tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121569922011-09-10T05:30:40.064-05:00Instructional Technology Conversations and SuchMichael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-90213483769680243812011-04-03T12:23:00.006-05:002011-04-03T12:39:40.485-05:00

I usually just observe students blog posts on the Fremd High School American Studies Ning, but just had to comment on a recent student post that talked about a topic I am passionately frustrated about - the way the ACT test is being used in Illinois. Our students get that the way the ACT test is being used in our state is incorrect. They see the effects of periodic ACT practice in their

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-29358376081743933192010-12-13T09:44:00.004-06:002011-04-01T17:48:14.293-05:00

I really like what Google is doing with this program. They are giving away ~60,000 Cr-48 Chrome Notebook computers to people who live on the web and are willing to pound the Chrome OS. Google expects users will make this notebook their primary machine and provide Google with regular feedback. Am I a candidate? I took the "Are you Living on the Web" quiz and scored high, about a 8.5 on their 1 -

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-60353136154968561312010-11-08T11:44:00.017-06:002011-04-24T20:27:37.625-05:00

My Life as a Reader is something I first read about at the Teaching Sagittarian blog. A similar post can be found at the Langwitches blog. The challenge is to list 100 things that shape or define you as a reader. Three classroom applications of this idea began to percolate through my brain cells as I read through the lists found at these blog posts. Tech angle: Use a class wiki to keep all the

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-88047125164990736882010-10-08T07:51:00.030-05:002010-10-08T18:18:25.971-05:00

Our school district is moving in a positive direction with a long range plan that has all the pieces coming to make data gathering and analysis extremely easy. The next three years will be an exciting time for everyone in our school district.The Sharepoint system will be used as the data warehouse vehicle that will allow teachers and administrators to use 'dashboards' to access data easily. This

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-66166785378553554912010-04-27T09:23:00.007-05:002010-04-27T11:06:14.718-05:00

Multi-taskers rejoice!Dexpot may be just the tool you have been looking for in a virtual desktop product. It is free for private use. I like the fact that I can have separate desktop screens available depending upon what has my focus at the moment. For example, I can have a screen of to-do lists and OneNote sticky notes, another screen dedicated to my delicious bookmarks and related tasks, and

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-63816996325101979052009-12-02T14:03:00.009-06:002009-12-02T14:42:13.869-06:00

The K12 Online Conference began on November 30 and will continue through December 17. Please visit the site for more details. This conference provides a great opportunity for you to attend sessions live, or at a later time, to learn about innovative ways to include Web 2.0 tools into your teaching.I certainly do not expect you to attend this conference. I know how busy you are! The nice thing

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-9770244566196359492009-11-03T13:30:00.000-06:002009-11-03T22:02:13.132-06:00

I am using this image without asking the author for any permission to do so. I do not have any concerns about copyright or Fair Use, either. I'm posting it on the web for the entire world to see. I don't worry about using this image because it is free for me to use under what is known as Creative Commons Attribution licensing.http://www.flickr.com/photos/exfordy/ / CC BY 2.0Creative Commons is

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-36844091413293087342009-10-30T13:03:00.009-05:002009-11-03T10:23:37.022-06:00

I apologize for the long hiatus....new network, lots of troubleshooting...you get the picture.This is the second part of my little series of blog posts on Copyright and Fair Use. Today, I'm focusing on Fair Use and how it applies to educators. This post is not to be taken as legal gospel but only serves to help make you aware of the rights you have when using copyrighted works in your

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-33818157448348512962009-04-24T14:10:00.002-05:002009-04-24T16:01:37.198-05:00

I am at the Tech Forum Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois, today. I will be attending two sessions and will summarize the notes below.EduPodcastingSteve Dembo, Ben Gray, Dick DienerThis is an informative session on Podcasting.In 2004, there were only 24 Google search results on the term, "Podcast." The same search on the same date in 2005 returned over 100 million results. Quite a leap!Podcasting

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-43282473178111694722009-04-02T18:52:00.011-05:002009-04-03T10:58:46.132-05:00

I celebrate all those individuals who can write seemingly effortless lines of poetry as if their fingers were individual thesauruses working in unison to make words leap from a page. Poets, and all who write creatively, grab me, pull me in, and anchor me to their world. Gradually and languidly I fall into a dream state where I believe that I, too, can write a poem. This dream state is very

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-12721561772500808262009-03-15T13:07:00.015-05:002009-03-17T16:51:58.835-05:00

The time is ripe for our school district to provide formal copyright and fair use training to teachers. Many teachers have retired over the last few years and many new teachers simply do not undertstand their limits and rights to using media in their instruction under copyright and Fair Use guidelines. Some feel they are free to use whatever media is available to them and pass this incorrect

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-49060250062832564122009-02-26T09:23:00.001-06:002009-02-26T09:24:57.427-06:00

You can check out the backchannel by going to http://www.chatzy.com/336912666808.There is also a conference wiki available at http://iceconference.wiki.zoho.com/.View the webstream at http://iceconference.wiki.zoho.com/ICE-Conference-TV.html. It is up and down.More to come

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-72136187428025508512009-02-23T09:16:00.007-06:002009-02-26T15:40:35.787-06:00

The following video reminds me that everything we do with technology in our classrooms is about the learning and not about the tool, or the trick, or the latest fad or buzz word of the moment. Technology used during the learning process to engage students in ways that are natural to them is powerful. Mitch Resnik feels that real learning can be likened to lifelong Kindergarten. Think about this.

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-68629078650586715272009-01-22T21:28:00.013-06:002009-01-23T08:51:17.530-06:00

Fremd Applied Technology Teacher, Mike Karasch, had a dilemma during Open House last fall; how to be in two places at one time. Mike is teaching classes at Fremd and Conant High Schools this year and both schools had Open House scheduled for the same day and time. Star Trek transporter technology is not a reality, yet, so, transporting him physically from one school to another was not an option.

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-21805503261892316822008-12-12T09:45:00.011-06:002009-03-09T10:48:18.497-05:00

My last post asked you to share the 'technologies' you think our students should be taking with them after they graduate and why you think these technologies are important. My thoughts on this topic are based on how I see students using technology today outside of the classroom and are very different from what I would have said five years ago. This may come as a surprise, but, I think the most

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-36189915496651454452008-12-08T09:27:00.006-06:002008-12-08T11:36:17.410-06:00

Discussion at a recent meeting centered on the question of requiring students to take a technology proficiency class. On the surface, this is a great idea. However, what if our students were exposed to this technology everyday in our classrooms? Would they really need to take a class? I mean, we are so tight with rooms as it is in our building. So, I posed the question. Why not, instead, make

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-12273708545387913122008-11-23T12:18:00.005-06:002008-11-25T12:03:44.384-06:00

A miraculous thing happens when several hundred like-minded people get together and search for magic bullets that will help teachers improve their craft and students become better learners; Positive Energy.I felt completely charged and recharged for two days, if you know what I mean. Participants put aside realities of time, roadblocks, district goals, mandated assessments, and, like sponges,

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-76005041572564004802008-11-09T20:21:00.018-06:002008-11-10T15:06:49.458-06:00

I'm sure you noticed the new photo gallery on the right side of this blog. I'm sure you are dying to know how I did that. There has to be a classroom application for this somewhere!First, the pictures are of my daughter opening a birthday gift and she graciously said I could use the photos in an effort to promote technology use at Fremd. Thanks, Gretchen! Ever the geek, I decided to take some of

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-68317774116763384822008-11-04T12:08:00.008-06:002008-11-05T00:07:49.102-06:00

I voted today and I would like to share not who I voted for, but some of what I voted for and how this might relate to our use of technology. I voted for giving people the chance to share their knowledge and to collaborate with one another to solve problems. I voted for empowering people to take charge of their own lives rather than being told how their lives will be helped or changed. I voted

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-74360502951968981792008-10-19T15:04:00.019-05:002008-10-29T09:27:45.746-05:00

Nicole LaBeau provides an excellent post in her blog where we are sometimes like a deer when it comes to new technology. We find ourselves on the road of change but don't really know where to go and need help making a move before those strange lights coming at us get too close. Using a Tablet PC is like this. We have it, wonder what to do with it, and need some guidance.So, why use a tablet PC?

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-26406090879291167682008-10-03T07:31:00.003-05:002008-10-03T08:21:08.739-05:00

Today is our Homecoming Pep Rally!A rather energetic atmosphere has engulfed our school this week. Students and most of the staff look forward to the daily dress up themes as they help lighten the overall mood of the school day. How cool is it that we can come to work in our pajamas? Seeing the majority of students in their class colors and the staff sporting the ever fashionable black pants,

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-62624123942248224032008-09-28T17:12:00.006-05:002008-09-28T19:20:31.569-05:00

New members continue to join the Fremd TechSpot wiki. New content is not really being added at this point, but I have this feeling people are wanting a place of collaborative ownership; somewhere to go to for quick help, general information, or to share their own educational technology tips and discoveries. I blogged a few weeks ago that OneNote can be that personal organizational tool that gets

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-62083381838983606182008-09-21T11:08:00.017-05:002008-09-22T13:47:55.495-05:00

This week saw a flurry of activity surrounding the use of technology in preparation for Open House. A few teachers stopped by the TLC wanting to learn how to use the Classroom Performance System. They had heard of other teachers using this as the sole means of presentation for the evening and wanted to join in on the fun. My hope is this will carry over into further use of CPS in classroom

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-73048402251054559952008-09-12T08:27:00.008-05:002008-09-22T13:13:26.764-05:00

OneNote fever seems to be spreading among our teachers. I am excited about this and feel we should all be prepared to assist teachers to get up and going with this program as quickly as possible. Teachers are eager to learn on their own and are finding ways to organize not only their personal teacher life but also their classroom lessons. Please assess your current proficiency as a OneNote user.

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-47711235035313478842008-09-05T15:06:00.006-05:002008-09-22T13:13:49.979-05:00

Several teachers came to the TLC or worked with Tech Coaches in other locations this week for tablet training. I am happy to say I've heard that teachers are generally happy with the information they learn. Are they sponges soaking up whatever we give them? Maybe leaky ones right now but repeated use of new techniques will help them retain what they learn. We all know this is a daunting task we

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-84036453956783899752008-09-01T20:02:00.009-05:002008-09-22T13:14:21.233-05:00

Staff Development, Late Start, and Institute day plans are all being made behind the scenes as we enter our third week of the school year. I am part of the Technology Staff Development committee that also includes Tony Miller and Eric Wenckowski. We've already met with Lisa Small and will provide her with what we think are most pressing needs of the staff for this school year. So far, we think

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-41828047017119395372008-07-11T09:05:00.010-05:002008-07-11T11:03:01.101-05:00

Honestly, it can't already be a month since I first started this post! Click on the title of this post to read the original....I am approaching this year as one that will see us playing a bigger role in Professional Development. You are ever expanding your repertoire of technology knowledge and I hope we continue using our monthly meetings as opportunities for further learning. I welcome your

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-13564613061667352102008-06-25T14:23:00.011-05:002008-09-22T12:43:19.711-05:00

Scott Weidig and I are teaching a Web 2.0 School course this summer. We have broken the 5 day course (four hours/day) into Organizational tools, Social Networking, and Utility Tools. The remaining two days will be devoted to the participants creating lessons that can use the tools they find will support the lesson. Please visit the wiki to see the course and please feel free to explore any of the

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-76395078395309624802008-06-06T16:18:00.003-05:002008-06-06T16:34:27.530-05:00

Another year has whisked by with many new educational technology changes being put into place. The DEG improved in speed, recently, and new features are making it ever easier to do the tasks we used to grudge over in the past. Many new improvments are in the works and teachers are generally pleased with the progress, albeit, slow progress that is being made. I am impressed with the patience

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-13081866917368855012008-03-31T15:39:00.003-05:002008-03-31T17:02:42.776-05:00

Please take a moment to read this excellent blog posting by Ryan Bretag. Here is a teaser..."...this article isn't another push for organizations to embrace a collaborative learning culture. It is a push for teachers to stop waiting for the organization and become a collaborative professional learner by changing fundamental behaviors inhibiting this and embracing action items that will allow it

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-40203390814997906802008-03-24T09:09:00.004-05:002008-09-22T12:38:16.223-05:00

While I like the wiki notion, I'm still working on learning more about them. I have blogged with classes and as a daily (or weekly) class update for students, parents, and any helpers to students to access. With my creative writing class, I want something that students will use to interact with one another, free-form. Designing a blog for this was easy, getting students to participate freely and

N. LaBeauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05213546901451871092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-68600458009647349192008-03-23T21:47:00.003-05:002008-03-23T22:24:26.994-05:00

I have been browsing through Go2web2o.net and found this new search engine called Searchme. It is a visual web browser that lets you look at large pictures of the actual website before you actually visit the website. It also has a wonderful feature that will help you narrow your search if your intital entry is too broad.This search engine is currently in beta testing mode and you do have to be

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-42359402041888673102008-03-05T10:55:00.003-06:002008-03-05T11:04:08.917-06:00

Has anyone used an online software called SharePoint Showcase?At the ICE conference I went to a one-day workshop on using this software which is an "one-stop" shop for all your online portal needs (content management, discussion boards, wikis, calendar book, etc.). The instructors indicated that free version with not all the features as I just mentioned is offered in a wws 3.0 version. This is a

Mr. Millernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-41688516089714080032008-02-27T14:38:00.003-06:002008-09-22T12:34:31.382-05:00

My first workshop of the week was Web 2.0 Tools for Developing Differentiating Digital Content. Quite a bit of time was spent on learning to use the Digital Generation's Curriculum wiki. I liked some of the philosophy that was discussed as Web 2.0 tools can be used in different ways for different learning styles.Using the wiki, however, seemed difficult. We had to learn some formatting commands

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-45207031173551469872008-02-25T09:48:00.005-06:002008-02-27T14:36:10.174-06:00

Visit Classroom 2.0Let me know what you think!

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-28971516078861838422008-02-15T09:59:00.007-06:002008-09-22T12:35:24.382-05:00

Most of us are cautious about new technologies and claims that they will improve the teaching and learning in education. Often, we need to see the proof before we take the plunge. So, who are the people taking the plunge without seeing the proof?For some people, the proof lies in their own imagination or idea of what learning could look like should the technology exist to make it a reality. This

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-81240628123356012992007-12-18T07:54:00.000-06:002007-12-18T11:45:29.324-06:00

If you blog, use a wiki, Facebook, Thinkature, Zoho, Delicious, Podcasts, Digital Stories, RSS feeds, or any tools like those listed to the left in your teaching, you are part of the Web 2.0 Learning Community. These tools are not a fad and they won't go away. They are being used by teachers, students and businesses every day. The list of Web 2.0 tools continues to grow. I look at this list and I

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-55722746192360833412007-11-28T11:44:00.000-06:002007-11-28T12:38:42.235-06:00

The list to the left, Award Winning Blogs, provides links to the best blogs out there...at least in the opinions of those who voted for them! The Edublogs site provides very useful education examples. In fact, the finalists have just been announced. I'm impressed.By the way, don't be afraid to check out other blogging sites. Like Blogger, you can get an Edublog in seconds. The nice thing about

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-28191673980556088642007-11-27T12:25:00.000-06:002007-11-27T12:28:13.523-06:00

How can I get a photograph on my blog homepage. It is asking for a URL address, is there an easy picture upload feature?

Mr. Millernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12156992.post-30375300647563748222007-11-12T11:58:00.001-06:002008-02-13T11:18:56.199-06:00

Our TechFeast for today will be for you to create your own blog! Please come back to this page for some quick links to some thoughtful commentary on blogs.Good ReadsBlogging BalletBeginning Blogging by David Jakeshttp://newtools.pbwiki.com/BlogsTeaching Today Articlehttp://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basicsBlogging in Education-A huge resource compiled by David Warlick http://

Michael Bachrodthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846912380137751481noreply@blogger.com0