My name is Jeremy Davis and I'm with a company called Calvert Enterprises. I have an absolutely brilliant 5 year old daughter (spoken like a proud daddy) who is starting kindergarten in the fall.
I am very fortunate in that my job with my company is all about thinking up new ideas and seeing if there is a business to built around it. It's really an open canvas which is just awesome.
Right now I'm in the middle of incubating an idea directly related to technology & very early education (pre-k through about 3rd grade). I'm not giving any details yet since I don't want anyone to steal my brilliant idea! ;)
I am a firm believer in building community around ideas to help generate new thought, validate assumptions, even spark controversy. I considered trying to build a community here around what we're doing, but decided to host and build a separate one as I am *really* only focused on this young age group. So much of what I see out there is for older kids, and that makes a ton of sense given how they use technology. But, I think we have something of value for the younger ones and - probably more importantly - their parents and teachers.
The community is called ChimeInOnline.com. As mentioned, I am hoping to hold educationally oriented conversation there specifically related to our young kids. How does that relate to my work? I'm hoping that in participating in community among like-minded people on the topic, I may glean some nuggets of information to help improve what I'm doing. As I mention on the site, even if it turns out there isn't a business or service that comes out of things, I'm hopeful this will be a great and interesting resource for interested people.
I hope this isn't seen as me trying to poach Classroom 2.0 members!! I am thoroughly enjoying lurking in conversations here and will maybe stop lurking and participating soon. I definitely see my community as very different from this one since it's so focused.
I noticed you are from CO and checked out your blog. I spent many wonderful years with LPS and while at EMS sent many students on to LHS. You asked 2 really good questions in your blog:
"So, I want to pose this question to the blogosphere. What do you think? Will “regular kids” by in just because technology is involved?
Also, during the round table discussion the math/science group talked about how we may have to scaffold our kids to get them ready to interact in a professional way in a social network centered around learning. I think this is the challenge that we face and I wonder how others have tackled the issue."
Random thoughts: Most kids want freedom, control, and choice. I think when they understand they will have some of these needs met using technology they will buy into it. Of course, as you suggessted, scaffolding is critical. Students need to know how to do what is expected and it must be broken down for them so they can be sucessful. Why not have lessons on exactly how to interact online? Model the 'professional' expectations and have students talk about what they see on sites such as this one. Modeling is huge! Have your students come up with their lists of 'dos and don'ts 'of how to communicate online so expectations are clear. I believe if you really spend time on this issue - upfront - you won't have problems and kid will buy in.
I have over 15 years of sales and managing experience and always eager to share or help with any that request. I am a family man first and foremost and work by Integrity over money. Currently representing Great America Networks Conferencing. I can help your school or organization communicate more efficiently and cut costs in a number of ways. Audio, Video and Web conferencing is all available.
Great America Networks Conferencing is a premiere provider of audio, video, and web conferencing services at affordable prices. The company was founded out of the desire to provide stellar, “white glove” services at rock-bottom pricing.
Feel free to contact me anytime to talk about how we can help in your conferencing goals.
Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com www.ganconference.com
Phone: 312-432-5377
Fax: 312-492-2577
Skype: anth.russo
Hi, I'm an IT Co-ordinator at an independent school in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. Most of the teachers in South Africa are IT illiterate and many have never even touched a PC! One of my goals is to get South African teachers IT literate. I currently train the teachers MS Office in the afternoons. I know nothing about Classroom 2.0 but would love to learn so that I can teach others. Please help. Thanks, Bronwyn
P. S. A very sunny "hello" from South Africa!
Welcome! This is a great place to learn and meet people who can give you ideas. I am a high school teacher who has only been into new approaches for about a year, and they have transformed my classroom! I now use podcasting to help my students review, as well as many other new tools. Feel free to look at my work on my site! Teachers can be convinced!
Hi,
I have been in corporate education and training for the past 6 years of my career. Primary focus on workforce readiness and role based competency. My current assignment is the R&D engineering and IT business units.
The ‘audience’ amounts to over 10,000 people around the globe. We have plenty of structured learning to help build competencies, but we are looking to the next level; to connect and collaborate, affect knowledge transfer, promote sharing, talent pooling and more.
EMC leads our industry through innovation
Using Web 2.0 to deliver intuitive and value-added services to this diverse base is my current challenge.
1. Keep pace with the rapid change in high tech, which is constantly changing and becoming more complex. Practitioners are the experts
2. to build greater, deeper and broader expertise in the general workforce
3. to be able to mine the collective expertise to build the next generation of formal learning
I’d be very interested in knowing people with similar challenges and what they are trying or doing to meet the challenge.
We are blogging, doing discussion forums, offer video services, have a vast array of eLearning, simulations, performance assessments, distance delivery, heck , we even have a ferret to help people dig out needed information (get it)?!
I am a computer professional and also teach my children, and others in a weekly home-school cooperative. Right now, I'm teaching an "Intro to Computing" course - a broad overview - for high schoolers. Last year, I taught an intro course in Python programming. I use Moodle to help with the courses.
I am a Christian, and enjoy family activities, friends and sports. We live in the Indianapolis, Indiana area.
Though we have chosen to home-school our children, we believe there are many different ways to get a good education. Connecting good teachers with motivated students yields great results - no matter how you do it.
Hello from Soultravelers3! We are a homeschool, bilingual family, 19 months into an open ended trip around the world and blog about our experiences. We are using a few 2.0 educational opportunities with homeschool families and teachers around the world, thus looking to find more win/win explorations here. I am particularly interested in finding gifted opportunities but open to anything. I am not that tech savvy, but see the endless opportunities in this!
Hey, here you are again. I got a comment from you on my blog A Not So Different Place. How old are your children? You might be interested in http://giftededucation.ning.com
Yes, I really looove your blog! I actually read something you wrote here, that sent me there. Then I came back here and joined. lol.
My daughter just turned 7 but she is doing work from 4th grade to college level. We carry a violin and digital piano around the world with us ( her teacher is in Chicago via skype) and she does spend a few months here in Spain at the local school ( manly for language and cultural immersion as we continue to homeschool in English too). Keeping up with just her keeps us busy and we focus much of our travels around her interests like this years time in ancient civilizations.
We have a Russian teacher that uses our blog to teach English to her students, a homeschool family in Japan that follows us and finds the children find places more real by seeing her there and gives good jumping off learning opportunities, and a Spanish teacher that we communicate with etc. etc. Most of the ideas come form other people, but I am open to find more ways to share and collaborate in what we are doing.
Thanks so much for that link! This is our second winter in Spain and we are almost back to our moving phase again, so I am trying to get all that I can in while I still have a good internet connection as it comes and goes on the road.