RJ Stangherlin

Keystone Technology Integrator and STAR Discovery Educator

This site is for Mrs. Stangherlin's classes at Salisbury High School.

My Learning Network

Cross-posted on Learning Curve and Changing Connections

My educational mantra this year is professional learning networks.  Web 2.0, School 2.0, and learning and teaching in the 21st century is about creating an effective learning network.  The strength and quality of your life-long learning relates to the people in your network.  Here’s my learning network (okay, not the baby) and I am so proud to learn from them every day.  [You really want to click on the last link in this paragraph--he’s a fifth grade student keynoter and you want to hear his message.]

Special thanks to Brad Fountain for his TouchGraph photo on Facebook.  I’m so glad to be part of this learning community.

Brad Fountain
DEN
DEN TV
UstreamTV
Facebook
learning networks
Turbo Tagger

Digital Literacy and Web 2.0: Tech Tips

Back to school just isn’t what it used to be, and the tools we gather for the start of a new year change faster than the the speed of light. As a way to welcome you back, I put several of my favorites in Wordle, a new tool compliments of my learning curve with Randy Ziegenfuss.  What makes Wordle fun is its ease of use: so simple, so fast, and so (much) fun.  My goal is to send you some tech tips each week, a roundup of cool tools I’ve found through my PPLNs (Professional Personal Learning Networks).  I love what I learn from my Twitterverse, Plurk, and a host of social media that is quickly becoming a wonderful way to learn globally, instantly.  So, each week watch for my Tech Tips, and I’ll try to vary the way I deliver them.  I’ll even ask you to contribute and share your favorite finds as well.  So, until next time, feel free to add your Web 2.0 finds using the Comment option.  And WELCOME BACK.

THE SIEMENS FOUNDATION, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS AND NSTA ANNOUNCE MAJOR PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH FIRST

Found this press release on Twitter courtesy of wakey1971.

(NEW YORK) – The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Communications and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have joined together to inspire student achievement in sustainability through a comprehensive education initiative, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. Announced today, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is an unprecedented partnership between three industry leading organizations that are committed to educating, empowering and engaging students, teachers and communities in environmental sustainability.

Kicking off the 2008 school year in September, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is the first and only national K-12 sustainability education initiative aligned to state education standards and uniquely tailored to match students’ growing comprehension abilities throughout their school-aged years. By partnering with Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications, which provides scientifically proven, standards-based digital media tools and resources to classrooms nationwide, and the NSTA, the largest science teacher organization in the world dedicated to improving science education and increasing student learning by engaging all teachers of science, the Siemens Foundation will serve as a pioneer in recognizing sustainability efforts within the K-12 education system.

“As a leader in environmentally relevant businesses, Siemens knows the answers to tomorrow’s critical environmental questions are in the minds of today’s students,” said James Whaley, President, Siemens Foundation. “Uniting with Discovery Education and NSTA complements Siemens’ commitment to the future and to those who are going to create it. We look forward to unleashing this tremendous reservoir of potential through the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.”

“Education and the environment have always been part of Discovery’s core mission and we are proud to be a partner in encouraging students to learn about and create sustainable solutions through the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications.

“The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will engage science teachers and allow students the opportunity to think like scientists, learn more about key environmental issues, and to develop critical-thinking skills that will help them to make informed decisions regarding stewardship of the planet,” said Dr. Gerry Wheeler, Executive Director, NSTA.

Designed to equip students in every grade level with the tools and inspiration to develop innovative green solutions for schools, homes and communities, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will transform participants into active citizens for a greener tomorrow. The program begins by helping young students understand the basic concepts of sustainability and why it’s important to protect the environment. At each subsequent stage, the concepts expand to engage students beyond their classrooms, into their communities and to the global world.

K-2: My Classroom: Introduce students to the importance of “being green” and provide opportunities for active learning and engagement.
3-5: My School: Inspire students to think beyond their classroom — using science and math skills to take their school “green.”
6-8: My Community: Empower students with tools to apply the Scientific Method to real-world “green issues” in their local communities.
9-12: My World: Connect students with real-world scientists as they tackle today’s “green challenges” — moving from insight to global action.

In September, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge launches with a national middle school competition where teams of students will identify an environmental problem in their community and will research and recommend a reproducible environmental improvement program. Teams will then provide an explanation about how other communities across the country can launch similar environmental improvement programs.

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will expand to kindergarten and elementary school students in 2009 and to high school students in 2010, complete with standards-based lesson plans and teacher materials, student projects and prizing to foster learning, team work and problem solving around sustainability.

For more information about the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, visit http://www.wecanchangetheworldchallenge.com.

About the Siemens Foundation
The Siemens Foundation provides over $4.5 million towards science, technology, and engineering and math initiatives annually. Its signature programs, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, reward exceptional achievement in science, math and technology. By supporting outstanding students today, and recognizing the teachers and schools that inspire their excellence, the Foundation helps nurture tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. The Foundation’s mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens’ U.S. operating companies and its parent company, Siemens AG. For more information, visit http://www.siemens-foundation.org.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the world’s number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery’s founder and chairman. For more information, please visit http://www.discoverycommunications.com.

About the National Science Teachers Association
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA works to improve science education and increase student learning by providing resources and training that support and enhance quality teaching. The Association advocates for the importance of science and science learning and works to enhance science education through research-based policy and practice. NSTA’s current membership includes more than 57,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education. For more information, please visit http://www.nsta.org.

Ethan Vokes: Versatile Winner of Young Artists’ Exhibit

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

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Ethan Volkes is a young man of many talents.  He led his IP team to a very successful stage presentation as team leader, and with another team member, Matt Croft, built a rotating combination desk and bar for their stage presentation, “What If the Constitution Had Not Been Ratified?  How Much Can One Document Change the Future?  Any graduate of the IP process will tell you that IP becomes your life, so Ethan’s accomplishment at the Banana Factory, happening at the same time that IP kicks into high gear, makes his accomplishment even greater.

Ethan captured Honorable Mention for one of his two art works competing at the Third Annual Banana Factory Young Artists’ Annual Exhibit. The opening of the exhibit, which runs through August, was a “First Friday” in June, and it was a really exciting evening with an impressive attendance.  Strategically positioned in direct line with the entrance, the exhibit literally draws you into the Banana Factory.

Ethan’s prize-winning art was a two-dimensional metal work, and the photos simply do not maximize the intricacy of his work.  I asked Ethan how his work came to be exhibited at a juried show, and he said that his art teacher, Mr. Scott Atiyeh, who has a studio at the Banana Factory, selected his work.  Ethan discusses the creative process in depth in his podcast, so you might want to check it out.  That his work was exhibited and one piece received Honorable Mention, Ethan was nonetheless disappointed that his metal work did not fare better in the judging.  If you know Ethan, then you understand his work ethic--he has one--and he never settles for less than his best.  He strives for perfection, and is understandably always hoping for that first place prize.  Nonetheless, he is pleased with his accomplishment and credits his talent to his home environment, growing up with art, and assuming responsibility for continuing to work in a variety of artistic media.

His second entry serves to demonstrate his versatility.  His painting has a dimensional effect, seeming to reach outside the canvas with a life of its own.  From the nuts and bolts of set design and construction to the refinement of studio art, Ethan does it all, and very well.  After viewing the exhibit, we went outside in search of a quiet space to create a podcast to mark the event.

Firefox 3.0

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

First real day off from school (department meeting/curriculum writing yesterday) and I’m sitting on my back porch, looking at a wide-angle vista of the farm, mentally designing the new barn for my llamas, the fencing, all the steps that need to be taken before my girls come home. My laptop sits on the table next to morning coffee and I find something that actually can distract me from thinking about my future venture: Firefox 3.0, unveiled yesterday. For the last half hour, I’ve been busy browsing and downloading the best of the extensions and plug-ins, and believe me, there are so many useful ones, so I took quite a few of them.  Call it a sense of entitlement or a learning curve (or both), but I am already having fun and simplifying my online life with the newest Firefox offerings. The downside: no Blinklist integrated extension, so someone out there who understands code, please create one.

Why do I life Firefox (over Safari or IE in any version)? Because it is simply the best browser out there, compatible with all the different blog formats that I use (Safari is not), and it comes with the extensions necessary for ease of online survival. If you haven’t tried it, now would be a great time to upgrade to the 3.0 version, an international brower that speaks your language.

Vimeo + Video Hosting + Sharing = IP Videos Coming Soon

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

Whenever I really need to find something tech-based fast, I go to my students.  Thank you, ALEX HORN, for suggesting Vimeo.  I tried the video hosting/sharing site, and I love it.  Of its many features, the one that will help me most is its ability to host a long video in unbroken segments (unlike YouTube, StudentTube, TeacherTube, or Curriki which will host a long video but not provide embeddable code).  SO, the VERY GOOD NEWS is that I will be posting all the IP presentations--stage presentations, film productions, and the two nontraditional presentations on Vimeo.  The VERY BAD NEWS: it will take some time since my travel schedule takes me into the third week in July.  But, I will post the videos as I finish them.  Keep checking this website to find your video.  And have a happy, healthy, safe summer.

Technorati Tags: vimeo, video hosting, video sharing, video streaming, video sites

CFF Senate Communications and Technology Committee and Senate Education Committee Hearings 2007

Cross-posted on Changing Connections and Pennsylvania Discovery Educator Network

Ever try uploading a 45 minute video to a Web 2.0 site? I spent days trying to find a host that would upload a film intact. When exasperation set in, I took it to my students and one of them suggested Vimeo. That was before exams and senior week activities, so I finally tried it--and I love it. I wanted embeddable code (Curriki worked, sans code), a fast upload and conversion, and enough space in an account that one upload would not send me in a searching frenzy for another broadcast channel.

The good news: a finished product of the CFF Senate Hearings when Lance Rougeux, Jennifer Dorman, and I testified before the joint Education and Technology & Communications Committees on December 4, 2007. Thanks to Jennifer Dorman and her connections, we were able to get the hearings converted from analog (I know I should have TiVo) to digital, and then finally to a blog format. Here it is, at last.

Classrooms for the Future Senate Communications and Technology Committee and the Senate Education Committee Hearings 2007 from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

While I’m on a commercial roll, let me count the ways I love Vimeo:

1. Can be added to Facebook, Myspace…
2. Badge additions (you can add channels and albums to any Badge you create)
3. Posts to Flickr
4. Avatar feature (clicking any “avatar” aka user image will take you to that user)
5. Spam filters
6. Fast even in high use time (they apologize for a 20 minute wait)
7. Converting time during transcoding: displays time and percent remaining--no high anxiety here.
8. Lots of messages to let you know where you are in the process--great for a first-time user.
9. 500 MBs per week (though not forever, I think)
10. More family oriented.

A special thank you to the DEN team--Scott, Lance, and Matt-- for affording Jen and me the opportunity to represent STAR Discovery Educators and what they bring to education every day in their classrooms.

Students and Teachers Learning Together: DENs New Kind of Webinar

Cross posted on Pennsylvania’s Discovery Educator Network Blog and Changing Connections.

Steve Dembo been planning this event for ages and he’s thrilled that on Wednesday, April 9, at 11:00 AM EST, it will finally happen.  On my wish list for ages was a event that would bring students and teachers together to learn collaboratively. Leave it to DEN to make wishes come true.  So, I am really thrilled to remind you that in two days, teachers and students across America can tap into the power of Discovery and participate in America’s Army and the Rise of Video Games Webinar through Discovery Connect. If you are looking for a webinar that you and your students will really love, then you want to join us.  Steve says you won’t want to miss this one--and let’s face it: our DEN SuperSTARS (who are in Pennsylvania as I type) always deliver the goods.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.  (The rest of this blog is shamelessly copied from Steve’s original post.)

According to Dembo, the Discovery Channel featured a mini-series entitled Rise of the Video Games. America’s Army, a computer game developed by the U.S. Army was featured prominently because of its ultra-realism and how it was being used for training purposes.

This webinar will feature some of the creative geniuses BEHIND the computer game. They will discuss how they created the game, how they took real Soldiers and real Army locations and put them into the game, and how Soldiers are using game technology to train. They will also answer questions students have about the development process or what courses (or schoolwork) are needed to become a game developer.

While all age levels are invited to participate, this webinar is recommended primarily for middle school and secondary school students.  .

Weekend Winners

Please Note: I am borrowing Miss Brinson’s email to staff almost intact.

Miss Brinson, Coach of our Model UN Team, is pleased (thrilled, actually) to report that three of our delegates took outstanding delegate awards at the DeSales Model UN competition this past Saturday.

Donte’ McCrary-McClain and Niki Bartholomew took the award representing Israel in the Security Council.

Morgan Anastasio took the award representing Pakistan in the Crisis Committee (just a note—this was not only an assignment that required her to think and argue on an impromtu crisis that develops before them—she agreed to take Pakistan at the last moment on Saturday morning)

They were all thrilled (Donte’ pulled a Cuba Gooding Jr.—from the academy awards a few years ago—he jumped up and screamed with delight when his award was announced!) --

Please congratulate them when you see them!

Lauren DeSieno competed at the local competition of PA Computer Fair at IU 21 this past Friday.  She placed second in the Multimedia Division, and Miss Brinson and I are really proud of her performance.  Please congratulate her as well when you see her.

The Gift of Giving

Students rushed to class.  You should have seen the calculations--figuring short and long-term percentages.  Discussions about negative numbers and positive points.  Strategy sessions on what to put in and when and how to hold back on investing.  Conflict resolution skills abounded in the debate of how to maximize coin and dollar values. Who to sabotage--who to support?  Getting into a solid competition without playing sports.  It was fun, it made sense, and it was for a good cause.  It was Penny Wars, and all the English classes competed to see which section in each teacher’s class would win. 
All fundraisers work for a common goal, but none of them created more positive and sustained energy day after day than Penny Wars.  Students made some incredible sacrifices, too.  One girl dragged in her penny collection that she had accumulated since she was 3.  A sixth period student got permission to go to his car, dipping into his pay check to the tune of $14 to offset Period 8.  After school on the last day of the contest, classes came back to add more money, and all day today the only question on students’ minds was who won.

And that answer is so fundamental (and millennial).  Everyone won.  Those who gave felt so good about doing good.  Everyone understood the cause and everyone gave something.  At this time of year, when wish lists and wanting are in the air, it was refreshing and rewarding to watch students give so others less fortunate could receive.