Friday, April 30, 2010

ISTE 2010 Community-Created Events and a Meeting Tomorrow About Them!

Tomorrow morning we're doing a special Classroom 2.0 LIVE show on the FREE Classroom 2.0 community-based activities happening as a part of the ISTE 2010 Conference in Denver at the end of July.  We're going to talk all about:
  • EduBloggerCon - now in its fourth year, this all-day unconference gathering for those interested in social media / Web 2.0 in education takes place the Saturday (July 26) before the official ISTE start.  Honestly, this is a great event, and many will tell you it is the event to attend at ISTE because it's all about connecting and sharing.  The website for EduBloggerCon is at http://www.edubloggercon.com, but the organizing for the actual events of the day won't start for a few weeks yet.  If you want others to know that you are going to attend, you can sign up here, although no advanced registration is required.  We meet in the Colorado Convention Center thanks to the generosity of ISTE, we have access to free wireless, but bring extra computer batteries or make sure you're fully charged up because this is a BYOP (bring-your-own-power) event.
  • OpenSourceCon - for the first time ever, a parallel FREE all-day unconference for those interested in Open Source in education.  Same basic details and the same day as EduBloggerCon (you can even go back and forthe between the two), but not organized at all yet!  :) Will be soon--in fact, email me if you want to help!  http://www.opensourcecon.com is where the details will emerge.
  • Bloggers' Cafe - also in its fourth year, this is an amazing gathering place at the conference center where there are couches, tables, chairs, and fun people to meet all during ISTE.  Do not be intimidated if you are new to the social media world--we want you to come and be a part of this informal gathering.  Biggest idea for this year:  a live webcam and mic so that those not at ISTE can say hi and chat with those who are.
  • ISTE "Unplugged" - this will be the second year of this incredible opportunity to present at ISTE even if you have never done so before, weren't accepted to speak, or just have something valuable to say!  Run inside the convention center near the Bloggers' Cafe, on the same timetable as the conference, we have a small presentation area where you can sign up to present to both a live and a remote audience (those not at ISTE can watch all the presentation via Elluminate).  We still can't believe that ISTE let's us do this, but they do, and we think they are awesome because of it!
  • Classroom 2.0 Birds of a Feather Meeting - Tuesday, 6/29/2010, 4:45pm–6:15pm.  Come meet other members of Classroom 2.0 and have some fun as we share with each other.  Usually a BIG crowd for this one!
  • Classroom 2.0 LIVE Broadcast - time and date to be determined.  Come meet with Peggy, Kim, and Lorna as they broadcast a live show from ISTE that features YOU as the guests.  :)
  • Open Source Pavilion, Speaker Series, and Playground Area - this terrific speaker track, supported generously as a formal part of the ISTE conference now, is not to be missed if you're an Open Source enthusiast or wanna-be.  We need volunteers, too, who can help to man some of the playground stations!  
  • Global Education Poster Session - as part of the amazing 5-day online global education conference in November that we're just starting to announce, we'll be manning a poster session table on Sunday night to give details and make connections with the larger community.  Volunteers also needed for this!
Does this list amaze you as it does me?  I'm so excited to see so many of you at the show!  And for those that can't attend, we hope we provide you with lots of good, streamed content so that you can have some of the same fun.  

Our meeting tomorrow helps us to plan and brainstorm together.  For instance:  what do you hope we'll do at EduBloggerCon this year?  Do we want Classroom 2.0 buttons or EduBloggerCon buttons, or something else?  Do you like the idea of the Bloggers' Cafe webcam?  Please do come and tell us!  I'm also posting this message as a forum discussion in Classroom 2.0 in case you can't make the event and want to contribute ideas there.  

Date: Sat., May 1, 2010
Time: 9:00am PST / 10:00am MST / 11:00am CST / 12:00pm EST / 4pm GMT
Location: In Elluminate at http://tinyurl.com/cr20live.  The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Seth Godin Discusses His Book Linchpin and Implications for Education, Live May 5th

I'll be interviewing Seth Godin live in Elluminate next week about his newest book, Linchpin:  Are You Indispensable?, and the implications for education.

Aside from reading the book, you might want to check out:

This will be a 30-minute event, half of which we'll reserve for audience Q+A.  More information on Seth is below, as well as instructions on connecting.

Date:  Wednesday, 5 May, 2010
Time: 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 3pm GMT (international times here)
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/71871

From http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/bio.asp:  "Seth Godin is the author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages, and his ebooks are among the most popular ever published. He is responsible for many words in the marketer's vocabulary, including permission marketing, ideaviruses, purple cows, the dip and sneezers. His irrepressible speaking style and no-holds-barred blog have helped him create a large following around the world.  His latest book LINCHPIN hit the top ten on Amazon the first day it was released. "

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Jackie Gerstein on "User-Generated Education"

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series continues on Tuesday, April 27th, with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Jackie Gerstein on "User-Generated Education."

Date:  Tuesday, 27th April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/70950

This session will explore the following questions:

  • "Should a student-centric, user-generated education be the predominant learning model for this era of the 21st Century?"  
  • "Can networked-learning based on communities of practice with multiage learners be a model-platform for education in this century?" 
Resources for this presentation can be found at http://jackiegerstein.wikispaces.com/User-Generated+Education.

Dr. Jackie Gerstein's byline is " I don't do teaching for a living, I live teaching as my doing, and technology has AMPLIFIED the passion."  More about Jackie's experiences and passions can be viewed at http://jackiegerstein.weebly.com/.

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Anya Kamenetz Live and Interactive on Her Book, DIY U

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series continues Wednesday, April 28th, with a live and interactive interview with Anya Kamenetz on her book, DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education.

Date:  Wednesday, 28 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/70704

DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher EducationDIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education is Anya's new book about the future of higher education. "It’s a story about the communities of visionaries who are tackling the enormous challenges of cost, access, and quality in higher ed, using new technologies to bring us a revolution in higher learning that is affordable, accessible, and learner-centered."

“This book is not only a smart and forward-thinking look at new and exciting trends in self-directed higher learning, it’s also a smart resource guide for students and their families anxious to take their education into their own hands” -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

Anya's Bio, from her DIY Y website:

"I grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Yale University in 2002.

"I cover technology, innovation, sustainability and social entrepreneurship as a staff writer for Fast Company magazine. In 2005, when I was 24, the Village Voice did the huge favor of nominating me for a Pulitzer Prize for the feature series and column Generation Debt, which led to a book published by Riverhead in 2006. Generation Debt drew national media attention and passionate online debate with its argument that young people are facing unique and unprecedented economic challenges.

"As a national figure representing my generation, I’ve been in several documentaries including the “Generation Next” series on PBS and the upcoming Default: The Student Loan Documentary, on media outlets including CNN’s Larry King Live, ABC’s The View and NPR, been featured as a “Yahoo! Finance Expert,” and submitted testimony to Congressional committees and state legislatures about student debt and college affordability.

"I’ve written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, New York magazine, Slate, Salon, the American Prospect, and the Nation. I wrote an essay, “Mutual Aid Revisited,” about my experiences with Hurricane Katrina and the power of community, to the anthology Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age (Tarcher, 2008).

"With a growing awareness that we’re living in a time of profound change, I feel so lucky to be engaged in this work of envisioning the future, connecting with others who are excited about change, and telling stories about the possibilities. I speak across the country, I blog at Fastcompany.com, the Huffington Post, and anyakamenetz.blogspot.com, and–I Tweet, yes I do, at Anya1anya. I live in Brooklyn with my husband & cat."

(Photo by Jayd Gardina)

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Dr. Robert Epstein on Teen 2.0, Live Tonight

Our "Students 2.0" mini-series starts tonight with a live and interactive interview with Dr. Robert Epstein on his encyclopedic book, Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence.

Date:  Monday, 26 April, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of AdolescenceFrom drrobertepstein.com:  Working with colleague Diane Dumas, Dr. Robert Epstein, a longtime researcher and professor and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, has developed a unique and comprehensive test—the Epstein-Dumas Test of Adultness (EDTA)—that measures 14 different competencies that appear to define adult functioning in modern society.

Based on scores obtained from tens of thousands of adults and teens, Dr. Epstein recently concluded that many teens are as competent or more competent than adults—and that adults greatly underestimate the abilities of teens. Epstein and Dumas have also demonstrated a link between "infantilization"—the extent to which teens are treated like children—and behavioral problems in teens.


Praise for first original edition of the book, called The Case Against Adolescence:

ALBERT ELLIS: “...one of the most revolutionary books I have ever read.” (from the Foreword)

NEWT GINGRICH: “If you are concerned about America's young—and about
America's future—this is a must-read.”

M. SCOTT PECK: “...has vast consequence for our society.”

JOYCE BROTHERS: “…a profoundly important book.”

BUZZ ALDRIN: “This book will bring our ideas about teens down to earth.”

DEEPAK CHOPRA: “We need to reexamine our basic assumptions about young people, and Epstein shows us how.”

ROBERT COLES: “Here are America’s youth, regarded keenly, knowingly....”

LEON BOTSTEIN: “...a vital book for parents and policy makers on the state and federal levels”

MARIEL HEMINGWAY: “This book has opened my eyes….”

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI: “...a very original approach, sure to ignite discussion and controversy.”

ALVIN TOFFLER: “If you care about the future of our young people, The Case Against Adolescence is an essential read.”

DREW PINSKY: “...a landmark book”

SUZANNE SOMERS: “Dr. Epstein makes a good case for adolescents to be treated not as a group with a formula, but as individual unique people.”

JEAN LIEDLOFF: “...a powerful case”

ELLEN LANGER: “His arguments deserve serious consideration and open debate.”

JOHN TAYLOR GATTO: “Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a policy maker, or a recovering victim of enforced childishness, you need to read this book.”

CURTIS SLIWA: “…an amazing book, long overdue.”

From drrobertepstein.com:  ROBERT EPSTEIN is an author, editor, radio talk-show host, and longtime psychology researcher and professor—a distinguished scientist who is passionate about educating the public about advances in mental health and the behavioral sciences. The former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, Dr. Epstein is currently a contributing editor for Scientific American Mind and a lecturer at the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego. He is also the founder and Director Emeritus of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in Massachusetts.

Through 2003, he served as University Research Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. He received his Ph.D. in psychology in 1981 from Harvard University.

He has hosted a number of psychology-related radio programs, most recently a show called Psyched!®, which aired throughout the U.S. and Canada on Sirius Satellite Radio between 2005 and 2008. In connection with the magazine or his radio programs, Dr. Epstein has interviewed many notable people, including Laura Bush, Jimmy Carter, Tipper Gore, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Christie Brinkley, Sally Field, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Ferguson, and Steve Allen.

His research on creativity and innovation has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, and Discover, as well as on national and international radio and television. He has published nearly 200 articles, including scientific articles in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although best known for his work on creativity, Dr. Epstein has also conducted research on adolescent and adult competence, self-control, relationship skills, sexual orientation, and other topics, and a seminal article he wrote for The Washington Post helped stimulate a worldwide call for an armistice on January 1, 2000. He has also developed a number of unique online competency tests which are taken by thousands of people every week.

Epstein's 14 books include The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen; Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodological Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer (with Grace Beber and Gary Roberts); The Big Book of Motivation Games (with Jessica Rogers); The Big Book of Stress-Relief Games; The Big Book of Creativity Games; Creativity Games for Trainers; Stress-Management and Relaxation Activities for Trainers; Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays; The New Psychology Today Reader; Pure Fitness: Body Meets Mind (with Lori "Ice" Fetrick of the American Gladiators); Self-Help Without the Hype; and Irrelativity. He is also the editor of two books of writings by the eminent psychologist, B. F. Skinner—Skinner for the Classroom and Notebooks—with whom Epstein collaborated at Harvard.

He has taught at Boston University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of California San Diego, the HAL College of Technology and Design (Japan), and other universities. Dr. Epstein also served as Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology at National University, where he was subsequently appointed Research Professor. From 1990 to 1995, he directed the Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence, an annual contest in which human intelligence is pitted against machine intelligence.

Dr. Epstein has been a commentator for NPR's "Marketplace," the Voice of America, and Disney Online, and his popular writings have appeared in Reader's Digest, The Washington Post, Psychology Today, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, and other magazines and newspapers.

His upcoming books include Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence, Making Love: How Couples Learn to Love and How You Can Too and Finding the Inner Adult in Your Teen: A Guide for Parents. Dr. Epstein is the father of four children and two stepchildren. An autobiographical essay about his life and work was published recently in Perspectives on Psychological Science and can be downloaded here. Dr. Epstein can be reached at repstein@post.harvard.edu.

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Live Interview with Scott Rosenberg on the Historical Importance of Blogging

Join me for a Conversations.net live and interactive interview with Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters.  This is a downright FASCINATING history of blogging and its historical importance.


Date:  Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.
Event and Recording Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/60495

Book Description from the Say Everything Website
Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters"Blogs are everywhere. They have exposed truths and spread rumors. Made and lost fortunes. Brought couples together and torn them apart. Toppled cabinet members and sparked grassroots movements. Immediate, intimate, and influential, they have put the power of personal publishing into everyone's hands. Regularly dismissed as trivial and ephemeral, they have proved that they are here to stay.

"Say Everything chronicles blogging's unplanned rise and improbable triumph, tracing its impact on politics, business, the media, and our personal lives. The book offers closeups of innovators such as Blogger founder Evan Williams, investigative journalist Josh Marshall, exhibitionist diarist Justin Hall, software visionary Dave Winer, 'mommyblogger' Heather Armstrong, and many others.

"These blogging pioneers were the first to face new dilemmas that have become common in the era of Google and Facebook, and their stories offer vital insights and warnings as we navigate the future. How much of our lives should we reveal on the Web? Is anonymity a boon or a curse? Which voices can we trust? What does authenticity look like on a stage where millions are fighting for attention, yet most only write for a handful? And what happens to our culture now that everyone can say everything?

"Before blogs, it was easy to believe that the Web would grow up to be a clickable TV -- slick, passive, mass-market. Instead, blogging brought the Web's native character into focus -- convivial, expressive, democratic. Far from being pajama-clad loners, bloggers have become the curators of our collective experience, testing out their ideas in front of a crowd and linking people in ways that broadcasts can't match.

"Blogs have created a new kind of public sphere -- one in which we can think out loud together. And now that we have begun, it is impossible to imagine us stopping."


Bio from Scott's Blog:
I’m a writer, editor and Web site builder. I co-founded Salon back in 1995. I served as its first technology editor and all-around Web geek for years, then became managing editor just in time for the dot-com bubble to first over-inflate and then collapse.
In 2003 I began working on a book about software development and its discontents. I took a leave from Salon in 2005 to write it. It’s titled Dreaming in Code and was published by Crown in January, 2007. The full web site for the book is at dreamingincode.com.
I left Salon in July 2007 to begin work on a new book project.... I began blogging in July 2002. Before that most of my writing online was at Salon; there’s a full directory listing of my pieces here.
I started making Web pages in November 1994 as an editor of the short-lived San Francisco Free Press — an early experiment in Web publishing by the striking Newspaper Guild workers in San Francisco. In early 1995 I posted a prototype of a solo Web magazine called Kludge. I quickly discovered that being a one-person publishing operation was more than I could handle at that point in my, and the Web’s, career, given that I still held down a full-time job at the SF Examiner. As the year progressed I began working with David Talbot and the team he was then pulling together to start Salon. I left the Examiner that fall and helped Salon plan and post its first issue in November 1995.
I continued to maintain my own Web site, first at www.dmz.com and later here at Wordyard. Here’s the old Wordyard home page that was supplanted by this blog. Here’s the old dmz.com home page that preceded it, with some older links to my writing, many of which have yet to rot.



[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

This Coming Week's Live and Interactive Events

Below are this coming week's public, free, and interactive webinars through LearnCentral.org, the social learning network for education that I work on for Elluminate.

The time of the events below will show up automatically in your own time zone when you are registered in LearnCentral and when you have chosen your time zone in your profile. Event recordings are posted and available after the events if you aren't able to attend them live. Be on the lookout for Australia-time-friendly events as part of the new Australia Series!

A number of folks have emailed me looking for an easy calendar import / RSS feed for these events, and while the developer at LearnCentral are working on a good long-term solution, you'll find my Google Calendar "hack" at LearnCentral.tv. Hope it helps!

I also hope you'll consider hosting your own public webinars using the LearnCentral public room--instructions are available by joining the "Host Your Own Webinar" group on the main announcement tab (http://www.learncentral.org/group/3432/host-your-own-webinars).

Monday, April 12th
  • 8am PDT (US) / 11am EDT (US) / 3pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Using Emotional Intelligence To Improve Decision Making" with Lou Russell. Current research shows that when we lose our cool over something, it takes us over four hours to get over it. When we’re stressed, our decision making ability is compromised because the brain is working at survival. In this session, Lou will share some of this research and map it to ways you can help improve how your teams react to circumstances. You can help them build resiliency by helping them identify the triggers that take them out, and showing them ways to avoid or react to them.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/64512 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 10:45pm PDT (US) / 1:45am (next day) EDT (US) / 5:45am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Tech Talk Tuesdays: Going 1:1 Laptop" with Anne Mirtschin and Helen Otway. When thinking about beginning a 1:1 laptop program what do you need to consider? Hardware? Software? Infrastructure? Support? Costs? Yes these are all the practical considerations and are very important. But what scaffolding needs to take place for our learners - teachers and students - to prepare for 1:1 learning? Learning styles? Team work vs Independent work? Confidence? Digital Citizenship? Personal Learning skills and attitudes? These are some of the challenges that started to take shape in our first year of providing our Year 7 Laptop Program. Helen will share the Manor Lakes College (Victoria, Australia) story so far and future directions.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/68067
Tuesday, April 13th
  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 5pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Puzzling Opportunities: How To Use Puzzles In Your Training Session" with Dr. Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan and Tracy Tagliati. Do you know someone who wastes his or her time solving Sudoku puzzles? (Could that be you?) Attend this session to discover how the addictive and motivating aspects of puzzles can be leveraged to reinforce the learning-and-transfer process before, during, and after your training workshop. Learn how to design and use instructional puzzles to train your participants and to assess their competencies. Explore the instructional use of crossword puzzles, word puzzles, cryptograms, chunks, anagrams, triplets, logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, wire puzzles, and Sudoku puzzles. Leave the session with a how-to handout, online tools, and a daily dose of instructional puzzles through Twitter.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62843 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Formalizing Informal Learning: What Are We Talking About" with Lance Dublin. The buzz about informal learning has turned into a clamor. Organizations know they need to jump onto this bandwagon, but they worry about how. Formal learning is well established and is well understood. Yet, informal learning seems obvious but too ill-defined. Now is the time to move into the third dimension of learning, where formal and informal learning intersects with intention. Some experts have called this 'formalizing informal learning' while others term it 'non-formal' learning. Come and join me in this webinar to learn the distinctions between formal, informal and non-formal learning, and the learning theory behind them. We will explore how then these can be applied in your organization to extend, enable and enhance learning in effective ways never possible before. And we will look at a model for learning that moves beyond the linear either/or choice of formal - informal, and takes us into a third dimension drive by the new social media tools.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62844 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 1pm PDT (US) / 4pm EDT (US) / 8pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    MSP2 SERIES: “Google Apps for Educators" with Rachel Lacy. Not just a search engine...Google has created numerous free applications just for educators. Google Tools are one of the many emerging Web 2.0 concepts for educators that allow social networking, sharing, collaboration, etc...
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/58400

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    CONVERSATIONS.NET SERIES: “Scott Rosenberg on Say Everything." Join me as I interview Scott on his book Say Everything, his fascinating book on how blogging began, what its's becoming, and why it matters. Seriously, don't miss this one.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/60495
Wednesday, April 14th
  • 1am PDT (US) / 4am EDT (US) / 8am GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “eT@lking - Gimp Installation and First Steps” with Marian Heddesheimer. Gimp is a popular Open Source image processing software. It’s features can be compared to commercial programs like Photoshop® or Corel Photopaint®. Gimp is free software so you can download and use it without cost. Using Gimp is a bit different from other programs you may know, but if you get the hang on it, it will be easy to use it. Gimp can be used to edit your photos or create images and graphics from scratch. In this class we will just edit an existing photo (you will get an example photo during the class) and learn how to use the smudge tool from the gimp toolbox.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/67213

  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “eT@lking - Gimp Installation and First Steps” with Marian Heddesheimer. Gimp is a popular Open Source image processing software. It’s features can be compared to commercial programs like Photoshop® or Corel Photopaint®. Gimp is free software so you can download and use it without cost. Using Gimp is a bit different from other programs you may know, but if you get the hang on it, it will be easy to use it. Gimp can be used to edit your photos or create images and graphics from scratch. In this class we will just edit an existing photo (you will get an example photo during the class) and learn how to use the smudge tool from the gimp toolbox.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/node/67212

  • 10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    ELLUMINATE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES: “Trainingmagnetwork.com- The Psychology Of Growing A Large Learning Community” with Ray Jimenez and Gary VanAntwerp. TrainingMagNetwork.com has 13,000. How did we grow to this number? What did we do consistently to increase the network interactions, sharing and groups? What theories failed and what new insights did we gain? These are some and many other topics we will cover in this session. The psychology of growing a large social learning community required we adhere to some core values, philosophies and practices to allow members to keep on coming back. We believe these practices and beliefs built trust and confidence among members to continue the growth.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/62845 (this event requires pre-registration)

  • 12pm PDT (US) / 3pm EDT (US) / 7pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Adventures in Virtual Collaborative Authoring” with Sandy Hirtz and Dr. Kevin Kelly. The collaboratively authored book, Education for a Digital World 2.0, and its predecessor Education for a Digital World represent a shift in how educators are sharing their research, experiences and best practices in online teaching and learning. Facilitated completely through virtual interactions, this new model of authoring went beyond writing and editing to become an international effort in community building and professional growth. The success of the first edition has resulted in a second, more inclusive book that offers improvements on the last version and addresses the constant changes in the global eLearning landscape.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65716 (30 minute session)

  • 12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Immersive Gameworlds for World-Wide Change” with Natasha Boskic. An overview of the role of video and computer games in the context of contemporary educational practice, looking at designing games for learning through engagement in building narratives and making positive modifications in real life behaviour. The question is whether those can have the ability and power to bring social changes and eventually to solve important world-wide issues..
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65718 (30 minute session)

  • 3pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 10pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES: “Co-Creation of Content to promote Learning, Activism and Advocacy” with June Kaminski. This session will introduce educators to the use of a variety of ICTs to promote activism and advocacy, and in the process – learning, using a co-creation of usable content approach within the online learning environment. A key question that will be addressed is: How can communicative and creative technologies be used to stimulate meaningful activist engagement with ecological, sustainability, environmental and quality of life dialogue and praxis in education and society at large?
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/65719 (30 minute session)

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    MSP2 SERIES: “Why Does E=mc2? Meeting of the MSP2 Book Club" with Kim Lightle. Our next selection for the MSP2 Book Club is Why Does E=mc2? (of course the 2 is squared) and Why We Should Care. This book should appeal to science and math educators alike - what every part of the equation means to modern science as well as where every part came from - even the = and what it means to be "squared." The book is available online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/23760253/Why-Does-E-mc2.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/61117

  • 6pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 1am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    NETGENED/DISCOVERY EDUCATION SERIES: “Hall Davidson on Budgeting / Big Picture."
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/node/67557
Thursday, April 15th
  • 11am PDT (US) / 2pm EDT (US) / 6pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    PBS SERIES: “Dinosaur Train Geocaching Informational” with Maura Thompson. Informational session for PBS stations and any one else who wants to learn about this exciting educational initiative.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/67352

  • 12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Business Breakfast - Managing Projects with Elluminate and DotProject” with Chris Sutton. In this second of the Business Breakfast Series, Chris will describe the time, people and cost benefits of using internet based tools for the total management of a complex development project. Using Elluminate and DotProject, a web-based project management tool, client and business teams have been able to work together efficiently and effectively across vast distances without the necessity to travel or use expensive tele/video conferencing. The combination of these and other tools for business enable SMEs to keep their costs down, remain competitive and produce high quality results.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/52137

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    THE AUSTRALIA SERIES: “Edublogs Serendipity - unconference session” with Jo Hart. Join us in our fortnightly unconference sessions. Bring along the burning issues and hot topics YOU would like to discuss. Topic is chosen by poll at the start of the session.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/59847
Saturday, April 17th
  • 9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    CLASSROOM 2.0 LIVE! SERIES: “Parent Engagement using Sharepoint as Communication Portal and Learning Platform” with Mike Herrity, Asst. Headmaster at Twynham School, UK.
    LearnCentral Link: http://www.learncentral.org/event/56483
Thanks for your attention, and see you online!

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Monday, April 05, 2010

This Week's Live and Interactive Webinars

Below are this week's public, free, and interactive webinars through LearnCentral.org, the social learning network for education that I work on for Elluminate.

The time of the events below will show up automatically in your own time zone when you are registered in LearnCentral and when you have chosen your time zone in your profile. Event recordings are posted and available after the events if you aren't able to attend them live. Be on the lookout for Australia-time-friendly events as part of the new Australia Series!

A number of folks have emailed me looking for an easy calendar import / RSS feed for these events, and while the developer at LearnCentral are working on a good long-term solution, you'll find my Google Calendar "hack" at LearnCentral.tv.  Hope it helps!

I also hope you'll consider hosting your own public webinars using the LearnCentral public room--instructions are available by joining the "Host Your Own Webinar" group on the main announcement tab (http://www.learncentral.org/group/3432/host-your-own-webinars).

Monday, April 5th
  • CLASSROOM 2.0 & PBS WEBINAR SERIES
    5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
     "Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day." During this event, participants will learn about two new PBS projects: "Earth Days," a film by Robert Stone chronicling the history of the modern environmental movement, and Growing Greener Schools, a film and educational resources aimed at empowering students, teachers and parents to incorporate green ideas into both school buildings and classroom curricula.   
    Link:  http://www.classroom20.com/events/pbs-cr-20celebrating-the-40th

  • TL VIRTUAL CAFE SERIES
    5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
     "On Being a Change Agent." What it means to be a Change Agent in Educational Technology with special guests Ben Hazzard and Rodd Lucier, and hostess Gwyneth Jones.LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/61749
Tuesday, April 6th
  • 9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "Learning In 3d: Adding A New Dimension To Enterprise Learning And Collaboration" with Tony O'Driscoll and Karl M. Kapp.  This session provides attendees with insight into how Virtual Immersive Environments (VIEs) are being used in organizations to encourage learning and collaboration. Attendees will review case studies of effective VIE implementations, learn the right design archetypes for D learning environments and review a list of guiding principles for establishing a successful 3D learning environment.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/62838 (advanced registration required)

  • 3pm PDT (US) / 6pm EDT (US) / 10pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "Mind & Cluster Mapping: Can You Digg It? Web Applications for Research" with Rochelle Rodrigo.  Good researchers are constantly processing their project, from brainstorming topics and foci to analyzing the connections between resources and their own ideas. Mind and cluster mapping technologies can be used to facilitate the research process as well as present the research product.  The goals of the event are to make faculty comfortable with, and knowledgeable about various web-based applications as well as a scaffolded research (assignment) process. LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/52301

  • FUTURE OF EDUCATION SERIES
    5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    Join me as I interview Tony Wagner on his book "The Global Achievement Gap."   "Despite the best efforts of educators, our nation's schools are dangerously obsolete. Instead of teaching students to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers, we are asking them to memorize facts for multiple choice tests...  Education expert Tony Wagner has conducted scores of interviews with business leaders and observed hundreds of classes in some of the nation's most highly regarded public schools...  He explains how every American can work to overhaul our education system, and he shows us examples of dramatically different schools that teach all students new skills. In addition, through interviews with college graduates and people who work with them, Wagner discovers how teachers, parents, and employers can motivate the 'net' generation to excellence."
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/60491
Wednesday, April 7th
  • 9:30am PDT (US) / 12:30pm EDT (US) / 4:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "Shannon's Bright Ideas Center - LearnCentral Showcase." Want to get the most out of LearnCentral? Join us for a showcase of valuable features and a discussion on how to use them.  Discover other educators!  Manage Resources!  Work with Events!  Create and Join Groups of Interest!  LearnCentral Roadmap!  Gailene Nelson, founder and creator of LearnCentral community will be with us.  This will be your perfect opportunity to share your visions for LearnCentral with the creator and hopefully see those dreams become realities.  Co-Moderator and LearnCentral Guru Tammy Moore will be there in place of Shannon this week to showcase her success using LearnCentral and her Creative Whiteboard Lab.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/63942

  • EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES
    11:30am PDT (US) / 2:30pm EDT (US) / 6:30pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Towards implementation of eLearning at a multi-campus university" with
    Azra Naseem.  This session will present the case of Aga Khan University (AKU), to develop a nuanced understanding of the processes of eLearning implementation at a multi-campus university. The authors will describe the step-by-step processes, and identify successes and challenges from the perspective of faculty and staff members charged with initiating and implementing the use of eLearning at the University. The session will conclude with a number of implications, as well as guidelines for other universities opting for campus-wide eLearning.  30 minutes.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/65705

  • EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES
    12pm PDT (US) / 3pm EDT (US) / 7pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Internet as a Platform."
    Shawn Berney will present the upcoming collaborative effort titled "Internet as a Platform". This collaborative work includes contributions from Peter Rawsthorne and Iwona Sokalska. The presentation will highlight: 1) The impact of technology design on learning environments. 2) The impact of technology projects on educators, administrators and developers. 3) The tactics, strategies and processes that can help move technology projects into the fabric of our daily reality.  30 minutes.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/65706

  • EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL WORLD 2.0 SERIES
    12:30pm PDT (US) / 3:30pm EDT (US) / 7:30pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Creating Online Assessments and Preparing Learners for Authentic Displays of Learning" with 
    Alice Bedard-Vorhees and Lisa Johnson.  This session examines how various strategies support the development of lower level knowledge and skills that ultimately allow successful learners to become “curators” of sources into final projects and papers with the wealth of resources available at this time. Furthermore, portfolios are a place where those artifacts of learning can be displayed, either within a course, or as a cornerstone assessment experience for program-level purposes. In exploring instructional assessments that move students along this spectrum from assessment to portfolio, the following categories are presented:  self-assessments and feedback loops, various activities that allow for student practice with faculty feedback, scaffolding, reflection,  the gamut of learning expectations embedded in research-based projects and papers.  30 minutes.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/65714

  • 4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "
    Setting up a Classroom Blog." Kim Caise and Lorna Costantini will demonstrate how to set up a classroom blog. The will cover the benefits of blogging in the classroom. Participants will create a classroom blog using Weebly for Education. Classroom management, user management, parent permission and content ideas will make up the 1 hour session. Participants attending the session will receive a 25% discount on a weebly for education pro account.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/66994

  • CLASSROOM 2.0 & PBS WEBINAR SERIES
    5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
     "A Fresh Look at Teaching The Diary of Anne Frank."  During this event, participants will get a sneak peek at the all-new adaptation airing on MASTERPIECE and review educator materials created for middle school and high school. These materials include a teacher’s guide created in collaboration with the Holocaust education organization, Facing History & Ourselves, and special Resources for Youth, which offer concrete ways to take action against issues of intolerance as well as encourage self-expression through digital journaling options. Speakers include the author of the teacher's guide and an educator from Facing History and Ourselves.
    Link:  http://www.classroom20.com/events/pbs-cr-20a-fresh-look-at

  • MATH 2.0 SERIES
    6:30pm PDT (US) / 9:30pm EDT (US) / 1:30am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "TextbookRevolution.org." Joshua Gay of TextbookRevolution.org presents this student-run project dedicated to open and free educational resources.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/63031
Thursday, April 8th







  • THE AUSTRALIA SERIES
    4pm PDT (US) / 7pm EDT (US) / 11pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "An Edublogs 'Techie How To!' Session:  Feed Learning with a Hot Potato!" with 
    Jo Hart.  In this session we will take a look at and have a “play” with Hot Potatoes. Despite a comment from someone on Twitter recently that it is “very tired and outdated” I still use Hot Potatoes to make interactives for my students. It is easy to use; works well for many of the activities needed to develop reading and writing skills and; I can upload the products easily into the Learning Management System.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/59850

  • 5pm PDT (US) / 8pm EDT (US) / 12am (next day) GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "Waking Students Up to Global Change."  Robert Principe, the Director of Educational Leadership, Hiatt Center for Social Justice Education, will discuss how Beaver Country Day School (BCDS) building on its long-standing commitment to diversity and social action, has moved to significantly increase the integration of this skill-based global learning into the learning culture of every classroom. This effort is driven by a focus on “providing opportunities for authentic learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom” where students can apply their intelligence, creativity, critical social thinking, and technology to engage real world issues.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/62384
Friday, April 9th



  • 11:30am PDT (US) / 2:30pm EDT (US) / 6:30pm GMT/UTC (intl times):
    "Mobile Devices for Teaching & Learning."  
    Barbara Lindsey explores if, how, when and where these devices can be used for teaching and learning, in particular, for language, culture and civilization courses. Our guest for this session will be Travis Allen, currently a Kennesaw State University student, who created the iSchool Initiative in order to “advocate, support and implement technological advancement for students and educators in the 21st century”. We look forward to talking with Travis about his initiative and personal mobile learning experiences.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/67233
Saturday, April 10th



  • LEARNING GAMES NETWORK SERIES
    9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Choosing and Using Video Games in the Classroom: After-Game Reviews." The learning that takes place during gameplay can be dramatically enhanced by effective after-play synthesis and assimilation. Find ways to connect the dots in order to strengthen long-term learning. Building outward from the game itself is one of the most critical parts of game-based education.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/58444

  • CLASSROOM 2.0 LIVE!
    9am PDT (US) / 12pm EDT (US) / 4pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Preparing Effective Online Learners." Preparing Effective Online Learners with 
    David McGeary.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/56481

  • LEARNING GAMES NETWORK SERIES
    10am PDT (US) / 1pm EDT (US) / 5pm GMT/UTC (
    intl times):
    "Designing eGames: Production Elements." Production elements are the icing on the cake of game design: 2D vs. 3D graphics; sound, music, dialogue. All of those pieces need to be added to the design document once the underlying structure of the game is established.
    LearnCentral Link:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/61838

Thanks for your attention, and see you online!


[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]

Thursday, April 01, 2010

A Week of Experiments: Thursday - Aula 2.0

We're in day four of our week of social networking experiments.  :)  Today, Aula 2.0.

Tomás Chaskel from Bogotá, Colombia, has been super-anxious to help start a version of Classroom 2.0 for Latin America.  When I announced that Classroom 2.0 was celebrating it's third anniversary last month by hitting 40,000 members, Tomás emailed me again about this idea and it was with some surprise that I found that the domain aula20.com was available.  And so, another experiment was born.

Tomás has been starting to populate the site's framework with some of the same features as Classroom 2.0, and it's his hope that some other passionate educators will come and help build up the content and discussions.  While I lived in Brazil for a year as an exchange student in high school, and my rusty Portuguese allows me to "compre-stand" most of what he's writing, I pretty much passed the point of my greatest utility once I got the network up and going.  What I can do now is to look forward to helping create a framework for a series of Spanish-language open professional development events using the "Host Your Own Webinar" program I work on for Elluminate!  (If anyone wants to help with that, email me directly!)

Much of what I love about the Web is the ability to experiment, which comes with a deep lesson:  projects often surprise you.  Something you think will be a slam dunk ends up fizzling, and something that comes out of left field can create and sustain significant interest you would never have expected.  In general, I've found that I really don't know what's going to happen until the wrappers are taken off and others can play with the ideas--especially because early adopters are often more influential than the creators to the success of a Web 2.0 project.  The experiments this week might never become big-time projects, but I can tell you that they wouldn't have the chance to be anything at all if they just stayed a set of notes in a Google Doc that didn't ever see the light of day and withstand the scrutiny actual users. Which is why I determined this week, while it's Spring Break and our kids are occupied with their own fun, to take some evening hours and actually push these ideas out into the open.  So far:  BookDiscussions.com, Library 2.0, Students 2.0 and now Aula 2.0.  Tomorrow's the last day:  a special double-play with OpenSourceCon and GlobalEdCon.

Stay tuned!

[Cross-posted from http://www.stevehargadon.com]