1. Educate the teachers about Technology. Have them focus on one or two technologies throughout the year and have them become "experts" on this technology. Don't try to throw everything at them at once. That happens sometimes to me, and I just get overwhelmed.
** One way to do this is to set up professional development opportunities to attend, and teachers can choose which technologies to become "experts" on. We are doing something similar this year. But again, there are too many things to wrap your head around. If we allow a teacher to become expects on 1 or 2 technologies and focus on them this year. You could even offer MSDE credits for completing these professional developments and get teachers really on board.
** Blue Print for Progress - Performance Indicator 8.1, Key Strategy for goal 8a

2. Schools need more student access to computers. More computer labs or more laptop carts should be available for students. It may be unrealistic, but it would allow more opportunities for students to use all of the tools available.
** Blue Print for Progress - Performance Indicator 8.1

3. Suggested lesson plans/projects/scenarios/simulations/websites using technology and connected to BCPS curriculum would be great! These would have to be updated frequently to keep up with the BCPS filter and different websites that would end up not working after awhile.
** Blue Print for Progress - Performance Indicator 8.1

I would use the following web 2.0 tools in the classroom...None of these tools are blocked by the BCPS server

1. Safari Montage - In Social Studies, videos can be a great tool in explaining topic to the students. They are motivating, easy to use, and in Safari, they frequently give lesson plans, teacher guides, and quizes for the students. Since I have to cover 2000+ years in my World History class, Safari is great to use!

2. Google Earth - I would use Google Earth to show the students the real life in different areas of the world. Although it requires a download, it works in school. In World History, I would have the students focus on the country/region that we are studying and they could research landmarks, historical areas, tourist attractions, locations of historical events, etc. to compare with the historical time we are teaching. In AP Human Geography, students can reasearch a country and find geographic places, landmarks, cultural landscapes of the country or region for a project and apply geographic principles to them.

3. Inspiration - can be used to create a timeline of event in World History, or be used to outline their topics of a research project. In Human Geography it could also be used to outline a research project.

I love doing Layered Currriculum in my classroom. I will do Renaissance for this topic. First, Google Docs could be used to post all assignments, rubrics, questions, etc for all students.

C Layer - Complete a PowerPoint presentation that explains the differences in thought from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Students could show this PowerPoint using the ActiveInspire software and they must incorporate an interactive portion. For another project, students can view a VoiceThread on Renaissance paintings and speculate on the techniques used and ideas behind the paintings. Students can create a podcast describing an inventor/painter during the Renaissance.

B Layer - Students can use the internet and research paintings during the Renaissance. They can develop their own VoiceThread to be shown to the class about a specific theme in Renaissance. The students who choose to view that VoiceThread can recieve credit for the C Layer project. Students can use Photostory to describe the life of a painter/inventor during the Renaissance, as well as include pictures to help tell their story.

A Layer - Students can take a painting from the Middle Ages and alter it in Photoshop or another program to make it reflect Renaissance ideals. Students can use flipcams to recreate their own idea of a Renaissance painting, record how they set it up, and the ideals that they are portraying. Students can begin a discussion on Diigo about a recent painting and add a discussion on Renaissance ideals. Also, the students will be expected to comment of the painting and the discussion threads of others doing the same project.

Everyday I have a technology penalty. I use PowerPoint everyday in class, as do many teachers at Kenwood. It takes much longer to create a whole PowerPoint, include activities during class, surf the internet for pictures, etc. It would be much faster to eliminate all of that and teach the way that they did in the "olden times." Now, would the students get as much out of it? Probably not. Would they be as motived? No way! So I take this penalty for the good of the group.

There are also other technology penalties that I have suffered. Last year, I did a project using Google Earth. Well, come this year in class, the students tried to complete it, and the download was blocked by the county. Thankfully, I had a backup. Another penalty is when all the laptops don't work on the laptop cart. They spend so much time trying to get one to work, than realize that they need to get other one, which sometimes does not work either. By then, half the class time has gone by!

You always needed to have another plan in place when using technology. One that students can do without technology at all. It probably will not be as motivating, but you have to do what you have to do to get by and get the lesson finished.

Baltimore County has a long way to go to reach this vision. Who put made and approved this video? Baltimore Country says that most of those things that students use on a daily basis are illegal in schools. Also, what about the millions of websites that they block? I once had Baltimore County block my approved textbook website for Criminal Justice, and would not unblock it for my students to use. In order for the County to reach its vision, they need to reevaluate the many things and allow students to use tools that they already know and understand in the classroom. They also need to give the teachers more freedom in tech websites.

1. Which collaborative solution do you foresee being the most feasible to integrate into your classroom?
I think a wiki would work wonders in my AP Human Geography class. Students could work on group projects (which we do very often), while in the computer lab, at different computers, or at home. I am also very interested in learning more about using Voicethread. I think that in certain units in my AP and my World History classes, that would be a great tool. For example, we do a culture unit in AP, and students could discuss their opinions on picture of life in different countries. In World, students could look at pictures throughout history and brainstorm a message that they think the picture is trying to convey.

2. Would the implementation require any pre-planning?
I would have to get accounts set up for both, Voicethread and Wiki. I would also need to set administrator setting for the Wiki. For Voicethread, I would have to become more familiar with the program. I learn best by "doing"

3. How do you foresee your students responding to the technology?
I think the students would love to use both of these programs. I think that they would pick up on both very quickly, but I think the wiki would be unfamiliar territory to them, and may take them a little to get comfortable with. But, I think they would appricate the tool once they figured it out.