Greetings Educators,

In this column I would like to share some thoughts regarding cooking and working with technology in teaching.

Elizabeth Helfant over at Digital Learning Environments Blog has an interesting posting titled The Pancake principle. She makes a connection between technology integration and making pancakes, and offers three tenets of the Pancake principle. Her note inspired me to  take this analogy between teaching and cooking a but further.

The first tenet that Elizabeth puts forth is, and I quote:

Risk-taking and doing things for the first time are like making pancakes. You have to remember that the first one is never going to turn out right but the ones after that are usually awesome. The fact that the first one fails does not deter us from making pancakes.

The second is (and this is where the TPACK framework comes in):

The basic batter is the same, but you can always tweak it.

I loved this tenet because it has been on my mind quite a bit recently while working on a paper that we recently submitted to Tech Trends (the flagship journal of AECT). This piece, co-authored with Matt Koehler and Kristin Kereluik is titled (connecting really well with Elizabeth’s second tenet) is The song remains the same: Looking back to the future of Educational Technology.

The third tenet that Elizabeth presents is

Pancakes come in a wide variety.

This is actually something we wrote about quite recently in our piece published in Learning & Leading with technology (Too cool for school: Using the TPACK framework).

As you can see, I loved the analogy being made between cooking pancakes and technology integration. In fact I have been guilty of making a similar analogy as well – not necessarily to the specific task of cooking pancakes and technology integration but rather to the more general task of cooking as being analogous to teaching.

Of course the three tenets Elizabeth points to are there but there is one more I would like to point to. And this has to do with the difference between good cooks and those that can just make do (I am more of the latter than the former). The way I usually speak of this is by distinguishing between algorithms and heuristics. So a bit of a digression may be in order.

An algorithm is defined as a step-by-step procedure that has well-defined starting and ending points and is guaranteed to find a solution. A classic example (in the realm of cooking) is a recipe. Start with a set of ingredients, follow the steps blindly, and at the end of it you will have a dish ready to eat.

In contrast, heuristics are less stringent. They are like thumb rules or guidelines, which if followed, should result in a good solution. In the domain of cooking this means a more creative approach based on guidelines and broad rules of thumb. So good cooks are not slaves to the recipe. If they don’t have a certain ingredient that the recipe requires they don’t give up (which is my typical response, which explains why I am not a good cook). Good cooks improvise and through that they push the boundaries of what the dish can be. So in some sense what they come up with more than what they started to create.

So this understanding of heuristics is at the heart of good cooking (and good teaching – to bring the analogy full circle). Good cooks, and teachers, understand that there is no one perfect solution, but rather lots of good ones. There are no best practices, just lots of pretty good practices (I had written earlier about this idea of Best practice vs. Pretty Good Practice).

Good cooks and teachers understand that failure IS an option, and that’s ok. It is only through failure that we learn.

Clearly these same ideas apply to technology integration as well. What this analogy between cooking and teaching does is emphasize the value of creativity and risk-taking even while under-emphasizing following rules or recipes blindly. There is an art to cooking and teaching – and it is time we gave some value to that. It is only in this manner that we can truly take advantage of the potentials of these new technologies.

Dr. Punya Mishra
Director MAET Program
College of Education
Michigan State University
Web: http://punyamishra.com
Blog: http://punya.educ.msu.edu/blog/

Certificate Course is Highlighted in Upcoming Presentation at MSU

DATE: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

PLACE: MSU Main Library, North Conference Room, 4th floor, west wing

TIME: 8:45am – 10:00am (8:30am for refreshments)

TOPIC:

Using Technology to Facilitate Communication, Connections and Content in an Online Course

PRESENTERS:

Carrie Albin

MSU College of Education

John Bell

MSU College of Education

OVERVIEW:

First place AT&T Award recipient CEP 810 integrates a custom-made portfolio system, calendaring system and assignment structuring rubrics that allow students to easily see what is due and whether they are meeting project requirements. These systems and other technology tools such as CheckDAT, Camtasia and Adobe Presenter integrate with ANGEL to provide a seamless student experience.

Highlights include:

* Custom developed portfolio system

* Rubrics

* Calendaring for assignment progress tracking

* CheckDAT

* Tutorials created in Camtasia

* Adobe Presenter presentations

* Tech labs

Join us as Outreach Coordinator Carrie Albin and portfolio system creator John Bell discuss the development of this blue ribbon course and how you can integrate some of their techniques into your online or blended offering.

Greetings!

As the academic and school years are both in full swing – this fall is full of lots of exciting opportunities for our students and alumni to connect to professional learning networks! Recently, MAET Alumnus Paula Burrough tweeted for us from the 21st Century Learning Conference (http://21c-learning.hk/) in Hong Kong! She even had the chance to meet up with fellow MAET Alumni and students!  You can find all of Paula’s tweets from the conference at http://twitter.com/paulawalla72

For those close to campus, registration is now available for the 26th annual MSU College of Education Technology Conference on November 14, 2009. This is an opportunity to learn and share ideas about using technology in the classroom with educators from across Michigan and to see several MAET alumni presenting! We will have our first ever MAET Tweet-up during lunch from 12-1. Come join in the fun and meet with your fellow MAET students, alumni and faculty!  Follow the conference on Twitter with @COETechConf09 and use the tag #coetc09.

(MAET students and alumni, email edutech@msu.edu for the secret code, and we’ll take care of your registration!) Click here to register: http://bit.ly/7sgTY

You can also catch up with us at the following conferences (if you can’t make we’ll be tweeting at http://twitter.com/maet):

K-12 Open Minds 2009, Michigan City, Indiana http://www.k12openminds.org/

October 6-7, 2009

Kappa Delta Pi – International Honor Society in Education Orlando, Florida http://www.kdp.org/

October 29-31, 2009

54th Annual MCSS Conference, Mt. Pleasant, MI http://www.mcssmi.org/

November 1-3, 2009

Educational Computing Organization of Ontario ECOO, Toronto, Ontario http://www.ecoo.org/

November 11-13

Current students: be sure to have your enrollment requests for spring 2010 into Emily by October 10, 2009 to avoid late fees! If you haven’t had a chance to fill out Emily’s enrollment survey please do so by visiting:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFpCMi1JTEVzbk1JQUpMY29TR2xWanc6MA

We are working hard this fall to reconnect with all of our Master of Arts in Educational Technology Alumni around the globe! We have heard from many of you and are working on new and exciting ways for you to keep up with educational technology and extending the “shelf life” of your tech skills. If you can take a moment to fill out this brief survey we would greatly appreciate hearing from you:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHZiUDdDejFOWElUejdBNFZBdEdpa0E6MA

For all of our current students and alumni we have created a MAET badge that you can embed into your Facebook page, web page, blog, etc.  Email us at edutech@msu.edu to get the embed code and begin showcasing that you are a member of the MAET program.

Take care!

Leigh Graves Wolf, Program Coordinator

Masters of Arts in Educational Technology

26th Annual MSU Technology Conference

Department: College-wide
Details: November 14, 2009, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Erickson Hall
Description: Registration is now available for the 26th annual MSU College of Education Technology Conference. This is an opportunity to learn and share ideas about using technology in the classroom with educators from across Michigan.

Workshops and information sessions on a variety of topics will be held throughout the day following a featured presentation from Andy Losik, the 2009 MACUL Technology Using Educator of the Year.

Losik teaches elementary information technology classes at Bentheim and Blue Star Elementary Schools in Hamilton, Michigan and has a blog and resource page called Infotech with Mr. Losik. He is a Star Discovery Teacher and Google Certified Teacher as well.

The registration fee is $15 for MSU students, interns and alumni association members. For all others, the cost is $20. An additional fee of $10 is required for workshops.

Consider starting or renewing your Alumni Association membership to receive the discounted conference registration.

Visit www.education.msu.edu/registration/edtechconference for more information.

Follow the conference on Twitter with @COETechConf09 and use the tag #coetc09.

MSU Homecoming

Please join us for the annual Homecoming Tent Party on campus featuring live music, free food, door prizes and more! Just stop by the College of Education tent on Demonstration Field between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, right before the Spartan football team takes on Northwestern. This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow alumni and friends. Go Green!

Northwestern Michigan College Job Description

Job Title: Instructional Designer
Classification: Coordinator III, Professional Level 4
Department: Educational Media Technologies
Reports To: Director for Educational Media Technologies
FLSA Status: Exempt
Prepared By: Jan Oliver
Prepared Date: 4-20-09
Approved By: Chris Keenan, Director of Human Resources
Approved Date: May 4, 2009, Revised 8/13/09

SUMMARY
The Instructional Designer supports instructional design, course development, and assures quality learning. This person will use instructional design principles and practices to help instructors and trainers effectively apply adult learning theories and practices, improve teaching and address the demand for assessment and accountability, integrate technology where appropriate, manage instructional projects, and oversee copyright and intellectual property issues. May require working occasional nights and weekends. This individual will have a strong educational and pedagogical background, excellent customer service and people skills, be very approachable, and possess the ability to use effective collaboration techniques in working with individuals and teams with diverse personalities. The ideal candidate will have good listening skills and the ability to communicate with and understand the needs of others, be organized, flexible, self-motivated, able to quickly develop strategies, and will maintain integrity and a good work ethic.

Visit http://www.nmc.edu/about/employment/instructional-designer.pdf to learn more about this position.

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Instructional Specialist- MAISA

Job Details

Deadline:

8 October 2009

District – Organization:

Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators – (MAISA)

Position Details:

MAISA is seeking letters of interest from individuals for the contracted position of Instructional Specialist. This is a contracted position with MAISA as the supervising organization and does not provide any employee benefits (such as medical/dental). The term of the position is November 1, 2009-September 30, 2010, with potential 1-year contract renewals based on satisfactory performance.

To learn more visit http://maisa.mistaff.com/instructional_specialist_maisa_0 for more information.

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Director of Educational Technology and Information Systems – Fraser

Public Schools

Job Details

Deadline:

2 October 2009

District – Organization:

Fraser Public Schools

Position Details:

TITLE: DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor of Science degree required
• Masters Degree in Instructional Technology preferred.
• Teaching Certificate and experience preferred.
• Alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable.

REPORTS TO: Assistant Superintendent for Instruction

SUPERVISES: Network Supervisor
Computer Technicians
Computer Lab Assistants

JOB GOAL: To provide coordinated management of, and planning for, information resources and technology in the support of instruction and organizational management.

ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. *Supervises the development, implementation, facilitation, and monitoring of the instructional technology and management technology programs including voice, video, and data.
2. *Conduct continuous evaluation of the District’s use of technology.
3. *Serves as a consultant to Executive Staff and other administrative staff.
4. *Assists the Superintendent, Executive Staff and building level administrators in the application of the principles of instructional technology in their leadership roles in the District.
5. *Supervises the annual budget for the instructional technology and information management technology programs.
6. *Supervises long-range planning for the District’s instructional technology and information management technology programs.
7. *Provides supervision and leadership for technology related capital projects for new construction, remodeling or revisions.
8. *Remains knowledgeable about information resources, both instructional and management-oriented, in all media formats, as well as trends and developments regarding their use.
9. *Assumes responsibility for maintaining a system of information storage and retrieval for the purpose of supporting the Executive Administration in long-range planning.
10. *Establishes policies and procedures for purchasing, organizing and managing all material and equipment associated with instructional technology and information management technology.
11. *Supervises the inventory and maintenance of equipment associated with both instructional and information management technology programs.
12. *Maintains open communications with the professional staff of local, state, and national organizations, institutions, and agencies involved in instructional technology, and the uses of voice, video, and data for both instruction and management.
13. *Provides research and development for grants to support innovative technology projects K – 12.
14. *Recommends and provides technology support services enabling teachers and administrators to successfully integrate technology into curriculum and school improvement.
15. *Assists in developing District and site specific technology plans in collaboration with appropriate committees.
16. *Attends curriculum review cycle meetings.
17. *Plans and provides training for staff in the use of selected technologies and information processes.
18. *Facilitates the selection, and supervises purchasing, receiving, and inventory control of all computer, video, and voice communications equipment.
19. *Administers the scheduling, maintenance, and repair of all equipment.
20. *Administers federal and state grants for instructional technology.
21. *Supervises the District’s cable communications system and distance learning labs.
22. *Manages and coordinates the efforts of outside contractors in their services (i.e., training, installation, troubleshooting, etc.) for the District.
23. *Develops District-wide staff development and training schedules for all staff.
24. *Supports the Assistant Superintendent in his/her overall administration efforts; interprets his/her ideas and decisions to staff and public; keeps him/her informed of pertinent department developments and events; and seeks his/her counsel on decisions as necessary.
25. Performs other duties as assigned by the Assistant
Superintendent for Instruction.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Work year – 12 months.

Salary range – $100,000 – $105,000.

EVALUATION: Performance of this job will be evaluated at least once every three years by the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

*Essential functions of the job as per the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)

ERG: jas
07/2009

eMail:

ed.grewe@fraserk12.org

Website:

Fraser Public Schools

For more information visit http://www.fraser.k12.mi.us/index.aspx?folder=2804.

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Academic Technology Consultant for Languages

Under the direction of the Assistant Director, Center for Instructional Technology (cit.duke.edu), the Academic Technology Consultant (ATC) provides support for faculty to encourage the effective use of instructional technology in key academic disciplines and programs at Duke.   The ATC works within a collaborative, team-based environment and coordinates activities with other CIT staff, the University’s Office of Information Technology, Library staff and school-based technology support staff.

Visit http://library.duke.edu/jobs/atc.html for more information about this position.

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities–Research and Development Center on Digital Images and Graphic Content in Accessible Instructional Materials — CFDA 84.327B

Timeline

Closing Date: October 19, 2009

Current Application

• Download the application package now:
  MS Word (736K) | PDF (1.2M)
• If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must use the Department’s e-GRANTS application system at http://e-grants.ed.gov.
• For printed applications contact:
  Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
  P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398,
  Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827, fax (301) 470-1244.
  If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free) 1-877-576-7734.
  Web site: http://www.edpubs.ed.gov/webstore/Content/search.asp
  E-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov

Other Required Forms

You will also need to download the following required Federal forms:

ED Form 424–Application for Federal Education Assistance (Form and Instructions)
ED Form 524–Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs
ED Form 524–Instructions
Standard Form 424B–Assurances, Non-Construction Programs
ED80-0013–Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements
ED80-0014–Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion — Lower Tier Covered Transactions
Standard Form LLL–Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

Federal Register Notices

• Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications (August 20, 2009) [PDF (79K)]

Application Contact

Glinda Hill
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4063,
Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550
Telephone: (202) 245-7376
Fax: (202) 245-7619

Myna – A Web Based Audio Tool

Are you looking for an easy way for your students to begin creating audio files for podcasts?  Than Myna by Aviary may be the tool for you.  Myna allows you to remix audio tracks, apply sound effects, and record your voice which will make creating your next podcast even easier than before.  It is completely web-based so there is no need to download software onto your computer making it easier for students to create podcasts from any computer.

Editing capabilities include:

• trim, loop, stretch and reverse your audio clips
• width editable loop points
• interactive time stretch capabilities
• easily add fade-ins, fade-outs
• pan from left to right
• add non-destructive effects to your audio clips including pitch change, reverb, delay, and parametric EQ

To learn more about Myna visit http://aviary.com/tools/myna.   We would love to hear how you use this tool in your classroom.

Collaborative Tools for Learning Conference
Friday, November 13
Macomb ISD, Clinton Township, MI

The 3rd annual Collaborative Tools for Learning Conference, sponsored by the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) and hosted by the Macomb ISD, will show educators how to make use of the next generation of technologies to support student learning and achievement. A host of new tools and practices of Web 2.0 and beyond are focusing on how learners of all ages and abilities can collaborate to explore new ideas and understandings.

This one-day conference will include both hour-long demonstration sessions and 90 minute hands-on sessions to develop skills and provide ideas of how these new tools address student understanding. Proposals are welcomed from all educators who can show how these tools support and enhance student collaboration and learning.

Two full-day preconference workshops will be offered on Thursday, November 12 by SIGPL on:

1. iTeach: Using iPods and iPhones for Teaching and Learning
2. How to Survive (and Thrive) as a Technology Integration Specialist

Online registration will be available at a later date.  Visit http://macul.org/otherevents/collaborativetoolsconference/ for more information.

Web Sites Worth Visiting

Website	Description and Educational Applications
http://www.doccop.com	DOC Cop is a plagiarism, cryptomnesia and collusion detection tool that creates reports displaying the correlation and matches between documents or a document and the web. DOC Cop does not take copyright or ownership of your material. It does not retain your material beyond the time it takes to generate your report. DOC Cop gathers the evidence, and provides the information required for you to judge whether plagiarism, cryptomnesia or collusion has occurred.
www.polleverywhere.com/	Poll Everywhere is a simple text message voting application that works well for live audiences. People vote by sending text messages (or using Twitter) to options displayed on-screen. The poll that is embedded within the presentation or web page will update in real time. Advanced uses include texting comments to a presentation, texting questions to a presenter, web voting, and SMS interactivity in print, radio, and TV. (Submitted by Ronda Brown)
http://www.mindomo.com/	Mindomo is a versatile Web-based mind mapping tool, delivering the capabilities of desktop mind mapping software in a Web browser – with no complex software to install or maintain. Create, edit mind maps, and share them with your colleagues or your friends.
http://scholar.google.com	Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations. Google Scholar helps you identify the most relevant research across the world of scholarly research. (Submitted by Beth Rogers)
http://www.shmoop.com/teachers/	Shmoop is a web site that provides study guides for the areas of literature, poetry, US history, and civics.    Our mission: To make learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age.  This site is currently a beta test.

Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:

• K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
• Graduates from our certificate program
• Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
• Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education

This quarter’s instructor spotlight is . . .

Laeeq Khan, Instructor for MSU Master’s in Educational Technology Program.  He assisted with CEP 807 and CEP 820 this summer and is a co-instructor for CEP 820 this fall.

Laeeq brings to the program a wealth of expertise, combined with a diverse background. His academic areas of focus are in economics, business, and IT. He obtained his Masters degree in Telecommunications Systems Management and an MBA from Murray State University. He started his teaching career in 2005 as a business, communications & information technologies teacher. Over the years, he gained valuable leadership and teaching skills.

Besides serving as the coordinator for a business program, his passion and interest in technology and new media allow him to add value to the Educational Technology program, in which he is currently pursuing his PhD.

During his academic career he has conducted various professional training workshops and he enjoys teaching. He greatly values the importance of effective instruction and communication in teaching. He is also serving as the President of MSU Simply Speaking Toastmasters club. His special interests areas are video & learning, curriculum design and computer mediated collaborative learning.

Laeeq is a proud father of two sons and enjoys swimming, basketball and tennis in his free time.

Question: I use Twitter in my personal life but haven’t thought of a way to use it in my classroom.  Do you have any suggestions on how to use Twitter for educational purposes?

Answer: Twitter has all kinds of uses in the classroom.  And with the development of GroupTweet it has become even more useful.   GroupTweet allows you to create a group that you can send private tweets to.   As GroupTweet website states,

GroupTweet turns a standard Twitter account into a group communication hub where members can post updates to everyone in the group using direct messages. When the group account receives a direct message from a group member, GroupTweet converts it into a tweet that all followers can see.

Want to keep your updates private so that only your group members can see them? Simply protect your group account on Twitter.

So you can set up your classroom as a group, have your students follow the group or exchange information through the group, and only your group could see the tweets.

To learn more about ways of using Twitter in your classroom you could do a quick Google search using the keywords “Using Twitter in the classroom” and you will come across all kinds of great ideas.  Some pages that came up when I did search include:

• 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the College Classroom
• How One Teacher Uses Twitter in the Classroom
• Tweet and Twitter in the Classroom
• Twitter in the Classroom? YouTube video
• Find Other Teachers on Twitter

Let me know if you find any of this helpful and begin to use Twitter with your students.  We would love to hear about how you find it useful in the classroom.