NECC 2009 Call for Participation -- Proposal Synopsis (Proposal ID# 43729393)

Proposal Synopsis (Proposal ID# 43729393)

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Category/Subcategory Formal Session -- BYOL

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Session Title Do The Twitterbug: Join a Global Learning Community

Session Description It's a blog, it's an IM... no, It's Twitter - more efficient than email or RSS! Connect, discover, and share with colleagues around the world.

Theme and Strand 21st-Century Teaching & Learning:Innovative Learning Technologies

Keywords twitter, microblogging, tips, hands-on, wagner

Primary URL http://edtechlife.com/necc2009

Exhibitor Status

Commercial Content

Audience Type Chief Technology Officers
Curriculum Specialists
Library Media Specialists
Principals
Staff Developers
Superintendents
School Board Members
Teachers
Teacher Educators
Technology Coordinators
Technology Facilitators
Technology Integration Specialists

Audience Level All

Audience Skill Beginner

Prerequisites NOTE: All that is required is a web browser, an Internet connection, and a basic familiarity with both.

NETS•S 2- 5

NETS•T 1- 5

NETS•A II, III, VI

Proposal Summary
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Purpose & Objectives Purpose:
To help educators extend their personal learning network by using Twitter to make connections, discover resources, and share experiences with colleagues around the world.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Articulate the nature of social microblogging.
- Articulate the benefits of social microblogging in education.
- Sign up for Twitter.
- Post a "tweet."
- Add Followers.
- Use the reply and direct message features.
- Experiment with at least one additional tool to extend the functionality of Twitter (see below).
- Join a global learning community... and feel good about it. :)

Outline (for BYOL) The first part of the session will be an introduction to social microblogging in general, and to Twitter.com specifically. Twitter can be described in a number of ways, each of which captures part of the experience. Twitter is…
- An opportunity to answer the question “what are you doing?” (in 140 characters or less) and to share the answer with your friends and colleagues.
- Like a blog with mini posts. There are no comments on individual posts (or “tweets”), but others can respond by posting their own tweets back @ you.
- More communal than instant messaging or email. It’s open and inclusive instead of closed and exclusive. It’s also less intrusive because no response is expected.
- Like reading RSS feeds, except that the posts are shorter and fewer.
- A great way to keep in touch with a large group of people at a live event... like this NECC conference!
But none of these things really captures the essence of twitter - it allows you to connect with a community from your computer (or phone) 24 hours a day. It can give you a better sense of the daily rhythm of other’s lives - even across time zones, and it’s been said that “Twitter makes you feel good about being human.”
The above introduction will take only 10 minutes.
Participants will then be walked through the process of creating a twitter account and posting their first tweet. They will learn how to follow other users and to communicate with individuals using the reply and direct message functions. A full 20 minutes will be allocated to allow everyone in the workshop to experience these features hands-on.
The next part of the session will be an overview of ways Twitter can be used in education. Many educators use Twitter to participate in a global learning community, and some have begun bringing their students on board, too. It’s a great tool for on-demand, just-in-time, and open-source collaboration... and students can develop a greater sense of global awareness in the process. The session will include several innovative ideas for using Twitter as part of a classroom lesson or experience. It will conclude with a brief discussion of applications that extend the functionality of Twitter, such as Firefox extensions for easy access to your network, TweetDeck for groups & searches, and Twittercamp, a visual display that can be projected for students in a school. This demonstration will take only 10 minutes.
The participants will then have another 10 minutes to try one or more of the tools mentioned above. The session will conclude with 10 minutes for a large group question and answer period.
Those who follow along easily will be naturally occupied while the presenter is helping those who don't understand quite as quickly - they will be able to extend their learning by using Twitter to interact with other educators outside the session. Later in the session they will also be able to experiment with more of the additional tools for extending the functionality of Twitter (see above). The workshop wiki will be shared at the beginning of the session, so they will be able to explore additional resources online as well.
NOTE: All that is required is a web browser, an Internet connection, and a basic familiarity with both.

Supporting Research N/A

Presenter Background Formerly a high school English teacher, Dr. Wagner has since served as an educational technology coordinator at the site, district, and county levels. He now serves as the president of the Educational Technology and Life Corporation, which provides professional development and consulting services to schools, districts, and other educational institutions.
In this capacity, Dr. Wagner is the CUEtoYOU professional development coordinator for Computer Using Educators, Inc (CUE), and the educational technology coordinator for the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) and California League of High Schools (CLHS). He writes for the Infinite Thinking Machine, a blog and Internet TV Show produced by WestEd and sponsored by Google. He is a Google Certified Teacher and now coordinates the Google Teacher Academy for CUE. In addition, he provides training for administrators through Orange County’s AB 430 program. His work with schools and districts includes writing educational technology plans, leading pilot projects for emerging technologies, coaching teachers, and working with parents to help them understand the powerful new tools their students use everyday.
Dr. Wagner has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and a master’s degree in cross-cultural education. He is passionate about helping educators and students discover tools that help them learn.

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Category/Subcategory Selection			[ view/edit this section ]
	Category/Subcategory	Formal Session -- BYOL

General Information			[ view/edit this section ]
	Session Title	Do The Twitterbug: Join a Global Learning Community
	Session Description	It's a blog, it's an IM... no, It's Twitter - more efficient than email or RSS! Connect, discover, and share with colleagues around the world.
	Theme and Strand	21st-Century Teaching & Learning:Innovative Learning Technologies
	Keywords	twitter, microblogging, tips, hands-on, wagner
	Primary URL	http://edtechlife.com/necc2009
	Exhibitor Status
	Commercial Content
	Audience Type	Chief Technology Officers Curriculum Specialists Library Media Specialists Principals Staff Developers Superintendents School Board Members Teachers Teacher Educators Technology Coordinators Technology Facilitators Technology Integration Specialists
	Audience Level	All
	Audience Skill	Beginner
	Prerequisites	NOTE: All that is required is a web browser, an Internet connection, and a basic familiarity with both.
	NETS•S	2- 5
	NETS•T	1- 5
	NETS•A	II, III, VI

Proposal Summary			[ view/edit this section ]
	Purpose & Objectives	Purpose: To help educators extend their personal learning network by using Twitter to make connections, discover resources, and share experiences with colleagues around the world. Objectives: Participants will be able to: - Articulate the nature of social microblogging. - Articulate the benefits of social microblogging in education. - Sign up for Twitter. - Post a "tweet." - Add Followers. - Use the reply and direct message features. - Experiment with at least one additional tool to extend the functionality of Twitter (see below). - Join a global learning community... and feel good about it. :)
	Outline (for BYOL)	The first part of the session will be an introduction to social microblogging in general, and to Twitter.com specifically. Twitter can be described in a number of ways, each of which captures part of the experience. Twitter is… - An opportunity to answer the question “what are you doing?” (in 140 characters or less) and to share the answer with your friends and colleagues. - Like a blog with mini posts. There are no comments on individual posts (or “tweets”), but others can respond by posting their own tweets back @ you. - More communal than instant messaging or email. It’s open and inclusive instead of closed and exclusive. It’s also less intrusive because no response is expected. - Like reading RSS feeds, except that the posts are shorter and fewer. - A great way to keep in touch with a large group of people at a live event... like this NECC conference! But none of these things really captures the essence of twitter - it allows you to connect with a community from your computer (or phone) 24 hours a day. It can give you a better sense of the daily rhythm of other’s lives - even across time zones, and it’s been said that “Twitter makes you feel good about being human.” The above introduction will take only 10 minutes. Participants will then be walked through the process of creating a twitter account and posting their first tweet. They will learn how to follow other users and to communicate with individuals using the reply and direct message functions. A full 20 minutes will be allocated to allow everyone in the workshop to experience these features hands-on. The next part of the session will be an overview of ways Twitter can be used in education. Many educators use Twitter to participate in a global learning community, and some have begun bringing their students on board, too. It’s a great tool for on-demand, just-in-time, and open-source collaboration... and students can develop a greater sense of global awareness in the process. The session will include several innovative ideas for using Twitter as part of a classroom lesson or experience. It will conclude with a brief discussion of applications that extend the functionality of Twitter, such as Firefox extensions for easy access to your network, TweetDeck for groups & searches, and Twittercamp, a visual display that can be projected for students in a school. This demonstration will take only 10 minutes. The participants will then have another 10 minutes to try one or more of the tools mentioned above. The session will conclude with 10 minutes for a large group question and answer period. Those who follow along easily will be naturally occupied while the presenter is helping those who don't understand quite as quickly - they will be able to extend their learning by using Twitter to interact with other educators outside the session. Later in the session they will also be able to experiment with more of the additional tools for extending the functionality of Twitter (see above). The workshop wiki will be shared at the beginning of the session, so they will be able to explore additional resources online as well. NOTE: All that is required is a web browser, an Internet connection, and a basic familiarity with both.
	Supporting Research	N/A
	Presenter Background	Formerly a high school English teacher, Dr. Wagner has since served as an educational technology coordinator at the site, district, and county levels. He now serves as the president of the Educational Technology and Life Corporation, which provides professional development and consulting services to schools, districts, and other educational institutions. In this capacity, Dr. Wagner is the CUEtoYOU professional development coordinator for Computer Using Educators, Inc (CUE), and the educational technology coordinator for the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) and California League of High Schools (CLHS). He writes for the Infinite Thinking Machine, a blog and Internet TV Show produced by WestEd and sponsored by Google. He is a Google Certified Teacher and now coordinates the Google Teacher Academy for CUE. In addition, he provides training for administrators through Orange County’s AB 430 program. His work with schools and districts includes writing educational technology plans, leading pilot projects for emerging technologies, coaching teachers, and working with parents to help them understand the powerful new tools their students use everyday. Dr. Wagner has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and a master’s degree in cross-cultural education. He is passionate about helping educators and students discover tools that help them learn.

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