real time audio language learning applications

From: nmste-bounces@nmsu.edu on behalf of JOHN GRIFFITHSent: Mon 6/30/2008 2:33 PMTo: nmste@nmsu.eduSubject: [Nmste] Re: Nmste Digest, Vol 10, Issue 24
Hi Jill,
I wouldn't mind hearing from NECC if there are real time audio language learning applications being offered as online application that can be used to teach literacy or ESL....ie what's the state of that art? Does NM need to develop our own online language courses that give real time feedback to the student, and adjusts the course on the fly depending on student progress etc.
Working on a few projects to provide online literacy training, and would like to know...such a big area of need for our state.
John

Everybody wants to sell you something

WOW!!!! Five football fields of vendors is a lot.  I walked up one side and down the other, and covered a lot of ground in between.  Needless to say my feet are tired.  I did get a lot of info and I am sure that I will be getting hundreds of emails from vendors.  The things that could be done with a limitless budget.  If you want to know about a specific product drop me a line and I will see if I have info to pass along.

I have a couple of free resources that I will be posting soon.

Sold, bought, and reconditioned,

Jason

Change is a good thing resources

In my last post I talked about a talk given Ian Jukes.  I noticed a lot of people were asking for additional resources on this.  The following URL has a lot of resources and is updated frequently. 

http://web.mac.com/iajukes/thecommittedsardine/Home.html 

Today for me is visit the five football fields of vendors day.  I will give your info to Mimio Jim.

A long day of walking,

Jason

NETS - T

One thing I went to today was the release of the new NETS T (National Educational Technology Standards for Students), I got the new standards and a bunch of resources that help us use them in schools with teachers!

Here is an online tool to check out to help educators measure some of the key indicators of technology integration utilizing the NETS in educational settings!! And they are blogging about it:

http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/program/search_results_details.php?sessionid=42390493&selection_id=42811997&rownumber=11&max=12&gopage=

Tool: http://icot.craftyspace.com/
What do you think about it?

I also had lunch with Kurt Steinhaus and visited with Dr. Holloway. It is nice to see some NM faces!

Change is a good thing

I had a plan for what I was going to do today, and before the day even started it was shot.  I will admit that it is partly my fault, I overslept and missed the first session (give me a break I am still getting over the flu).  So I got here in time for the second session, I was going to go to one on the NETS-S, but I decided to go to the SIGTEL annual business meeting instead (Jill told me it was the SIG for online education people).  I may not of learned as much as I would have from the NETS-S session, but I found a group of people working on the same things as I am and could use a little help in the admin area.

I was going to to go to a session on free web tools, but the line for that one was outrageously long.  So I am now in a session about Infowhelm and what kids need to be digitally and information literate.

RUP instead of AUP

As I told you earlier I attended a workshop this morning on technology policy.  One of the big areas of discussion was the difference between policy and guidelines.  As most of us know policy emanates from school boards, which are notoriously slow at getting anything done.  One way to get around having to have the school board set the policy is to create responsible use guidelines.  You may have noticed I said responsible use instead of acceptable, this was deliberate.  If we were creating good acceptable use guidelines we should be outlining everything we can do with the technology.  Implying anything not in the policy was a violation.  By saying responsible use guideline we can create guidelines that outline more of how we expect technology to be used.

As you might guess this post is for those that are in a position to influence guidelines and policy at our institutions. 

I am going to interject some personal commentary here about filtering, CIPA, and eRate.  I am all for protecting children from the unsavory elements of the Internet, but when did protecting children from pornography include blocking websites like You tube, which has a lot of excellent educational video clips.  I think what is even more reprehensible is the fact that the federal government has tied eRate funding for, already struggling, school districts to a requirement to censor information that should be available to students and would help to enrich their learning experience.  Sorry for that little rant, and please feel free to tell me that I am wrong (I definitely don't know it all, and I am always willing to hear you out).

On to tonight's social note. 

First I attended the NECC orientation for newbies.  The comedian they had was very funny, and did a great job of making the whole thing seem less overwhelming.  After that was the general member welcome, another great event.  Kurt Stienhaus was thanked for his service as an outgoing ISTE board member.  Then there was the keynote address by James Surowiecki, he spent an hour telling us how a group was more intelligent than a individual, provided they are given the right resources and conditions.  The cap on the evenings events was the general member reception, which was great fun.  It consisted of a live band, also broadcast on ISTE Island in Second Life, a poster session, and lots of food and drinks.

All in all another busy, but fun and productive day at NECC.

It is 10:09 p.m., and we should all be in bed,

Jason

P.S. Sorry if I misspell your name or anything else.

Global Connection Projects!

Check these out:
www.rockourworld.org
www.of2.iearn.org
www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_home.aspx
flatclassrooms.com
(Digiteens) Horizonproject2008.wikispaces.com

More ideas......

Membership Benefits

We want to provide as much as we can for our members so that their experience with NMSTE is valuable and benefits our NM kids!!

Some ideas are...
partnering with RETA on webinars!
co-marketing the ISTE webinars --maybe join the two to bring up numbers in both and provide wonderful education opportunities
get the EETT awardee lists and invite them to be members, present, share, etc.
with every 15 NMSTE members going to NECC, and ISTE will group our housing, we get 1 free attendee to NECC- figure out how to use this resource within NMSTE
partner with vendors for benefits- example one affiliate worked out a great deal for every member of their organization to have free- full access to Atomic Learning

More ideas.......

Conference Ideas for NMSTE

Conference Ideas for NMSTE

Create partnerships with existing meetings/conferences
create partnerships with vendors
get the ETAN booth box for all events to recruit NM advocates (ISTE provides this for free!)
participate in the co-marketing campaign- we buy books as a discount and sell them at conferences, the affiliate then uses the profits to bring additional benefits to its members and the state!
The affiliate wiki has ideas for speakers and other resources to help us with any of the events we want to help support in NM! It is an awesome resource
give away some ISTE resources as prizes at other events so that people hear about NMSTE and ISTE

.........other ideas!

The Social stuff

I hope that you all aren't getting the idea that there is no social aspect to the goings ons at NECC. Me and Jill had drinks and dinner with the ISTE President and the Executive Director of CUE Friday night.  It was a lot of fun, and made some new friends.

Last night Me, Jill, and some other friends took a walk down the River and had dinner at this little hole in the wall.  The beef was excellent, tender and flavorful.  Then Jill, Mike (Executive Director of CUE), and Clint from Colorado went to a Jazz club.  I was falling asleep on my feet, so I walked back to my hotel and called it an early night.

It is 9 am, and all is well,

Jason

Last night and the morning after

Sorry for not posting last night after the close of the Annual Affiliate meeting.  Yesterday afternoon I attended sessions on professional development and volunteer management.  Both sessions were very informative.  I found out that RETA's webinar series is unique way of providing professional development, only one or two other districts had anything like the RETA webinar series.  In short I hope RETA keeps up and grows its webinar series.  That was yesterday, and it was a good day.

At the moment I am sitting in a workshop on Technology policy.  The workshop is being presented by Larry Anderson.  So far he is a great presenter and funny as anything.  Time too pay attention and I will post more later.

It is 8:00 am, and all is well,

Jason

NECC Affiliate Meeting #2

We just received a basket from the Garden State.  As we are listening to the afternoon presentation we are enjoying some old fashioned New Jersey malt balls.  We spent the morning learning about sponsorship for conferences, and how to better market a conference. I got some great ideas about how to better involve corporate partners, and the best way to structure sponsorship programs for conferences.  Marcy, I will make my note a little more coherent and I will post them on the wiki for you.

I am sure Jill will post stuff on the marketing soon.

(On a side note so that you all don't think I am wearing the same clothes from last night, I finally got my luggage last night at about 11:00 p.m. CDST)

More to come.

Jason

Second Day at the Affiliate Network Meeting

Good morning.  As I write this blog we are sitting in the ISTE Affiliate Network meeting, and even though it has just started we are learning a lot and having a great time.  We are sitting next to the delegation from Australia  (G'Day mate).  For those that enjoy ISTE Technology in Practice Webinars they just announced the topics for the next year.  They also announced a new season pass that includes all webinars for half the price of buying each webinar separately.  Just so you all know NMSTE will receive $100 for every member that purchases a season pass.

We will keep you updated.

Jason

Hello from NECC

I just wanted to say a quick hello from NECC. Its been a long day of traveling (still waiting for my suitcase to catch up to me). Tomorrow is the annual affiliates meeting, and I will try to not get caught up in everything and post some hopefully useful information. Hope all of you in the 505 and 575 have a great weekend, I know I will.

You friendly mobile type blogger,
Jason