New EdOnTech Web Page on Wix

The new EdOnTech web page has now been published.  Thanks to my colleaugue and fellow 20 to Watch Honoree, Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd), for introducing me to Wix.  I had started a Google Site, but once I saw what Wix could do I switched gears and moved my site to Wix.

Wix is a free (paid version available) online web page designer that provides several stunning templates to get you started.  The basics of my page are there and more is to come.  You'll notice a few pages are still under construction.  I'm looking forward to learning more about Wix and turning it into a platform for education professionals transforming education through technology.

Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated!

EdCamp NKY: An Imminent Reality?

With regularity over the past year, I've watched Tweets about various EdCamps pop up on my devices.  I've always wanted to attend a virtual EdCamp, but my job responsibilities have prevented me from attending.  As I've researched EdCamps, I realized how relatively easy it would be to create one for the Northern Kentucky area I work and live in.  

My goal is to have the first ever EdCampNKY up and running sometime in the 2013-2014 school year.  I know I can pull it off with the help of my friends at the SimpleK12 Teacher Learning Community, contacts at the Kentucky Department of Education, as well as my fellow 20 to Watch colleagues.

I look forward to starting EdCampNKY and look forward to any input anybody reading this post may have.  I firmly believe educators can do great things and drive education forward when we put our collective minds together.

Project Explorer: Go Global

Technology and Social Media allows teachers to expand education beyond the four walls of a classroom.  Tools like Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet all allow teachers to bring the world to their students.  Now you can add Project Explorer to the list of tools teachers have available.

Project Explorer, founded by Jenny Buccos in 2003, has a mission "To bring the world into the classroom with free multimedia content and lesson plans that improve students’ global awareness and cross cultural understanding."  Through a combination of corporate, government, and individual sponsors, Project Explorer is able to provide these outstanding learning resources FREE to teachers all over the globe.

Project Explorer offers teachers lesson plans, videos, and educational blogs that cover all subjects and foster cross cultural understanding.  Students can follow the footsteps of Indiana Jones and fly above the desert in a hot air balloon in Jordan, climb ancient temples and swim with sharks in Belize and Costa Rica, and celebrate Carnival (not the cruise line) on a quick trip to Haiti.

The list of awards Project Explorer has earned is numerous.

• ProjectExplorer.org Founder Jenny M. Buccos named 2012 White House Champion of Change.
• 2011 GOLD Parents’ Choice Award for the highest production standards and universal human values.
• 2011 Non-profit Standard of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association.
• ProjectExplorer.org Founder Jenny M. Buccos named 2010 Woman of the Year by She Takes On The World.
• 2010 Winner of Best Use of Educational Video from EduBlogs.
• 2010 National Award for Citizen Diplomacy for ProjectExplorer.org’s Jenny M. Buccos. The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy recognized Buccos for her exemplary work as a citizen diplomat.
• 2010 recipient of the EduNet ChoiceAward (Canada).
• 2009 Top Pick Website by Education Week Magazine for innovative approach to tech in classroom instruction.
• 2009 GOLD Parents’ Choice Award for the highest production standards and universal human values.

And to top off this list of impressive awards, Project Explorer founder Jenny Buccos, like me, was name as an Education Technology 20 to Watch by the National School Board Association. She is one of the few non-profit organizations to receive this prestigious award. As an educator, it was an honor and a privilege to meet Jenny, and I look forward to working with her in the future.

As for Project Explorer, I plan on introducing this series to all 18 of our schools, and can't wait to see where Project Explorer takes us next!

CoSN 2013 & NSBA 20 to Watch Reflections

I am truly honored to have been selected as one of the National School Board Association's 20 to Watch this year.  It is truly humbling to have my work recognized by my peers and past 20 to Watch recipients.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank NSBA for recognizing not only me, but the other 19 outstanding recipients, most of whom I met while at the CoSN Conference in San Diego.  I would also like to thank CoSN for providing us with an opportunity to participate in their conference.  Most importantly, I would like to thank TechSmith for providing us with not only a wonderful meal while in San Diego, but a very generous software scholarship that I can't wait to start using with some of my teachers.

Since returning from San Diego, I've had plenty of time to reflect on how far I've come and where the conversation needs to go.  I will be discussing these reflections in future blog posts, not only to share what I learned, but to also spur a conversation about the future of education and technology's role in education.  I've told some folks around here I've come back with a new attitude and a clearer sense of purpose and directions, and with that will come more push-back on programs and software that need to be improved.

I've also come back with plenty of ideas to improve my Ed On Tech "brand".  I'm now working on setting up and hosting my first #edontech Twitter chat (you can follow me at @KCSDtisEB), working on a Google+ page as well as an EdOnTech Google Hangout, and several other ideas.  I'll be picking the brains of my fellow 20 to Watch educators, whose skills and knowledge are a great complement to mine.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas for improving education through technology.