'My students watching Marcos Torres Keynote at BLC 2011.'
Another Building Learning Communities Conference has now come and gone with a slew of amazing presentations, conversations, and ideas. There's too much to unpack here, but I think what surprised/encouraged me the most was people talking about education and using the word love. At least three speakers spoke of love, not in the abstract context of a teacher loving their job or subject area, but how when educators passionately love learning (and working with children) the rest will follow. For my part I discussed district wide implementation of Google Apps for Education and Students as Tech Support.
Unquestionably the coolest thing that happened was presenting with one of my students, Kris Redman. He really knocked it out of the park talking with educators about having students help teachers with technology. In fact, after the session while I was picking up, he convinced TechSmith representative Dave McCollom to give copies of Camtasia to our entire high school!
I'm very proud of him and need to let Dave know that Kris won't be available for employment for a few years yet. :)
The Summer Tech Institute was a great experience for me this year. I was able to work with a terrific group of people. We covered a lot of ground during the week and I'm looking forward to the seeing the projects that the groups begin coming to fruition in the upcoming year.
Today one of my students was interviewed for the local news about going to conferences and conducting presentations. A group of students will be joining me at the Summer Tech Institute in Belfast this week.
Mr. Dominick talks about digitizing and handing in paperwork with Google Forms.
One of the significant problems with digital portfolios is that the work has to be in a digital format. That works well in most content areas, but in one like math, it poses a problem. Another issue is the time and effort it takes to digitize the work itself. I believe it's vital for most of that legwork falls upon the student. That way they are learning how to digitize analog (if I can call it that) work, and are responsible for owning their portfolios.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
At the recent GTA Sydney there were a number of us interviewed by newly minted Google Certified Teacher Tony Richards. I'm amazed he was able to fit in so many interviews in such a packed day, but he did it!
EdTechCrew 158
It was great fun speaking with him and you can find the links he mentions here. During the interview, one of the questions he was asked me, (and was kind enough to edit from the final cut) was what future technology would I like to see Google get into? Well, I'd never given that much thought before and since I had a substantial plane ride home I decided to come up with an answer,
"If Larry and Sergey came to me and asked where I
thought Google should go next, what would I say?"
I decided that I'd like them to pursue the wireless spectrum that they once bid on. I start fantasizing about all students having a cheap handheld device, the size of a smart phone with no contract, (probably supported by ads) but with Internet access everywhere. That's the trick isn't it, without ubiquitous access, our students are still split into have and have nots.
At the beginning of the year, I do not ask students how many have the Internet at home, I ask how many have Facebook accounts and typically how many times a day did they check it? Even the students with no net access seem to find those wifi spots when they're motivated.
So that's my tech vision for Google. Internet access for all, hey if Google can't do it, who can?
I had a few take aways this trip. The first was how many participants had already adopted Google Apps for Education in their school or district. Shouldn't have been a huge surprise, but it just shows how quickly and globally the tools have spread.
The other realization I came to has to do more with the Googler's themselves. Our group went on the usual tour of the Google offices which is always full of fun surprises around each corner that make you feel you've stumbled into Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. Primary colored furniture, ample food and crazy toys abound. How many Corporations have a tire swing in the lobby?
All of this brought me to a realization. A primary trait of Googlers has to be restraint. (I realize that generalizing 20,000 people is sketchy at best.) But, working all day with the pull of such surroundings, one would have to develop the fortitude to manage work and play in a way most of us don't experience. And that brings me to education. Are our students in environments where they are able or expected to develop that aptitude. Sure it's easy not to use your phone in class when you know it's going to be taken away, but what about when you're allowed or expected to use it in class and that doesn't mean texting or playing a game. Would I be able to work in a place where food, furniture and fun were steps away. I think I could now as an adult, but as a 16 year old today? With distraction just a click away, I'm not sure where I would have built the ability to read for almost ten hours (thank you flight from Sydney). I'm not sure yet how I fit this with my daily work with kids, but it's certainly something to think about.
Mr. Prescott talks about utilizing the Google Site that houses our High School Syllabi. Each syllabus is a Google Doc managed by the teacher, department head and principal.
Teachers are able to make changes to their syllabus while allowing easy access to their department heads and principal. Students then can quickly find work they may have missed or look ahead at what's coming next.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
A high school teacher talks about using Google Forms to create Self-Correcting Tests.
Here are the templates we use for various tests and quizzes. I think the most important take away from this is not have a test correct itself which is worthwhile for teachers because of the time saved, but for the students to receive feedback soquic timely. Used as a quick and immediate check for understanding from the class. The next step is to analyze the data over time and see trends either by student, unit or range of questions.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
Second Grade teacher Mrs. Sherman talks about ways she uses a document camera in the classroom.
It's great to see how excited the kids are using the camera and how many ways the teacher has found to incorporate its use into the day. She's using an Ipevo camera which basically a web cam on an adjustable arm, but it works great an is only about $70.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
Collecting assessment data district wide and analyzing the results.
Here we use Google Forms to collect assessment data. We're able to analyze student scores over time, by grade level, location, or any number of variables we've collected. An important aspect of the data collection that we're working on is having student work included into the data collection. There are many systems that can analyze assessment data, but I think because our kids are already digitizing their work in Google Apps, making that connection between scores and the actual work is an important way for teachers to easily see what those scores represent. An added bonus to this is the ability for the students portfolio to be built at the same time.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
In this video we chat with one of my students who works as the webmaster for his english teacher.
I really love this. The student webmaster setup is a win-win for everyone involved. The teacher has help keeping their website up to date and the student learns something about working on a project that is real. Anyone can see the work that they've done. Obviously there is a lot of trust involved and it's important that the kids appreciate the professional aspects of showing this public face to parents, administrators, etc. Plus it makes a great portfolio piece for students.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
A tutorial on how to upload an MP3 and embed an Audio Player into a Google Site.
As students become more and more adept with the technology, it's important that they help teach how to use it to others. This can be working with younger students, or providing tech support for teachers.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
One of our students discusses how she uses her digital portfolio to refer to as she needs.
This video really sums up one of the most important reasons for students to take an active role in managing their portfolios. When a students work is digitized and easily accessible, they can refer back to work as needed. The work should build with them over time and provide a resources that they own and have curated.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
One of our eighth graders walks through the steps of getting a copy of a Language Arts Portfolio and sending the link back to the teacher. Here are the templates he covers.
An important aspect of having students manage their own portfolios is that they are involved in the creation process. We have a template that we use with the students in high school because they are closer to graduation, but ideally when the student graduates and when they go to their own domain name, they would see the work they've been managing for years. Ultimately the portfolio is for them, as educators we simply need to check that it's done and represents the best the student has to offer.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
One of our High School math teachers, Mrs. Dominick, shares ways she uses Google Voice with her students.
This isn't for everyone, but it certainly is another way students can reach out for help from their teacher with texting, while not intruding upon a teacher's private life.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
Three of our students walk through the steps of digitizing their work with an iPod Touch and inserting the work on their digital portfolio.
I think it's important for students to be in charge of digitizing their own work. It's too much to ask teachers who are already so busy as it is, and it's a skill set that will help the students later on. I've generally found students fifth grade and up can handle the technical responsibility, and we're working with younger students developing ways to help teachers streamline the process.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
As teachers use Google Docs more and more, it becomes important for them to develop methods to manage all those shared documents. Here is a way one of our teachers has set up a collection form with Docs.
Introducing a video series that features students and teachers from R.S.U. #19. In this series I highlight examples of technology integration throughout K-12 education.
For an outline of all the videos in the context of a larger educational framework, please visit:
Last Friday I had the opportunity to bring a couple students with me and participate in the Yarmouth Google Transition Day. They helped me with two presentations, one on Advanced Spreadsheets and Quizzes and the other on Web Gadgets. In the sessions my students answered a lot of questions and were able to show off some of the work they had been doing.
A big thank you goes to Alice Barr and the whole Yarmouth technology team for putting on a great day of PD and I was glad my kids and I could help out!
I've been following the discussion/call to action on the Purposed.org.uk site. Started by Doug Belshaw and Andy Stewart the idea is to get educators and others to write 500 word on this question,
"What is the purpose of education?"
I've started a post in response to this questions a number of times thinking it would be an easy question to address. After all, as a father, teacher and learner I spend a large portion of my time immersed in its trimmings, the purpose of all of it should leap fully formed from my brow, right? But, every time I started a post it seemed I was making a laundry list to be checked off:
Education provides experiences they might not have otherwise.
I was disappointed in my uninspired responses to this simple question expecting something more meaningful. So I did what I usually do, I asked the kids. I asked about a dozen 14-16 year olds what was the purpose of their education. This thing that they've spent an inordinate amount of their lives in, but probably was never asked, to what ends. I did get a couple, "Nothin'. " responses, but most were thoughtful, reasoned, and sounded like something we might say,
Their responses were are as varied as the students giving them and generally reflected thoughts similar to many of the educators addressing the same question. So, after going back and forth I decided that my response to the purpose of education (not in any formalized brick and mortar sort of way) is to set up the individual to be able to build an answer that question for him or herself.
For me the purpose of education . . .
. . . as a father is to model the ability to achieve happiness, whatever tat might look like to them .
. . . as a teacher is to get students reflecting on themselves as learners and develop the skill and willingness to teach themselves what's needed in the pursuit of their own 'happiness.'
. . . as an educational institution is to steward the well being of these children, allowing for mistakes and providing opportunities otherwise not possible.
. . . as a society is to impress upon kids an appreciation of their community, develop a desire to give back and ultimately value each other.
The following is the layout R.S.U. #19 uses for its Google Apps for Education implementation. We are a K-12 district of 8 schools and about 3,000 students. We've incorporated GAE throughout the district and as we work through some of the best practices we've found for using this tool, I thought it worthwhile to share some examples.
There are some technical and educational assumptions necessary for an implementation like this. First, access to quality 1 to 1 hardware for teachers. Not necessarily everyday, but often enough to make the time teachers put into this worthwhile. (I say quality hardware because there are so many possible devices that apply from desktops, tablets, smartphones etc.) Second, because GAE is web based, it's crucial that Internet access and ample bandwidth are not limitations of its use.
The educational assumptions are, of course, far more important (and therefore can be more difficult) to work through. One acknowledgement that we've made is that students should have ownership of their work. This is a seemingly obvious assumption, but one that many Learning Management Systems ignore. I'm not claiming GAE is a LMS, but if an educational management system is top down, then students will treat it as such. They use the tool because it's expected of them, without ownership of why they are using it. Alternatively, students create the work in Google Apps, have control and can refer to their own work. We as educators look at it can give feedback and make suggestions, but ultimately the work is in the students hands.
Another assumption is that the work they complete there will build their digital portfolio into something they can take with them when they leave high school. The district gifts each senior their own web domain name, like www.kristopherredman.com that they can use as their 21st century business card. The site that comes up should showcase the work they have done for the previous 12 years.
The outline is split into three sections, Administration, Teacher and Student. It goes through the processes an Administrator would complete to set up a Domain and manage the GAE. It also has templates and samples teachers could use and student examples as well. It's setup to be chronological from the top to bottom and as there will be more tutorials added as we come up with them.
Last week Prepare Maine.org hosted a Gubernatorial Forum and our Nokomis Warrior Broadcasting students helped provide technical support for event. We had six students located at the high school who moderated a statewide backchannel with over 100 students and teachers from across the state. Two more students manned a tech support help line take calls on a laptop using Google Voice.
At the event in Bangor we had two students involved, one live blogged the event here:
I often get asked about Google Spreadsheets so I thought I'd make one with a few of the cooler things they can do built into it. The first step to share is how to give others a copy of your spreadsheet if you don't want to put it in the Template gallery.
First publish the link and copy the address.
Then put that link on your website and change the end of the spreadsheets address, replacing everything after the & with newcopy so,
I bring kids to conferences. It's something I've done for years and when they have an opportunity to have a conversations with educators like Angela Maiers and Vickie Davis at the Maine ACTEM conference I'm reminded of exactly why. The times when we as teachers are engaged in professional development are some of the best times to have the perspective of students around. It's also important for the kids. The most introspective I've ever seen students be about themselves as learners has come when they were away from the school building. I don't think it always has to be that way, but when they watch educators talk passionately about their craft, students start to see their role in this educational dance differently. They're no longer playing the game of school.
Here is a conversation my students had with Angela. The jump cuts you see occur in the interest of length and tact, hopefully none of the value has been lost in the editing.
Two comments that struck me were when the kids talked about "too much tech" I take this to heart. Since most of my interaction with students revolves around technology in some way, I think it's important to make sure technology is never an ends in itself. The other comment was that they thought the best teachers were those who could, "think as a student."
Another great conference from ACTEM this year. With keynote speakers like Vickie Davis and Angela Maiers how can you go wrong. The Maine Google Certified Teachers ran workshops presentations on Google tools at the Pre-Conference. I ran two sessions focused on using Google Apps for Education as an educational platform. The sessions were geared toward administrators, principals, superintendents and tech directors who were ready to implement Google Apps for Ed in their schools.
One thing about the sessions that really encouraged me was how much of the conversation revolved around developing an new educational culture in a school or district rather than just worrying about the technical nuts and bolts of implementation. It's not that those questions didn't come up, but the discussion generally would tie in the difficulties of transitioning from a top down teacher driven education to a student driven one, and how technology can aid and encourage that transformation. If technology is the natural medium for change, we should be able to use it to help guide the educational changes we hope to see for our kids.
The 2010 school year has begun for us here in central Maine and like most years I'm often asked, "There's so much new technology stuff out there and it changes so fast, where do I even start?" I thought about it, and decided to respond to the question this way, if I was going to offer this as a course for new educators about how they could get started, this would be the makings of a syllabus.
Mental shift #1
First and foremost we must accept that as soon as this post is published (August 2010) it is out of date. The world of technology in education is moving too fast. There is no simple way to keep up with the pace of change and the first lesson is to be ok with that. If we are truly in a continual state of learning, then this change is welcome. I don't believe that it's really anything new, what's different is the speed and how pervasive the changes technology offers are.
The goal then, is not to read this post and be done, but rather to use it to develop techniques to manage the incoming information streams, build a group of like minded people available to help you and know how to find the rest.
If you're looking for additional rationale one of the first books that encapsulated this change was The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. (Ok, break away here and go read the book or you can download the free audio book. It's 27 hours long, but if you're into Spark Notes watch his 6 minute synopsis here.) Another important realization is how pertinent this is for our students. They will never known a world without this kind of access or easy communication. If the education system is not addressing directly, then students are probably left to figure it out on their own.
Click here and you can see more closely see how quickly the numbers reflect what's happening in social media, just since you've started reading this post.
Also check out this presentation by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. It's worth noting that this video was published in 2007 and the numbers are updated here (I just prefer this version) and it's also worth reading the story behind the creation here.
Mental Shift #2
Question from the back of the class: "Mr. Kelley, how is the technology integration different from all those other changes in education that happen every few years, good teaching is still good teaching, right?" Fair question and yes, nothing is so trendy as education. Every few years there is new vocabulary or a system in education that's going to change everything. Not sure what to call it? Go to the Educational Jargon Generator. The difference, I believe, is the state of the world and technology has become medium for better education. It has to be:
Ok, back to our checklist,
1) Manage streams of incoming information.
2) Find others to learn from.
3) Learn techniques to find the rest.
1) In discussing incoming information Clay Shirky says it best as, "It's not information overload, it's filter failure." (this from a 20min presentation explaining this statement.) The first tool I suggest teachers start with is a new Google Account. Basically because with one login, you can assess dozens of free services. Now, each of these has an equivalent if you already have accounts elsewhere or don't want to use Google. But, for a single login, Google's it. With this account you can start having different streams of information come to the same place so instead of five places to check, you have one or two. (I go into more detail about his here.)
Choose a login name carefully. As you build your online persona, you will become known as your account name, whether it's your real name or one you made up. You may want to use your real name as I did. Most accounts that I have online use kernkelley as my user name, if however you have a name commonly found or don't feel comfortable using your real name, make up something professional that you'll still like in the future.
Most of us are comfortable in email and have been using it for some time, so with your new Gmail (or Yahoo or Hotmail) it doesn't really matter the brand, the shift is that it's a web-based service, rather than locally on your machine. This means none of it lives on your own computer, and you can login to it from any computer or phone with Internet access.
Mental shift #3
Your digital 'stuff' is not on your computer anymore. This is a huge technological change that has occurred over the last few years. With more and more services being provided over the web it changes what we can do. Think of your bank account, most likely you have a way to access your bank account online. Even if you don't use this service, the account is still there. You can get to it from any computer that has internet access. Does this mean that all the programs on your computer are obsolete? Not yet, there are still some programs that don't work well online yet, (but they're always improving) and there's still the matter of access, but in my opinion both of these problems are being worked on, it's just a matter of time.
2)Who's out there. The good news is there are a lot of people looking for the same information you and and would love to connect and learn with you. Here is a webpage that pulls together about 10 different blogs of educational / technology thinkers. It's not 'the' list, it's just a place to start. Also, there's Lisa Thumann's list of 25 Ed Tech Leaders you may want to check out.
Finally join some of the existing online educational communities like www.classroom20.com, www.edutopia.org or www.learncentral.org These can be a little overwhelming at first because there are so many people and topics, but find something you are interested in and go for it. Once you start recognizing names and see who they recommend and you're ready to build your own list. Login to your Google Account and open Google Reader. Google reader is "a tool for gathering, reading, and sharing all the interesting blogs and websites you read on the web." For more help setting up your reader, watch this:
You can start with this list of 10 educational blogs I recommend or if you're looking for an educational blog about a specific subject or grade level, a another resource is: http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers. So go ahead and start creating your own blogroll.
Another tool for a different kind of communication is Twitter. Sometime called 'microblogging' it's basically a site for very short messages that you can easily connect with educators from across the spectrum. Going through the process of knowing who to follow and receive their comments can be daunting as well, so a good place to start is an existing list, like this one by Lucy Gray which focuses on educators. As she puts it, "A list intended for people getting started with Twitter. A little bit of everything in this list!" You can check out the messages by those on the list to get an idea of what this community is about.
3)How do I find out the rest of what I'm missing? This is a tough one, because you don't know, what you don't know. The good news is now that you've built a structure for information to come to you and ways to engage with others who are interested in similar topics. The next step is to dive right in! Because technology is in a constant state of change, there's on perfect time to get started except right now. Maybe start with Daniel Pink's book A Whole New Mind (or the audio synopsis here) or subscribe to a few educational podcasts found at www.edtechtalk.com, check out the K12 Online Conference for ideas and help, or check out my recommendations for further reading.
Last week I was in London meeting some terrific people at the Google Teacher Academy U.K. It was the first international GTA and I think it went even better than expected. The response was overwhelming and everything that I've read has been very positive.
My biggest take away from the experience is based on a conversation I had with Mark Allen, one of the newly 'minted' GCTs. Specifically it had to do with the network that was being built in the room and it's relation to the knowledge that was being transferred .
Everyone there was learning from everyone else as always seems to happen when a group of Edu-geeks get together and I thought about this in terms of the hours saved by educators not having to start from scratch. It's not that the topics covered were unfamiliar, it's that now, every mistake one of us makes, provides an opportunity for so many others to learn from. In education the scarcest resource isn't money or technology, it's time. And that's what the network provides, little bits of time here and there by learning from other's mistakes so you don't have to repeat them.
A week ago I was asked to talk with a group of educators in northern California at the Krause Center for Innovation and the program: Making Education Relevant and Interactive through Technology (MERIT) with Rushton Hurley. The focus of my talk was the ownership of student work and how we can design an assessment system that has students take more control of their work, rather than feeling like it just comes from a teacher.
I had the privilege of working with some terrific people this week at the ASCD Conference in Dallas Texas. Working with the other November Learning presenters and participants was a ton of fun and I look forward to continuing the conversations online!
The Apple iPad just came out which I imagine will be followed by a bevy of tablet clones all with their own bells and whistles. My educational interest in these devices pertains to what they can offer our kids differently than what we already have. We have laptops, netbooks and the iPod Touch. What does a larger device with a touch interface allow kids to do that they could not manage otherwise.
Case in point: Below is my two year old son. He's playing a memory game and having a great time doing it. Now, card memory games have been around forever, no big deal. But he would never have the manual dexterity (or patience) to play a 20 card memory game. Yet, he does have the ability, as seen with my iPod Touch (and as much a surprise to me as anyone.)
You are cordially invited to the 7th Bi-Annual Student Technology Showcase. Located in Newport at the Sebasticook Valley Middle School on Saturday, January 16th. This event features the technology projects of fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from throughtout the year.
From 10:00 to 1:30 please tour the school and experiment with many of the technological tools our students use every day. Watch digital animated movies, view galleries of skateboards and hand built artwork, see a computer lab custom built by students, try your hand at anchoring in our News Studio, assemble and program robots, scan through student blogs, wikis and web portfolios, or take a virtual tour of the school.
If you are unable to attend physically, please consider attending virtually. You can use Skype in and get a personal live tour of the events going on during the showcase. The Skype name is studentshowcase and you can sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/ststour
The awards ceremony begins at 1:30 where participants can win prizes of iPod Touches or a MacBook. Please come and see the work of some amazing students! If you have any questions or want more information, please check out the website: www.studentshowcase.org or contact Kern Kelley at kkelley@rsu19.org / 368-4592.
Hope to see you there!
For an additional viewpoint, please check our Cheryl Oakes' blog post from last year's event:
For Christmas, my family swaps gifts that we make for each other. We draw names from a hat the year before and even the youngest toddler is in the mix. Everyone participates, everyone creates something and everyone loves it. (My brother Keith usually out does us all with some ridiculous computer he builds for one of the kids ;)
This year, I helped my four year old son create this one minute video as his gift to his five year old cousin Liz. He wrote the story, painted the pictures and then I recorded his narration. I built what is basically a moving slideshow. The final step was to put it on StoryKit on her iPod Touch. Here's the iPhone version.
Unmitigated cuteness aside, I've thought a lot about the educational process that went on here.
How fun it was for him, even though it could have been perceived by him as an 'assignment.'
How much the public presentation of the video influenced the work.
What he learned about story telling and the writing process.
Now granted, Dad had a heavy hand with the technological parts of the gift, but the images and words were all his.
Every year the iPod is one of the most popular holiday gifts out there and I'm sure this season will be no different. Especially since the new iPod Nano has a built in video camera and my personal favorite there's the iPod Touch. The issue is that the newer iPod's need iTunes 9 to work. iTunes 9 needs Safari 4 to work, however if you download Safari you get version 4.0.4 which only works on OSX 10.5.8, and the MLTI MacBooks have 10.5.7
Confused yet?
All you have to know is this:
DO NOTupdate the OS to 10.5.8 it will brick your laptop.
For the recent K12 Online Conference, I did a session on the iPod Touch in the Classroom. Now that it has been published, I can blog here with the link for the supporting documentation: tinyurl.com/itouchineducation and below I strung the videos together using Prezi. I've been wanting to try Prezi out and this was a good reason to do so. (Also for those who watched the video on the K12 site, there's an additional 'easter egg' at the end.)
One of the highlights of the Google Teacher Academy is Ronald Ho's run through of hidden features in Google Spreadsheets. On the plane home I was thinking about how some of the gadgets he shared and how I could use them with my teachers. Here's a few I came up with.
The first is way for teachers to create a Flashcard gadget they can post on their site or blog. What excited one of my teachers specifically was the ability for her to create different sets of terms for different unit and put them on different spreadsheet tabs. That way, she only needs to alter the range (where the gadget pulls the list from) and her site is updated with flashcards for the next unit.
Next is a template for Book Entry. We have a requirement that students must read 25 books a year and the management of recording all that data can become overwhelming. This Booklist Template uses a Form to enter the information, and dates, counts and creates a graph of the data. Not the coolest use of a gadget, but useful. (BTW I went with the BookWorm in the Bars of Stuff Gadget, but I really wish they would have some more educational oriented images like books, apples or school buses. I think it would get used a lot more.)
Finally, a teacher was making a Word Find for elementary students. She wanted a holiday theme, so we put three words in the spreadsheet, (holiday, tree, ornament) used the Magic Fill for the rest (explanation here) and we had a list of 20 holiday themed words. Insert the Word Find gadget that pulls from the list and wahlah you have a Word Find to print or embed in a webpage. I did remind her that this pure unadulterated busy work but if the time she saved in making it translates into something more educationally meaningful, then I was all for it.
Unquestionably the coolest thing that happened was presenting with one of my students, Kris Redman. He really knocked it out of the park talking with educators about having students help teachers with technology. In fact, after the session while I was picking up, he convinced TechSmith representative Dave McCollom to give copies of Camtasia to our entire high school! 
Last week I was in London meeting some terrific people at the 
