EduDay with Google in Guatemala

I am sitting in a hotel room right now in Guatemala just thinking about how I got here and what I learned.  It all started with Emily Roth, of Our Global Friendships.  Emily sent an email to us asking us to send pictures for her 
husband's company, Pixsell.  They were having a conference in Guatemala and wanted to display all these classes around the world.  As an aside in the email she casually mentioned that if any of us were willing, we could go present at the conference, all expenses paid.  I, adventurous person I am, jumped at the opportunity.  

Everything happened so quickly and, before I knew it, I was writing a keynote, my first, and preparing a presentation about connecting with Google drive. Plane reservations arrived, information about pick up at the airport, confirmations about the technology set up, and I was on my way.

What I didn't realize was how amazing and important this conference really was. This is what is says on the Pixsell website: 

"At Pixsell, we seek to improve the world through technological innovations.  We challenge the impossible with our technological expertise and a commitment to deliver constant value to people and organizations."

Sounds very...yeah.  But I spent time with Pixsell these past few days.  Luis Bolanos, Emily's husband, and his partner and founder of the company, Joseph Tanpoco, really believe they can change the world.  They put technology into the hands of educators in countries that have very little.  Guatemala is their fourth country.  

Guatemala is a beautiful country with some of the friendliest people I've ever met.  But 2/3 of the children live below the poverty line.  Children often work instead of going to school.  Here is more:

• 75%: The illiteracy rate in many rural areas of Guatemala
• Two-thirds: The proportion of Guatemalan children living in poverty
• $4 a day: The average daily earnings of a rural, Guatemalan family
• Nine out of ten: The proportion of schools in rural Guatemala that lack books
• 60%:  The percentage of entry-level jobs in Guatemala that require computer skills
• 79%: The percentage of Guatemalan middle- and high-school students who lacked the opportunity to learn to use a computer prior to the arrival of our program
• One out of ten: The proportion of rural Guatemalans who attend middle school
• 1.8: The average number of years an indigenous Guatemalan woman stays in school

So when they decided to come to Guatemala, they set up this technology conference, EduDay with Google at Guatemala, to introduce the power of Google to educators and the government. They sent out 200 invitations and 500 people showed up.  Most came with no computers.  Many traveled far to get here.  All were excited, skeptical, and enthusiastic.  This all happened because of Pixsell and one lone Google Certified Teacher with an action plan.  Michelle Urdiales is the first person in all of Central America to be a GCT.  Her little action plan was to bring Google to Guatemala. She and Pixsell pulled off an amazing feat!

So what did I see here?

1. A renewed vigor for the excitement of learning.  The educators I met and spoke with were excited to try all of these great ideas. 

2. A whole new level of PLN.  Michelle, Luis, Joseph, Marybell Rodriguez and Jocelyne Perreard, GCTs from Mexico, Pablo Barrios, the publicity guru behind the whole day, Otto Diaz and Mario Estuardo, part of Pixsell, and David Deeds, ex-pat extraordinaire.  I spent so much time with all of these people and was made to feel very welcome and very much a part of it all.  We will be in touch always.

3. Marvin, our tour guide for climbing the active Pacaya Volcano.  This father of three has such a love for his country and for the volcano that it was hard not to get caught up in it all.

4. Rene, our driver, who stayed with us, helped us, carried bags, translated conversations, found a bank to get Quetzels and went above and beyond anything he was supposed to do.

5. A new appreciation for all I have and all I can reach through technology.  Without my PLN, without Google, without support from my district and my family, none of this would have been possible.  

I admire all the people I met.  They are better people than I, living what I know I cannot, working hard against incredible odds, to make things better for others. I am grateful to have been able to spend a few days in their company and happy that I will connect with them all for a long time to come.

  

SMART Amp and Collaboration?

This week I had the chance to attend "Exploring Education, Collaboration and Technology: Thought-Leader Panel and Live Remote Classroom Collaboration."  This was really a press release from SMART Technologies to introduce, to the educational press, new software, SMART Amp software, that allows collaboration within SMART Notebook. I was offered this opportunity by Tall Grass Public Relations, who was hired by SMART to get the word out.  I commend Tall Grass for asking a teacher to attend.  Just about everyone else there was in the media.

Now, having said that, I do want you all to know I had a wonderful time, learned a great deal about what's coming, and made some fabulous connections. Here are my take-aways.

• The Panel
• SMART coordinated a panel discussion with Angela Maiers, Education Writer/Speaker/Teacher, Clay Shirky, Social Media Theorist, and Cristin Frodella, Google Global Education.  This group of education heavy hitters was the best part of the presentation.  They had an honest conversation about collaboration.  
• Key Points:
• Collaboration and technology enables introverted children to have a voice in the classroom, without being interrupted by the extroverts.
• Collaboration must be taught.
• There is a difference between collaboration and cooperation.  Cooperation requires only one leader and everyone else follows.  Collaboration requires all members of a group to work together toward a common goal.  
• Collaboration teaches empathy and assertion.
• In collaboration, children challenge each other to be better.  They learn about the ethics of contribution (who does what and how much).  They find out they are smarter together.
• SMART Amp
• SMART Amp is a cloud-based software.  So children can work on projects anywhere, anytime. 
• It was built on Google's design.
• All devices can be used to access Amp.  So a BYOD classroom would have no issues with compatibility of different operating systems.
• The cost is $9 per student per year.  There was indication, though, that discounts would apply to districts and schools to bring the cost down.
• Anything pulled into the Amp project shows up visually.  A video pulled in will be a small window ready to watch.  A website pulled in is a small, clickable box ready to use.  
• SMART Amp Presentation

• The presentation of SMART Amp encompassed two classes, one right in the next room and one in San Diego, working on a biomes activity together within the SMART Amp software.
• Key Points about the Presentation:
• The project that was set up for the children was not a collaborative project, but, rather, a cooperative project.  The children worked together to complete a teacher made assignment projected on the SMARTBoard within the Amp Software.
• The children worked on the same project but on two different graphic organizers.  Their work did not come together until the end, when they had to complete one graphic organizer together.
• The software is very visual and easy to use.  One student even said, "I call this magic."
• The teachers from both class said they were surprised and delighted by the active engagement and the sharing of ideas.  They liked that the room was not static.  Instead, the children talked to each other, moved around, and worked together.  They also both said it was easy to move from whole group instruction to small group instruction within the software.
• There is a button that allows the teacher to lock the program for the students, so if they are working and you need their attention, you can just shut them down.  Not sure I like this idea at all.  It means, for me, that you are, ultimately taking control of the project, which lowers the excitement and enthusiasm for the students.
• My Bottom Line
• There is no communication tool built into the Amp.  So no chat room and no video conferencing.  All collaboration is done with the person in the same room with you.  SMART set up video conferencing separate from the Amp software, for the children to use. I did speak with Giancarlo Brotto, the SMART Technologies Education Solutions Consultant, who hinted that a chatroom was on list of things to add. It is a plus that, as they add new features to the Amp, teachers won't have to pay for updates.
• I did not see any way to share the final project with anyone who doesn't have Amp software.  I know it is difficult to share SMART Notebook presentations.  You can turn them into PDFs but all the bells and whistles don't go into a PDF.  I believe Amp is the same.
• When I told my class what I was seeing, they were excited.  "That sounds perfect for us!  It is what we do."  
• I am going to be trying it out in my classroom for free.  I will have my kids work on and will try to get another class to join in. Stay tuned!

Winding Down My Summer

As my days of leisure (ha) dwindle, I am beginning to enter panic mode. What did I plan on doing that I never accomplished? What do I still need to do before school starts? Do I really have time to accomplish what I need to? Do I have time to write this blog when I have so much to do?

So first, in order to, perhaps, make myself feel better, I decided to think about what I did accomplish this summer. So here is a list of 10 things I completed. Let's see:

1. I cleaned out all my closets and donated a ton of old clothes.
2. I refaced and painted the shed.
3. I weeded the beds in the yard. (Okay, I only did that once and by now you can't even tell it was done but...)
4. I learned how to webcast. Although I am not graduating from the Webcast Academy anytime soon, and still am in the planning stage of a second show, I feel this is still an accomplishment of which I can be proud. 5. I met an incredible amount of educators who love to collaborate and with whom I will be connecting during the year.
6. I learned to sit down and chat in Second Life. (I would love to say I mastered SL but all I really learned to do was sit and stand. But at least I met some people to talk with. Blogger's Cafe Rooftop is fun even if I can't build anything.)
7. I discovered and have been using Twitter.
8. I sort of mastered Skype.
9. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. I also read many other books but that was the one everyone was talking about that I HAD to read.
10. I went through Responsive Classroom training. Can't wait to put it into use.

Now coming up with 10 accomplishments was difficult for me. My list of things that I should have done but didn't (mastering Google Earth, graduating from Webcast Academy, completing my wiki and SmartBoard lessons for my class in October, cleaning out my kitchen cabinets, getting into a good workout routine before the start of school, etc.) is a much easier list for me to create.

But maybe now it's time to let that go. It's time to see if I can move on without beating myself up over what I didn't accomplish this summer. And be proud of what I have done. On to the 2007-2008 school year! Let's see what we can accomplish together!