Week of December 7 - December 13, 2008

EdTechTalk Newsletter: Week of December 7 - December  13, 2008

Hello EdTechTalkers:

Welcome to this week's edition of the EdTechTalk (ETT) Weekly Newsletter! 

Another week of EdTechTalk webcasts is on the books, and there were many amazing, stimulating conversations and guests again this week. If you missed any of these shows, please take a minute to skim through the listings in this newsletter and click on those that sound interesting
to you. Our highlighted show of the week is the "It's Elementary" show
#27  hosted by Lisa Durff, Jose Rodriguez, and Alice Barr with special guest, Angela Maiers, Educational Consultant from Des Moines, IA. Angela focused her insightful, thought-provoking comments on brain science, 21st century literacies and the development of young minds
which generated a lot of lively conversation in the chat room. Interesting questions were explored related to the balance of teaching language to non-English speaking students while expecting higher level thinking on grade level competencies being tested. There was some rousing dialogue about reading instruction and decoding vs. comprehension skills -- which comes first or should both be expected simultaneously? Total physical response teaching strategies were
promoted as essential for English Language Learners and many suggestions were offered for ways to integrate technology into this approach.

Have you ever heard of "enactment strategies" as a teaching strategy? Is "reading fast" the same as fluency and does fast word calling lead to improved reading comprehension? Tune in and listen to Angela discuss this and many other instructional strategies for teaching questioning, inferencing, and symbolism with full engagement
of students. Angela also explained her concept of "habitudes" which was
a new term for many of us. Habitudes include imagination, curiosity,
self-awareness, perseverance, courage, and adaptability and they are more than just skills, but a mind-set or attitude. Her explanation provided some critical components of providing literacy education for 21st century learners which are centered on higher level thinking
skills.  If you'd like to know more about habitudes, listen to this
excellent podcast and consider purchasing her new book, Classroom Habitudes, which is now available for purchase on Lulu (download or hard copy):
http://www.lulu.com/content/4903951
Description:
Is it possible to teach students the learning habits and attitudes it
takes for them to become 21st century learners, critical thinkers, and
successful members of the workforce after graduating? Yes! And this
book includes lessons and lesson plans teachers can implement right
now!

  • 21st Century Learning #88: Patrick Bassett, President of NAIS December 11, 2008 - Patrick Bassett, President of NAIS, joined us this week to discuss the vision of NAIS, the future of Independent Schools, best practices, creating more transparent conferences, and much more. Join us on December 18, 2008 for our holiday special
  • It's Elementary #27, 21st Century Literacies
    Have a listen as the It's Elementary team discusses 21st Century Literacies with our guest Angela Maiers.  We talked about literacy from it's foundation in brain research to it's application in the 21st Century Classroom.  Angela shared her work with her book Classroom Habitudes.
  • Conversations Episode 19
    Lisa Parisi and Maria Knee discussed the topic of digital footprints. Matthew Tabor joined in the conversation, which covered such issues as educator responsibilities, professional vs. personal online personas, and online etiquette.

EdTechTalk is a community of people interested in the use of technology
to improve teaching and learning at all levels of education throughout
the world. As a Worldbridges community, it embraces the values of
collaboration and inclusiveness. The primary activity of the community
is the production of a number of live, interactive webcasts. These
programs cover a wide range of topics relating to educational
technology. Shows are typically streamed live, and listeners can
interact with one another and the show hosts through a text chat.
Recordings of the shows are released as podcasts. Participation in the
community is encouraged for anyone who has an interest in educational
technology. Participation may take many forms, from simply listening to
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Special Celebrations:
If you would like your celebration included in the ETT newsletter please email us at [email protected].

Enjoy your week,
Your enthusiastic ETT Newsletter Gang

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