Inside the Cyber Studio: Digital Book

As the New Year arrives I decided to compile all the interviews I have done throughout the year into a digital book.

It can be read or downloaded by clicking the link below...




Soon to follow the all digital books that I create will be listed on Book Rix and Mixbook and available for download. Eventually, I will be offering hard copies of my books for free via raffle.

Happy New Years everyone, be safe, and thanks for reading!!

Inside a Cyber Studio: Lesley Coe

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Lesley Coe
website: http://www.lesleycoe.com/

1. Where do you live? Wake Forest, NC
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 3 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Couldn't possibly pick one but for a school district as a whole I think the combination of Moodle and Google Apps would be perfect.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it's treated differently than any other "tool" an educator would use in his/her classroom.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Insufficient technical staff funding.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Helping teachers comfortably use and integrate new technologies in their lessons.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Lack of time/money to attend valuable professional development.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? The way technology lends itself so easily to differentiation.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Not sure.

Fun

1. What is your favorite movie? The Princess Bride/When Harry Met Sally
2. What is your favorite book? Books written by Nelson Demille ofen grab my attention very easily.

Inside a Cyber Studio: Kay Tibbs

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Kay Tibbs

1. Where do you live? Wellington, KS, US
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 20 + years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Both Windows & Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Wikis
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That is will magically engage all students and make them want to learn.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Misconceptions about what technology can and cannot do.
7. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? budget cuts
8. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Becoming the technology director after 20+ years of classroom teaching and advocating technology use in the classroom. Now I'm in a position to put my words into action.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My PLN on Plurk
10. Where do you see technology headed in the future? Virtual Reality
    

Fun

1. What is your favorite movie? all Harry Potter movies
2. What is your favorite book? anything written by Robert Ludlam

Next on Cyber Studio: Lesley Coe

Inside a Cyber Studio: Janice Conger

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Janice Conger
blog: http://powerlibrarian.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? Collegeville, PA, US
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 7 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Wiki. It can be used for so many things. I actually created a wiki for a 5th grade teacher to use for her students to journal about their reading. You might think a blog would be better but the teacher loved it because each student could have their own page. And, wikis are easy, teachers can use them without too much of a learning curve.
   I also use Wordle quite a bit with my students. It is an excellent tool for everything from spelling to poetry.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That we have to use technology for technology's sake. If a lesson works better without technology don't use it. But if a technology tool can enhance a lesson by all means go for it!
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Getting technology into the hands of students, limited by the lack of computers in the library. 10 is not enough when class sizes are 25 to 30. The other hurdle is typing. Students in my district do not get typing until 6th grade. That is too late.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Videoconferencing. My teachers are sold, anytime I present a videoconferencing idea they are more than willing to put the work necessary into having the videoconference. On December 14th we are doing Cookies with Santa (K, T-1, and 1) and it requires quite a bit of pre-conference preparation but teachers love videoconferencing so they are willing to do the prep work.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Loosing all technology funding for this school year, the Superintendent just took all the funding away (after we sent the new technology plan to the state). It was just cut out of the budget. There were supposed to be 4 new SMART Boards for my building this year but the money was cut. There is not enough technology to go around.
   
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My biggest inspiration has been my Personal Learning Network. I follow many teachers, librarians, and technology integrators via social networking. When I have a problem I turn to them.
   
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Portable devices. I like one to one laptop programs but can't really afford that but I think once a tablet PC or Mac comes out that it will change the face of education.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
2. What is your favorite movie? Princess Bride or Bachelor Mother

Next on Cyber Studio: Kay Tibbs

Inside a Cyber Studio: Martha Thornburgh

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.



Martha Thornburgh
blog: http://digital-doors.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? Mount Vernon, WA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 20+
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Google Docs: Great way to collaborate in the clouds. Equalizer for students. Free and available from any computer with internet connection.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Technology is not about the stuff, it is about what you do with the stuff. As Marco Torres says. It is about he verbs, not the nouns.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Getting others to believe that technology is worth their very limited time.
   
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Small steps, but when I reflect on the past few years, it looks like giant leaps.
   
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Sites being blocked. Teachers having to wait for equipment and software to be installed while losing momentum.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Marco Torres is such a great inspiration as an educator. He believes in students, believes in the power of creativity and taking kids where they are at and building on that.
   
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Mobile technology. Rethinking assignments and questions based on the fact that content answers are available at student's fingertips. Asking higher order questions that can only be answered by exploring the world and collaborating.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
2. What is your favorite movie? The Mission

Next on Cyber Studio: Janice Conger

Inside a Cyber Studio: Kimberly Wright

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Kimberly Wright

1. Where do you live? El Paso, Texas
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 4 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Plurk, it is my online university and has allowed me to connect with hundreds of educators around the world. I can virtually travel anywhere and I will find one of my plurk friends.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it is more work than traditional methods.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Administration AND other reluctant educators.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? The individual successes of my students...including 100% achievement on standardized testing.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? The lack of funding...there is so much we *could* do.
   
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Kevin Honeycutt and my Plurk PLN!!!
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? I see our students learning in virtual worlds...

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Eleven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo
2. What is your favorite movie? Up

Next on Cyber Studio: Vanessa Joy Every

Inside a Cyber Studio: Skip Zalneraitis

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Skip Zalneraitis
Blog: http://skipz.edublogs.org/

1. Where do you live? Brattleboro Vermont
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 25 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? All
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? hardware - SMARTboard - It brings out the explorer in my students; software - iLife - so versatile with a zero learning curve
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That technology makes the curriculum. In education, folks are looking for the silver bullet, and there is none.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Money is the biggest block to ubiquitous technology.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? In the private sector: convincing the mgt of the company I worked for almost 20 years to switch to PC-based computing; In school: to convince the administration that we should free, open filter workshop and game fests for our students after school. It really helps them to blossom.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Entering public education before I refreshed myself with a Master's to bring me up to speed to meet the kids' needs.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? There are so many people. In my previous life - my boss, Michael Trombley. He was a former sailor and welder and he took to technology and supported me in bring PC-based computing to our company. In my present work, I had to say Larry Ferlazzo and Miguel Guhlin: two inspiring educators, wonderful writer, two og the hardest working people I know!
10. Where do you see technology heading in the future? We have intelligensia and furturist working on Web 6.0 already. I think the trend, due to diminishing $$$ and natural resources, will be to virtual reality.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Currently: 'Infected' and ''Contagious' by Scott Sigler
2. What is your favorite movie? 'Neverwhere' written by Neil Gaiman

Next on Cyber Studio: Kimberly Wright

Inside a Cyber Studio: Tim Holt

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Tim Holt
Blog: http://web.mac.com/timholt/Intended_Consequenses/Tim_Holts_Intended_Consequenses.html

1. Where do you live? El Paso, Texas
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 23 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Both Windows & Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? My blog site, because it has transformed the way I learn and work. All of the stuff I do now is an offshoot of what I learned by starting a blog.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it is something that is separate from the normal learning process. Technology is not a place, it is a tool
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Getting people to understand that it is not hard to integrate technology into lessons.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Actually, too many to mention, because the small ones were "big" for the people who did them, and the "big" ones were successful for the people that did them.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Lack of understanding by upper administration
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My yodas are many, but the biggest is Kevin Honeycutt, followed by Marco Torres. There are Many many more however....
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Actually, I see a big disconnect beginning to happen between those that have access and those that don't.
    

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? This week?
2. What is your favorite movie? Casablanca

Next on Cyber Studio: Skip Zalneraitis

Inside a Cyber Studio: Richard Byrne

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Richard Byrne
blog: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

1. Where do you live? Gray, ME
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? six years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? all
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? It's tough to pick just one, but I have to say Drop.io. Drop.io can be used by teachers of any content area at any grade level. Drop.io allows people to share text, video, and audio media. You can also use Drop.io as a bookmarking service. Drop.io's free voicemail service allows you to make mp3 recordings without the need for any software. Drop.io can also be used to conduct online, real-time, presentations. Best of all, Drop.io is free.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? The biggest misconception is that every teenager is a digital native. There are many teenagers who have grown up on the "other" side of the digital divide who only use a computer at school.
   
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? The biggest obstacle is a lack of funding for hardware improvements. For example, we just deployed 1200+ netbooks, but our bandwidth cannot support all of the users being on the network at once.
   
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? The biggest success, by far, is the increase in student engagement because I'm offering kids more than just content lessons. I offer them lessons on web applications that they can apply to other settings.
   
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? The biggest set-back has been not convincing my direct superiors to try some of the tools that I have my students using.
   
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Scott McLeod and Wes Fryer. Scott for his thoughts on leading in the 21st century. Wes for his thoughts about using technology to improve education. If you've never seen Wesley's presentation on Blended Learning, you owe it to yourself to find it on SlideShare.
   
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? I believe that mobile devices are the future of technology integration. The mobile phones that kids carry everywhere provide them with a world of knowledge and opportunity that 25 years ago was only available in big city libraries.
    

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? A Good Life Wasted
2. What is your favorite movie? A River Runs Through It

Next on Cyber Studio: Tim Holt

Inside a Cyber Studio: Greg Limperis

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Greg Limperis
Site: http://tech-in-ed.ning.com/

1. Where do you live? Derry/NH/USA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 13 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century Tool and why? Ning. There are many possibilities for the integration of this tool in education.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Social networks are dangerous for students to use in school.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Administration and it's lack of knowledge about the true potential of technology if implemented properly.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? This past summer I worked a summer school program where I was the tech facilitator for a literature circle program. In the program,we created a ning network with groups for each class. On the ning we posted pictures, audio, video comics created in pixton and toondoo, glogs from glogster and much more.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? This year my district is blocking all game sites, social sites and all downloads.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Steve Hargadon has given me many new ideas and resources.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? With the proper funding and training education will soon start to be naturally integrated into the daily learning with tools such as google wave driving educational technology.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? I do all my reading online.
2. What is your favorite movie? Star Wars

Next on Cyber Studio: Richard Byrne

Inside a Cyber Studio: Naomi Harm

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Naomi Harm
Blog: http://blog.innovativeeducator.us/

1. Where do you live? Brownsville/MN/USA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 15 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac & Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century Tool and why? I have so many, but my ultimate favorite this month is Google Forms. I create dynamic surveys and interactive surveys to immediately poll students, teachers and admins, and then the data is instantly collated into a spreadsheet to get results. I can also insert a variety of Google gadgets to enhance the spread for presentation purposes.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That technology needs to be taught as a "separate" content area, and not infused within the curriculum. Also other view technology as an "extra" not an essential productivity and efficiency tool to promote inspired learning.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? To get the Network Administrators to understand the importance of the educational value and total cost of ownership of Web 2.0 technologies, and to open up the network filter to allow for Web 2.0 technologies to be utilized in a k-12 environment.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? To get the Network Administrators to understand the importance of the educational value and total cost of ownership of Web 2.0 technologies, and to open up the network filter to allow for Web 2.0 technologies to be utilized in a k-12 environment.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? The blocking of certain websites that I have requested for a tech integration workshop or keynote presentation, and the network administrator has guaranteed me that it is open and it will work, but ultimately it is locked down tighter than a drum. Lastly, limited support from district administrators of modeling tech integration best practices and leadership, and leaving these decisions to be made by technicians/ or network admin's who have no educational teaching experience to guide and support their decisions they make to lock down the system.
9. Who has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My biggest inspiration in technology is the thousands of teachers I work with throughout the year. The go getters, the risk takers, the lurkers, and the skilled and crafted veteran teachers leading the way with technology, because they do not want to be left behind. Everyone of these teachers has told me personal story to tell about their educational journey with technology, which allows me the opportunity to share with them a new teaching tool, technique or strategy to match up with their unique learning and delivery style. Ultimately empowering them to do more, achieve more, and inspire their inner passion for learning, to be the best teacher they can be to impact and motivate student learning.
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I see it as a continuum- more collaborative, more communicative, more content creation driven. I see our learning environments transformed into virtual realities with robust connectivity to enable for full synchronous learning.

Next on Cyber Studio: Greg Limperis

Inside a Cyber Studio: Katie Morrow

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Katie Morrow
blog: http://teach42morrow.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? O'Neill/NE/US
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 14 yrs
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century toll and why? iChat- Communication and Collaboration- Connects me to my PLN and the rest of the world- saves me from isolation and endangerment of not learning and growing.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? It is merely a distraction. A toy. A video game.
   
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Stagnant curriculum and assessment requirements,etc.
   
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Reaching and connecting with kids of all levels, all backgrounds, and allowing them to discover talents and share them with the world.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Teachers' fear and unwillingness to change.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Marco Torres and the ADE community.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Anytime, Anywhere learning.... less physical classroom and time restraints... more independent, asynchronous, individualized learning.
    

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The Book Thief or Holes
2. What is your favorite movie? The Sound of Music

Next on Cyber Studio: Naomi Harm

Inside a Cyber Studio: Amber Rowland

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Amber Rowland
site: http://techrich.ning.com/profile/AmberRowland

1. Where do you live? Lawrence/KS/USA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 8 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Professional Use: Plurk so that I can ask questions and get answers from other like-minded people
   
   With Kids: video conferencing so that students can get beyond their classroom walls and find answers from experts and peers
   
   I consider collaboration to be a critical skill for both educators and students in the 21st Century.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it is more time consuming--I would argue it does the reverse.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? changing mind sets and helping educators and administrators understand that technology can enhance instruction and enable a more constructivist approach to learning that can "cover the standards" while addressing digital-age skills and needs.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Watching a teacher who has regained a swagger for teaching after having lost it due to the flood of standardized testing and curriculum requirements. It's fun to watch students and teachers co-constructing knowledge.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Firewalls and policies that limit Internet access--I would prefer to spend time and resources teaching students to use the technology right (offense) instead of trying to keep them out (defense).
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? The kids! We must prepare them for the world in which they are entering. They will be at a tremendous disadvantage if we don't continue to learn, grow and change our methods and strategies. For each adult that I work with, 20-120 students could potentially gain knowledge in a way that makes sense to them-empowering educators and students is my mission.
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I think we will see a wireless (including power), ubiquitous society where very few people store anything on their local computers but instead keep it online (cloud technologies) so that there is easy access by the owner and anyone who they want to share it with.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? I love my kindle-no favorite book at present
2. What is your favorite movie? I wish I had one! Time is limited right now!

Next on Cyber Studio? Katie Morrow

Inside a Cyber Studio: Marama Stewart

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Marama Stewart
blog: http://maramastewart.com/

1. Where do you live? Palmerston North, New Zealand
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 4.5 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Edublogs - I love the support and community that surrounds Edublogs users. I also enjoy that it is dedicated to educators and their students.
   Everything Google - fantastic Web2.0 environment to work with. It is easy to use and free!
   Flickr - Just makes managing my photos and blogs a lot easier. I also love the iPhoto extention.
   Delicious - helps me keep organised.
   Voicethread - Easy to use for my students and Me! I love anything that allows my student voices to be heard.
   Plus the fun stuff - RockYou.com, Supalogo.com, Clustr Maps, Voki.com and everything else I am yet to discover
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That technology is expensive and that if it is free it is not safe for our students.
   With the emergence of Cloud Computing and Open-source there really no excuse for school not to be involved in 21st Century Learning. I get really angry when I see so called experts peddling their wares and expecting school to pay big bucks for their "products", "student learning environments" and "expertise", that create "safe environments". I do pay for certain Web2.0 apps, but only those that prove to be beneficial and worthy of my students (Voicethread, Edublogs and Flickr). Unfortunately, many schools have no idea that there are better alternatives that do not cost the earth and are in fact easier to use. As long as you take certain simple precautions and educate your students to be aware of the dangers, technology is perfectly safe for your student to use.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? At the moment my biggest headache is the speed of lack thereof of our internet. The NZ government has pledged significant funds to fix this problems, so hopefully this will be fixed before I retire?
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? My class blog - My students and their parents love it. It really allows parents to see inside our classroom and it keeps them informed on what their little people are learning and how they can help at home. I am also very pleased with the global connections we have been able to make through our blog. It is important for kids to understand that they are actually part of a community that extends beyond their front door.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? I guess when you share fantastic technology with other teachers, that will enhance learning for their students and make things easier for them, and the teacher ignores it or doesn't even bother to check it out.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My current school - Russell Street School, and a former colleague Nick Rate (Nick is an Apple Distinguished Educator).
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I see it being very mobile and in the clouds!

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts. By Louis de Bernieres
2. What is your favorite movie? Serenity

Next on Cyber Studio: Amber Rowland

Inside a Cyber Studio: Teryl Magee

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Teryl Magee
blog: http://terylmagee.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? Knoxville, TN
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 10 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Both Windows & Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Wow, there are so many it is hard to name just one. For collaboration for the kiddos I will have to say VoiceThread for so many reasons. Animoto runs a very close 2nd though.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Teachers are "scared" of it, probably because they are afraid that their students know more than they do. That is okay. I think the biggest misconception however is that it will add something else to their already overflowing plates. Teachers need to realize that it is adding something else but a tool to use in education just like anything else.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Blocked sites!
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Last year I was able to work in our school lab for 3 days and got to work with all of the students from K-5. The students and teachers got a taste of what good technology integration strategies looked like and everyone got excited. K-2 worked with Kerpoof! Studios while 3-5 worked with Photostory.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? One year I was working on a project with my students using Voki when we went to go and continue our work the site had become blocked. No matter what my tech. dept. refused to unblock it saying that is was social networking. It was a personal setback I had to get over.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My biggest inspiration? My PLN inspires me everyday to become the BEST educator I possibly can be. There is not one person to be named. I will say though, without the DEN, I wouldn't be where I am today!
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Wow, I'm not sure. Technology is evolving so quickly it is hard to keep up.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Lord of the Rings series
2. What is your favorite movie? Silence of the Lambs

Next on Cyber Studio: Marama Stewart

Inside a Cyber Studio: Brian McKee

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Brian McKee
blog: http://ppsblogs.net/brianmckee/

1. Where do you live? Portsmouth, VA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 10 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Big Huge Labs: many teachers have concerns about integrating technology in an intense high accountability atmosphere. Bighugelabs.com permits simple and easy technology integration in a tight schedule.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Drill-and-kill sites are technology integration; productivity seems to be shunned because "I don't have time to do it."
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Classroom teachers can be territorial. Another adult in the room: why are you here? The new teachers, however, understand collaboration much better.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Demonstrating to teachers how giving troubled students leadership roles in technology projects can give them a sense of accomplishment and purpose in coming to school.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Working with older generation teachers who fear that it's taking over their comfort level.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Our supervisor/director: she supports all our strategies and ideas!
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? It will become a standard and not a choice. Example: handwriting is now being thrown to the wayside since keyboarding/technology has become the "norm".

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Anything by David McCullough
2. What is your favorite movie? It's a Wonderful Life

Next on Cyber Studio: Teryl Magee

Inside a Cyber Studio: Kevin Honeycutt

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Kevin Honeycutt
Blog: http://kevinhoneycutt.org/

1. Where do you live? US, Hutchinson, KS
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 6 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Plurk
   Because it allows people to build easy, collaborative networks that lend themselves to deep conversations.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it alone can make things better. It's the right symbiosis between technology and people that provides opportunities for great advancement.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Helping people find a workable path to getting where they want to go. Every situation is different and often an outsider sometimes has a good chance of getting cooperation going between teachers, leaders and tech directors. It takes cooperation and understanding to move forward.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? My ArtSnacks network has been a labor of love and a success for the schools and teachers who use it. It is my petri dish for experimenting with mentored educational networks. (http://artsnacks.org)
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Getting out of step with other teachers and tech support as I pursued my goals. Communication is important and people must know why you want to do things. The human factor and misunderstanding can cause as many breakdowns as a defective motherboard!
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Ian Jukes inspired me when I was a young teacher. I have never forgotten his passion and I continue to be inspired by him.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? End user empowerment and self-directed staff development. I think we're heading to a place where educators collaborate and learn together and tech support collaborates closely with self-empowered, techknowledgeable end users.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Prince of Tides
2. What is your favorite movie? Princess Bride

Next on Cyber Studio: Brian Mckee

Inside the Cyber Studio: Buffy J. Hamilton

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.

Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Buffy J. Hamilton
blog: http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/

1. Where do you live? Canton, Georgia
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? This is year 18
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Wow---it is hard to choose just one! My most powerful tool right now is probably Google Reader---I am able to pull the feeds from my favorite RSS feeds (blogs, Twitter, web pages) and to share items with friends and colleagues--I especially love the sharing and "bundles" features. I would have to say Twitter is a VERY close second, though---it was and continues to be a MAJOR player in my personal learning network. Facebook is now third---I love using it to share and network with my colleagues/friends.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? The biggest misconception is that a technology itself can disrupt and change education---instead, the power lies in the thoughtful and effective application of a particular technology.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Helping teachers feel comfortable trying new tools and cultivating a culture that motivates teachers to be open to the possibilities that Web 2.0 tools can present for learning.
   
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? My work w/ my Media 21 Capstone project has been my biggest success so far and is still a work in progress. I work daily w/ two sections of 10th Honors English--we are regularly using a class wiki, and students are using blogs to reflect their learning process. Students are also building a learning portfolio using Google Sites. We will be adding additional tools like Google Reader, Diigo, delivious, and Twitter for information sharing, backchanneling in class, and collaboration. Other teachers who are not part of the project have become curious, and I have several teachers now using Google Docs and Google Sites w/ their classes as well. You can read more about my project at http://theunquietlibrarian.wikispaces.com/media21capstone-buffy.
8. What has been your biggest set-back in technology integration? I personally have been fortunate to not have personally experienced setbacks in integration as I feel I grow and make progress each year; in addition, I am in a newer school and in the Media 21 program which has afforded me many opportunities to personally integrate technology into my practice. I am also fortunate to have an amazing personal learning network that has been incredibly instrumental in my professional growth the last 18 months. The biggest challenge I face as a librarian is that few teachers have had experience in working with a progressive librarian; in addition, the role of the library and librarian in education is never addressed in undergrad teacher ed, so creating collaborative partnerships with teachers takes extra work since few teachers have any expectations. I think if our district filter, which is progressive compared to neighboring districts, were to be opened up a little more, we could make even more forward strides---I will continue to advocate for that.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? I would have to say the work od Dr. Michael Wesch and Wendy Drexler are my inspiration for the Media 21 project work I'm doing in cultivating a classrom of inquiry that helps created, "connected students" who are developing a personal learning network. I fear I will leave out names if I start identifying additional educators and librarians who influence and inspire my work, but you might start w/ librarians I follow via my Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user%2F12352826191457788497%2Flabel%2FLibrarian%20Blogs.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? I feel cloud computing and open source apps will play an increased role as well as device that are multifunctional; I also feel the power of mobile computing is waiting to be mined by K-12!

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Prince of Tides, Great Gatsby, English patient.
2. What if your favorite movie? Field of Dreams, Casanlanca, Apollo 13

Next on Cyber Studio: Dan Johnson

Inside the Cyber Studio: Larry Ferlazzo

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.

Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Thanks!!!

Larry Ferlazzo
blog: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/

1. Where do you live? Work in Sacramento, CA and live in Davis, CA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 6 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? I think I have to list two: VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/#home) makes it so easy to integrate photos, audio, video and text into an academic product. And the fact that it allows audio commenting is "icing on the cake" by letting people interact w/ user creations. It's an ideal application for English Language Learners. The second is File2.ws. It lets you immediately create a webpage by just uploading a document from your computer. It's a wonderful way for students and anybody else to get introduced to user-created content by using tech that is more familiar to then (such as Word).
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Again, I have to share two. I think there are a number of people who are heavily invested in ed tech and almost think it's a "magic bullet" of sorts that will revolutionize schooling. Personally, I think edtech is a tool -- no more, no less -- that, used correctly (especially if it's used to develop and deepen face-to-face relationships) can be an excellent tool in an educator's toolkit. However, I believe that there are many teachers out there who know very little about tech and are still far better teachers than I will ever be. They are able to help students develop an appetite for knowledge that can be applied towards gaining whatever knowledge they want, including tech. On the other hand, there are many people, including eduators, who believe it is difficult and complicated to use tech in and educational setting. I believe that all you need to know to effectively integrate tech in learning is email and the ability to copy and paste.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? To tell you the truth, I haven't been experiencing many hurdles at all. I don't fight any content filtering battles because I've taken the time to develop relationships with all key School District staff, and, even though not all the sites I'd like to use are unblocked, there are always plenty of alternative apps that function as adequate replacements and that are not blocked. It would be nice if all the equipment worked perfectly all the time, but it would also be nice if somebody gave me a million dollars. Neither is ever going to happen :)
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Our school has a family literacy project which provides computers and home internet access to immigrant families to help them learn English. I was given a significant award by the International Reading Association.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? My only setbacks are when I don't know how to do a thing technically, and, in those instances (which happen fairly often), either Alice Mercer (http://mizmercer.edublogs.org/) or Sue Waters (http://suewaters.com/) always come to my rescue!
9. Who/What has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? I have seen that it has had a tremendous beneficial impact on English Language Learners. Watching students and their families develop a greater capacity in English, which is the "language of power" in our country, is great.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? I don't think I'd hazard a guess here, though I hope it keeps on "lowering the bar" for people not familiar with tech and that apps just become easier and easier to use.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Bread and Wine by Ignazio Silone
2. What is your favorite movie? Two -- Casablanca and It's A Wonderful LIfe

Next on Cyber Studio: Buffy J. Hamilton