Off and Running

Tomorrow we'll be at St. Brigid's School offering two professional development sessions for teachers: the first on video-conferencing and telecolloborating, and the second an introduction to Google Apps.

A brief outline is as follows:

Introduction to Video-Conferencing:
1. Brief overview of the two main uses of video-conferencing, the first as a chance to level the equality of access to different experiences, specifically bringing content to the classroom. Perhaps more rewardingly though, is the role that video-conferencing can play in furthering school-to-school projects.
2. The main system - our District chiefly uses the Polycom Video-Conferencing hardware and software, with stand-alone, portable, and desktop units in use at different locations.
3. The alternative - SMART's Bridgit software allows users to link up and share what's happening on their SMARTboard screens. Not really "video-conferencing" but collaborative all the same.
4. The potential alternative: Skype, or other voice-over-internet-protocol has the potential for some great one-to-one interactions.
5. Resources such as 2Learn.ca and www.CILC.org that promote video-conferencing and school-to-school projects.

Introduction to Google Apps
1. Setting up a Google Account and iGoogle.
2. Gmail, Google Calendar.
3. Google Docs - creating, sharing, collaborating on a document.
4. Blogger.
5. Google Lively.
6. Google Reader, RSS in Plain English as a metaphor for teaching in the 21st Century.