the computer labs this would be a great activity for the kiddos. I had a blast and can't wait til next year!

(Ashley Webb) EVERYTHING!! One of the first things that I shared with them were the calendars from the BrainPop exhibit. They loved them! They have examples of what to show and when. Also, there are so many things that can be done using the dual boards that I was unaware of before I went to the convention. Don't get me wrong, I think that Jennifer does an awesome job to show us what we can do. There are just newer things that we can learn everyday! I had an amazing time too!

(Susan Fuller) The fact that anything can be done if you can imagine it. We have most of the tools we need, we just need to be more proactive in using them. I also want to work harder on using more technology myself. If the kids see it in my classroom, they will ask other teachers if they can do those kinds of activities in their rooms.

​(Kelly Stogner) I have already shared the websites that I have learned. I will also share the tips and ideas that we learned for using our interactive whiteboards!! Every time I think that I know a lot of ways to work with these boards...I am humbled by someone who shows me more!! There are just so many ways to use them!!

(Laura Becker) I have already shared the many FREE websites that were shared with us. I also plan to share the different ways to use Google Earth and some of the other ideas shared in the different sessions I attended.

(Laura Becker) Thank you Jennifer for allowing me to take part in TCEA this year. I have learned so many things that I will try integrating into my daily lessons.

(Bonnie Rucker) We have already shared the websites that we found useful. I plan to continue to share different tech ideas to go along with our curriculum. I will also share the attendance idea with my team. Hopefully, we can all encourage our co-workers to use the resources we already have available to us. ||