BLC09 - Monday

Turning Classrooms into Learning Studios: Lights, Camera, Learn! – Marco Torres, Teacher, Creative Director, Media Coach and Alas Media
Marco Antonio Torres is an internationally recognized teacher and filmmaker who uses the movie making process to make his classroom projects explode with empowerment and enthusiasm. This two-day event will be a practical, hands-on session where teachers will learn not only valuable and practical tips on how to make a great movie, but also how to plan and manage such projects. Teachers will also find out how to market this program to their communities and also learn how to share the projects with the world! See how movies have a place in your content area classroom/ new studio. Lights, Camera, LEARN! (Equipment and software will be provided during the workshop. If you do have your own digital video camera, we highly recommend you bring it.)
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Park Plaza – White Hill
Walden Pond – Observe American History First Hand Through Science – Carolyn Staudt, Curriculum Developer, Concord Consortium
Spend two days in the birthplace of the American Revolution, Concord, MA, and be part of the next revolution in technology-enhanced science learning. This workshop will include scientific technology investigations and a digital storytelling adventure at Walden Pond. The Concord Consortium and Apple Computing have a number of powerful free computational models, probes, ProbeScope microscopes, geocaching (GPS) techniques and tools that can be combined into interactive, computer-based curricula for any grades 3-14, as well as hundreds of learning activities based on these resources. Additionally, the Concord Consortium has editing software that makes it easy to modify these activities and create new ones that can be tailored to the needs of students with different learning styles. Since it is all online, students can be monitored as they use the materials, providing teachers and researchers with detailed insights into student thinking. Help get these powerful resources, all developed with National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, that are aligned with ISTE, NSES and NCTM standards, into wider use. Bring your own laptop, or borrow an Apple iBook for a hands-on experience, and leave with activities that you can use with your students.
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Walden Pond, Concord, MA
Introduction to Scratch – Dr. Mitchel Resnick and the Lifelong Kindergarten Group
Meet Scratch! With Scratch, students (ages 8 and up) can create their own interactive stories, games, music and art – and share their creations on the web (see http://scratch.mit.edu). The Scratch website has become the YouTube of interactive media. As students program and share with Scratch, they learn to think creatively, plan systematically and work collaboratively, while also learning important computational ideas. Join members of the Scratch Team at MIT Media Lab for a hands-on introduction to Scratch. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to work with the creative team that developed Scratch.
8:30 am – 12:30 pm
MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA
Scratch-Ed: An Online Community for Educators – Dr. Mitchel Resnick and the Lifelong Kindergarten Group
A growing international network of educators is using Scratch, helping young people learn to create and share interactive multimedia projects. Scratch-Ed is a new online community that connects Scratch-using educators, providing them with opportunities to share ideas, experiences and resources: (http://www.scratch-ed.org). Join members of the Scratch Team at the MIT Media Lab to learn more about the Scratch-Ed community and discuss strategies for introducing Scratch in different educational contexts. This workshop is intended for educators who have already used Scratch and are looking to share their experiences and learn how to take the next step.
1:30 – 5:30 pm
MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA
Building Learning Communities? It’s Elementary! – Jennifer Beine, BLC Conference Director, and Lainie Rowell, Consultant and Trainer, November Learning
This session addresses the same content explored in the Building Learning Communities: Putting It All Together workshop, but explores issues and examples from the perspective of an elementary school teacher. In this four-hour session you will learn the basics of information literacy, plus have the opportunity to work with members of our team as you explore how to build a blog, create a podcast or start a wiki for the elementary classroom. Learn how to integrate all of these tools across the curriculum in meaningful and effective ways. Our team will show you how it all fits together and will be available during the course of the conference week to guide you as you work on projects and integrate new ideas. The results will be expanded opportunities for authentic work, global audiences and concrete ways that your students can make valuable contributions to their learning community.
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Park Plaza – Whittier
Getting Started with Camtasia Studio – TechSmith Education Evangelists
Do you want create videos of your teaching material and post them online? Camtasia Studio screen recording software makes it possible for you to produce teaching material that can enhance instruction. Make your videos available to your students 24/7 on the Web so the learning never stops! Camtasia Studio can help when students need catching up, when you want to quickly explain how to use software or when you want to create supplementary material for the lessons you teach. One copy of Camtasia Studio is included with the course registration. This is a $179.00 value.
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Park Plaza – Stuart