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Comment by Jennette Kane yesterday

Why volunteer at ISTE 2012?

• Join the nearly 1,000 volunteers who drive the success of the conference
• Meet new friends and further your professional network
• Enjoy special volunteer-only activities
• Receive a free T-shirt!

More Information!

Comment by Joseph Chmielewski on May 14, 2012 at 7:26pm

Here is a great resource and a great opportunity to present your ideas about online learning. Last year's program was fabulous...and completely free!

 

Text from Connie Swiderski of the Texas Virtual Schools Network below...


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Accepting proposals now for TxVSN speaks VOLumes conference

by Connie Swiderski - Monday,  14 May 2012, 08:59 AM

 

Dear Colleague,

It is fantastic that you will be joining us for the 2nd Annual speaks VOLumes, Virtual Online Learning Conference on August 1st -3rd, 2012. The conference is sponsored by the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN).

Call for Proposals! We invite you to share experiences, successes, and challenges with your colleagues. Speak to K-12 administrators, student mentors, online instructors and course developers with an interest in online learning, implementation, student/educator support, instructional strategies, course development and a vision for the future. Please consider being a presenter for the conference. It should prove to be a unique and rewarding experience. 45 minute presentation slots available with the date and time of your choosing! Training on the conference Webinar program provided before the conference. An expert facilitator is present during your live presentation to assist! Deadline July 1 but ACT NOW for the best slot selection!

Submit proposals at
http://pd.txvsn.org/mod/data/view.php?id=2069You must be logged in order to submit a proposal.

For more information visit:
http://pd.txvsn.org/mod/resource/view.php?r=1097 or contact Connie Swiderski at 972.348.1094, or email to
connie.swiderski@region10.org

 
Be a Volunteer!

Would you like to help our conference and volunteer as a presentation facilitator. All that is required is for you to come and show off your great personality! All necessary presentation setups will be done for you.

First five to volunteer for two or more sessions will receive a free copy of the "Excellent Online Instructor" ebook

For more information visit:
http://pd.txvsn.org/mod/data/view.php?id=2090

We look forward to hearing from you!

Warm regards, speaks VOLumes conference Team, TxVSN

Connie Swiderski Professional Development and Communications Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN)
connie.swiderski@region10.org (972) 348-1094 (voice) (972) 348-1095 (fax)

Comment by William Zimmerman on May 10, 2012 at 7:06pm

MakeBeliefsComix Expands Graphic Printables to Help Literacy, ESL, Students, Adds Characters with Physical Disabilities



 

Dear reader,



 

MakeBeliefsComix.com has upgraded its free online comic strip generator to now offer educators more than 250 graphic writing prompt printables organized by subject categories to help literacy and ESL students write and tell stories.

 

In addition, the site has added comic characters with physical disabilities which are among the 128 characters that students can use in creating their comic strips. Because the site increasingly is used to teach students with special needs and help them express themselves, it now features more characters with disabilities:  a boy and girl in wheelchairs, a soldier who has lost an arm in the war and wears a prosthesis, a blind person with a seeing-eye dog, and an older woman who uses a walker.

 

The characters show a variety of emotions – happy, sad, angry, thoughtful – which can be called upon as students create their comic strips. Educational therapists also use the online comics with students with Autism to help them understand concepts and communicate.  A Special Needs section to help educators and parents was added last summer.

 

The  250 printable writing prompts encourage writing and thinking in a quick and fun way.  A student’s efforts to complete the printable can then become the first step in writing longer essays, poems or stories on the same subject.  The printables also can be used with students enrolled in literacy and English-As-Second Language (ESL, ESOL) programs, and provide an educational resource for teaching language arts.  They are found at: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Printables/

 

The printables feature approximately 50 subject categories, ranging from Bullying and Peer Pressure, to Elections and Political,  to Environment and Ecology, to Writing Prompts. These printables are from the many interactive books of the site’s creator Bill Zimmerman who for many years created the nationally syndicated Newsday Student Briefing Page, twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. 

 

More than 200,000 educators and students from more than 180 countries come to MakeBeliefsComix.com each month to build their own comic strips and practice language, writing and reading skills.  The site was selected by Google as UNESCO as among the world’s most innovative sites to encourage literacy and writing.  And the American Library Association chose it as a Great Web Site for Kids.

 

We hope that you will share MakeBeliefsComix.com with your colleagues, students, friends or readers of your publications and favorite listserv groups. 
As always, we welcome your suggestions and ideas to improve our site.

 

Sincerely,



 

Bill Zimmerman

billz@makebeliefscomix.com


 

Comment by Gail Casey on May 10, 2012 at 5:35pm

My information tells me that you have posted the Online Learning Award Winners incorrectly.

Could someone please check?

Comment by Jennette Kane on May 10, 2012 at 8:57am

Congratulations to our 2012 

Online Learning Award Winners!!!

Comment by Joseph Chmielewski on May 9, 2012 at 10:52am

Where is Online Learning going? 

San Antonio College teachers are wondering why the Alamo Community College District has stalled its 
Alamo Colleges Online initiative.

Here is a summary of the debate that was published in the 
Ranger, the San Antonio College student newspaper...



http://www.theranger.org/alamo-colleges-online-planning-causing-con...


What struggles do other educational institutions face?

What can we learn from the challenges faced by San Antonio College Distance Education teachers?

Comment by Jennette Kane on May 4, 2012 at 10:52am

Attention SIGOL Members!  We have a new discussion listserv email address!!  The email listserv is designed for SIGOL members to engage in member-to-member discussion, solicit feedback, and share best practices surrounding topics pertaining to online learning.  In the future please use the following address to post your questions, ideas, or discussion topics.

Email your posts to sigol-discussion@listserver.iste.org.  

We look forward to hearing from you!

The SIGOL Leadership Team.

Comment by Ginger Thornton on May 4, 2012 at 10:41am

We'd like to point our parents toward several articles (or other online information) on the benefits of 1:1 computing - a lot of what I've found is a bit heavily research-based (I want to have some of that but would also like some more approachable articles as well).  Are there any particular suggestions that you've found helpful, particularly with parents?

Thanks for any help!

Comment by Joseph Chmielewski on May 3, 2012 at 5:22pm

The Huffington Post reports that Harvard and MIT are joing forces to provide free online learning for millions of people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/harvard-mit-announce-onli_...

When is K-12 going to catch on, and catch up?

Comment by Randy Hansen on April 30, 2012 at 6:54am

SIGTE Webinar Tonight April 30, 2012; 5:00PM EST.

Join us tonight for BYOT, Why We Took the Plunge. , Jennifer LaMaster, Director of Faculty Development and JD Ferries-Rowe, CIO, will discuss implementation of their BYOT project, their preparation, implementation ideas and hurdles, how they prepared their teachers, and a discussion of what BYOT looks like in practice.

To register, visit: http://bit.ly/J5tbep
Sincerely,
SIGTE

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