2007 MITC Conference - MOREnet Instructional Technology Conference Presentations

Hello. I'm spending Sunday and Monday at Tan-Tar-A Resort and Spa in Osage Beach, Missouri at the 2007 MITC (MOREnet Instructional Technology Conference). It is a beautiful fall day here at the Lake of the Ozarks but there will be over 500 individuals networking, visiting and sharing ideas relating to education and technology. It looks like a great conference and I'm excited for it to start.

I'm sure I'll have a little time to relax over the next couple of days but I'll also be busy with 4 presentations. On Sunday afternoon I will be presenting a pre-conference workshop on podcasting and using Audacity for classroom use. Monday morning I'll be giving the keynote address - "Why My Classroom Is Web 2.0". Later on Monday morning I'll be presenting a breakout session entitled "What's On George Washington's i-Pod - Podcasting in the Classroom" and later Monday afternoon I'll do a presentation on our book blog project entitled "Hardtack to Hard Drives - The Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project".

I have made the presentations for these sessions available as PDF files for any session participants or interested readers of the blog. If you have any comments or suggestions please leave a comment on this blog entry or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

- PDF - Why My Classroom is Web 2.0 - 2007 MITC Conference Keynote

- PDF - What's On George Washington's i-Pod - 2007 MITC Conference Breakout Session

- PDF - Hardtack to Hard Drives - The Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project - 2007 MITC Conference Breakout Session

Podcast #85 - Interview With Scott Peterson on the C-Span 2008 Campaign Bus

Hello. Today the podcast is an interview with Scott Peterson on board the C-Span 2008 Campaign Bus. Earlier this week I was in Lincoln, Nebraska where I gave the keynote address at the Time Warner Spotlight on Education Award Banquet and before the evening's activities started people were able to check out the C-Span bus. This is the same C-Span bus that used to be bright yellow. Now it has a cool looking wrap that looks like a huge American flag. I interviewed C-Span marketing representative Scott Peterson inside the bus about it's purpose and the upcoming 2008 presidential election. Be sure to check out the show notes below for some additional information about C-Span and the Campaign 2008 bus. If they roll through your town it is worth your while to come out and see the bus.

Direct link to Podcast #85 - Interview with Scott Peterson on the C-Span Campaign Bus - MP3 Format - 15:00 minutes

Show Notes for Podcast #85:

- C-Span Campaign Bus Official Web Site

- C-Span Web Site

- Lincoln Time Warner

- E-Lections Online Presidential Election Game from Cable in the Classroom

Podcast #82 - Round Table Discussion with Park University Students on Using Technology in the Classroom

Hello. Today's podcast is a round table discussion I had a couple of weeks ago with my graduate students at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. I teach a graduate education course named "Technology for the Classroom". This spring I had 6 amazing students who did an awesome job of absorbing and incorporating the educational technology we discussed. None of them had created a blog or podcast before starting class and at the end of the 8 week class they had created blogs, wikis, podcasts, set up a Bloglines account and digital video projects. We celebrated on the final night by having a movie premiere night and showcasing their work. We finished the class with a round table discussion about using technology in the classroom and that is the basis of today's podcast.

I would like to the thank all the students in this year's class. We met each Thursday from 5:00 to 9:30 PM and I enjoyed each class - included the night we had to leave the building because of a bomb threat and had to teach the class in the underground - literally. I wish them all luck in the future and have confidence that they be courageous in implementing this new web 2.0 technology. I wanted to take a picture at our last class and then forgot about it until everyone was gone. They were a great group of students.

Direct link to Podcast #82 - Round Table Discussion with Park University Students on Using Technology in the Classroom - MP3 Format - 15:00 minutes

Podcast #72 - International Spy Museum and Peter Earnest

Hello. On a recent trip to Washington DC I stopped by the International Spy Museum for a visit. I had never been to this recently opened museum - it has been open for 5 years - but had read many glowing comments about it. It is an amazing museum with numerous educational opportunities for teachers and students. I sat down with Peter Earnest, the International Spy Museum Executive Director, and dicussed the museum and it's educational connections.

I have read several books over the past year about Washington and his use of spies in the American Revolutionary War. The museum has some great learning opportunities in exploring the use of spies in the Revolution. The museum is full of amazing artifacts but my favorite was an original letter from George Washington authorizing a spy in New York during the war. A picture of this artifact can be seen above this paragraph and it is also mentioned by Mr. Earnest in the podcast. This artifact is only on display for 2 months a year because of it's fragile state. It is currently on display at the museum until around the start of April 2007.

If you are brining a group of students to Washington DC I would highly reccommend a trip to the International Spy Museum. If you can't make it in person the museum has some great curriculum guides available on the education portion of their web site with PDF files you can download and use with your students. There is also a SpyCast from the museum with spy related podcasts.

Special thanks to Peter Earnest for taking time from his busy schedule to visit with me and to Amanda Abrell who arranged the interview and in providing additional information about the museum.

If you have any comments or questions you can either post a comment to this blog entry or you can send me an e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

You can subscribe directly to the Speaking of History Podcast through i-Tunes here.

Direct link to Podcast #72 - International Spy Museum and Interview with Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest - MP3 file - 20:00 minutes

Podcast #72 Show Notes:

- International Spy Museum web site

- International Spy Museum Educational Resource Guides

- International Spy Museum SpyCast podcast

Podcast #57 - Reflections on 2006 National Council of the Social Studies (NCSS) Convention in Washington DC

Hello. Catching up on some podcasts over Christmas break. About a month ago I was fortunate enough to attend the 2007 National Council of the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference in Washington DC. It was a great time - catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, discussing curriculum with your peers and discovering some awesome new ideas. Washington DC is also an excellent choice for any gathering of social studies teachers so there were also some great opportunities to see a couple of sites. I will discuss some specific sessions that I attended in the next podcast.

If you were at NCSS 2007 we'll love to hear your thoughts and reactions. Please leave a comment to this blog post or send me an e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Next year the convention moves to San Diego - another excellent conference site. I had a great time at NECC in San Diego this past summer. NCSS is currently taking proposals for presentations at the 2007 conference in San Diego.

Direct link to Podcast #57 - Reflections of the 2006 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference in Washington DC - MP3 Format - 18:42 minutes

Podcast #57 Show Notes:

• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Official Site