The C.I.I. ran 3 Tech Treks this summer. Tech Trek is full of Technology, Learning, and FUN!! Our very own President and CEO stopped in for a visit. Check out the video below for a sneak peak into the Tech Trek experience. If you were at Tech Trek this summer, you may see yourself, or others you know.

Norfolk Public School ITRTs @ Tech Trek: The Next Generation

Norfolk Public School ITRTs spent the week of Aug 13-17, 2007 at WHRO for Tech Trek: The Next Generation. The week included the standard content of Tech Trek the Next Generation including Digital/Multimedia Literacy, Digital Media Development, and Distance Learning, but had a special twist with specific topics requested by the division. Some of the other special sessions included instruction by Tammy Worcester, Internet Safety, Podcasting, GrantWriting for ITRTs, Blogs, Wikis, MySpace, FaceBook, and Using Camtasia to create video tutorials.

Here's what a few of the ITRTs had to say about the week:

Hampton Roads Country Day School & Hampton Roads Academy Staff Attend TECH TREK: The Next Generation At WHRO

submitted by Patti Grayson

Project-Based Learning is centered on the theory of Cognitive Constructivism – that it is most effective for learners to build their own knowledge. In Project-Based Learning, students create a project as a culminating activity to a unit of study. Howard Garner (multiple intelligences) refers to this as “sticky learning” – an activity which helps to lock in material for long-term retention. This also advances the lesson to the Synthesis level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, by having the students actually produce something representative of their knowledge. Project-Based Learning is also useful for incorporating cooperative learning in the classroom.

By being the facilitator – the “guide on the side” as opposed to the “sage on the stage”, we are able to provide the appropriate scaffolding to raise the students’ Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky) - the gap educators seek to optimize between the learner’s current or actual level of development and their potential level of development.

With this as the primary focus, TECH TREK participants spent three days from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in intensive technology workshops on digital media literacy and development, distance learning, WebQuests and web design, digital story telling, wikis and podcasts, advanced uses of spreadsheets and databases, and UnitedStreaming. 

The remaining two days were spent developing and producing a NCLB lesson plan with technology integration for a unit of study culminating in a student created project. Participants were required to submit complete lesson plans, produce a model of the project to be completed, create a rubric for assessment, and to present/demonstrate their ideas to the class on Friday.

We are grateful for the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest developments in our field and to collaborate with other educators, thanks to our C.I.I. membership through WHRO and the generosity of the NCLB grant.

Most of the Tech Trekkers signed up for the Tech Trek Ning site (http://techtrek.ning.com) where they can continue to collaborate, share photos, videos, etc. Ning is a FREE Social Networking website. For the Tech Trekkers that still need to join, do so TODAY!! Drop an email to interactive@whro.org and you will then receive in invitation to join via email. If you attended Tech Trek prior to 2007, you are welcome to join as well by requesting an invitation. Just include the year you attended. If you are already a member, click below to login.

http://techtrek.ning.com

Visit Tech Trek

Check out this video that was created by a
team of Tech Trekkers
(Gail Ford Westbrook and Tami Maloney)
during Tech Trek: The Next Generation.

Why Tech Trek?

Find more videos like this on Tech Trek