CUE 2008 TakeAways

I spent the last several days at CUE in Sunny Palm Springs in Southern California. An ideal location for an educational conference. Even though my head is still spinning I want to take a few minutes to give you MY take aways.

The Bloggers Cafe: It was exactly what I expected it to be. An informal environment to have real conversations As I walked in on Thursday morning the first voice I heard was Jdub setting up camp at the Bloggers Cafe and standing next to her Alice Mercer. Being there was an opportunity to connect a face to our Web 2.0 buddies. It was also the venue for the CUE report on Edtech Brainstorm. At one point we had 10+ educators engaged in a conversation on the happenings at the conference. On Friday it was also the space for the panel discussion on Social Networks. Steve Hargadon did such a great job facilitating this discussion. Best of all it was broadcast on Edtechlive ustream channel. It is so important to document what happens during these conversations. Blogging, twittering, ustreaming, and liveblogging go a long way in leaving a record.

Sessions: It's really hard to give this justice. There so many factors that make an effective presentation and leave a lasting impressions. Just like teaching; there are some presenters that are just darn good. I attended several of those sessions. The stars shined! I was looking for presentations that had a catchy title and not commercial. I really appreciate when a presenter has the resources available online. The presenters that concentrate on providing an avenue for me to use these tools in my classroom, make the most impact. I decided I would give LiveBlogging a try using Cover it Live. It is an effective method to put my thoughts as the presentation is going on. These reflections are posted directly to your blog synchronously. Remote participants can view your thoughts and add their own comments. I especially like the interaction you can have with virtual attendees.

EdtechEvangelism: On Friday night I attended my affiliate meeting. I did a short presentation on the power of MY network, Edtechtalk, as part of being selected as Outstanding Teacher of the Year. My basic argument is that I (and You) have the power to create your own PLE - Personal Learning Environment. Our networks give us a new kind of professional development. But this comes with a responsibility to give back and bring in others into the edupodosphere. Now I feel am ready to go back to my classroom!
cue2008
cue08

Leveraging Technologies for Student Learning by Tammy Stephen

Literacy in a Digital Classroom by Gayle Berthiaume

cue2008
cue08

Google Earth Goodies by Alix Peshette

Busy Afternoon at CUE2008

I had an exciting morning Live Blogging. I used Cover It Live. I really like the interface. So I had a quick lunch by the pool. I went back to the exhibit hall and caught two quick CUE tips, 20 minute sessions. Mark Warner had a session on the use of twitter and David Jakes had a session on the use of del.ico.us.
One of my conference highlights is being able to sit in on Social Networking in Education. Steve Hargadon, Sylvia Martinez, James Klein, David Jakes, Dennis O'Connor, and Mark Wagner led a discussion on Social Networks; their development, how their used in education, and future possibilities. It was ustreamed live at EdtechLive. More than anything it was about being advocates for 21st Century Learning.

Video in the Classroom by Mathew Needleman

Digital Storytelling by David Jakes; CUE2008

The Power of Your Network

I spent most of the day hanging out at the Bloggers Cafe. The exhibit hall was your usual conference vendors pushing the next miracle cure to our NCLB woes. I did get a chance to add a few cool pens to my collection. The ISTE booth had good books. I couldn't walk away without some good reading and I bought a book on project based learning. It'll be my commute reading for the next couple of weeks.

I had scheduled a webcast on Edtechtalk Brainstorm with Doug Symington. Now this was the highlight of my evening. We did a live report from CUE2008. We started with a small group sharing our CUE experience. During the show people started to walk by the Bloggers Cafe and stopping to see what all the fuss was about. We stopped a few and had them come on the show. It was pretty cool to get so many people involved in the conversation.

On Friday I'll be attending a CUE-LA meeting. My edtech coordinators nominated me to receive an award. I get my 5 minutes of fame and glory. It's just like accepting an Oscar :-) I figured I'd talk about MY network; EdtechTalk.

| View | Upload your own

Pop in and stay awhile, Pop-up Sessions.

I am spending day popping in and out of some pretty cool sessions. Just getting warmed up for the conference. I decided to have a late breakfast instead of going to the first session. I figured it's better to skip lunch than it is to skip breakfast. I stuck around to get some cool tips on blogs and wikis given by Brian Bridges. Biggest take-away; using gmail as a portable hard drive. Very good overview of the power of blogs and wikis for educators.

Getting Ready For CUE

Last day before I head out for CUE. I've been to CUE several times, but it's been a few years since I've had a chance to go. I first attended CUE during my first year as a teacher back..... in 97. It seemed kind of overwhelming and chaotic. I wasn't sure what everybody was so excited about. I did see some cool stuff, but not sure how I would use it in my classroom. A few years after that CUE moved down to Anaheim, California. It was a lot closer to my work in L.A. I attended twice then. By this time I was starting to use some old Pentium II's in my classroom and we had internet connection at school. I would download freeware and use on these computers. At this time I also bought Kidpix and Kidspiration to use with my students. The sessions that I remember the most were David Thornburg giving a hippie tech talk. I also enjoyed one session given by Peter Reynolds from Fablevision and how he was using a tablet to draw on a screen.

Now a few years later, I am going back to CUE. Since then I have been out of the classroom and now back again. I have built my network with social networking sites like edtechtalk and twitter. I am hoping to meet F2F some of these educators these next couple of days. I have high expectations. I am looking forward to connecting with other educators and enjoying a few days out in the sun!
cue2008 cue08