Thompson R2-J Blogs

Empower to Learn, Challenge to Achieve, Inspire to Excel

Archives for August, 2012

5 Edmodo Activities for the First Day of School

From the Edmodo Blog:

As you head back to school and get your students set up on Edmodo, consider trying one of the following activities your first day of class:

  1. One Thing I Want to Learn This Year:  On the first day of school, post a question on Edmodo as homework. Ask them to respond to the whole class with one thing they are looking forward to learning this year.
  2. All About Me:  Create an “All About Me” presentation via the digital tool of your choice (Glog, prezi, sliderocket, etc.). The students AND teacher should each create one to embed and share on Edmodo. Have students (and teachers) post comments and connections.
  3. Scavenger Hunt:  If students are new to Edmodo, have them do a scavenger hunt in Edmodo and include activities such as posting to the group, their teachers, and replying to several polls that tell about who is in the group.
  4. The Buddy System: To help break the ice with new and returning students, use the small group feature to put students together in groups of 3-4 that included both returning and new students. Ask them to use the small groups to help one another with questions, support, and study groups.
  5. Daily warm-ups: Post an interesting article, video clip, poll, etc. for them to view (in class or at home depending on the technology available to your students) and post comments. View this blog post fromLisa Berkery for ideas.

BONUS – Reward Positive Behavior:  Motivate students to set up their Edmodo account and complete their first activity by awarding them the Participant badge from the Edmodo Badge collection. Learn more about badges.

 

Three GREAT (and free) Virtual Conferences

This information came to me via an email. Three great conferences that you can attend for free! You can’t beat that!

From Steve Hargadon, creator of Classroom 2.0:

We have three great world-wide virtual conferences coming up in the next few months. Each is free to attend, and each has an emphasis on encouraging participation and presentations–even if you’ve never done so before. They are part of my Web 2.0 Labs projects, designed to provide spaces for great conversations around education. Everyone is encouraged to participate–you can present, attend, and/or volunteer to help!

Learning 2.0 (http://www.learning20.com)
August 20 – 24, 2012

Just announced! This conference has a short lead time (right around the corner!), but this is so that it can be part of Connected Educator Month, a month-long set of terrific activities to help educators connect with each other.

Learning 2.0 is a unique chance to participate in a global conversation on rethinking teaching and learning in the age of the Internet. Subject strands include changes in the classroom (social media, 1:1 computing, “flipped classrooms,” digital literacy, maker spaces, gaming, open educational resources, digital textbooks), in student learning (individualized learning, student-directed learning, “hacking” education, personal success plans, ePortfolios, and building a digital presence), in teacher personal and professional growth (lead learning, personal learning networks, peer / open / self-directed PD), in schools (virtual and online schooling, mobile learning, blended learning, MOOCs, immersive environments, learning spaces, entrepreneurship, school leadership, big data, assessment models), and in pedagogy (from teaching to learning, social learning, social / educational networking, passion-based learning, learning how to learn, brain-based learning). A full strand list is available HERE.

The conference will also include an all-day virtual unconference (SocialEdCon online!) as well as a special educational start-up “pitchfire” event.

The conference general information page is HERE and call for presentation proposals and instructions for Learning 2.0 can be found HERE.


Library 2.012 (http://www.library2012.com)
October 3 – 5, 2012

In its second year, the Library 2.012 conference is a unique chance to participate in a global conversation on the current and future state of libraries. Held over the course of two days (three actual calendar days when including all time zones), there will likely be over 150 presentations. Subject strands include physical and virtual learning spaces, evolving professional roles in today’s world, organizing and creating information, changing delivery methods, user-centered access, and mobile and geo-social information environments. A full strand list is available HERE. Huge thank to the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San José State University, the founding conference sponsor!

The conference general information page is HERE and call for presentation proposals and instructions for Library 2.012 can be found HERE.


The Global Education Conference (http://www.globaleducationconference.com)
November 12 – 16, 2012

Celebrating it’s third year, and co-chaired by the amazing Lucy Gray, this five-day, 24 hour per day incredible event brings together educators and students from around the world to discuss globally-connected education, projects, and activities. It is designed to significantly increase opportunities for building education-related connections around the globe while supporting cultural awareness and recognition of diversity. Last year’s conference featured 340 general sessions and 18 keynote addresses from all over the world with over 10,000 participant logins. This year the conference is being run in conjunction with the iEARN worldwide international conference and we’re anticipating some 20 – 30,000 attendees.

The conference general information page is HERE and call for presentation proposals and instructions for Learning 2.0 can be found HERE.

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