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Session Descriptions and Times

UMaine Campus Directions and Conference Layout

• Block 1 & Block 2- Student & Teacher Presented Sessions 

• Think you might have a future in IT? (Scott Barber - National Technical Services Manager - Apple, Inc.) This is the real deal. Find out if you have got what it takes. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to engage with someone who really know how things work in the professional IT world. Listen to and speak with one of Apple's top Engineering Managers to find out what it takes, who is doing it, and where you might want to start focusing your energy to have the future you desire. Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 130 (CHANGED from 140)

• Coding for Apple - Using Big Ideas to Make Little Apps (Zev Eisenberg & Colleagues - New Media Students, UMaine) Ever wonder what it takes to make an app for the iPhone? Do you have questions like, "Do you have to be part of a big company to start doing this kind of stuff?" And the answer is, "No, you don't. They're being built right here in Maine by current UMaine students!" Come hear from these folks who are doing it. Turns out it's all about thinking big and working hard. Participants in this session will get an inside look at what can happen when a team works collaboratively in a digital world! Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Little Hall 130 (CHANGED from 140)

• Sneak Peek at the 2009-10 MLTI Image (Jeff Mao - Learning Technology Policy Director - Maine Department of Education) Life goes on...  And the MLTI continues to evolve. Change happens, and come September of '09 the MLTI iBooks will be running on a new image.  Come see it in action and hear about what software is sticking around, and what will be new - be ahead of the game, so when the rest of the class is asking, "What happened to...?" you can reply with - "Oh, here is how you do that now, and in fact, let me show you some cool stuff we couldn't do before!" Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Jenness 106

• Searching the Web - It Is Far From Trivial! (Phil Brookhouse - MLTI Statewide Integration Mentor, Sylvia Norton - Maine State Library; Emily Albee - UMaine Graduate Student)  Back for another year...  In an ongoing  game of "Not so trivial pursuit," participants will be competing for prizes for themselves, and for their school!  Dust off those Boolean Logic skills, and come ready to search! Offered twice: Blocks 1 & 2; 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - DP Corbett Business Bldng 100

• Games 4 Change (Ed Latham & Olga LaPlante - MLTI Regional Mentors) Your textbook bores you to tears? Put a new spin on the old curriculum. Learning may not be child's play, but it can be a fun game! Everyone likes playing games, but have you seen fun games that teachers would actually use in your class? Have you ever thought of creating these games or being part of a global team to make them? Come join us as we explore tons of games about the critical issues around the world. These games are interactive, free, and best of all, FUN! Engage your learning by exploring how you can teach others about the power of playing. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 219

• There Must Be 50 Ways to Show You Get It! (Cynthia Curry - MLTI Statewide Integration Mentor) A lot of what you do in school involves reading and writing. But if reading and writing are difficult for you, it's hard to finish assignments.  Technology can help you show that you really do get what your teacher wants you to know and do! Come learn how easy it is to get support from your laptop, such as having the text read aloud to you, making audio files from text, and recording your voice. You'll also learn when it's okay to use these tools, and when your teacher will probably want you to use the typical ways of reading and writing. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40  - DP Corbett Business Bldng 109

• Oh My Goodness! I Blew up the Screen! (Bruce Segee - Super Computing, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UMaine) This session will explore high resolution visualization using tiled displays.  Students will generate large images (the current idea is fractals, but may be something else) based on inquiry-based exploration.  Students will work in teams to not only create the images, but also to view them.  Each student's laptop will be used to display a piece of the overall image, allowing both a larger display and higher resolution than could be attained with a single laptop. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 119

• Intro to Secondlife (Blake Bourque, Sophomore Messalonskee High School; Roderic Carmichael, Senior Messalonskee High School) Second Life is a free online 3D virtual world imagined and created by its Residents.  From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a fast-growing digital world filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. You will go through the process of setting up an account, and we will provide a list of areas that are educationally based, such as UMO's BlackBear Island. We would also like to familiarize you with the unlimited possibilities of 3D construction, show some creations, and begin a discussion to see what people can imagine for possible uses of SecondLife, such as research, collaboration, exploration and experimentation. Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Neville Hall 100

• Animating a Figure using Drawing Software (Jane Lee and Students from Waterville Junior High School) Learn to use the NeoOffice Impress electronic presentation software as a basic drawing program to produce animations that you can use to demonstrate your understanding of movement, cycles, or any variety of processes. The incorporation of simple animation techniques in a classroom or project allows students and teachers to instruct, demonstrate understanding, display achievement, and have a whole lot of fun. Participants will get practical experience in basic drawing and object manipulation skills using the drawing functions in the presentation software. After creating the animations, participants will use iMovie to render them in to web-ready movies. The electronic presentation images are imported in to iMovie and the movements from slide to slide is transformed into a digital video format.  (These techniques work with PowerPoint and other presentation software and various video editing programs.) All experience levels are welcome-handouts and web link. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Neville Hall 100

• Using Social Networks in Education: Setting Up and Using Nings In a Classroom (Ernie Easter & Students from New Sweden School) Ernie Easter and his students set up the Maine Holocaust Education Network as part of their Holocaust Studies Unit.  Students shared their work with each other and with other teachers and survivors who became members. In this workshop you will view this Ning which was nominated for an Edublog Award for the Best Educational Use of a Social Networking Service.  Each participating school will set up a Ning that will be ready to use. Adults and students should attend this workshop together to collaborate. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2 from 9:20 & 10:20 and 10:40 - 11:40 - Shibles Hall 316

• Arrrgh! Pirates at WJHS! or How We Made a Teacher-Approved You Tube Video (Beth Goodwin & Students - Wells Junior High School) Discover how easy it is to make a pretty decent YouTube video to demonstrate learning. We'll show you how we combined a Language Arts assignment, a Flip camcorder, Garage Band, and photo permissions, and made a YouTube that demonstrates learning.  Watch our video for content ideas, and learn how to convince teachers and administrators with our "Top 10 Really Good Reasons For Making A YouTube video". We'll show you how to get your own YouTube channel, and we'll even share our sources for talking like a pirate and acquiring your own pirate name. Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Shibles Hall 217

• Welcome to the World of Geocaching! (Paula Roy & Students from Phillips Elementary) Geocaching is a worldwide adventure of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a cache anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology, then share its existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the treasure. In Phillips, a small group of newly converted geocaching enthusiasts have started their own club: After-school Adventures Geocaching Club (AAGC). Starting from the very basics, this group of fifth, sixth, and seventh graders (and some of their parents!) has been discovering how much fun it is to learn about technology and the world around them in this unique way. This session, presented by members of AAGC, will introduce you to the world of geocaching and get you ready to head out on your own adventures. Block 2, from 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 133

• Make your Own Flashcards - Quizlet (Ben McNaboe and Ben Nickerson, Yarmouth High School) Quizlet for students, by students! Come learn how to use this online powerful Flashcard program. Quizlet features collaborative study groups, practice games and user-modifiable lists. This great tool Web 2.0 tool can be added to anyone's repertoire of study strategies. You'll be making flashcards and online study aids in minutes! Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20  - DP Corbett Business Bldng 111
  

• iTeam 101 - Just Getting Started (Kyle Beeton & Students - Whitefield Elementary School) Do you notice that some kids are just naturals on the computer? With a little guidance, those naturals can really shine, and at the same time be a valuable resource to the school. Come see how Whitefield Elementary School has established its student tech team (or iTeam). You learn what we do, why we do it, and how we got started. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - DP Corbett Business Bldng 107

• DataStudio Sensors - Real Time Data Collection (Kevin Crafts & Students - Bristol Consolidated) Data Studio software teamed up with Pasco digital sensors encourage the "doing of science as meaningful work." Participate in several hands on science experiments (we will be wearing safety goggles) facilitated by students that demonstrate the use of Data Studio with Pasco digital sensors to record and graph data in real time.  The instantaneous, graphically represented results make a real difference; the time between hypothesis and conclusion is shortened because the data collection is not dependent upon traditional tedious lab procedures.  Activities that would not be possible with traditional lab equipment are now available to all! Come do science! Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2 from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 221

• Eduism (Ann Marie Quirion Hutton & Students - Winslow Junior High School) Eduism is a free OpenSource virtual world browser and backdrop for creating and publishing interactive content. It is powered by Croquet technology and is a product of Duke University. Similar to SecondLife, this virtual world provides an alternative to a server based solution. It also allows the created world to be contained on the student laptop or shared via the network. Students at Winslow Junior High will demonstrate the program by sharing their personal creations. This game like style environment can be used to share lessons, workspaces, or just to collaborate. With no license fees and the ability to run on all computer platforms this  application will be limited only by our imaginations. Join us in this virtual adventure. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 165

• Multi Track Recording, Editing and Mixing in Garageband (Alan Kaschub - USM School of Music) Garageband is a useful tool for producing podcasts, adding sound to movies and also great fun to experiment with.  It also happens to be a very powerful music production tool.  This session will explore some of the more  advanced features of Garageband and show students how they can be the musician, engineer, producer and distributor of their own music. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 110

• SKYPE: Connecting Globally to Other Classrooms (John Jaques - Technology Coordinator School Union 133) Skype is a powerful communication tool that utilizes Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).  Skype is available as a free download from the Internet and allows video conferencing from any computer with a web cam and a microphone. All MLTI iBooks have a built in microphone, and all MLTI MacBook laptops have a built in web cam and microphone. We will see how teachers, students, as well as other professionals use Skype to communicate and collaborate via the Internet. http://www.skype.com/share/stories  Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2 from 9:20 - 10:20 and 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 130

• Enter the MLTI Screensaver Contest & See Your Art on Over 60,000 Laptops! (Steve Vose - MLTI - Maine Department of Education; David Patterson - MLTI - Maine Department of Education; Randy Menninghaus, Jamie Bartol – Brewer High School; Linda Phillips & Students - Maranacook Middle School) The new MLTI 2009-10 MS/HS laptops feature a change to the default screen saver. The new screen saver highlights original artwork from Maine students in grades K-12. Over a hundred pieces of artwork were submitted for review and from that pool twenty were finally selected to be included. Each year new artwork will be requested from Maine students K-12 and the best of the best featured on the laptops. Students interested in submitting artwork for possible selection will find this session a great chance to receive information on the process, meet with the judges and teachers who reviewed last year’s art work and talk with students who submitted winning images. Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 220
  

• All About Me: Learning to Use Keynote (Georgina Grenier - MSAD #17) Have fun learning to use transitions, builds, and actions, as well as adding movies, music and hyperlinks to tell the world about yourself in a visual presentation using Keynote. A library of images, shapes, and actions will be provided to help you begin, and may be kept on your laptop for use in future projects. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20  - Jenness 104

• Scratch - Getting Started with Object Oriented Programming (Gail Garthwait - UMaine - College of Education and Human Development) It's free, It's fun AND it has great potential for challenging you to make your own stories, projects or even video games.  This session is for students but educators are welcome too. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Shibles Hall 313

• Museum Box - Thinking Cubed (Dan Ryder,  English Teacher; Travis Tierney, English Teacher, Kim Ferrari, English Department Senior Student Intern - MSAD #9 - Mt. Blue High School, Farmington) Discover how a scrappy, ragtag collection of teachers and students from both sides of Routes 2 & 4, took a chance on awesome and used the online archiving organizer, Museum Box, to craft new ways of demonstrating their understandings about life, literature, and Web 2.0.  Participants will laugh, cry, and learn how art, technology, language arts, student aides, and calculated risk-taking integrate for the betterment of all mankind -- or at least the students and educators of Maine. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - D.P. Corbett Business Bldng. 115

• Got Something to Say? Podcast it! (Dan Tompkins - MSAD 40 - Medomak Middle School) Whether it is a response to an assignment or a public service announcement for a school club, podcasts are a great way to go.  And with GarageBand on your MLTI device, you've got all you need to make your own. As long as you have something to say, that is...   Come learn how easy this is to do, and trust me,  you'll leave the session ready to podcast! Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 120

• Play Ball! Using Video and Your MLTI Laptop to Improve in Your Sport (Jake Bailey - MSAD #4) You will be using a math formula and video to determine speed or to watch your mechanics to help you improve your game or overall skills. It is fairly simple - you only need basic math abilities and your laptop! And trust me, the math involved is nothing too hard. You can do it! I promise. And hey, you'll get better at your sport! Block 2, 10:40 - 11:40  - DP Corbett Business Bldng 111

• Gimp & Comic Strip Design (Scott Bosworth & Students - Skowhegan Middle School) Have you ever dreamed of being a comic book artist or an illustrator? Well, now there is a program called Gimp that can help you do just that. Gimp is a program for editing pictures thats uses layers to help organize your image. You can create special effects to add artistic pizazz to your photos. You can design name tags, create characters or just experiment. You can then put your new image creations into Comic Life to create your own personal comic book. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Jenness 100

• Beyond Your Front Yard: Using Google Earth For More Than Finding Your House (Jim Wells - MLTI Statewide Integration Mentor) Google Earth has so many amazing uses, it will be hard to fit even a few of them into an hour! Create a tour of Maine, use placemarks to show why and where your town should build a skatepark, simplify your history project, and then buzz the summit of Everest in a jet fighter. Bring some ideas to share, and leave with a fresh view of the planet. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Barrows Hall 131

• Photocharades (Carol Waldron, Technology Coordinator/Teacher at Appleton Village and Hope Elementary Schools; Argy Nestor, Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Department of Education) Join us in Photocharades for some fun with digital photography. Work in groups to make words come alive as you act out quotes or phrases and capture them on the screen. The arts, social studies, science, health, math, world languages, literacy, and technology can all be creatively connected as we play with words. Come join the fun! Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2 from 9:20 - 10:20 and 10:40 - 11:40 - Shibles Hall 311

• First Steps; Stop Motion Animation - (Floyd Wygant and Students from Waterville Senior High School) Create your own stop-motion animations: This hands-on workshop will enable students and teachers to create their own stop-motion (also called claymation) animations using Mutant Ninja action figures, a regular digital camera, and software already on your MLTI laptops. Participants will be coached  through the process of posing and shooting figures to create a stop-motion animation using electronic presentation software, iPhoto, or iMovie. If you have one available, bring your own digital camera or work in groups with the limited number we can provide.  Stop-motion animations that you make can easily demonstrate your understanding of movement, cycles, or any variety of processes. The incorporation of simple animation techniques in a classroom or project allows students and teachers to instruct, demonstrate understanding, display achievement, and have a whole lot of fun. All experience levels are welcome-handouts and web link. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2, from 9:20 - 10:20 & 10:40 - 11:40 - Jenness 108

• Easy Image Manipulation via Keynote (Lisa Gilman & Students - Winthrop Middle School) This workshop will show you how to juxtapose images together using the Keynote program.  Learn how to create new images through a few simple steps.  This is a method all students can use and teachers can implement easily in any classroom that uses images for storytelling, visual arts and differentiated instruction.  Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Jenness 104

• iTeam - Real Tech, Real Leadership (Stephen Spaeth & Students - Mt. Ararat Middle School) Mt. Ararat iTeam members select or develop projects to serve our school and communities. For example, two members are evaluating Nike Plus sensors to monitor their workouts for wrestling and track. One member helped a teacher film, edit and produce a mini-documentary about the Ambassador Actors Project. Two members who are lobstermen are planning to contribute to a regional lobster research project. Members also serve as members of the District Tech Committee and the MLTI Leadership Team. One group took their leadership to the Maine Legislature: they testified to the Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs about expanding the MLTI to high schools. Come hear iTeam members share their projects and approaches. Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40  - DP Corbett Business Bldng 107

• Edugaming - Real Fun, Real Learning (Ruben Puentedura - Hippasus.com; Tim Hart - UMaine Department of Education and Human Development; Doug Snow - Apple, Inc.; Students from Messalonskee HS) To understand video games and their uses, you have to analyze them - but you also have to play them. So, in this session, we will be doing both. What is it that draws kids of all ages - and adults - to games? How can games, and the lessons learned from playing them, be used in a classroom setting? Why is the recent "game builder" game Little Big Planet such a huge success - and what are its lessons for educators? How are virtual worlds defining a new learningscape? This session will offer an opportunity to explore, experience, participate, and reflect on games, gaming, and education. Offered twice: Block 1 & Block 2 from 9:20 - 10:20 and 10:40 - 11:40 - Neville Hall 101

• Automate your Mac: Making Workflows with Automator (Eric Williams - Apple, Inc.) In this session we'll discuss how you might start taking control of your Macintosh. Computers are great tools for doing what you tell them to do, especially for repeated tasks. Automator is a free tool in Mac OS X that gets you started down the path of making your Mac work for you. We'll collaborate as a group to develop workflows to solve problems, then see if Automator can be used to develop simple programs to make the computer do the work. Bring your MLTI laptops and your ideas. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Little Hall 205 (CHANGED from 218)

• iTunes, Metadata, and Smart Playlists (Curtis Armstrong - Apple, Inc.) Metadata has to do with the stuff that goes on in the background of our digital lives.  Those who understand it can do so much more than those who don't.  Curtis gets it, and he would love to help you understand.  Want to teach your iPod some new tricks? Very useful for those who want better control over iPod & iTunes play lists and for those who manage multiple iPods.  And of course, bring your iPod if you have one! Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Little Hall 220

• Faces and Places in iPhoto '09 (Trey Bachner - Apple, Inc.) Browse and search photos not just by when they were taken, but by who appears in them and where they were taken. In this session we will explore some of the powerful new options for organizing photos in iPhoto 09 using "face detection" and GPS location tags. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - DP Corbett Business Bldng 113

• Photo Booth & iSight Overview (Jonathan Carr - Apple, Inc.) The MLTI laptops now run Leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X, which includes a new application called Photo Booth.  With the built-in iSight (if your computer is so equipped), or an external USB or FireWire camera, you can do all kinds of cool stuff with Photo Booth, ranging from pictures of your friends in Ancient Greece for history class to fractals for math and physics, and all kinds of cool stuff for art. Photo Booth is a great way to get creative on your Mac!  So bring along a camera if you can, and be sure to come to this session ready to be excited about the possibilities. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Jenness 102

• Who's in Charge? Introduction to Applescript on Mac OS X (Daryl Hawes, Sr. Apple Systems Engineer) AppleScript is an English-like language used to create script files that control the actions of a computer and the applications that run on it. This session will introduce you to AppleScript syntax,  introduce demonstration scripts, and share additional resources. All of this should help to get you started down the path of commanding your Mac OS X system. Block 1 from 9:20 - 10:20 - Shibles Hall 217
  

• Sweet Home 3D (Laura Richter & Students - Skowhegan Middle School) Have you ever designed a house before? We will show you how to design a 3D model of a room, entire house, or business using a program called Sweet Home 3D. You will be able to 'paint' your walls, add and import furniture, and do some landscaping to your dream home. As you create your building you will be able to 'walk' through it using the virtual visitor. We'll give you an introduction to Sweet Home 3D and give you time to create your very own Sweet Home! Block 1, from 9:20 - 10:20 - Little Hall 140 (CHANGED from 130)

• The Past Meets The Future! Help Your Town's History Come to Life! (Laura Richter & Students - Skowhegan Middle School) Have you ever wanted to get involved with helping out your town by providing visitors and residents with a lively, informative and interesting podcast about the history of the area? Well, we can show you how to access old photographs of your town, import them into iPhoto and make a nice podcast in Garage Band. Your whole town will thank you over and over! Block 2 from 10:40 - 11:40 - Little Hall 140 (CHANGED from 130)

• Block 3 - Only Google is big enough - Everyone, all together, one room, one session!

• In 2009 Good Questions are More Powerful Than Good Answers  - Google Super Session (Alice Barr - Yarmouth High School; Kern Kelley - MSAD #48; Cheryl Oakes - Wells Ogunquit CSD; Sarah Sutter - Wiscasset High School)Maine's own team of Google certified educators will be leading the whole gang through a series of activities that will demonstrate the power of the Google Toolset. Sure, we all use Google, but wait till you see what you can do when you understand how to leverage Google's power to go beyond getting answers and learn how to use Google to ask your own thoughtful questions of people in your class, in your school, around your state, or even around the world!