Techapalooza  Session Descriptions

Keynote: Choose the Web: using the internet as a platform for learning        
John Sowash   Auditorium  8:30-9:30

The internet is a powerful platform for learning that can inspire and instruct while opening up opportunities for creativity and collaboration. Platform and operating system discussions are no longer needed when you pick the web. Today's web can help us learn new things, explore foreign lands, connect with people around the globe, answer difficult questions and provide a platform to share learning.

There's a (Chrome Web) App for That!
Kim Powell   Rm A24  9:40-10:30

There are so many web apps available in the chrome web store for education.  Learn about the top apps that can be fully integrated into your classroom.  I’ll go through my personal favorites, and show you how you can find even more!
Google Chrome Resources

Where do I start? Easy Technology Tips
Jennifer Potter Rm A30  9:40-10:30

Do you feel overwhelmed about what technology to try in your classroom? This session will contain tips of easy and effective ways to start implementing technology into your lessons with tools like blogging, Celly, Dropbox, Poll Everywhere, Google Docs.,etc.
Handout

Project Based Learning: Digital Style
Chessi Oetjens  Rm A45  9:40-10:30

So, your students have done the research, now what? Kids love to create and share their work with  friends and family. This session will focus on 6 kid-friendly presentation tools (other than PowerPoint!) These totally awesome tools highly support today's project based learning classroom.  These tools will offer your 21st Century Learners a quick, easy and effective way to publish their work for the world to see!  

Designing Your Dashboard
Jennifer Earl  Rm A33  9:40- 10:30 and 2:15-3:05

Learn how the web has shifted our culture and how that affects you as an educator. We’ll talk about what Web 2.0 really means and share what to expect with the emergence of Web 3.0. Learn how creating a personal digital dashboard and using RSS will help you to harness and manage information that is important and relevant to you. Alternatives to the igoogle dashboard (which is retiring Nov 1) will be demonstrated.
Handout  

Let's Play Mystery Skype
Nicole Hite  Rm A 28    9:40-10:30

Want to learn how Skype can be a powerful tool in your classroom? Come and learn about a mystery state skype!  Learn about how classes come up with clues that a collaborating class need to solve their mystery location.  This is a great activity that can be differentiated to fit your needs!    
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MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment!)
Audra Van Brandt  Rm A43  9:40-10:30

MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment!) is an online course-management system that can be used in a wide variety of ways--from an extra resource for your students to fully-online courses. Come and see how Moodle can extend your classroom and provide students with access to class materials, information, and activities. Because students must be granted access to your Moodle page, it also provides a secure, teacher-monitored hosting site for students to discuss topics and collaborate in a virtual environment.
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Using WordPress for Common Core Writing
Erik Bean   Rm 41  9:40-10:30 and 10:40-11:30

WordPress is one of the most widely used Internet Web blog tools and can be an important resource for your classroom to stimulate writing and reinforce many Common Core writing standards currently required and to hone student writing skills today, tomorrow, and beyond.
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Chromebook Classroom   
John Sowash   Rm A30  10:40-11:30             

During this hands-on workshop, participants will explore and model strategies for procedures and daily teaching and learning using Chromebooks, along with tips for teaching students how to utilize the power of Chromebooks in school and at home with Google Apps.

Social Bookmarking with Diigo
Jennifer Earl Rm A33  10:40-11:30

Are you still bookmarking favorites in your browser? Learn the advantages of moving to a cloud-based social bookmarking tool. Learn how to quickly and easily share resources with colleagues, students, and parents. You will see how to bookmark and organize resources using tags in a couple clicks, easily create lists of sites to share, create student groups to collaborate on research, as well as how students can highlight text and add comments to a web page to promote discussions and collaborative learning.
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Daily 5 In the Digital World
Kim Powell  Rm A24  10:40-11:30

Looking to integrate technology into your Literacy block? This session will provide amazing web tools and apps that are structured around the ideas from Joan Moser and Gail Boushey's book, The Daily 5. Learn how you can integrate differentiated technology tools through reading to self, reading to someone, writing, listening to reading, and spelling/word work.
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Tech Tools: Teacher Tested, Student Approved
Scott Earl  Rm A43   10:40-11:30

You know the use of technology is important, but how can you integrate it smoothly to enhance student learning? Where can you find new uses of apps and tools in the limited time you have? It’s easier than you think. This session will introduce practical, teacher –tested, successful classroom examples of using Web 2.0 and other web-based tools to enhance instruction. Focus will be on using technology as one of many tools to deliver content, assess understanding, and provide project-based learning opportunities for students.    
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Presentation

Levitating Your Science Curriculum
Kim Ortiz   Rm A28  10:40-11:30

Integrating authentic technology tools into your elementary science curriculum. Learn how you can use Animoto, blogging, and other great sites to bring powerful learning into the classroom.

iThink iCan
Amanda Iocoangeli and Valerie Lange  Rm A45 10:40-11:30

So you are thinking about going 1:1 with iPads, now what? Experience the journey one elementary school took that has transformed learning in three classrooms from kindergarten to sixth grade. We will take a look at the pedagogy behind using iPads, deployment, management, apps, and any tips we have learned along the way.

Getting Started with Google Drive
John Sowash  Rm A30 12:15-1:05

Google Drive allows you to share documents with others and collaborate in real-time. These features make Drive a tremendous classroom tool. This session will help you get started with drive, showing you the basic features and demonstrating some examples of how this tool can be used in the classroom

Get Rolling With Edmodo- The Basics
Kim Powell  Rm A24  12:15-1:05

In this session you will create an account, set up your profile and group, as well as learn how to post messages, websites and videos.  We will also explore Edmodo communities that share invaluable resources to get rolling with Edmodo in your classroom.
Presentation

Searching with Success
Jennifer Earl  Rm 33  12:15-1:05

Do you (or your students) know how to get the information you need from the web without wasting a lot of time? Learn a few simple strategies to quickly narrow searches to the most relevant results. We will discuss and demonstrate ways to help you and your students search, find, and evaluate information from the web. Learn how to create a custom google search from your hand-picked sites to help guide students in the search and research process.
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Using Google Forms To Collect Data
Roderick Hurley   Rm A28   12:15-1:05

Participants will learn about using Google Forms to collect data from students, parents, and their co-workers.
Presentation

1:1 Laptops in the Elementary Classroom
Amanda Iocoangeli and Valerie Lange  Rm A45  12:15-1:05

Learning does not fit into an 8:00-3:00 time slot. If you are a teacher who is looking to engage their students outside of the classroom and normal school setting, 1:1 laptops may be for you. In this session we will look at the process of going 1:1 with laptops including planning, management, and online learning environments.

Cool Browser Tools & Tricks
Jim Dornberg  Rm A43  12:15-1:05 and 2:15-3:05

Your web browser can do some amazing tricks. In this session you'll learn about a variety of Web 2.0 applications and browser add-ons. After seeing a demonstration of these tools, you'll never want to be without them again.
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Using Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect to Grade Rigorously
Erik  Bean  Rm 41  12:15-1:05

If you do not mind uploading Microsoft Word documents to Google Drive (Docs) then this presentation will show you how to rigorously grade papers in less time by using the AutoCorrect feature. These canned comments provide consistency and can be dispersed directly between the words and sentences using simple keyboard acronyms.
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Resource Sharing with Google Sites
John Sowash Rm A30  1:15-2:05

Google Sites is a simple web-site building tool that provides teachers with flexible web-space through which they can communicate with students and parents, embed media, display exemplary work, and provide additional resources for learning. This session will help you get started building your own classroom site.

Building 21st Century Writers
Kim Powell  Rm A24  1:15-2:05

Students can increase their writing skills through a variety of digital tools. In this session you will learn how you can incorporate digital writing in the classroom using Kidblogs, and more, as well as provide an authentic audience through Comments for Kids for your students.
Digital Writing Challenge

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?
Jennifer Earl  Rm A33 1:15-2:05

Do you think Twitter is a waste of time? Come see how you are missing out on one of the most powerful professional learning tools on the planet. You will learn how to quickly and easily connect to educators who are sharing their ideas and expertise. If you don’t know what a handle and a hashtag are and how and why they are used, you are quickly becoming illiterate in today’s connected culture.
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What can you do with Flubaroo? 
Jim Dornberg  Rm A43  1:15-2:05

Flubaroo is a free tool that helps you quickly grade multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank assignments or quizzes. All you need is a Google Drive account.
Flubaroo also:

• Computes average assignment score.
• Computes average score per question, and flags low-scoring questions.
• Shows you a grade distribution graph.
• Gives you the option to email each student their grade, and an answer key.
• Lets you send individualized feedback to each student.
• Handout

What is the DEN & Why Should I Be a Member?
Cheryl Lykowski  Rm A45  1:15-2:05  

You are familiar with Discovery Education Streaming and the power of using multimedia in the classroom. But did you know Discovery Education also has a large network community of educators? Find out the power of being a DEN member (Discovery Educator Network) and how you can pump up your learning with this unique, personal learning network

Digital Photography
Deb Green  Rm 41  1:15-2:05 and 2:15-3:05

Tired of ho-hum photos? Give your photos the WOW factor with these easy tips and tools! No expensive cameras required! We will discuss basic camera settings and changes you can make behind the camera while taking your photos to create a more exciting photos. We will also explore some free online photo editing tools that will clean up your photos and really make them POP! 
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The Very Connected Classroom
Tara Seegert  Rm A30  2:15-3:05

This session is designed to help you get started using free web tools that can easily be added right into everyday classroom routines. We will be discussing the value of utilizing Blogs, Twitter, and Voki in the lower elementary classroom setting (K-2).
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DISCOVER- An Easy Way to Use Technology Everyday
Kelly Reeves Rm A28     2:15-3:05

Discovery Education has the GREATEST teacher friendly ways to improve teaching and learning by transforming traditional classrooms into engaging digital learning environments. This session will show how to customize your own page as well as enable students to actively use digital avenues in your curriculum. This program is easy and many resoures are immediately available for teachers to implement in their classrooms. SEVERAL TOPICS... not just Science.

POWER SEARCHING WITH GOOGLE
Cheryl Lykowski  Rm A45  2:15-3:05

Information is abundant and easily accessible. In this interactive, hands-on presentation, learn some tips and tricks of searching that will make you and your students feel like superheroes! For most of us, searching is similar to the experience of shooting an arrow and hoping it hits somewhere on the moving target. This session will show tips and tricks that will help you narrow searches and speed up the results. You will be able to go to your classroom on Monday and help your students speed up their research time and get down to the meat of their project.

Connected Collaborative Classrooms
Kim Powell  Rm A24  2:15-3:05

Providing 21st century learning in classrooms today is essential for students.  Fostering creativity, collaboration, and connections are just a few of the benefits.  Learn about a few collaborative tools that can engage students and provide meaningful connections in their learning
Connected Classroom Challenges