Its been sometime since my last post, but I will try to post more often. If you haven't heard yet, Imagine Cup, Microsoft's worldwide premier technology competition is well under way and as the teams battle it out, it has come to my attention that there is a team representing Penn State! The team name is called "BetaMax." The team is competing in the area of software design.

You can support the team in 3 different ways (Once per 24 Hours). 1. Go to (https://apps.facebook.com/microsoftimaginecup/tabprojectcontent/39?app_data=%7B%27mtag%27%3A%27PSU2%27%7D) and vote for BetaMax,  the link is long because its a special link that counts for people voting for Penn State. 2. Text Message "BetaMax"  without the quotes to 45444  Lastly, 3. On twitter tweet the following:" @mstechstudent I am voting for #BetaMax in #ICPeoplesChoice."

If you do all three you'll get 3 votes in!  So lets start voting, and remember to vote each day!

A Little Background:

The Problem: Healthcare in Developing Countries

Description: The team created a solution for monitoring community health and keeping track of the patients that the community health workers see every day. The solution will provide transparency and accuracy of information.

Video:

Members: Daniel Sullivan, Nick Doyle, Nicole Micheletti and Kathy Kelly

Well, it looks like the new school year is well under way and learners everywhere are returning back to school. My name is Eric Scott, recent graduate of the School of the Future class of 2010 and second year student at Penn State University, University Park Campus. I will be taking over the, "School of the Future" blog for a while.  Another interesting thing I will be doing this year is the Microsoft Student Partner program at Penn State. I'll be able to interact more abundantly on campus about what's going on at Microsoft. I will be offering students and faculty deals, tips, news, freebies as well as giving Microsoft some student feedback. I am essentially the “tech rep” or liaison for Microsoft on campus. If you're familiar with the program then great, if not you can always shoot over to the Facebook or Twitter page I’ve created to see the latest: http://www.Facebook.com/MSFTatPSU and https://twitter.com/MicrosoftPSU_UP .
I encourage you to forward the pages to other Penn State students if you know of any, as I provide things like scholarship information, software update information and job opportunities. I will be providing information that comes from many different sides of Microsoft such as: Office, Windows, Xbox, Windows Phone, Skydrive, Imagine cup and many, many more.  This is a really exciting job for me because I gain invaluable experience and “perks”—so to say.

Moving on to related business, some of you are likely wondering what the transition was like. Well, since School of the Future, the transition from high school to college has been pretty smooth. I was pretty itchy to start college during senior year largely because I would be able to focus more heavily on my interest which is computer engineering (also my major).

As I was use to a more “modern environment” at School of the Future I still have those dreary days at Penn State; but never the less Penn State has various ongoing construction projects all around campus. These buildings are LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) usually gold, similar to SOTF and contain smart technologies ideal for a 21^st century classroom. A great example is the new IST building (Information Sciences and Technology) in which I have a few classes in this year. These buildings replicate and remind me of the learning environment I was used to at SOTF.  The link below will take you to a video I was in; about a few SOTF students and their transition from high school to college.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Q8c3LaEdY

I strongly encourage feedback so please do not hesitate to leave it. You can always contact me at: Eric.SMurphy@studentpartner.com or via any of the social networks provided above. So until next time, this is Eric signing off.

Tony Franklin, @TeachTec, @SOTFPhilly, US Partners in Learning, National Education Technologist

I hope everyone is recovering from a well deserved holiday break and preparing to head into the next holiday season coming up very shortly. I’ve been somewhat absent from the blogsphere for a few months now as I’ve been trying to think of better ways to share with the larger education community. Through some amazing luck I’ve now inherited the @TeachTec twitter handle to go along with our @SOTFPhilly handle AND I’ll be looking for contributors on School of the Future blog as well as the soon to be announced TeachTech blog. Exciting times!

So I thought I would share with you a conversation that came across my desk last night that until now I hadn’t quite given much thought to. Whiteboards. I’m not going to go deep on how to use them, because quite frankly, I don’t. BUT I happen to know a few educators that do. So when I was asked to share some links to some good whiteboard content, both Microsoft and Non-Microsoft I went to my Educator Advisory Board. These are Educators who I personally know and trust to give me raw feedback on our technology and the technology that they use everyday in the classroom. I have to share briefly (in case your new to my blog) that I spent the past 3 years at School of the Future working with those educators every day to understand what it takes to have true technology integration in the classroom.

So I sent an email and here are the replies to the question: What tools do you use with your whiteboard that you find useful, engaging, fun. And here are the replies.

T. Gaffey, @Tgaffey School of the Future, Philadelphia PA

Onenote – here’s a link to Tgaffey’s (and SOTF Educators) OneNote Templates

 Promethean ActiveInspire

Photosynth

Powerpoint – I’d add Interactive Classroom

Community Clips

 Tablet Tools Toolbar

Microsoft  Paint

 Google Earth***

(***I actually like Bing Maps – but I’m not teaching with it either )

Thanks T. Gaffey!!

My next educator from St. Paul’s school in Mobile Alabama also contributed some great stuff, thanks @ketheredge!

K. Etheredge, @ketheredge, St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Mobile AL

http://www.learner.org/interactives/index.html - here is one for many different grade levels

http://www.sfu.museum/journey/games.php - content specific, but many grade levels

http://www.knowitall.org/ - variety of things

http://pbskids.org/whiteboard/ - PBS interactive whiteboard games

Also, Smartboard has a site that has features hundreds (if not thousands) of lesson plans for teachers.

Thanks T. Gaffey and K. Etheredge!!!!!!

So my question to the blogsphere: do you have some applications that you like to use on your whiteboard?

by Cheryl Arnett, guest Blogger

It is just a little over a week until we leave for the WWIEF in Cape Town and I couldn't be more excited! There is the obvious anticipation of visiting a faraway place on a different continent to experience the culture and surroundings. Having never traveled beyond North America before, I am a little nervous, but feel secure knowing that there will be familiar faces and friends there. For me, the experience has already begun. Through the community on the Partners in Learning Network, I have connected with several people that I am excited to meet in person. It is absolutely amazing how much learning can take place through interactions online. I have now added Twitter to my online resources and my wonderful new tweeting friends in the UK have led me to several new tools and sites. I know that the connections and networks formed in Cape Town will be rich and beneficial to my teaching and my students. One of my greatest frustrations in teaching has been the difficulty of inspiring other teachers to break free of the traditional lessons and try new ways of engaging children. I know that if they would only take the time to learn and try, they would be amazed at the response from their students. The problem is a complicated one, however, and will not change quickly or soon. There is rarely time for technology and innovation during professional development in our district. I am so hopeful that I the experience I am about to have will be an inspiration to others and will open a few more minds to the possibilities. I want to learn how to engage teachers and convince administrators that we don't have time "not" to explore innovative teaching. I want to immerse myself in the sea of inspirational teachers that are traveling to Cape Town. I want to enjoy the feeling of being celebrated for my profession. I want to learn and I want to share. Look out, Cape Town, here we come!

For the blog this week, we asked the educators who will be making the journey to Cape Town what they are hoping to learn while at the WW IEF, what will they get out of the experience?  and how will you measure if your trip was a success?

by Pat Yongpradit, Guest Blogger,

I want to learn from teachers who are helping their students make the transition from being users of technology to creators of it. I want my students to not just be adept at using technology, but also know how it was made, where it comes from, and how they can manipulate it and adapt it to future needs and desires. I want to learn more about using technology in innovative ways to teach students to innovate technology.  I expect that I will get inspired and make connections with people all over the world, and get more of a worldview of education at the same time.  I will measure whether my trip is a success or not if I can't wait to get back to try new things in my classroom.  I am really hoping to meet some people with projects in computer science so that we can share ideas and I can get an idea of how things are done elsewhere in the world.

Attending the US Innovative Education Forum in Washington, DC this past summer was an incredible experience. Without a doubt, the best part for me was the opportunity to meet in person my partner and friend, Rawya Shatila, from Beirut, Lebanon. Although we had collaborated for a year with our first grade classrooms, we had not met in person. Social networking and email had allowed us to share our passion for education and also become friends. Our friendship was strengthened by our time together at the USIEF and our collaboration grew as we learned together. The time was filled with emotion and we cherished every moment. Just when we thought we were spending our last evening together, probably forever, we found out we had won and would be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa together in October! We are so thankful to Microsoft for making all of this possible!

The learning and collaboration did not end with our team, however. Another extremely valuable part of the experience was the interaction with other teachers from around the country. We shared ideas, inspirations, and experiences. I returned to my school district with project ideas to share for students of all ages. In addition to the innovative teachers, we met and learned from inspiring speakers Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director, National Staff Development Council, and Les Foltos, from Peer-ed.com. Of course, Microsoft also showed us incredible products and tools available to make our trip into the 21st century easier!

Presenting at the forum was a new experience for me. It was a challenge that led to personal learning and growth. The doors that have opened as a result are beyond what I imagined and just keep opening. It was truly an opportunity to collaborate, communicate, and create!

Cheryl Arnett

Most teachers go to forums to learn new ideas and take them back to their classrooms.  That is why I initially decided to participate in the Microsoft Innovative Educator Forum. I  expected to learn about Web tools, new applications, and technologically innovative curricula.  What I have found valuable about my IEF experience so far has been simpler, yet more impacting.  What I most value is the encouragement that I have gotten from meeting innovative, like-minded educators.  Simply experiencing their passion has given me a new sense of mission to do what it takes, whether through technology or not, to meet the needs of my students and inspire them to something more.

  Currently, there is a lot of talk about Education Reform (when is there not?).  If I could pick one thing to change about education that could be implemented pretty quickly, it would be to change school schedules so that kids will learn less for more time.  I say that it is crazy to expect kids to learn seven different topics in one day and expect them to do it at a high level.  No adult would put up with seven different meetings or handling seven different projects a day... so then why do we expect immature kids to?  It bugs me when I have to hurry my class through projects and content just because of some archaic schedule.  It is also crazy that kids get a 2.5 month break from school, yet we expect our students to learn and do more.  I say we elongate the school year and split it up into trimesters where kids focus on three classes per trimester.  Each day they learn three subjects for 2 hours each.  Each trimester could go for 13 weeks.  Kids would actually end up taking more classes (9) than they would have in a normal 7 period schedule.  The actual logistics are negotiable, but the idea is that a "simple" change to a school's schedule would produce deep, creative, and focused thought in its students.

Our next post is from Pat Yongpradit, a teacher at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, telling us about his project. Thanks Pat we’ll see you in South Africa!!

My project is about getting girls interested in continuing their computer science education by exposing them to the fun and challenge of game programming.  I have a club called the Springbrook Women in Technology and we won a grant of 700.00 from the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium with which we bought several Microsoft Zunes. 

The girls worked together to program games in XNA Game Studio using the C# language and put them on the Zune.  It was hard work, but allowed the girls to explore a different side of computer programming.  They had to extend their prior knowledge, figure out solutions to novel problems, and constrain their design to a portable device.  In essence, the project was about enjoying learning and creating something fun.  The girls all continued in their CS studies and best of all, they are enjoying themselves.

I mentioned previously that in July, Microsoft held its US Innovative Education Forum in Washington D.C.  From this celebration of excellence in education a few leading teachers were recognized for their truly outstanding work.  They will be participating in the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum in South Africa at the end of October.  Over the next few weeks, they will blog about their projects and perspectives with you.  Comments/questions encouraged!

To get us started we have our first post from Cheryl Arnett, a teacher at Sunset Elementary School in Craig, Colorado, we asked her to tell us about her project.

Thanks Cheryl!!

A Celebration of Learning and Culture

by Cheryl Arnett and Rawya Shatila

Craig, Colorado, USA and Beirut, Lebanon

Although we were in countries on opposite sides of the world, Rawya and I had a desire for our first grade students to expand their global and cultural awareness and to enrich their learning through the use of technology. Using epals.com to locate partner classes, a relationship developed and a project was underway. Students participated in a variety of activities that were recorded, posted, shared, and enjoyed by the students.

While developing 21^st Century skills, our first graders learned to communicate and collaborate using wikis and blogs. They created digital stories and shared classroom projects. The sharing often inspired activities and learning in the partner classroom around the globe.

Using technology enriched learning in all content areas. Our young learners reinforced reading and writing skills in their communications. They also put math and science skills to work as they compared weather, time differences, and shared core learning.

Most importantly, the children made new friends.

Our objectives and outcomes:

·      Increased academic achievement in reading, writing, listening, and speaking

·      Increased academic achievement in geography and global awareness

·      Development of cultural understanding and respect for diversity

·      Development of 21st century skills in communication, collaboration, creativity and digital citizenship

·      You can see our work:

·      http://youngclovers.blogspot.com

·      http://wearepals.wikispaces.com/

·      http://arnettclass.wikispaces.com

·      http://gettingreadyforschool.wikispaces.com/

Technology skills grew as students became experts at manipulating their own wiki posting messages and reading those from their friends. They learned to locate geographical places using Google Earth and to explore time and weather using online resources.

The project offered young children a wonderful opportunity to interact with others as they built and developed friendships with children in other places.

In addition to the student learning, we, as teachers and friends, learned from each other. We share a belief that education must stay current with the changing world. By bringing 21^st century skills into our classrooms we will help our students learn to be successful citizens of the world. We shared ideas, resources, and friendship throughout our project and continue to do so on an ongoing basis. That was made possible through the use of web 2.0 tools and social networking. It is key to the success of a collaborative project that there be communication.

We share the same hopes and dreams for the children we teach, ourselves, and the world.  Health, hope, and world peace…

Welcome Back!!! I know it’s been a bit since my last post, but I have to tell you this summer has been a whirlwind of exploration and understanding about everything from Race to the Top all the way to Waiting for Superman! I have so much to share about my new role but you’ll learn more about that as our post start to progress this year.

With that I’d like to give way to our Innovative Educators, those educators recognized by Microsoft for their involvement in everything form our Innovative Educators Forum or Partners in Learning Network. For the next couple of months we’ve asked them to share their thoughts, ideas and innovations with this blog and with you, the readers. I think that by sharing our vision for education we’ll slowly start to see change happen even if its teacher by teacher or school by school, so if you want to share your innovative ideas and thoughts please email me here and I’ll make sure to post weekly those submissions.

Looking forward to a great year with all of the Innovative Educators out there!

Tony