Multi-faceted Refractions

One of the tools that I have and enjoyed is Inspiration. I have used this product since 1989, when a forward thinking local school system purchased it for its teachers and I had to train them on how to use it. I have always been a visual thinker, which is one of the reasons that I loved my Macintosh computers and why I think that tablet technology is an increasingly interesting tool for users.  The ability  to create diagrams and then simply create outlines, the ability to export a series a diagram into a web site were some of the great innovations.

With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies led me to begin to look for an equivilent solution so that multiple people could work on the same project. Many offered some of the tools and functionality of Inspiration, none of them had the full sets of features available.

At NECC, I heard the rumors that Inspiration was coming out with a web 2.0 edition of their product. I was excited about the possibilities and anxiously awaited its arrival. This morning, while scanning my reader, I saw a post by Kevin Jarrett (Inspiration comes to the web: meet MyWebspiration.com!) and I became excited.

Over the course of the day, I have begun to play with myWebspiration.com. Truly a beta product, it does not have full Web 2.0 functionality. It does have the ability for a group to collaborate, but unlike the Google products that I have been using, only one person can be editing the document at a time. There is not the ability to embed the document. The only way to access the document is to save a copy to your local hard drive and further manipulate it in Inspiration 8.

It does allow for all of the features I have come to love, such as rapid entry and the ability to switch between visual mode and outline mode. From Leigh Zeitz, I hear that this product will stay in beta and available for free for an undetermined amount of time while they are testing the waters.

It is a solid start and I look forward to seeing enhancements in the upcoming months. It is a something to watch develop and grow.

Yesterday, I  overheard two seventh graders in the library, chatting about the research project the they were conducting searches online at a table.

The first student said, “Don’t forget that we were just asked to include a print source for our research project.”

At this, the student replied, “I have that covered. Mine is Gordon Color. (the name of the printer that they could print to)”

Therein lies the dilemma we face as educators.

In what seems to be the fastest three weeks that I can remember, the K12 Online Conference is nearly complete. There are only four presentations left to be posted and then When Night Falls begins. Then the conversation continues, but outside the narrow window of the conference.

The challenge remains on how we as individuals are going to sustain the momentum and continue the conversations, sharing our experiences, successes, and identifying our obstacles.

For me, it has been a great experience. I am gathering my reflections both on creating my presentation and on helping to organize When Night Falls. I have learned much from the process.

Using my new “toy”, no now being enlightened by Liz Kolb, my new tool, I have created a podcast recapping my thoughts after participating in the first 48 hours of the K12 Online Conference.

Technorati Tags: k12online07

With all of the excitement which is being generated by David Warlick’s Pre-Conference Keynote and anticipation of the remaining 40 sessions over the next three weeks, it is difficult to imagine the end of the K12 Online Conference. When Night Falls, the closing event of the conference is looming on the horizon and we are seeking volunteers to make this event a fitting end to what promises to be an outstanding conference. When Night Falls, which will begin on October 27th at 0:00 GMT. (To see what time this begins in your time zone - World Time Conversion) As night falls across the planet, educators across the globe are encouraged to participate in this culminating event, This event will be a 24 hour opportunity for participants in the 2007 K12 Online conference to gather around a virtual water cooler or have a virtual shared coffee break, to reflect and connect with friends, both old and new, about their experiences at K12 Online 2007. The purpose of When Night Falls is twofold:

1. To give participants an opportunity to share reflections, to build networks and relationships and to make connections with each other. Some of the connections people make at K12 Online will grow into global collaborations for students and support networks for all of us as we continue to push the boundaries of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
2. To get feedback on this year’s conference as we begin to plan for next year.

Since When Night Falls is going to run for 24 hours, we’re looking for people who are willing to volunteer to be moderators for this event. For me personally, many of individuals who I got to meet during last year’s When Night Falls I now count amongst my friends. They have provided me opportunities to grow and learn both professionally and personally. And from this group, I have been introduced to an even larger pool of people who now fall within my friendship group. I now feel that I can travel nearly anywhere throughout the world and know that I can connect and share with these great people. In brief, we are asking each moderator to:

• host and moderate an Elluminate session for 1-2 hours — if you don’t know how to do that, we’ll teach you!
• record some information on a wiki, over the course of their show, solicited from the participants, to help us create an even better experience next year. Ask people to share their:
  • bouquets (what we did well)
  • brickbats (what we didn’t do well)
  • suggestions for next year
• write a 200 word or less summary on the wiki of what the discussion was about during your segment.
• record the session. If you don’t know how to do that, we’ll teach you!
• encourage everyone to register their participation by entering their location and blog address on the Conference Attendr Map if they haven’t already.

To register, you can visit the When Night Falls Wiki and fill in the pertinent information. We look forward to your participation. Don’t know how to use Elluminate? Tutorials will be available and practice rooms will be available during the last week of the conference.