Joey+S


 * __March - April 2007 Technology Mentor Report__**

Words cannot even begin to express where technology has taken me over the past two months. Ahhhh...but what the heck I'll try to do it anyway. Rick and I always speak to the students about technology being similar to a vehicle, in that it works great as long as you are able to stay in control. Well the technology vehicle Rick and I have cruised in over the past 2 months has taken us from Southern California to Northern China. from hanging out with [|Stedman Graham] (Oprah's beau) to standing atop the [|Great Wall of China], we strolled across the Hollywood Walk of Fame and discussed Podcasting on the mountain tops of Hong Kong. We were informed and entertained by Web 2.0/blogging guru [|David Warlick], presented at the Eastern Canadian SMART Conference, and hung out at ice level with [|Teemu Selanne] of the Anaheim Ducks. My pal Hayward even took in an incredible [|Eric Clapton] concert during our travels. I had the opportunity to present to and work alongside administrators and Superintendents from all over the United States and made great contacts in the process, as many want to partner with our District. We have held regular videoconferences with teachers/students in the Netherlands as our International projects continue to flourish. I spent an afternoon in March introducing 20 Mexican students to SMART Boards and other technologies that we are using on a daily basis. I also taught Kindergarten and Grade One classes in [|Shenzhen], China using Tumblebooks and SMART lessons, presented an Earth Day Lesson to a Grade 4 class and created podcasts with a Grade 6 Mandarin class and Grade 10 Biology class in the same locale. I held a SMART Board workshop for 30 Chinese teachers, who spoke no English and visited the [|tombs of the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty in the Underground Palace of Beijing]. The past two months have provided one heckuva ride and May/June promise to bring more of the same, as in less than a week Rick and I will be presenting at the [|Canadian National Thrive Conference] with 4 students from our Notebook School at E.W. Graham, we will be travelling to the top of [|Mount Carleton] on a GPS outing with a group of Middle school students, and on a personal note my wife and I will become parents once again at the end of May. This whole year has been a magical whirlwind and I have met some incredible people while serving as a Technology mentor. When I accepted this position I had NO idea what was in store, but I could not have asked for more. I have been able to see first hand that we truly do live in a Global Village and that technology will play an important role in the future of education around the world. I have also been very fortunate to work alongside Rick this year. He is an incredible educator, who has a tremendous passion for working with kids/teachers and making learning a whole lot of fun. I have learned a great deal from him this year and I only hope I am able to convey what I have learned to future generations of students.



Below is a podcast done with Tom, a grade 4 student at the Canadian International School in Shenzhen, China. He was a member of the Mandarin class I was instructing and we used Podcasting/SMART Boards to help ease the communication issues. In this podcast, Tom shares his plans for the weekend in both English and Mandarin. Funny story, in that when I first met this young Chinese boy and asked him what his name was he said Tom, of course my reponse was "How do you spell that?", thinking I'm going to receive a response that would look for like a Chinese spelling such as Taam, or Taum, the kid simply smiles and says...T-O-M!!! Anyway, the kid was a blast and here's his podcast, which was a big hit with the teacher and class.(Just right click, save, and play):



For an unbelievable mentor report, please check out what Rick has compiled at: Rick's Global Village


 * __Formal Tech Report__

Goals:**
 * Continue support of District 16 Notebook School - E.W. Graham
 * Provide In-Services for teachers in various areas of technology
 * Promote the use of GPS throughout the District and take students on outings
 * Increase the role of Podcasting in the classroom
 * Continue working with teachers and students on our International Projects
 * Assist my colleagues and fellow teachers across the province of NB
 * Promote Internet Safety and make people more aware of the power of technology
 * Provide SMART PD Sessions for teachers at Canadian International Schools in China


 * What did I do to bring about success in achieving my monthly goals?:**
 * Made routine visits to E.W. Graham and assisted teachers and students in whatever capacity was necessary. Those involved with the Student Notebooks are very tech savvy and require very little assistance. They have some incredible projects on the go and are doing tremendous work on a daily basis.
 * I held several teacher/staff in-services in the areas of SMART Boards, Internet Safety, and Podcasting. They were very well attended and I received plenty of positive feedback.
 * Rick and I continued to work with students and teachers on our GPS unit and took students on a couple of more GPS/Cross Country Skiing outings, which were a lot of fun for all invoved.
 * We have done a lot of work on Podcasting and have created a module for teachers and students. Many of our students have recorded Podcasts to share with those in other parts of the world as part of our collaborative projects. Many teachers throughout District 16 have now incorporated podcasting into their regular classes.
 * Our International projects have really taken off and both sides seem to be in full swing as numerous student projects have now been posted on our mutual site and the lines of communication are very much open with regular e-mail contact and videoconferencing.
 * I have continued to answer many e-mails from teachers around the province regarding SMART Boards and questions that they have. I travelled to Grand Bay-Westfield to hold SMART Training sessions for District 8 Math teachers and River Valley Middle Staff. We also hosted a group of teachers from Forest Glen School in Saint John that contacted us requesting SMART In-services. Lastly, on March 31st I presented to approximately 20 teachers in my group at the MVHS SMART Conference. It was nice to work with teachers from various districts throughout the province.
 * Rick and I have continued to host numerous Internet Safety sessions for students from Grades 3-12, as well as teachers and parents. We have tweaked and added several things since we began at the start of the year, and will use the foundation of this module to present with students at the National Thrive Conference.
 * We travelled to China to in-service our teachers at the Canadian International School at Beijing and also the International School at Shenzhen. We worked with students and teachers alike. They were very receptive and are using the Boards on a regular basis

Teachers are using Podcasting in their regular classes all over our District, in various subjects. A prime example would be in Language Arts where Grade 5 students at Miramichi Rural School are creating "Sales Pitch" presentations and recording them then they will present them to Grade 5 students at St.Andrews Elementary, who are doing the same. Many teachers are also now using Audacity to record/narrate their SMART Board Lessons
 * Successes:**

SMART Board Lessons have grown beyond my wildest dreams. We have gone well past teacher created lessons, and the big thing now in our District are SMART Presentations being created by students. Powerpoint has basically become a thing of the past around here as students have grown to love SMART software. We have many students creating presentations which contain 100+ slides. They are making interactive stories with narration, compiling Social studies projects, reporting on Science Labs etc. There is a really good feeling in the District with where we stand with technology and the comfort level that teachers are at. We now have SMART Boards in all District 16 classrooms and are incorporating other technologies such as Notebooks, Digital Video, Student Responders, Podcasting, GPS, etc.

Our District 16 Technology Mentors website continues to remain quite popular as we received well over 1000 hits in the past month. Most site visitors are from NB or within Canada, however we did receive hits from Australia, China, Germany, Kuwait, Mexico, the U.K, and several from the United States. The hardest task has been trying to keep everything up to date, but we do have a great foundation of resources already in place.

As for a feel good story, Rexton Elementary Grade 5 teacher Toby Daigle has worked via Bridgit Conferencing with Gale Walker a Grade 5 Teacher in Winnipeg for the past two years. Their kids have worked on collaborative projects together since early 2006. Although they had never met in person the projects produced were incredible. Last month Gale decided to surprise Toby with a visit during her March Break. It was amazing! The power of technology helping to bring these two amazing teachers together. Toby returned the favor this past week by travelling to Winnipeg to work with Gale and her students.


 * Challenges:**

Same as I have reported all year......TIME!!!!! There simply are not enough hours in the day to address all issues and meet everyone's needs. Yet we always seem to manage somehow. I'm not sure what the future holds for me in the field of Education. I always joke with Rick that after only 8 years, I feel as though I might be peaking too early in my career with all of the fantastic experiences that I have had this year. However, I'm certain that many more exciting challenges still lie ahead. I have heard some rumblings about possible trips to Egypt (iEARN), India, Netherlands, etc. but my wife has vowed to put me "six feet under" if I even plan to travel anywhere else in the next few months. :) Therfore, I guess my only other challenge has been maintaining a balance between family and work. However, it has been due to great support at home that I have been able to experience everything that I have gone through in the past year.