Kudos to the k21online 2009 Conference convenors * ETT* Kim Cofino Keynote

The k12online 2009 conference conveners have used free streaming services to provide professional development for teachers. Unless you participate in an event in this fashion, you cannot appreciate how well they have used technology to engage an audience of over 126 viewers. They used the ETT studio to permit the viewers to connect with each other via IRC chat and at the same time watch Kim’s prerecorded keynote address together using Ustream Tv. and sharing the desktop. This short video clip demonstrates the user experience. Sheila Adams used her Webcastacademy skills to stream the show.

The rest of the presentation can be found here.
Here is a link to the k12online conference schedule
This screencapture was created using Screenflow for the Mac.
Please refer to Streaming media for information about using ustream and your mac.

Please refer to

A Holiday Guide to E-Readers – NYTimes.com

Following up on my previous post about Kindle and e-readers, I want to share an article from the New York Times. Thought you might find it helpful to hear a review of several offerings.

• A Holiday Guide to E-Readers – NYTimes.com

  "WHEN Amazon.com introduced its Kindle electronic book reader two years ago, the chief executive, Jeff Bezos, hoped the company was forever transforming the reading experience. The Kindle wasn’t the first e-reader on the market, but it came with a built-in advantage: a wireless connection to Amazon’s vast online bookstore. Today, when we think of e-readers, the Kindle comes readily to mind. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Wider Choices for e-Book LoversSlide Show Wider Choices for e-Book Lovers Growing MarketGraphic Growing Market Related Apps That Turn Pages, and Save Money (December 3, 2009) E-Reading, in 2 Authors’ Eyes (December 3, 2009) Plastic Logic’s Que will be unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. More Photos » But it’s no longer just Amazon’s story. This year, new players have entered the e-reader space, while some familiar ones have hedged their bets by introducing new devices. Among Amazon’s eager competitors are Barnes & Noble, Sony, Plastic Logic, IREX Technologies and even Disney. We’ll see even more in 2010. Companies hope convenience will trump the beloved aesthetics associated with real books. They’re even betting that consumers will turn to these devices to read magazines and newspapers, or to complement their professional e-lives. For anyone considering an e-reader purchase this holiday season, here’s a round-up of current and soon-to-be-available devices. AMAZON’S KINDLE, $259 The Kindle has access to more than 360,000 e-books as well as newspapers, magazines and blogs that can be wirelessly downloaded from Amazon.com. The latest version uses AT&T’s 3G wireless network and works in more than 100 countries. The Kindle relies on Amazon’s own proprietary file format so it is not compatible with titles purchased from other e-bookstores. But Amazon offers a free application that allows its books to be read on an iPhone. And both remember where you left off if you change devices. You can buy subscriptions to your favorite magazines and newspapers, read more

  tags: ereaders, kindle

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Digital parent needs assessment results

Tonight on edtechbrainstorm at edtechtalk, we will have the opportunity to review the results of the Parent needs assessment survey.

We had a very small response to the survey. Does any one like to fill out a survey? Here are the

Results

So it seems that there is an interest in participating in a virtual session. Are there more ideas you would like to see included?
Please join us in the chat room!

Caduceus featured on Classroom 2.0 Live Sat Dec 6, 2009

Please join us on Dec 6 at 12:00 PM (EST) (GMT-5) as we welcome Alec Chishom and Wade Munday. The topic for the show will be about;

CADUCEUS: Teaching Students About Scientific Inquiry Through Games
To demystify the complexities of pediatric medical research so kids can better understand the scientific process, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have likened what they do in their labs and in the field to how players advance through digital games — what’s experienced and learned at one level, informs, empowers, and enables what players do in subsequent levels. Join us for a special presentation of Caduceus, the online puzzle adventure game that Children’s Hospital has developed with the MIT Education Arcade, Learning Games Network, and FableVision to see how you can use this valuable tool and accompanying lesson plans and classroom activities to excite and engage students in Grades 4-8 around science and math. Caduceus and accompanying “In the Classroom” materials are free and available through Generation Cures, a kid-friendly, parent- and teacher-enabled community committed to helping Children’s Hospital Boston doctors and researchers find cures for the most devastating childhood illnesses. Visit generationcures.org for more information.

Link to show: live.classroom 20.com

Some E-Readers May Become Obsolete or Lack Compatibility – WSJ.com

I am wondering what impact e-readers will have in the classroom.

• Some E-Readers May Become Obsolete or Lack Compatibility – WSJ.com

  "By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER Books are having their iPod moment this holiday season. But buyer beware: It could also turn out to be an eight-track moment. While e-reading devices were once considered a hobby for early adopters, Justin Timberlake is now pitching one on prime-time TV commercials for Sony Corp. Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle e-reading device has become its top-selling product of any kind. Forrester Research estimates 900,000 e-readers will sell in the U.S. in November and December. View Full Image EREADER Getty Images Barnes & Noble announced its Nook e-reader in October, but you won’t be able to see it in stores until Dec. 7. EREADER EREADER But e-reader buyers may be sinking cash into a technology that could become obsolete. While the shiny glass-and-metal reading gadgets offer some whiz-bang features like wirelessly downloading thousands of books, many also restrict the book-reading experience in ways that trusty paperbacks haven’t, such as limiting lending to a friend. E-reader technology is changing fast, and manufacturers are aiming to address the devices’ drawbacks. "

  tags: no_tag

  • By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

    Books are having their iPod moment this holiday season. But buyer beware: It could also turn out to be an eight-track moment.

    While e-reading devices were once considered a hobby for early adopters, Justin Timberlake is now pitching one on prime-time TV commercials for Sony Corp. Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle e-reading device has become its top-selling product of any kind. Forrester Research estimates 900,000 e-readers will sell in the U.S. in November and December.

    View Full Image

    

    Getty Images

    Barnes & Noble announced its Nook e-reader in October, but you won’t be able to see it in stores until Dec. 7.

    

    

    But e-reader buyers may be sinking cash into a technology that could become obsolete. While the shiny glass-and-metal reading gadgets offer some whiz-bang features like wirelessly downloading thousands of books, many also restrict the book-reading experience in ways that trusty paperbacks haven’t, such as limiting lending to a friend. E-reader technology is changing fast, and manufacturers are aiming to address the devices’ drawbacks.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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