Tuesday, January 31, 2006

MS Educational Computing Assn Conference, Entry #2

Second day at the conference site, yet today was preconference day. The actual conference doesn't kick off until tomorrow, Tuesday. Activities in which we engaged today included getting the hands-on labs ready for the workshops that began in the evening.

Tonight's first workshop, "iLife '06," was led by Dr. Carl Owens (Apple Distinguished Educator and Professor of Teacher Education and Director of the Instructional Resources Center at Tennessee Tech University). As usual, Dr. Owens did a fabulous job showing attendees the new features of iLife. He gave them a thorough understanding of how to leverage the power of iLife to maximize their teaching. The workshop ran from 6:15 - 7:45 PM.

Then came the really exciting workshop!

From 8:00 - 9:30 PM, ADE (Apple Distinguished Educator) Julene Reed, from Memphis, TN, and I conducted a hands-on workshop titled Podcasting: From Start to Finish in 90 Minutes! What a fabulous time we all had with approximately 20 brave souls who, even though they had had a full day already, came in to learn how to make their own podcasts in such a short time!

We had the most outstanding group of educators who, no matter what the obstacle, would not give up. Each on of them teamed up with another workshop participant, then the two of them used GarageBand (from iLife '06) to create their first podcast. The great news is that all teams finished on time and then we played all the new podcasts for the entire group. Applause rang out across the amphitheater as they celebrated their newfound success.

I am so thrilled for these friends. I wish I could let you hear their first efforts, but I'll have to get their permission first. So, stay tuned.

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