Common Ground Maryland 2012 Twitter Digest Day 1

Because someone might want to look at this and before long going back through Twitter will make it too hard to see these posts, here's a (not so) brief summary of my observations. I've placed gaps to show where I went from one session to another.

1. 
   
   [caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="My hat's seen better days."][/caption]
   
   Up early for a full day of #CGMD12 ... As soon as the caffiene kicks in.


2. @MatthewWinner Not today, no. I look forward to seeing you in my session tomorrow! (That means I'll have at least one person there.)


3. It begins! My presentation has remained largely unchanged for weeks, and I just thought of something new to add.


4. Not 10 minutes after getting here I was recognized twice and high-fived once. I <3 #cgmd12.


5. A little worried - apparently my #CGMD12 session is at the same time as tomorrow's keynotes. Might have a room to myself.
   
   -=-=-=-=-


6. In room 321, ready to see Doug Johnson present on using personal devices for education. I'm in the seat next to the outlet. :)


7. All of Doug Johnson's session notes are online at http://bit.ly/dsPPGg


8. Note to self, look for book called Disrupting Class.


9. @KatrinaStevens1 Your session was already on my short list. Hall is awesome but I've seen him before.


10. Talking about distractions in class - all of which are low tech.


11. "I don't think they're looking for entertainment as much as they are looking for engagement."


12. "You can't disregard the entertainment factor. ... Engagement can't JUST be entertainment."


13. "I don't have all the answers but I hope to leave you confused at a higher level."I am so glad I picked this session.


14. "If I could give my grandkids a gift, it would be to give them a life full of interesting problems."


15. Update: Disrupting Class is available on Google Play http://bit.ly/HVbfUr.(Post-Conference note: The Kindle version is cheaper.)


16. Don't forget to have your edtech conference bingo cards at the ready. http://bit.ly/HVc5k9


17. YES! Speaker is using all the arguments against personal devices to explain why pencils shouldn't be used in class.


18. Doug Johnson is in Rm 321 all day today. From everything I've seen so far everyone should see at least one of his sessions.


19. RE: Devices in school "It's easier to steer the camel in the direction it's already going."


20. When allowing personal devices, set clear rules and expectations - AUP


21. "You can use [it], but first explain [how it will help you learn more]."


22. MP3 player used to 1) Record instructor, 2) listen to language lessons 3) Tune out distractions when doing solo work. FOCUS


23. Essentially: it's not the tool, it's how the tool is used.


24. "[Personal devices] can be used to facilitate TRUE differentiated instruction."


25. Out of time! I'll have to catch up on #BYOD in another session.


26. Teaching to the test creates governed citizens, not governing citizens.
    
    -=-=-=-=-


27. 
    
    [caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="I won a duck. I named it Frog."][/caption]
    
    At @msreneescience & @carmelitadd's session on mashups http://bit.ly/JiyC51


28. When making mashups, make sure you're allowed. (Creative Commons, etc.)


29. @msreneescience & @carmelitadd Don't forget http://openclipart.org and http://incompetech.com for mashup resources!


30. http://soundbible.com and http://archive.org are more awesome resources for mashups.


31. Audience is giving tons of resources. Awesome. (Also: http://Soundcloud.com)


32. http://www.dragontape.com for creating "mixtapes in minutes."


33. @willrich45 As tech changes required skills change too, so I'd say learning dispositions are more important.


34. Showing how to embed (YouTube) videos into other sites.


35. When embedding/linking YouTube vids, you can have them start at specific points by selecting minutes and seconds.


36. Request for next year: Print the schedule on cheaper paper. My pen won't write well on this stuff.


37. Wouldn't be a session on mashups without mentioning Glogster.
    
    -=-=-=-=-


38. @HallDavidson's Keynote Handouts: http://linkyy.com/HallDavidsonHandouts http://linkyy.com/MDLA
    
    -=-=-=-=-


39. In the session about @lessoncast


40. 50% of graduates of Teacher Prep programs leave the teaching field within 5 years. :(


41. Oh wow they have the Unhelpful High School Teacher Meme pic (unedited) http://bit.ly/rludHV in their presentation.


42. I have achieved buzzword bingo in this session.(The point was that buzzwords are overemphasized.)


43. Still discussing the problems in this session. I think we're ready to listen to solutions, now.


44. Aaand as soon as I sent that last one, they switched to talking abut a solution.


45. So @Lessoncast seems to have a nice interface for creating short videos, including space for your script.


46. "Just because you're not a good designer does not mean you're a bad teacher." ... but it helps.
    
    -=-=-=-=-


47. In @harryhanna's session on Twitter "Going to the Dogs!" Also, I'm using one of the only outlets in the room.


48. This session is apparently about @GUESStheDog. Should prove interesting.


49. I am very amused that the majority of people who say hi to me at #CGMD12 call me "The Art Guy" instead of "Aaron," including @runkles1.


50. Starting with "Twitter in Plain English" video. http://bit.ly/nQxDoG


51. Now moving into the "A lot of people use Twitter" phase of the presentation. East Coast Earthquake, Beyonce, SuperBowl


52. Gary's Social Media Counter: http://bit.ly/4tMhu0


53. Relevant to this Twitter discussion: http://bit.ly/J989KE


54. Elementary teachers follow @GUESStheDog, who in turn follows the teachers. Guess answers questions.


55. "Can the kids use their cell phones?" Their policy is "Yes.*" (So is ours.) (The * is important.)


56. "Txt tlk is ok" ... but only when using Twitter, not persuasive writing afterward.


57. Don't make a lot of teacher accounts from the same IP address at once, they'll think you're making spam accounts.


58. Parents encouraged to make Twitter accounts to follow teacher accounts. Teacher accounts are protected.


59. Preview EVERYTHING. (And use the Block button liberally.)


60. @harryhanna @mrh21727 http://TweetDeck.com has a web interface in addition to their app. Good way to bypass seeing trending topics.


61. Just saw @gwynethjones' tweets as they flipped between Twitter pages. She's a super star.


62. Going over Twitter vocabulary. Not sure I need to bother summarizing those here.


63. "Why did you use Explorer?" Oh I like @mrh21727.


64. Looked up how long I've been using Twitter. here's the video I made when I started in 2007: http://bit.ly/HW0KAl


65. More Twitter resources: http://bit.ly/HW11Dm
    
    -=-=-=-=-


66. Ready to see what MacGyver would do in regards to edtech. Rm 327


67. MacGyver preso is run by @scottkotarides, resources are on http://bit.ly/HWp57k


68. A lot of tool implementation is "Ready, Fire, Aim!"Yeah, I've seen that.


69. "Teachers do not get creative with technology." How many teachers make students make PowerPoint reports?


70. "You have to use what you have. ... Creativity can take you a long way."


71. I'm enjoying this presentation, but oh the horrid color choices for this slide. Needs more contrast!


72. "What if you could buy a few iPads (or insert device here) per year?" Might not be a class set, but it could work.
    
    -=-=-=-=-


73. Upstairs at the #CGMD12 Tweetup, wondering if everyone else is downstairs.


74. Home from #CGMD12 and the Tweetup. Lots of awesome people there, but parties (and bars, even nice ones) aren't my thing.