Are you interested in finding a way to share your students' podcasts or listen to audio books via the web? Looking for more efficient research methods, or wishing you could annotate the web with your own sticky notes? If so, then Assistant Professor Jessica K. Parker has a few recommendations for you in this, our first of the semester Ed Tech Tips Blog post.  Give these tools a try:  

1. Fantashow by Wondershare. Customize your own slideshow from your photos or video, add some text and special effects, and then share on YouTube, Facebook, Moodle, or even DVD. This resource is fast, (relatively) easy, and free (up to a certain point).

2. SoundCloud: Share your sounds (e.g., music, interviews, language, appropriate noises, etc.) on SoundCloud and have access to the largest community of artists, bands, news organizations, podcasters, etc. This site lets you share your podcasts or your students' podcasts, follow your favorite organizations or news agencies, listen to audio books, and find wonderful historical gems. You can search by theme: books, learning, comedy, news, arts, or business. Try adding a SoundCloud audio link or ask students to create a SoundCloud creation to spice up your online modules.
 
3. Diigo: This web-based research tool will transform the way your search and gather information. Diigo allows you make annotations, highlights, and sticky notes for the web. (You can make these annotations private or give access to specific people/groups/classes). This is referred to as social bookmarking: as you read on the web, instead of just bookmarking with your browser's bookmarking tool, you can highlight portions of webpages that are of particular interest to you.

You can also attach sticky notes to specific parts of the pages and then categorize your notes based on theme--this is called tagging. Then your Diigo highlights and sticky notes will remain on the pages; whenever you return to the original webpage your highlights and sticky notes will be there. There is also an educator account too! You can use Diigo on any web browser and even on an iPad.
 
Keep following our blog for upcoming EdTech tips!
Or follow the #EdTech hashtag on our Twitter feed to get more great Educational Technology news and information.

Entrepreneurs are known for their ability to seize opportunity and move forward toward their creative and innovative goals, usually taking substantial risks along the way.  With skill, they have an ability to keep advancing, pivoting on the path, avoiding obstacles and adjusting to the changing conditions to achieve success.  If they don't reach their goal, they learn from the experience and apply that new understanding to the next creative project.    

In the course Unleashing the Entrepreneurial Spirit, teachers, school administrators and community leaders will learn how to apply entrepreneurial techniques to the domain of education, and put into action their own creativity. The four-session course offers participants the opportunity to build their own plan for realizing their creative vision.  The course will bring insightful speakers to prompt class discussions and inspire group collaboration as each participant builds and refines their strategic plan for innovation. The course is designed and delivered as a collaboration between the School of Education and the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University and ieSonoma.org.

The link to register and pay for this short course is now available online.  The course fee is $50, plus there is an option to register for 1 continuing education unit for an additional $55.  Instructions for payment are at http://www.sonoma.edu/education/ues/index.html

Successful entrepreneurs build sustainable business models that can support themselves over time.  Educators need to consider sustainability too when building their innovations.  And, over time, as the project grows and the environment changes, the innovator needs to be open to receiving feedback and incorporating change to keep what they are doing relevant, true to their vision, and successful.

During this session, participants will share their ideas and action plans based on their collaborative work developed during the course.

More details on this session TBA

The room in Salazar Hall was filled with educators and community members: school teachers, principals and superintendents, community organization leaders, college students, and local business people. They had all come to explore the idea of entrepreneurial thinking in education in the Preview Class for Unleashing Entrepreneurial Spirit at Sonoma State University.

Organized as a follow-up to the ieSonoma community-wide event featuring Sir Ken Robinson, the pundit who claims in his popular TED talk that 'schools kill creativity', the evening offered participants a chance to engage in an in-depth dialog about how to foster innovation in schools, and helped them get a taste of what the four-session course would be like when it begins on August 26. The Preview also provided a forum for course planners to hear what aspects of entrepreneurship participants are most interested in exploring. In subsequent sessions, students will have the opportunity to meet and talk with people who are entrepreneurs and innovators in their field, engage in critical dialog and deep thinking about creativity and innovation, and work on developing their own strategic plans.

Mark Nelson, Codding Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Sonoma State University and William Silver, SSU Dean of the School of Business and Economics were the featured presenters for the Preview Class. Their talk focused on how they envision entrepreneurial thinking can be applied in educational settings. Entrepreneurs need to have a vision, be creative and resourceful, recognize opportunity, take risks and learn from failure. Working in small groups, Preview Class participants discussed the nature of creativity and innovation, and explored how those ideas might be applied in a new way to their work in schools, organizations, businesses and the community.

To design and lead the class, SSU Educational Leadership Professor Paul Porter pulled together a team that includes Jennie Snyder, Superintendent of Piner-Olivet Union School District, Dan Blake, Director of Innovations and Partnerships, Sonoma County Office of Education Mark Nelson, Codding Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Sonoma State University and former President and COO of the Nelson Family of Companies. This is one of the collaborative learning initiatives that Porter is working to develop this year for the School of Education.

In planning the class, the team felt it was important to leave the Unleashing Entrepreneurial Spirit course outline open at first, and didn't finalize details of the course content in advance; they waited to meet with the Preview Class participants and engage in discussions with them about their needs, and their ideas about creativity and innovation before sketching out the mini-course's full outline. Many who attended were looking for ways to incorporate some of the '21st Century Skills' into their classrooms and expressed the need to be ready for the new Common Core Standards curriculum changes, while others were looking for ways to develop community partnerships that could help support student learning. Some said they hoped to develop their leadership skills to foster a climate of innovation in their schools and organizations. Most of the Preview participants plan to attend the four fall class sessions.

"The first session was inspiring and productive," noted course facilitator Jennie Snyder, " We had a wide range of experiences and backgrounds among the participants. I was particularly impressed with their level of engagement and commitment to creating positive change in their organizations."

Registration is still open for the Unleashing Entrepreneurial Spirit Class. The cost for the four Monday night sessions (8/24, 9/9, 9/23, 10/7. 6:00-8:30) is $50, plus an option to earn one CEU for $55 more. For more information about the class and how to register visit www.sonoma.edu/education/ues/index.html

Last month over seven hundred local teachers, school administrators, university faculty, and community and business leaders came together for an inspiring event designed to open up dialogue about creativity, innovation and technology in our schools. The June 10 event started out with a panel discussion of leading North Bay entrepreneurs followed by a keynote by Sir Ken Robinson, a respected inspirational speaker, well-known for his TED talk entitled Schools Kill Creativity. Sonoma State University's School of Education was a major sponsor of the event which was held at Sonoma Country Day School and organized by ieSonoma (innovate + educate Sonoma), a new collaborative partnership between public and private educational institutions and the larger community spearheaded by the Sonoma County Office of Education. ieSonoma's collaborators hope to engage in projects which improve teaching and learning in local schools so that students will be prepared for life in a technology rich world.

Changes in information resources, educational technology and the national shift to the new Common Core Standards are helping fuel a growing interest in how to lead innovation in schools. According to Robinson, "Education is not a linear process of preparation for the future: it is about cultivating the talents and sensibilities through which we can live our best lives in the present and create the future for ourselves." In his talk he questioned assumptions in the education system and challenged listeners to make systematic changes that will foster, not inhibit student learning and creativity. He asserted that "creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."

Part of the audience formed teams representing 18 local schools and districts who spent the remainder of the week at an institute focused on how to implement some of these ideas in their schools this year. Participants examined how their schools can systematically support teachers and students to teach in a way that will foster creativity and infuse what have become known as 21st Century skills into the curriculum. This kind of learning, which has been regarded as essential for student success in college and careers, requires students to develop and practice their ability to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate and be creative as they are studying core subjects and developing both cognitive and technical abilities. The teams worked together to form a strategic plan for implementation over the 2013-2014 school year.

A team of faculty from Sonoma State's School of Education participated as a team at the Institute this year too. While critical thinking, collaboration and communication are not new concepts in teaching and learning, their context is new with the adoption of the Common Core Standards and innovations in technology. The SSU team hopes to spend the year helping the credential program faculty infuse more technology in the teaching preparation program, find new ways to collaborate with local districts and schools, and look at ways the specific skills emphasized by the Common Core align with the School of Education's Conceptual Framework..

Dr. Karen Grady, Professor in the Single Subject Credential Program is on the SSU team. She noted "The ieSonoma institute provided me with the opportunity to spend a week talking with School of Education colleagues and other teachers and administrators from Sonoma County about curriculum, technology, and teaching and learning in general. That kind of focused time is such a luxury these days. I was able to make new connections, renew existing partnerships and hear many different perspectives on long-standing issues in education."

Dr. Susan Campbell, Program Director of the Multiple Subject Credential Program also found the experience at the institute worthwhile. She valued "the opportunity to connect with teachers and principals in the surrounding area, Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) resources, and my Sonoma State colleagues. During the week I was able to find support for future projects planned for the SSU Multiple Subject Program. For instance, I scheduled a meeting with a person who works at SCOE who collaborates with schools in maximizing resources in support of English language learners. We are going to meet with one of our faculty members who teaches our English language learner (ELL) credential course and discuss how we can better prepare student teachers to be innovators in classrooms with high ELL populations."

In addition to sending a team to the summer institute, the School of Education is continuing to find ways to work collaboratively in the community and contribute to this dialogue. The University setting provides a learning environment with unique resources and a faculty that is rich with knowledge, diverse teaching experience and valuable expertise. Sonoma State aims to provide opportunities for teachers and educational leaders to think deeply about both the practical and the theoretical issues embodied in the changes schools are facing. Continuing education offerings and events designed to build on the themes of creativity, innovation, communication, and educational technology will complement the teaching credential and graduate programs which provide space for research and reflection along with innovation.

Building on the momentum of the day with Ken Robinson, Sonoma State invited attendees to enroll in a short follow-up course, "Unleashing Entrepreneurial Spirit", geared to help educators and community members develop their own entrepreneurial spirit, stay relevant, challenge assumptions and take risks. In the course, participants will have an opportunity to take with innovators, engage in critical dialog about creativity and innovation and work on how to apply that in their own environment. For more information about the class, which starts on August 26, 6:30-8:00 PM and will meet on four Monday nights, visit www.sonoma.edu/education/ues/index.html.

Article by Jessica K. Parker, Assistant Professor

What's one of the best things about living in the digital era? With access to the Internet, we can all be authors! This wasn't always the case. I grew up a consumer and I watched TV and listened to the radio. The only things I created were mixed tapes and video recordings of athletic events. Today, youth grow up as both consumers and producers. Why not capitalize on this by having students create media texts! Here are three powerful tools that students can use to author their own content and demonstrate understanding.

Storybird: Storybird is an online collaborative storytelling tool that gives users the ability to read, create, and share books online using original art and their own writing ideas. Students can make visual stories with artwork from illustrators and animators around the world! Storybird can inspire anyone to turn images into narratives. Want to learn more? Here is a digital handout on Storybird designed by School of Education Master's students, Kristina Beltz and Carol Wise.

Capzles: Curate your own multimedia presentation with images, audio, and video with Capzles! Dr. Carlos Ayala is using Capzles to have his students discuss important historical events in education.

Jing: Use Jing to take free screenshots or make screencasts. Have credential students annotate aspects of student work or images of their classroom walls. Have math students talk through their process of solving a problem by recording their own computer screen. Give directions for homework by annotating the document using Jing. You will need to download the software, and Jing saves all your work to your computer. I attached my own example of an annotated Yoda!

Congratulations to School of Education Assistant Professor Megan Taylor for recently being accepted as a 2013 STaR Fellow! The Service, Teaching and Research (STaR) Project is an induction program for recent doctoral graduates in mathematics education. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a 12-month experience that networks early career mathematics educators (in the first or second year of their first academic appointment). The Program focuses on three themes: research, teaching and service as well as leadership development To be eligible for this program you must have your doctorate in mathematics education and be in your first or second year of tenure track at an institution of higher education in the U.S. As a STaR Fellow, Megan will have the opportunity to attend a week-long Park City Mathematics Institute this summer, get extra support as she continues her research agenda and collaborate with a strong cohort of other mathematics faculty to strengthen her teaching practice.

Megan Taylor is the newest faculty member in the Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education department and the Single Subject Credential Program here at Sonoma State. Her research focuses on secondary mathematics and teacher education. Megan has taught 6th-12th grade for twelve years and believes that in order to improve public mathematics education in the U.S., improvements on teacher education are necessary. Her recent work investigates how mathematics teachers use textbooks and explores ways they can be do it more effectively to improve classroom learning.

Article written by SSU Student Melissa Marengo

Franklin Matthews never thought he would one day become a teacher. At SSU during his undergraduate studies, he originally declared a business major. Eventually, he switched his major to Kinesiology where he began working as a basketball coach and personal trainer. Parents of kids that he was working with suggested to him that he become a Physical Education teacher because he seemed to work well with children and enjoy teaching them. He thought he would give it a try and began taking some pre-requisites for the credential program during his senior year in 2008.

He then took a brief leave of absence from the school and moved down to the Peninsula with his wife. Wanting to continue his schooling and get his teaching credential he went to San Jose State who would not accept his transfer credits. Instead of starting over with them, he spoke with Dr. Karen Grady here at SSU who encouraged him to do the program up in the North Bay, despite the long commute. Franklin said that all of his teachers worked around his schedule and his busy commute to allow him to get his credential and fulfill his dream of becoming a Physical Education teacher.

Franklin would commute by bus everyday from East Palo Alto to his classes in Rohnert Park. He got his student teaching opportunity at Petaluma High School, which he described as a "blessing in disguise". He was having a hard time finding a student teaching job and Petaluma High was his last hope. He said his experience there was great and he learned a lot about full inclusion for all students. During his time in the credential program what he learned most was classroom management, the importance of gaining student respect and understanding, and developing strong relationships with your students that will leave a lasting impact on their lives.

With the help of all of his professors and fellow students at SSU, Franklin was able to graduate from the Single Subject Credential Program for Physical Education and is now working with kids in the South Bay. Franklin works at a non-profit organization which partners with Stanford University called East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring. He works with about 25 students every other day after school as the High School Group Coordinator. He teaches them life experience as well as offers help with college applications. Franklin Matthews would like to thank Dr. Grady, Dr. Marker, Dr. Victor, and the entire Sonoma State faculty and staff for being so supportive and flexible with him through out his credential program experience. He says he would not have made it where he is today without them.

The teachers at Mary Collins School in Petaluma are dedicated to teaching as a profession, one which mentors new teachers and fosters professional growth for experienced ones through collaboration, research and study. Each semester the Multiple Subject Credential Program places teacher candidates at Mary Collins to gain valuable clinical experience from their staff of expert mentor teachers and the guidance from School of Education faculty supervisors and gain direct experience working with children in the elementary classroom.

In step with this belief that a continual learning process is key for professional growth, Mary Collins teachers host an annual Symposium on topics related to curriculum, teaching and learning. The Symposium is not just for their own staff but is open to educators in the North Bay community. Motivated by the belief that parents are key partners in student learning, they include a parent night in the Symposium schedule so parents can listen to presentations by the guest speakers and discuss these topics too.

This year will mark the 11th time they have hosted the Annual Mary Collins Symposium, which will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2013 and features presenters Dr. Vivian Vasquez and Dr. Patrick Callahan.

Dr. Callahan will focus on the changed expectations for mathematics instruction with the Common Core Standards, specifically two of the mathematical practices: "Constructing Viable Arguments and Critiquing the Reasoning of Others" and "Reason Abstractly and Concretely" and Dr. Vasquez will focus on critical literacy across the curriculum--specifically: critical literacy and technology-- and place based pedagogy.

Registration is $25 to attend the event, which includes lunch.  Registration is online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/308125

This a wonderful opportunity to network with teachers and educators from all across Sonoma County.

Person Theater's house was filled last week with people gathered to celebrate a new group of teachers who have completed their credential programs at Sonoma State.  This group of students will move on to work as public school teachers in elementary, middle and high schools in California.  Most have completed the program over the course of two or three semesters, including many hours of work in clinical practice, working with a mentor teacher and a university faculty supervisor to gain the important practical experience needed to begin their career as a teacher.

Dean of Education Carlos Ayala and President Ruben Arminana delivered opening remarks for the evening's celebration. Faculty from the School of Education's Credential Programs spoke, offering kind and supportive words to the students as they begin their teaching careers.  A student speaker from each program offered remarks at the ceremony: Sarah Kremple, Yasha Mokaram and Jaime Alexander each spoke about their own experience in the program, and their passion for teaching.

In her address to the Multiple Subject Credential Candidates, Dr. Susan Campbell noted that this is an exceptional group of motivated teachers saying, "You have also taken your own students beyond their immediate worlds and shown them how to be active citizens in a humane democracy. With your guidance and leadership, your elementary students have cleaned up local creeks, sent letters to active military personnel, sent food and cards to needy families, started school recycling programs, and made scarves for residents in eldercare-all this within the umbrella of academic learning as they also learn how to read, write, research, and interact within school. You have changed the world and we are proud of you."

Dr. Viki Montera offered her congratulations to the group who completed the Education Specialist Credential Intern program, "who have earned their credential while also serving as full - time teachers in area schools."  Dr. Montera acknowledged the tremendous effort that required, since these Special Education Interns "are responsible for their students' success at work while simultaneously being responsible for their success here at SSU. A balancing act and a remarkable feat."

Dr. Karen Grady acknowledged how challenging it is to earn a credential in California, and offered words of advice to the beginning middle and high school teachers: "
Remember to be kind to adolescents. Even when it is hard to do, put the kids first" and stressed she the importance of maintaining a professional community, advising "...remember that you do not have to manage it all by yourself--the Lone Ranger is actually not a good metaphor for being a great teacher. Find like-minded colleagues, go to conferences, become members of your professional organizations. You will need to do this to be your best, to stay sane and healthy, and to keep growing."

The inspiring ceremony concluded with a slide show of photos of the teachers at their student teaching field sites, and a reception for the graduates and their guests.

Sonoma State faculty, staff and administration got together on December 14 to honor Professor James Fouche's retirement from Sonoma State's School of Education after twenty years of service.  Dr. Fouche came to SSU as the Dean of Education in 1992 following a post as Dean of Education at Winthrop University in South Carolina.  During his tenure as Dean of Education, Fouche contributed in many ways to the campus and community, including the establishment of the Educator in Residence Program, work as a partner on the design for Technology High School, and a co-author of the North Coast Beginning Teachers Program, along with many other projects and initiatives. In 1997 he transitioned to a faculty position in the Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education Department and spearheaded many successful state and federal grants, including work for the advancement of bilingual teacher preparation (Projects BECA and PITA), and many notable initiatives to the advancement of educational technology for teachers: Digital Bridge, Light Bridge and SMART. More more recently he was a partner on the EnAct grant project for accessible technology and Universal Design for Learning. Together these grant projects brought millions of dollars for educational research and innovation to Sonoma State and our public school region.

At the retirement celebration, colleagues shared stories of working with Dr. Fouche over the years, noting many examples of his steady leadership, collegiality, vision for innovation, and dedication to helping teachers and students that characterized his career.  Retired faculty joined the celebration, including Jayne DeLawter, Rick Marks, and Marty Ruddell.  Dr. Fouche's roots in Louisiana and his well-known dedication to Gators football were a theme at the party too, including a cake decked out with an alligator staring down a seawolf, surrounded by blue and orange icing.  The School of Education faculty presented Jim with a gift of a framed Matisse print in honor of the occasion. 

Jim and his wife Kathy look forward to this new opportunity to spend more time with their family, especially their two young grandchildren.