…come together is something we as a learning community have many opportunities to do both online and offline with the ECIS ICT community. It is with these face to face and online gatherings that we each develop new capacities and learnings to grow and share further with our schools. This last month a group of IT Directors spent the day in two collaborative panels one with Heads of School and one with the ECIS Business Manager committee at the ECIS Leadership conference in Vienna. The representatives for the ECIS ICT Committee were: Jennifer Janesko IT Director, Dresden International School, Johnson K. Jacob Director of IT , American International School of Bucharest, Roberto Baldizon Technology Director, Benjamin Franklin International School, Barcelona and John Mikton Director of IT International School of Prague. I have shared here the two presentations we used to frame our conversations for each session with you. The two areas of focus: IT Directors and Heads of Schools INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOL WHAT IS NEXT? based on three guiding questions: Why do we do technology in schools? Information Technology in school — does it improve learning? Information Technology in Schools- what next? and then in the afternoon the same panel of IT Directors meet with the ECIS Business Manager committee and Business Manager from the ECIS region. The focus of this session was on Tech Directors explore 21st century education and technology advances and Business Managers seek to answer the question: After this large investment in IT which has largely been additive to the budget, when will schools start to see a payoff on the bottom line? Two viewpoints come together to develop mutual understanding.
The format, venues and topics provided all three groups with an excellent opportunity to share, discuss these issues. The feedback from both groups was extremely positive, and the general consensus was that we should continue to develop these kinds of sessions with IT Directors as part of the yearly ECIS administrators conference. I would like to extend a big thank you to JJ, Jenn and Roberto for their time and expertise during the sessions and with many of the off line conversations we had during the conference with Business Managers and Heads of School.
As the ECIS ICT Committee we look forward to again facilitating more of these sessions and if you are interested in participating please drop us a note.
Switching topics, this month we are sharing a thought provoking Tedtalk by MIT professor Sherry Turkle Connected, but alone? As all of us see more and more devices enter not only our schools but homes, there area growing number of articles being shared around on the topic of balancing ones online time with off line time. Sherry Turkle explores what this means to human contact and relationships. Please feel free to share this with your own school communities. The topic is something that many of us grapple with, and as we move towards every child with an iPad or laptop in our schools, supplemented with a Smartphone in their pocket and then a game console at home, how do our learning communities build the capacity to balance their connected lives.
ECIS ICT Committee Update
A quick update regarding the ECIS Conference Fall of 2012 Nov 21- 25th 2012 applications for proposals to present. There was a huge interest
this year and the number of applicants to present hit a record. You will be contacted by ECIS on the status of your application in the following months.
Leadership event on the afternoon September 27th: Keynote speakers Ian Jukes, Scott Klososky and Jeff Utecht will each present a 20-30 minute session ,
Full day September 28th, half day September 29th of workshops
October 11-13, 2012 - Western Academy of Beijing
Registration opens May 1, 2012.
What will Learning 2.012 look like?
Learning 2.0 is a trans-formative, challenging experience for all participants; it is the conference that leads the change. We want to ensure that the learning continues after the conference is over by facilitating network-building opportunities through both face-to-face experiences which are then extended, sustained and supported online through this site. http://www.learning2.asia/blog/conference/learning-2-012
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our June issue edition.
have a good month! John Mikton
Chair of the ECIS ICT Committee
Spring seems to be making some subtle in roads, and the change of temperature and maybe even more sun is a welcome respite from the winter. Again I would like to highlight the great conversations occurring on our forums, and especially the balanced and resourceful comments people have been sharing on the topic of Potential Health risks associated with wifi. The community we have developed and culture of sharing of resources and perspectives is wonderful. The support and willingness to share out to help each other is what makes our collaboration so meaningful. THANK YOU to all for your input, ideas, thoughts and comments in these forums.
Why am I highlighting these two stories? I think as we share links and resources, around our schools with various social media tools, we need to continue to highlight as educators and IT Departments the importance of digital literacy, and cross referencing sources, looking into other perspectives, sources, and points of view. It is quite easy to get a link from a friend , colleagues or student and then with little thought share it out without maybe having the time to really understand or drill deeper into its significance. With so much information to digest it can be a challenge to double check everything granted, but as educators we do have a responsibility to make sure we are modeling and facilitating the skills needed to deal with this information overload. A good conversation and talking point to share with your respective communities.
Clay Shirky talk does a great job of highlighting some of these issues associated with “information overload” and the filters (tools) we use to manage these.
We would appreciate if you could at your earliest convenience check that your email address associated with your
account on iSkoodle. Many thanks for your help with this task.
ECIS ICT Committee Update
Please welcome Chelsea Woods, Middle School Technology Integration Specialist. and involved in a school wide leadership role in technology systems at the Anglo American School of Moscow as our new ECIS ICT Committee member.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Lal Abraham (The American School of the Hague), who will be stepping down from the committee, for his years of service, support and collaboration on the ECIS ICT Committee.
Professional Development
ECIS Conference Fall of 2012 Nov 21- 25th 2012
Please note applications for proposals to present are now being accepted The deadline to submit Monday 16th April 2012.
Please find the information, process and link http://edmundo.ecis.org/new/conference/november/proposals/index.asp
Thank you for your interest and support.
Leadership event on the afternoon September 27th: Keynote speakers Ian Jukes, Scott Klososky and Jeff Utecht will each present a 20-30 minute session ,
Full day September 28th, half day September 29th of workshops
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our May issue edition.
have a good month! John Mikton
Chair of the ECIS ICT Committee
The winter was a rough one for many here in Europe some of the coldest temperatures seem to have hit many of our locations. It seems now we might be slowly coming out from the cold spell.
Over the last month there have been some excellent dialogues through our ICT Forums on iSkoodle. One that particularly attracted my attention is the conversation about 1-1 iPads vs 1-1 Laptops. There is no doubt with the availability of digital devices at lower prices, and different more flexible sizes this generates potential opportunities for schools to seriously think about alternatives to the traditional 1 to 1 laptop model. A resource you might like to spend some time with is this link: Data and Analysis of a High School 1:1 iPad Program.
In the forum threads the idea of eWaste was brought up. Somewhat on the same topic last week a statistic came out of my twitter feed More Wireless Devices Than People. In tandem my department has been supporting our Grade 3 teachers and students with their unit on Recycling. We have been spending time with the students talking about eWaste and also showing them the guts of a laptop and desktop. Sharing some of the local laws about recycling computers, and also highlighted some of the issues eWaste generates for societies. One thing that is clear we have more old digital devices than we know what to do with. In talking about these issues with the Grade 3 students it made me realize that maybe in my own work and facilitation as an IT Director I have not engaged with the issue enough. As educators and IT folks what role should we have in developing an understanding of eWaste, and how do we deal with this in our day to day work. As IT Departments should we collaborate to be more proactive in finding some concrete solutions to this growing problem. I do not have any answers but feel this is a good conversation to have within our own departments and larger community.
I have shared a documentary by Frontline which goes over the specific case of eWaste being shipped to Ghana and the impact on the locally community. With this documentary there are some excellent resources that cover the topic of eWaste in general.
This short video does a wonderful job of refocusing what true leadership can be and should be in many ways, little else to say but watch this poignant TedX out of Toronto.
http://www.flatclassroombook.com/
‘Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time’. We are very excited. All details at http://flatclassroombook.com Available also on amazon.com as book and Kindle. ePub coming soon. We are also running a Book Club starting mid-March
http://ictmagic.visibli.com/share/sLVho2
Explania! Watch hundreds of animated explanations, interactive tutorials and instructional videos, and ability to embed them on your own web pages.
ECIS Leadership Conference
This year’s April Leadership Conference will take place in Vienna, Austria (12-15 April).
The theme of the conference is Forming the Future with the opening keynote speaker being Andy Hargreaves.http://www.ecis.org/page.cfm?p=298
Finalsite Pre-conference Workshop http://www.finalsite.com/page.cfm?p=1527 Join your colleagues from across the region at this free conference – held just prior to ECIS’ April Administrator’s Conference- highlighting strategies and case studies from schools like yours. School presenters as well as the expert team from finalsite, the leader in international school website solutions and services, will be on hand to share insights.11 April, 2012 (Optional dinner on the 10th)
Hilton Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our April issue edition.
The word connected seems to be intricately tied to anything associated with the internet. In this interesting video partly poem and story, some interesting observations come up . The one that sticks out, is the fact however much we connect there can be a sense of isolation when doing this behind our devices. The idea and topic of balance in our lives, and students lives keeps coming up. As with many of our schools, as we deploy or expect more devices to be present in our learning, how do we as a community balance this need with certain realities associated with an always on society. As Jason Ohler focuses and highlights in his keynotes, we should no more be talking about devices or even 1 to 1 but focus on the concept of an on/off environment. Students in schools that might not have a 1 to 1 program are walking around with Smartphones or other internet ready devices. In a BYOD (Bring your own device) environment or a school sponsored 1 to 1 program, focusing on the concept of on and off time is the conversation switch we all should be having. Modeling and mentoring our respective communities to this concept will provide us all with a better understanding of what it means to be connected.
“The Inner Net” by David Bowden
Bytes of the Month
Here find a little selection of some great resources and web destinations to share with your faculty and students.
ECIS Leadership Conference
This year’s April Leadership Conference will take place in Vienna, Austria (12-15 April).
The theme of the conference is Forming the Future with the opening keynote speaker being Andy Hargreaves.
ASB Un-Plugged 2012 February 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2012
Come to ASB Un-Plugged to engage in developing and articulating a vision for a 1-to-1 learning environment. Bring a team from your school for inspiration and best practices to help you steer an intentional course.http://www.asbunplugged.org/unplugged2012.htm
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our March edition.
A very happy Year of the Dragon to all of you from the ECIS ICT Committee. We hope you have had a good start to the year and had a chance to rest and relax over the holiday season. With another year behind us and us all looking ahead to 2012 this month’s blog is a kaleidoscope of resources, ideas and updates. A few things seem to pop out as areas of focus, the proliferation of internet devices in our lives/schools, our growing reliance on them. The Bring Your Own Device movement (Bring your own Devices in Education and Interactive Student Engagement, Bring Your Own Device in schools – one school’s experience and Don’t be scared of “Bring Your Own Device”) seems to be taking up more conversations with programs around the world seriously exploring or actually implementing this approach to mobile technology integration in schools. In tandem there has been quite some attention from an article in the New York Times Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools, which has highlighted the tensions that are evident with the fast changing pace of the digital world, and how content, knowledge and learning can be accessed easily out of the confines of our school. How do educational institutions continue to be relevant and engaged with these changes? For us working and managing such IT systems and facilitating education technology pedagogy, change at a fast pace seems to continue to be what will preoccupy us. Juggling visions and big ideas from our school leaders and then operationalizing these into a concrete reality will continue to be the challenge for all.
This idea and Tedtalk is a wonderful jolt to ones thinking about presentations, and something worth sitting and watching, enjoy.
Stretching Your Technology Dollar
In this Educational Leadershiparticle, Minnesota district media/technology director Doug Johnson suggests ways to get the most from technology dollars, we thought this might be a good resource and conversation start as many of us start juggling budgets for next year 2012-2013
Use effective budgeting techniques. “Good technology budgets should not just be practical, but moral as well,” says Johnson, “clearly showing how every dollar spent directly or indirectly improves educational opportunities for students.” This means the budget is aligned with goals, is transparent, is specific, and includes input from key stakeholders.
Take advantage of group buying power. Get quotes and use intermediate service agencies to get discounts.
Practice sustainable technology. Don’t purchase more technology than a school can regularly maintain, upgrade, and replace – and rotate hardware and software.
Purchase the right tool for the right job. This means asking whether this is a job for technology, what exactly will users do with the equipment, where will it be used, will a reconditioned machine serve just as well as a new one, and could families rather than the school provide this item?
Use the cloud. This can save storage and backup expenses at the school and district level.
Enforce standardization through single-point purchasing. Standardizing equipment, software, and services increases bulk purchasing discounts, decreases inventory of supplies and parts, increases the amount of training time, decreases the need for technical support, and increases the likelihood of compatibility with legacy systems.
Get rid of outdated stuff. This includes 16mm film projectors, filmstrips, cassette tape players, opaque projectors, Microsoft Works and AppleWorks software and phasing out overhead projectors, CRT televisions, VHS tapes and players, and desktop rather than web-based software.
Provide sufficient training. This ensures that the equipment you’ve invested in will be used well
If you are like most educators, you wonder from time to time how others are teaching your subject in other schools. You may also sometimes wish you could discuss ideas and tools with and seek advice from those beyond your school community. The professional network, 1to1<connect> facilitates your communication with other educational professionals for that very purpose. You can also use the group feature of 1to1<connect> to help promote sharing amongst your school community as well. 1to1<connect> is free and secure. If you would like to join, go to http://beta.1to1web.net/ and click “Beta Registration” on the right side. Please keep in mind that we do vet emails to avoid spam, so you may have to wait a short time to receive your confirmation. Feel free to share this link with others who may be interested or contact me directly about setting up your school community or group as a whole. We hope to connect with you soon.
Leah Treesh 1to1LT.com
Codecademy, a startup that uses interactive online lessons to turn anyone into a computer programmer, has signed up 97,000 students in less than 48 hours for its New Year’s resolution class Code Year. http://mashable.com/2012/01/03/codeacademy-code-year
Very insightful website about iPad 1:1 implementation in 10 schools in Victoria, Australia. Great overview of application, implementation guide, classroom ideas and also focus on special needs schools. http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/
Focus on Math Web 2.0 tools
3Dvincihttp://www.3dvinci.net/ccp0-display/splash.html 3D design is a great motivational and instructional tool. It exercises both left-brain and right-brain skills, and appeals to students of all abilities. ModelMetricks books contain easy-to-follow projects based on the free Google SketchUp application, to show how to model anything in 3D.
Algebasics http://www.algebasics.com This site contains a variety of interactive Algebra help/ problems/activities
Archimyhttp://www.archimy.com This site has a service for drawing the graphs of all kinds of functions . With Archimy, you will draw the graph of any function and form, just use your imagination. The program must be downloaded and is free.
Arcademic Skill Builderhttp://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com Our research-based and standards-aligned free educational math games and language arts games will engage, motivate, and help teach students. Click a button below to play our free multi-player and single-player games!
Calc3Dhttp://www.calc3d.com This site has interactive Mathematical graph and charting software for geometry and statistics
Chart Gizmohttp://chartgizmo.com This site has an incredible chart builder for any type of data that can be typed or uploaded to this tool
Interactiveshttp://www.learner.org/interactives Interactives” provides educators and students with strategies, content, and activities that can enhance and improve students’ skills in a variety of curricular areas.
Interactive Library Applets for Math, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry & Earth Science 6-12 http://edinfo.securesites.net/il/il_math.htm The Interactive Library is about “real interactivity”! The database contains hundreds of activities that make use of sophisticated java, vrml and shockwave programs. Teachers can create their own activity sheet to go with the programs. Students can use these programs to supplement their classroom activities, or use one of the more advanced applets as a starting point for their science project.
Introducing Integers (6-8)http://mathstar.lacoe.edu/newmedia/integers/intro/media/media.html This site contains hands-on approaches for teaching the sometimes challenging concept of integers. Included are video clips, concrete models and Mat Board for solving the problems. Quick-Time media player is required.
ASB Un-Plugged 2012 February 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2012
Come to ASB Un-Plugged to engage in developing and articulating a vision for a 1-to-1 learning environment. Bring a team from your school for inspiration and best practices to help you steer an intentional course.
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our Feburary edition.
A learning community is what all of us are involved with as educators in the International Schools. This last month many of us connected online and offline through the ECIS Conference in Lisbon which gave us all an opportunity to share, explore, learn and chat with peers from around the globe. One of the events which we shared with many of you was the ECIS ICT Pre_Conference dedicated IT day, with members of the ECIS ICT Committee, Finalsite and John Davitt collaborating with you to explore a variety of topics tied to our day to day work in schools. As always while the conference and sessions took place many side bar conversations occurred, which can be as rewarding of a learning experience as the main conference sessions. Personally the day was rich in learning as a presenter, and the many conversations and side bar chats provided me with so much food for thought and opportunity to reflect on my own practice as an IT Director. It was evident that getting folks together and providing a space and venue both online and offline to collaborate generated a unique opportunity to learn and grow. This short video does a wonderful job of sharing some of the learning from the day Hands: Learning from the day.
In an effort to extend the Pre-Conference and Conference below we am sharing a series of links for your reference posted on our ICT iSkoodle course which we encourage you to explore and share further with your faculty.
One of the many challenges we all face as IT folks in schools, is knowing what will stay current, what systems and devices will be around long enough for us to implement. How to judge and juggle the variables. Often our budget cycles and purchasing timelines are out of sink with new product enhancements or launches, similar with Operating Systems. In the video below these issues are explored with the lens of what IT companies are in the forefront and what does the future hold for them, and us as consumers ….
New topic on iSkoodle: iPad, iTouch, and Tablet Devices share area
We have started a new area on iSkoodle for folks to collaborate and share resources on the topic of iPads and similar devices being implemented in schools,
iPad, iTouch and tablet devices sharing and conversation area
Apple Education European Leadership Summit, London – 10-11.1.2011
Educational conference BETT http://www.bettshow.com in London attracts lots of educators from around the world. Apple Europe is organising 2 day conference and workshops on 10th and 11th January for the key customers and prospecs. The first day is aimed for the primary segment, second day for the secondary segment with lots of attention being on iPad use in the classroom.
ASB Un-Plugged 2012 February 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2012
Come to ASB Un-Plugged to engage in developing and articulating a vision for a 1-to-1 learning environment. Bring a team from your school for inspiration and best practices to help you steer an intentional course.
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our January edition.
To all wishing you a restful and relaxing holiday season and our warmest wishes from the ECIS ICT Committee
All of our schools and members of our school communities develop a narrative, story to better share our beliefs and mission to the communities we serve. This idea of building a narrative which then people can participate in, and in turn develop their own narrative from our schools story is a theme that more and more folks are talking about. A good example of a powerful narrative is the story of Steve Job’s and Apple narrative which over the years has become the narrative for many of us, as consumer and fans of their products. This month we are featuring this video from John Francis who shares his story of 17 years of silence and walking,
How does this narrative building play a role in schools? All of our schools through a variety of activities and curriculum engage our students and our communities in this process of building narratives. This for me really stuck out with us hosting the European Student Film Festival, and watching the engagement and enthusiasm of the students participating in the Film Challenge
In this event students work side‐by‐side for an intense time in which they write, film and edit a short film. This years theme was Revolution /Evolution with the setting of Prague and its neighborhoods. Watching the students from different schools, juggle the process of building a unique narrative pulled from their own personal experiences , and then collaborate to come up with a final product through film highlighted the complexity of the narrative process. What was delightful was to see the students gradually through discussion, problem solving, compromise and desire to succeed generate a common vision around one narrative.
A Common Thread from ECIS ICT Committee Member Leah Treesh
Many teachers remember the days of searching endlessly for beyond-the-textbook materials and tools to enhance and support learning in their classrooms. Some may even miss those days, due to how overwhelming sifting through the plethora of available possibilities can be when the pressures of the profession can seem to increase with each coming school year.
Since there are so many interesting and engaging options these days, from online tools to software and equipment, it is easy to either do too much and risk burnout before the end of the first semester, or to do nothing at all and stick to methods and tools which no longer reach students.
One solution for this is to identify (as an individual, department or school) on core goal for the school year, a goal tied to a desired learning outcome. For example, a goal could be making learning more visual or the development of cross-departmental learning projects. This common thread gives teachers one major area on which they can focus their efforts to create a more progressive learning experience and provides them way to build their knowledge and comfort with today’s tools without feeling extremely overwhelmed.
Update : The ECIS ICT Committee Pre-Conference day
Thank you for signing up for the ECIS Pre-Conference session facilitated by the ECIS ICT Committee. We are excited that many of you will be joining us on in Lisbon Thursday Nov 17th 2011. We had such a huge interest we actually filled up all the seats. THANK YOU ALL for your support
We have set up an iSkoodle course for each workshop that you will be able to access for the Pre-Conference even if you are not there physically. If you wish to access the workshop courses you will be able to do this via this link starting Nov 17thhttp://moodle.ecis.org/course/category.php?id=8 Please note you will need to have registered with iSkoodle to access these courses, registration is free.
ICT Committee Open Business Meeting @ECIS
We will have our Open Business Meeting on Friday Nov, 18th from 11:00 to 12:00
If you have items you would like to see on the Agenda please go to our wiki.http://moodle.ecis.org/mod/wiki/view.php?id=1380
Apple Education European Leadership Summit, London – 10-11.1.2011
Educational conference BETT http://www.bettshow.com in London attracts lots of educators from around the world. Apple Europe is organising 2 day conference and workshops on 10th and 11th January for the key customers and prospecs. The first day is aimed for the primary segment, second day for the secondary segment with lots of attention being on iPad use in the classroom.
ASB Un-Plugged 2012 February 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2012
Come to ASB Un-Plugged to engage in developing and articulating a vision for a 1-to-1 learning environment. Bring a team from your school for inspiration and best practices to help you steer an intentional course.
http://www.asbunplugged.org/unplugged2012.htm
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our December edition.
As the fall colors start creeping in it is hard to believe how time flies, last post we had just come out of summer
Over the last few weeks there have been a rich set of resources and links shared via our respective Professional Learning Networks and this month we have collated a few for your own reference.
Google Workshop for Educators
There was a good turn out for this event hosted in Prague at ISP sponsored by http://cloudsourcesolutions.com/. Zurich International School, American School of London, Frankfurt International School, American Overseas School of Rome, International School Dusseldorf, International School of Prague and the American School of Leysin, all had faculty attending. Our facilitator Wendy Gorton, (Google Certified Teacher and Google Apps EDU Certified Trainer) provided us with a rich array of ideas, resources and tools in the Google Apps environment. If you are interested in having Wendy come to your school feel free to contact her at : wendygorton@gmail.com
Kids, Privacy and Media.A thought provoking talk.
Resources:
1to1 Connect is an Online community for progressive educational professionals seeking to connect and share their practices and ideas with other like-minded folk. http://beta.1to1web.net/
A compelling look at the self, identity, community and our lives and how we and digital devices are shaping the future http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/ccp-turkle/
Facebook Privacy Settings. With yet again a new overhaul of Facebook’s privacy settings. These new settings are clearer and have an easier structure for our students to understand. It is well worth spending time with your respective school communities on these: Beyond Facebook’s New Simplified Privacy Settings
Conferences
ICT Committee Open Business Meeting @ECIS
Please note we will have our Open Business Meeting on Friday Nov, 18th from 11:00 to 12:00
If you have items you would like to see on the Agenda please go to our wiki.
Post-Conference Institute by ISM – February 26 and 27, 2012
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our November edition.
A warm welcome back to all from what I hope was a restful and relaxing summer. If you are like many of us who actually have been back for a little while at our respective schools, summer might be feeling like a distant memory. So here we are in the beginnings of a new academic year, a world that keeps changing at increasing speeds, and each one of us juggling new ideas, concepts, systems, and outlooks. A resource which frames some of the trends and areas to look out for is the Horizon Report. Here you will find links to the key areas of the document which looks at what is coming down the pipeline in Education Technology, this year, in three years and 5 or more years. This report and areas of focus are excellent conversation starters and also provide a clear framework of what we can expect to have an impact on our own learning and our respective schools learning. Sharing this with your administrators and faculty informally or formally is a good way to generate conversations, and highlight things you might be already doing, or areas you might like to focus on for the upcoming year.
Look forward to hearing how people might be currently integrating some of these trends in your schools and areas you are looking to move on. Please drop us a note here at the ECIS ICT Committee and we will post some of these on our blog.
A couple weeks ago a faculty member shared this compelling and moving video with an interesting title ” The Internet is My Religion “. A fascinating story and reflection.
IMPORTANT: Please make a point of reading Warren Apel’s (IT Director at the International School of Amsterdam and Committee member) Post on our ECIS ICT Blog about a scam hitting international school teachers recruiting, he has shared excellent advice and tips.
Google Educators Workshop
by CloudSourceSolutions at the International School of Prague
There are still a few seats available if interested please find the information and contact person to register
Google Workshop for Educators at the International School of Prague on Saturday September 24th . For questions or more information please contact: “Daniel Taylor” <dan@cloudsourcesolutions.com>,
Register: https://cueweb.cue.org/cueweb/PDW/PDWWebStore.aspx?pagecode=prague
What: Google Workshop for Educators
When: Saturday, September 24th, 2011, 8:30am-3:30PM
Where: International School of Prague
Your words, your input…..
Please remember your links, your thoughts, your resources are important to this blog if you have something you wish to have featured drop into our wiki area on iSkoodle and add it there, I will make sure it is featured in our October edition.
John@ISPrague -Chair of the ECIS ICT Committee
The recent news about internet “pirates” taking websites hostage has caused a lot of (very appropriate!) worry for international schools lately. If you haven’t read Dr. Linda Duevel’s story about how her school was affected, you should – it’s a well-written piece that explains the scam perfectly.
It’s understandable for a school to feel somewhat helpless faced with the idea that somewhere, someone may be constructing a carbon-copy duplicate of your entire website without your knowledge or permission. There probably isn’t a way to pro-actively stop them from doing that. And yet, how are we to prepare for such an attack?
One step we’ve taken at the International School of Amsterdam is to set up a Google Alert. It’s an easy way to subscribe to updates in the massive database of sites that Google monitors. The instant that a new website is available on Google, you can get an email letting you know. I use it to keep track of new websites that I might be personally interested in. But it’s also a great way to be the first to know when a pirate site has been launched.
All you have to do is go to the Google Alert website and create a search. In this example (click the image to enlarge), I’m searching for the title of our human resource page “International School of Amsterdam careers.” Google lets me know that there haven’t been any new pages created today that match this search. It also gives me a preview of what my alert would look like if a new page popped up matching my search.
Then I just choose if I want this alert sent immediately as it happens, once a day, or once a week. I can choose to search the entire web, or just news or blog posts. I can choose to get just the top results or to get absolutely everything. Then I enter my email address and I’m subscribed.
I know I can’t stop a dedicated scam artist from hijacking our website, but I can make sure that I know about it before unsuspecting candidate teachers get waylaid by internet pirates.
— Warren Apel, Director of Educational Technology, ISA
iPad, iTouch, tablet devices conversation Forum
Share resources, links etc.. on iPad, iTouch and tablet devices 
