scottmerrickdotnet

MNPS Principals' Retreat Virtual School Sharing

2012-01-27T05:51:00.001-06:00

We had an experience yesterday that I want to share here, and I hope that if there are any who were present in the audience who might have taken pictures or who have thoughts they would like to share will do just that--share them.

Our school district, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, like I'm sure is the practice in many others, holds an annual Principals' Retreat to reset focus for those school leaders who are dispersed across the geographical district. It's one of the very few times these folks are all in one room. In our district, which serves nearly 80,000 students preK-12 and a growing population of adult learners, that means that around 140 school Principals meet to network, learn, and share.

This year the Retreat is held over three days, including Saturday I might add, at the Martin Professional Development Center, where my "small but powerful" team spent its first year implementing an on-the-fly Virtual Learning Program whose highlight was the graduation of seven seniors at the end of May 2010. I remember being up on that graduation stage as our little cadre of graduates was introduced by Middle College High School Principal Rod Manuel, and looking out into dead center of the audience of parents, grandparents, and family assembled as Mr. Manuel stated that he was "elated to host this innovative program in his school, where seven seniors who are graduating with a high school diploma today completed all of their schoolwork completely online" to see one small, thin, grandmother with tightly pursed lips slowly and solemnly shaking her head side to side in a gesture of firm disapproval. I'll never forget that moment.

That was when I became convinced that it would be an absolutely essential part of my work to help "sell" K12 online learning to the world. If people do not see how it really works, how much good it does for how many students, presently and in the future; if people do not understand not only how many ways the burgeoning educational practices of online learning challenge the way "we've always done it," and should; if people don't understand how this new way of facilitating learning is both rigorous and in many ways more, not less, subject to accountability for students, teachers, and administrators; we who understand those things will not have done our job.

In our little closing 30 minutes of the first day of the retreat, we shared and shared effectively. Here's my Facebook status post from 30 minutes after the event, when I opened my laptop on my family room table:

Just did 5 minutes to close a great share in front of 140 Principals, and our share included a Director of High Schools, two of our Adjunct Teachers (one present and one via Skype), two students (one present and one via Google Chat Video), and moi, the "student support guy." I'm beaming, and so proud of our "small but powerful team" as I put it. MNPS Virtual School Metro Nashville Public Schools

Tiona Horton demonstrates Discussion Based Assessment

Much thanks to Dr. Michelle Wilcox, the Executive Director of High Schools who oversees our high school and its growth and who designed the presentation, to my colleague and "Coordinator/Interim Principal" Barbra Thoeming, who was an audience member at this "show" but who drives the school bus for us all (that's a virtual but very real school bus, ya'll), Dr. Kecia Ray for putting together this "small but powerful" team in the first place, Adjunct Teachers Fiona Horton and Alton Knight for their brilliant and lucid demonstrations of how this all works, student Carrie Daniel for her onsite explanation of why online learning worked for her and helped allow her "time to work and help support her family of seven" and student Maggie Alexander for her amazing Google Chat performance simulating a Discussion Based Assessment gone awry (Maggie, you really helped Ms. Horton demonstrate how online teachers can clearly see if a student is not doing the work they claim to be doing--the DBA). Thanks also to Kelly Brown, our amazing School Counselor, Michael Terry, our erstwhile an creative Registrar/SupportPerson/DataMan, and to Sherry Hill, our amazing Senior Secretary. I will close this shameless Oscar-esque display of gratitude by thanking the parents and teachers and students who are taking these unprecedented baby steps with us, steps which I predict will take us to the firm establishment of this very new way of teaching and learning within an immense system (the MNPS School District) which, as I said at closing, "was not designed to host it." Wait, I should also include the people at the top, who are our trusting but vigilant enablers: Jay Steele, MNPS Associate Superintendent, and Dr. Jesse Register, Superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools. Principals, I thanked you in person yesterday.

In the spirit of "selling the concept," please enjoy this 90 second video of student responses about...

The 3rd Issue of Virtual Environments Journal is HERE!

2012-01-23T05:50:00.000-06:00

A beautiful new issuu (sic) of SIGVE's Virtual Education Journal? With two articles by moi and 60 pages of some of the most engaging introductions to what's happening in 3D worlds learning and teaching ever shared with the public?

Bring it on!!!

And thanks, Rosie and Bob Vojtek. FYI, both of those fine folks, who produce VEJ as a labor of love, are vibrant educational community leaders, public school administrators in their "real" lives and active volunteers for educational innovation on an international scale. See what they and many other innovators are up to in virtual worlds. You'll be amazed and impressed, I warrant.

Open publication - Free publishing

Please share profusely. And do visit ISTE Island in Second Life before it moves to a new, smaller (but most likely more robust) space. You'll want to build a few virtual memories from the heyday of our tribe, now, wontcha?

Cross-posted (and elaborated upon) from Oh!VirtualLearning!

Groupshots

2012-01-13T06:11:00.001-06:00

For better or for worse, I often consider myself a solitary fellow. I have my tight knit little group at MNPS Virtual School with whom I work, often in isolation (but not far from community) in my beautiful corner office on the top floor of an historical building in the Cohn Adult Learning Center in Nashville, Tennessee. But it has been a core assumption of my own self-image that I'm sort of a loner. Teachers everywhere might identify with this--typically isolated in a classroom with no other adult to share their best moments with, teachers have often cited isolation as a basic descriptor of their work environment.

Having moved into our new school and into my new office in a bit of a rush in August of last year, I recently came into a newly donated desk, which stimulated a sort of remodel of my office. The whole process left me with a new space on a wall directly across from my desk. I'm not one to leave an empty wall, so I brought in a wonderful Red Grooms silkscreen (see this version online) that had been languishing in my attic.

It was too wide for the space. That was okay, since we had a wall in what I call our "Great Room," which is a repurposed band practice room, a wall that needed that drawing. In fact, two nails were already set in perfect positions in the exact space for it. The Great Room, too, is shaping up

What to do with the space in my office?

Inspiration: When I crawled up the pull down ladder to grab the Grooms, I noticed a multi-snapshot frame on the attic floor. I intend to climb back up in a few minutes, when the family is all awake and before going in to my Friday (news flash, MNPS just called to say school is closed for snow! Yay!, er, I mean, awwwww), to snag that. It will host a sort of "Where's Waldo" (substitute "Scott" for "Waldo") set of pictures from past events that put my "solitary fellow" self-image to the lie. I thought it might be fun to put them here in order to share with whomever it is who actually reads this half-decade long memoir/op-ed thing called scottmerrickdotnet.

The first one that came to mind is what I lovingly called "the moneyshot" from NECC08. Taken at the conclusion of our jam-packed "SLedupotential" event, it features a group of human beings all of whom had met as avatars in Second Life, collaborating in an extraordinarily robust community of educators to mine virtual worlds for their potentials for learning and teaching:

Next, the group photo from NECC09's ISTE SIGVE "Birds of a Feather" meeting. This one was in San Diego, California, and we actually had some ISTE-provided refreshments for a get-together of the humans behind the innovator-avatars:

Then the "moneyshot" from ISTE 2010's Virtual Environments Playground, three days of back to back presentations highlighting where things had gone in that broad arena of education (a very narrow one in some opinions, but only because those are not informed by virtual realities). Come to think of it, this event was also blessed by refreshments--frozen confections, yummy!:

From Edublogger Con (the "unconference" from ISTE's NECC08 in San Antonio, Texas, this is the most challenging picture for "Where's Scott!" Hint: at the core...

And finally, I found this one, a favorite of mine of our still tightly-knit group, the MNPS Virtual School team, my family away from family. Wait, who's that interloper? Oh, yes, Mayor Karl Dean of our fair Metropolitan city, Nashville, Tennessee! I believe this one may need its own frame since I think the one in the attic only has spaces for four pictures. I think I'll print this one BIG:

Thank you for listening/reading/watching, and may you enjoy your own "'Way Back Machine" when you redecorate your own office! Hopefully, as it has for me, the process will help you feel less alone as you perform your own good work for our community members of the future, our students. I guess I'm not such a loner. Cheers!

2012-01-09T07:46:00.003-06:00

Happy 2012, ya'll, and welcome to a new year of renewed dedication to blogging my head off.

I've recently begun working on a piece of writing to document my work in K12 distance learning and I'm working-titling it

The Necessaries: Essential Components for Best Practices in Online K12 Education

In doing so, I realize that I need to write both universally and specifically, but my overriding goal is to create something both personal and professional, sort of like this blog, that will help others emulate and improve upon our efforts here in Nashville, Tennessee. I won't be sharing the text itself as I work, but I will be pulling out snippets to share as I progress. My rough draft begins with a set of numbered (though not necessarily sequentially) bullets:

Humanware
Vision
Funding
Cooperation/Interfunctionality with Existing Systems
Learning Management System
Monitoring and Support Procedures
Marketing
Facilities
Hardware

I'll be adding to these and possibly merging some of them into headings, but call the alarm, I'm getting started. Wish me luck.

See our work at http://vlearn.mnps.org, a website I created, maintain, and continue to improve (hopefully) as we proceed.

Happy Holidays from Scottmerrick Oh and his Human, Scott Merrick

2011-12-23T10:41:00.004-06:00

Happy Holidays!

Announcing the 2011 Winners – Congrats to All!

2011-12-14T20:46:00.000-06:00

Announcing the 2011 Winners – Congrats to All!

You Are Invited to Virtual Worlds

2011-11-27T07:06:00.001-06:00

Feeling adventurous? Discover worlds of creativity, collaboration, and wonder by joining thousands of educators all across the globe who are exploring the values 3 dimensional "virtual worlds" can bring to learning and teaching. If you're feeling a little under the educational weather, this will help rejuvenate you, I can all but promise.- scottmerrick Oct 8, 2011 8:15 am

I am working on a 3D Virtual World meeting and collaboration space for our school. Projected rollout of this powerful tool for use by our teachers and students is not until the 2012-13 school year, but you can learn more right now about 3D Virtual Worlds at a wiki I help maintain for the International Society for Technology in Education's Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments:http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net . Spend a little time there then check out my Oh! Virtual Learning! blog.

When you feel like you want to actually explore virtual worlds for yourself, you can easily get yourself an avatar by clicking "Register" a thttp://reactiongrid.com and then downloading the Hippo viewer for your computer. Install that and fire it up using the avatar name and password you set up (and the settings information here) and go explore our 3D space in Reaction Grid (on the login screen, find "Places" and click that, then scroll down to MNPSVirtualLearning. Explore as much as you will and/or set up an appointment with me at the School or over Skype (my username is cleverly disguised: "scottmerrick") and we'll go in together. Tapping into my years of exploring the metaverse, I'll jumpstart you.

Some pictures might help:

Long view of landing area

Presentation space

Long View of Presentation Space

Finally, the other effort I'm making, a 3 month trial, is to create a web-based Virtual World for MNPS Virtual School at http://jibemicro2.reactiongrid.com/MNPSVS/ -- this requires no software downloads (other than a one-time browser plug-in) and can be visited right now without any hesitation. Just visit the link and go explore. Check back often to see what's been added. This platform runs on Android right now and will be on iPhones in the near future! Here's a pic of that:

and here's a video so you can see a bit about how easy Jibe is to visit:

Prisoners of Time

2011-11-23T06:02:00.001-06:00

I submit this for your morning/afternoon/evening read:

Have we learned nothing? In 1994, The National Education Commission on Learning and Time published

PRISONERS OF TIME

To quote from its introduction:

"Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary. The rule, only rarely voiced, is simple: learn what you can in the time we make available. It should surprise no one that some bright, hard-working students do reasonably well. Everyone else-from the typical student to the dropout- runs into trouble.

Time is learning's warden. Our time-bound mentality has fooled us all into believing that schools can educate all of the people all of the time in a school year of 180 six-hour days. The consequence of our self-deception has been to ask the impossible of our students. We expect them to learn as much as their counterparts abroad in only half the time.

As Oliver Hazard Perry said in a famous dispatch from the War of 1812: "We have met the enemy and they are [h]ours."

If experience, research, and common sense teach nothing else, they confirm the truism that people learn at different rates, and in different ways with different subjects. But we have put the cart before the horse: our schools and the people involved with them-students, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff-are captives of clock and calendar. The boundaries of student growth are defined by schedules for bells, buses, and vacations instead of standards for students and learning."

National Education Commission on Time and Learning
1255 22nd Street, NW
Washington, DC 20202-7591
(202) 653-5019
Read the whole report at http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/index.html

Comments, anyone?

On April 9th, a Poem

2011-11-18T05:14:00.001-06:00

I was squeezing honey into my coffee from its honeybear this morning, counting "one-and-a-two-and-a-three-and-a" as the thin stream poured, a habit anytime I pour anything, established from five-plus years bartending for a living, decades ago. This caused me to reflect how any process, repeated enough (how many times did I tip up a pour-spout bottle and count in my head like that?), internalizes into subconscious habit. Mindfulness should be as lucky in my own internal habit mechanisms. Perhaps with a little more practice.

My brother died early this year, leaving my older brother and I as the remaining Merrick patriarchs. Ed texted me a week or so ago wondering if we should do something to honor Bill on his upcoming birthday. On Tuesday he would have been 59 years old. Alcohol, combined with some other habits of mind and body that he had allowed, perhaps encouraged, to gain control of his life, took him away in a last, violent, motorcycle moment.

Maybe it's no coincidence: While cleaning out my home office recently I came across a thin three-ring binder of poems written during a semester of Vanderbilt University writing classes with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet-in-residence Philip Levine (he received the news of that award the evening before a class session). There are a few unpublished poems in binder, ones not in my little book of poetry that has languished at Lulu.com, a victim of my congenital lack of fiscal motivation, for years. If you want to take a look at that it's at http://lulu.com/scottmerrick. You can get a .pdf download for like a buck and a quarter.

That semester with Levine is a story unto itself, one which I may write someday, but not here.

One of those poems was written the week of April 9th, 1995, on the anniversary of our loss of our father, Edwin Augustus Merrick III, who had died in 1985. At the risk of being accused of double-dipping my grief, I submit it here to mark the passing of William Claude Merrick (November 22, 1952-January 20, 2011). I will note Levine's hand-written comment: "Don't abandon this -- much of the writing is potent & there is true candor here." I hope you agree.

May Bill, my much missed little brother, rest in peace. And I mean it. As with all my poems, I feel it's best read aloud, if under your breath. Please accept...

On April 9th

The first year, on this day, my mood was maudlin.
Those who knew me knew the reason why:
Between me and the world thee hung a coffin
suspended in the air. Although I'd try
to focus past it to the tasks at hand,
nothing I could do or say sufficed.
Later on, my anger at the man
and sorrow (over having lost him, twice)
as if bound by blood oath, would contrive
most painful ways to show the day was coming.
These past few years, the ache, alive,
less violent, has assumed a soft, incessant drumming.
Today I had not marked the day at all
until my hand picked up a telephone, to call.

MNPSVS in Jibe

2011-11-05T10:56:00.002-05:00

Just a quick intro into Jibe/ReactionGrid at MNPSVS:

This is a project I'm funding and supporting mostly with work done at home. I envision it to be a a fun gathering space/meeting space for our faculty and students as well as an enrichment option for our Computer Science learners. Feel free to visit--there's more there almost daily. If you have any suggestions for additions to the content, feel free to comment 'em here!

Direct link is http://jibemicro2.reactiongrid.com/mnpsvs/

New ISTE SIG Page!

2011-10-27T20:53:00.001-05:00

So very cool. Very nicely done, so I do share!

Support Deliciously Happy!

2011-10-27T09:24:00.005-05:00

Public school? Private school? Charter school? Why not support Arts learning in all three? Why not go further and have all three sets of elementary age students collaborate with one another? Is there any angle that this project fails to approach learning in an empowering, enlightened, collaborative way?

You tell me. Once you've been wowed by the video below, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/586300314/deliciously-happy and make a donation that makes your own heart sing. Whether it's a dollar or a thousand dollars, you will feel better about yourself and your commitment to help nurture creativity in our leaders of the future. Go on, you know you want to...

Virtual Worlds Education Scoop.it !!!

2011-10-25T09:01:00.001-05:00

Hey, all,Just to announce a new effort at scoop.it, an amalgamedia site (wow, I think I just coined that term!) that, while more labor-intensive than my paper.li site, is certainly promising. While I use the paper.li site frequently to view social media network posts selected according to parameters I set--beginning with who I follow and allow to follow me--the scoop.it requires daily sorting through auto-selected sources according to search terms, also accessing my online networks to help locate and provide that sourcing.

Kewl. Hope you enjoy:

2011-10-15T07:38:00.000-05:00

I found this video today on my daily newspaper, which to be perfectly honest is automatically edited and posted regularly at http://paper.li -- very easy to set up and pretty darned valuable if you have built your online learning networks well. It was pulled into the "paper" after having been shared by Kevin Arndt, a new twitterer I follow as "arndtk," and I popped on over to youtube to watch it. I think it's a new genre, isn't it? "DryEraseDocumentaries?"

Heartening and disheartening at the same time, it has generated considerable discussion, so after watching it here, drop into youtube and contribute if you care to...

Astro Cantus -- Play the Universe!

2011-10-02T07:58:00.002-05:00

My dear friend Rocky Alvey has been working on this concept only since January, and I'm happy to say that his app's first release is now available for your mobile device! Watch this video to see what it's all about, then go get your app, then go play the universe!

Check out this application on the App Store:

AstroCantus

DavidsonDean, LLC

Category: Education

Updated: Oct 04, 2011

iTunes for Mac and Windows

Please note that you have not been added to any email lists.
Copyright © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved

Good Digital Ink! MNPS Virtual School!

2011-09-21T05:29:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Newschannel5's Scott Arnold came by our digs at the MNPS Virtual School, up in Suite 300 of the Cohn ALC on Nashville's Park Avenue, and he and his extremely artistic cameraman spent 45 minutes or so in a breakneck interview of our Coordinator/ActingPrincipal Barbra Thoeming. They asked excellent questions, took stellar video, and then left for a drive up to Two Rivers to interview two twin sister Full-Time students in our program. Everyone concerned did their part, but as we know that's no guarantee a good news story will air. Well, a good news story did air, and I thank Scott and his own team for so aptly portraying at least a portion of what me and my team does. If you don't blink, you'll see me heading up to my office to get back to work after facilitating a Skype interview with Alton Knight, a pioneer online teacher, on my iPad for the camera! Enjoy (if video takes too long to load try this link):

Why I Still Second Life, Well, One Reason!

2011-09-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

I don't talk about it much here; I mainly confine virtual world discussions to my Second Life blog, "Oh! Virtual Learning!" But lately I have been becoming interested in reviving my membership in learning communities there. I know, people think I'm nuts, and there are 10 (binary) kinds of people when it comes to understanding the value of 3D virtual "sense of place at a distance," those who are inworld(s) and those who aren't. I logged into SL this early Sunday morning to visit my new little shoppe (you have to pronounce the final "e") at Guthries Folk Club, which I blogged about recently here.

I was greeted by an instant message from one of my literally hundreds of "friends" in Second Life. Although many of those friends ("friends" in the social media sense) have become real-life actual friends over the years I've spent as an educator in SL, this one is really just a virtual acquaintance--think Facebook "friends." She dropped me a notecard in her instant message, and it is this that prompted this blog post. Perhaps it will help some of the 0 people (binary again) "get it."

Note that when Nymf says she read my "profile," that is simply one way to learn more about the people you meet in a virtual world. All it takes is a properly located right-click. Sometimes I wish real-life were so simple...

A picture of the Science Circle HQ (click to enlarge):

Here's Nymf's notecard, repurposed here with her permission:

Good day Scottmerrick,

Couldn't help reading your profile :)

I would like to inform you about “Nymf’s Science Circle”.

The Circle is an alliance of RL Scientists from various fields who gather twice a month. At each meeting a member of the science circle, will give a presentation on a subject of the presenter's choice. We normally seek offers from members of the circle some weeks in advance. Each presentation is followed by a Q&A and discussion session. The discussions are lively and informative, as our different perspectives inform the discussion. They are, however, also conducted with mutual respect and courtesy.

It is our aim to connect different disciplines, tickle creativity & inventiveness. Share knowledge globally and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas from our different disciplines. This is why we encourage members from all scientific disciplines to join us.

We aim to create the atmosphere of those fun, free-wheeling seminars of our early careers.

Until now we have had a wide variety of topics and participation;
1. “The Anthropocene Epoch” by Vic Machalak

2. “The Chinese Room and Strong AI” by Boythorn Ironclad

3. “Religions and Rome” by Perfututor Janus

4. “Technology and Evolution” by Darkeagle Darkstone

5. “Stem cells” by Alfa Roux

6. "Perception and limits of reality" by Deepthinker Oh

7. "Genome Expression and Internet Communications: An Interdisciplinary Comparison" by Vic Machalak

8. "Search Engines" (about the new Wolfram Alfa conceptual knowledge engine) by Vic Machalak

9. "Extending the human life span" by Deepthinker Oh

10. "Particle Physics" by Vic Machalak

11."Virtual World using OpenSim" by Darkeagle Darkstone

12."Aspergers, Autism & the Rainman" by Deepthinker Oh and Arisia Vita

13."The Monty Hall problem" by Deepthinker Oh

14. "Interdisciplinary Science in Second Life" by Vic Michalak

15. "Computer and Network Security" by Darkeagle Darkstone

We run a website as well, for uploading the seminars in PDF, interviews with our members, events, documentaries, weblinks, the Magazine "Gray Matters" and much more, have a look at http://nymfs.mine.nu/

If you are a RL Scientist… consider joining the Circle!

We are hosted at Nature Publishing Group

If you aren't a scientist but would like to be kept informed about Circle-meetings... join Nymfs Forum. Go to Search, button Groups, Type; Nymfs Forum and join.

For information and memberships IM Nymf Hathaway or email chantal@xylan.nl

P.S. Whilst crafting this post, my avatar Scottmerrick Oh received yet another announcement from yet another group of science educators, announcing a community gathering happening in 15 minutes (from this writing). It's rich inworld, ya'll...

As summer drifts into autumn in the northern hemisphere, temperatures drop, and our thoughts turn to cryogenics. Join us today at 10AM SLT to listen with us to the live BBC radio show, The Naked Scientists. Bring your mittens and earmuffs. SciLands (104,136,28)

Standardized Testing Versus Jobs, an Oblique Perspective

2011-09-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Though all of Alfie Kohn's writings to date are well worth examining, and though he has contributed more logical and thoughtful arguments against homework, standardized testing, and the generally wrong-headed habits our schools have stacked one upon the other for generations--to the point that it seems overwhelmingly improbable they will ever be upended--his post yesterday in HuffPost Education, "Whoever Said There's No Such Thing As a Stupid Question Never Looked Carefully at a Standardized Test," is maybe the most concise and inarguable "elevator speech" on the topic to date, at least in the battle against the bane of progressive educational change, Standardized Testing.

As I read it, some concepts formed in my mind, chief among them the role that employment plays in all of this. Since I haven't really noticed much discussion of this element, I thought it right and good to toss it out there. It goes something like this:

Education is a thriving industry, and the more jobs that are mandated by the structures created to monitor it, even if the structures themselves are clearly offensive and ineffective, even harmful, the less likely we are ever going to see rational changes implemented. Yes, friends, it's that old love hate relationship, and its name is Capitalism. "It's the economy, dummy." Entrenched ways of doing things are self sustaining practices, and survival is keyed to self-preservation. In order to effect progressive change, we must negatively impact jobs.

Here are a couple questions I'd like to ask, in no particular order.

1) How many jobs are fueled by the commercial agencies that sell ACT and SAT prep? ACT and SAT delivery and evaluation? Other like entities for other standardized testing? See this list of Standardized Tests in the United States for a whiff of an answer. You don't even really need the number do you (though it would be interesting to ascertain)? Lots.

2) How many jobs are filled by those in and around the textbook industry (largely vestigial in the 21st century, though the industry does everything it can to deny that fact, for self-preservation, duh) whose INCREDIBLE prices are necessitated to support it? Well, hmmmmm, according to this blog (linger there a while), ~182,200,000 textbooks are sold every year and "between 1986 and 2004 textbook prices rose 186% in the US." How about college bookstores, around half of which are "private, for profit companies." Anybody look at textbook publisher CEO salaries lately?

3) Old models sustain employment by thousands, and changing them in any meaningful way stands to threaten jobs in major quantities. How that that ever be made right?

That's all I'm going to toss out this morning, but consider it tossed.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Scott

Advocate for Public School Social Media Access

2011-08-28T07:40:00.007-05:00

Disclaimer: These opinions in no way reflect those of my employer nor of anyone else. They are personal, informed by my 17 years of experience as an educator and by my fervent desire to see potential come into line with reality. Feel free to copy any of this and adapt the message to your own location.

Our school system here in Nashville is no more stringent about restricting in-school access to social media than are the vast majority of public school systems throughout the country. I understand the reasons that social media were blocked in public schools when they were first developing. I also realize that the decision is largely a matter of policy in concert with that of the State of Tennessee.

Now, comma, it is time to bring policy into the 21st century. MNPS has already begun the process, with its own social media feeds, maintaining a Facebook presence and a Twitter feed; but if history is any indication it will be a good long while before students, teachers, administrators, parents, staff, and other community members find themselves able to access and nurture whatever online communities they belong to, within the workplace they share.

Let's accelerate that process. Right now, take a minute to call, email, or write the Metropolitan Nashville School Board to advocate for access to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media within the walls of the school buildings for the MNPS community. Charge them with the responsibility they have as a Board to facilitate this important change at the State level. Be nice: These people navigate rough waters these days, all in the name of doing the right thing by our students. They need to know that we want this; and if enough voices are heard, change will be implemented.

Board Office
Phone: (615)259-8487
Email: Board.Adminstrator@mnps.org
Snailmail: 2601 Bransford Ave. Nashville, TN 37204

Want some further motivation to do so? Read this: http://www.edutopia.org/science-leadership-academy-social-networking. After you read, ask yourself this question: "Why cannot our own teachers and administrators in Nashville, Tennessee use the tools at hand to innovate in the right directions the way that Chris Lehmann and his supercharged faculty at Philadelphia's Science Leadership Academy have?"

Chris Lehmann flanked by two of his social media savvy students

A couple more links with more information for the effort:

ISTE Discussion: Should You "Friend" Your Students?

and

Social Media Guidelines for Schools

and

Straight from the DOE: Dispelling Myths About Blocked Sites

Just sayin'...

The Yearlings

2011-08-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

The yearlings are insolent,
Prancing through our well-kempt lawns
Like ballerinas, their stark white tails
Giving us the thumbs-up
"See you later"
On the way
Away.

...written one morning last week while walking the dog. I have to thank MacGuyver for so faithfully carrying out his daily task of getting me off my devices, into my running shoes, and outside into the neighborhood where I can see and muse about the "real world."

Virtual's Cool!

2011-08-16T09:07:00.003-05:00

The above logo from http://cooltext.com says it all. We're cool. We're a school. Whatever else happens in the State of Tennessee, now a wild west wide open experimental ground for profit-seeking distance learning vendors who can corral a local school district into turning over the reins of its development to their commercial entity, Metro Nashville Public Schools has created the first virtual high school in Tennessee's history. Here's our small but dedicated team's picture with the Mayor to prove it!

Kelly Brown, Barbra Thoeming, Mayor Karl Dean, Scott Merrick, Michael Terry, and Sherry Hill at the Mayor's 1st Day Celebration 2011-12

Rally on! More updates as we announce changes and improvements. For now, visit http://vlearn.mnps.org for everything we know!

NewsChannel5 in Nashville Covers Virtual School

2011-07-31T08:01:00.002-05:00

We'll be at the Mayor's First Day Celebration today, Sunday, August 7 to share the developments at MNPS Virtual School. This piece from Nashville NewsChannel5 helps explain our excitement! Yay, Gabby and Barbra. And yay to the rest of the team who's been working so hard for nearly a year to make this happen!

I'm a Slacker (Not Really)

2011-07-29T16:40:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since July 6. This is some kinda record. I just want ya'll to know that I'm not clinging by my fingernails to the edge of the earth since ISTE11. I've just been working like a madman to get our Virtual School off the ground here in Nashville, and it sometimes seems like every day is more packed and (thankfully) more productive than the last.

Here's where we stand:

We were granted the first official Virtual School number from the State of Tennessee. Our MNPS Virtual School (named by the school board over our own recommendations, but that's how things work in big school systems and it's growing on me) is as of today accepting enrollment requests. We'll have seats for 100 Full-Timers and up to 1000 Part-Timers this year as we begin hiring adjunct teachers to facilitate the Florida Virtual School "Easy Start" content and we search for a district Learning Management System (by committee, of course) to serve it up in. We've been interviewing for adjunct teachers to teach our core courses and looking at other options for our kids, and we truly look forward to making this happen. I promise to be a better blogger soon, but I wanted to share our new banner/logo here, just to note that it's really happening!

We'll be setting up shop in the historic Cohn Adult Learning Center, taking over a tasty wing of the top floor where we'll administrate, consult, collaborate, and facilitate our way into the future. I've been working on the website all week, and though it's not "there" yet it's certainly "getting there."

For a good rundown from a local perspective, see Nashville City Paper's July 26, 2011 article "Metro Nashville Public Schools prepped to open virtual school" which does a good job of summarizing!

Don't be a stranger!

Thanks to one and all for ISTE11 in Philadelphia and in Second Life!

2011-07-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

Mirrored from the ISTE SIGVE wiki:

Open Letter from Scott Merrick/ Scottmerrick Oh: Thank you from the depths of my old heart!

On the plane to Nashville, thumb-typing away on my iPad, I finally have time to begin to express my deep gratitude to everyone who participated in the virtual worlds-related sharing at ISTE11, whether you did so as an organizer, a facilitator, a presenter, or a much-appreciated attendee--or all of the above.

This gratitude knows no boundaries and is extended to all of you whether onsite, inworld, or--as was often the case--both. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

This is my first official communication as Grand Poobah Emeritus, after the stirring installation of my dear brother-from-another-mother, Andy Wheelock (aka Spiff Whitfield) as Lowly High Grand Poobah at Monday's SIGVE Birds of a Feather annual SIG meetup. I want to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate several accomplishments:

The SIGVE Virtual Environments Playground

This year I have to say unequivocally that we suffered from poor placement and, I have to add, poor promotion. The space itself was fabulous, but both its location and our visibility in the signage and in the media were poor at best. Tom illustrate this point, I had to present on a two hour panel workshop in 126a Tuesday from 2:00 to 4:00, and when I realized I needed something from the Playground I sent an otherwise capable colleague for it, with directions to find Andy for help locating it. 20 minutes later he returned empty handed. Clarifying the directions by adding "right next to Registration, take the nearest escalator up," I sent him back with his brother to help him. 10 minutes later the both returned empty handed.That's how ridiculously hard we were to find.

Still, we served as the conference home to a strong core cadre, and we shared 31 absolutely top-notch presentations (with only one no-show, a victim to food poisoning) relating to our theme of learning and teaching in virtual worlds, all over a hectic but generally clockwork-smooth two days. An important aspect to remember this year is that over half of those presentations originated remotely! We heard from Second Life, Unity Jibe, ReactionGrid, NirvanaGrid, Quest Atlantis, World of Warcraft, WiloStar3D, LEGO Universe, Mine Craft, and more.

We can totally rectify the placement issue in San Diego for ISTE11 by prioritizing traffic to the top of our needs, and I even would submit that we can do without the second presentation display if it is a choice between one or the other. Bron suggests that we insist on co-placement with Games and Simulations and I think this make great good sense on a number of levels.

It will be more than interesting to see the data that we were able to gather via the electronic scanners this year. Meanwhile, again, THANK YOU ALL!

Second Life Virtual Environments Playground in the Sky

Is it possible that even though attendance in the audience in Philadelphia was light compared to past years we had immense success globally through the Second Life (and browser-based ustream iteration) Playground mirror? Absolutely! Our own Jane Wilde/Esme Qunhua, organizer extraordinaire, made things go so well there that we all owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Want evidence if you were not there? Jane had her Marlboro College grad students create a flickr stream. It’s here: __http://www.flickr.com//groups/iste2011sigve/pool/show/with/5882799941/__ . Put on some dynamic music and watch that slideshow, ya’ll. Thanks to everyone who contributed, too, including Esme’s students (who redesigned my lame first attempt at setting things up into a comfie and welcoming virtual space. Wow. Just wow.

The video that streamed into Second Life and out into the ether of the internet was recorded and archived, and we are looking for volunteers to break it down into sessions from the large (as large as 5 hours) video recordings. Please see Spiff/Andy if you would like to do that, or if you have students you would like to assign to that task. I’ll make sure that you get the footage to work with.

SIGVE Birds of a Feather Session

Monday early evening I arrived back up to the Playground right at the BOF start after having presented “Ten Tips to Building a Virtual School” with Dr.s Kecia Ray and Kathy Haydn and at that time there were only around a half a dozen stalwarts. I thought, “Well, this will be short and sweet.” As people trickled in, tired from an intense day of networking and learning, I realized that the session had generated a great turnout, with tears more than once and hugs all around. We still adjourned before the full allotted hour but it surely was sweet. Andy shared the news that Bob Vojtek is our upcoming Poobah-in-training and presented me with a service award from ISTE and we shared deeply in community and tribe. From that meeting we determined to achieve better Playground placement in San Diego, to publish the Virtual Education Journal bi-monthly, to have more socials (perhaps in conjunction with the regular Newbie Socials, and to retain our status as Topic Level SIG in order to avoid getting caught up in the protocols Division Level SIGs must deal with.

At that event, Andrew took the reins as Lowly High Grand Poobah and I joined Lisa Linn as Poobah Emeritus. Grand Poobah Bob Vojtek was installed in that position and we are off and running toward San Diego for ISTE2012. In the meantime we have Speaker Sessions to offer and share. Please __follow the wiki__ and come join us for those. They are important, interesting, and valuable.

The Black Jacket

Yes, I was awarded the coveted “Making IT Happen” jacket at the Sunday night opening reception. It’s the male version of the Pink Jacket and I am glad it’s black, although I did tell them I would have been happy with a pink one. This is awarded to a handful of people annually in our organization of 20,000 or so, so it’s a great honor. I’ll tell you now, if I could cut it up and mail pieces of it to all of you who, through your own work and innovation, contributed to the visibility that landed me the actual award, I’d readily do so. Since I can’t, and since it’s actually a really nice satin jacket, I’ll just keep it and wear it for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

SIG Open House

Sunday after a hefty and really rewarding SIG Leadership Day, we descended upon the poster session area for our SIG Open House. Andy, Bob and I held down the fort along with several others (Kimberly was everywhere with us all week. Look out, Kim, you may be targeted for more of a leadership role ongoingly :).) Now there’s a punctuation challenge! We generated some extra buzz by setting out __JamParty4Education__application forms. By the way, if you didn’t get your copy for your school, holler to me and I’ll show you how.

SIGVE Machinima Festival 2011

This was fantastic! To take a load off at the end of a day and to sit with 50 or 60 colleagues of like mind and interests and be treated to our own Marianne Malmstrom, aka Knowclue Kidd, thoughtfully and flawlessly leading us through more than a dozen examples of movies made in Second Life or in other virtual worlds--movies made by K12 students, college students, teachers, professors, or program designers, well, that was a fine trip. Another goodly sized group enjoyed ustreamed video in Second Life for the entire hour and a half. One thing that struck me is that, yes, the usual suspects were there--co-founders of SIGVE, newcomers, all the folks who contribute year-round--but in addition to those good people, there was a plethora of new faces. Is this a key to growing the tribe for the future? I think so. Next year we will be adding a popcorn machine, by hook or by crook. We will make sure we can get proper lumens to the projector first thing by turning off the room lights (without the need to have a half dozen conference tech folks attempt to do so before achieving the goal). We will promote even better, since having all witnessed how fun and engaging it is, we know for sure what we’re sharing. Thanks to Marianne/KC for her tireless work to make this happen, and thanks to Terra/Louise for making it work with the conference planners. Spiff, we’re counting on you and the rest of our Tribe to make it shine even brighter next year! Until then, or until I stumble into you inworld or online or “in real life,” keep the faith, whichever it may be. Life(s) is good.

Transcript from Saturday's SIG Leadership Meeting

2011-06-26T08:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I attended a (I have to say).surprisingly wonderful day long workshop with 50 or 60 of my collegues who lead special interest groups within ISTE, and I have to apologize for approaching it with anything less than unbridled optimism. I can report that I learned so much that even though the next few days will be fabulous, I could walk home from Philly to Nashville happy and improved exponentially.

I was glad to have contributed to the event's success by suggesting that we utilize a text chat backchannel via todaysmeet.com. This post is to share that chat, which is chocked full of interesting resources,comments, and tips especially useful to anyone interested in building online communities. It's at http://todaysmeet.com/istesigleaders/transcript. Enjoy!

Be sure to revisit the pics from flickr in the previous post!

Flickr Stream from Scott's #ISTE11 in Philadelphia

2011-06-25T10:54:00.001-05:00

All day Saturday I'm in the SIG Leadership Day learning from my fellow volunteer leaders how to, well, how to lead volunteers. It's a fascinating day with a dynamic group of human beings. We have a todaysmeet.com backchannel that's collecting all kinds of great "off-task distraction" which I'll share after the day.

All those conference calls helping design the day are really paying off!!!

I'll be adding to this Flickr stream all week, so this is the place!

I'll try to caption as I go but I'm sure I'll miss some and have to do that post conference.

My ISTE11 Conference Planner

2011-06-20T09:27:00.005-05:00

All times are local.

and here's a conference planning map, including some secondary locations that I'd like to visit if I can pry myself away from the conference center:

View ISTE 2011 Philadelphia in a larger map

Results for "Merrick" search at ISTE 2011!

2011-06-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

I posted our ISTE2011 SIG Picks for readers a couple posts back, but now having actually obtained my flight and hotel (ah, district red-tape!) I can feel confident sharing the events that I will actually be presenting and/or facilitating. I hope to see all the folks I only get to see once a year at ISTE, so don't be shy coming by one or another or all of the following! See you there!
From http://www.isteconference.org/ISTE/2011, searching "merrick":

TSIGOL SIGOL/SIGVE Forum: Teaching in the Cloud! Add to Planner
[Other Program Events: Forum/Summit/Symposium] Seats still available.
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 2:00pm–4:00pm
PACC 105B
Virtual Schooling/E-learning : Virtual Learning Technologies
Kecia Ray, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools with Kevin Honeycutt, Scott Merrick and John Ross

John Ross and Kevin Honeycut highlight cloud based teaching and learning for students and adults accompanied by table talks led by online and virtual experts! Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

SIGVE (Virtual Environments) Gathering: Virtual Learning with Real People Add to Planner
[Concurrent Session: Birds-of-a-Feather]
Monday, 6/27/2011, 5:30pm–6:45pm
PACC Grand Ballroom Lobby
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Scott Merrick, Metro Nashville Public Schools

Members and others will gather to celebrate our year, share a vision for SIG Virtual Environments, and pass the leadership torch. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Virtual Environments Playground Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Playground]
Monday, 6/27/2011, 8:00am–4:00pm
PACC Grand Ballroom Lobby
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 9:00am–4:00pm
PACC Grand Ballroom Lobby
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Scott Merrick, Metro Nashville Public Schools with Andrew Wheelock

This area will highlight various virtual environment projects, platforms, and ideas for educators looking to push the boundaries of educational technology exploration. Hosted by ISTE's SIGVE. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Virtually There? Ten Tips To Building a Virtual Learning Program Add to Planner
[Concurrent Session: Panel]
Monday, 6/27/2011, 2:30pm–3:30pm
PACC 126A
Virtual Schooling/E-learning : Virtual Learning Technologies
Kecia Ray, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools with Cathy Cavanaugh, Kathy Hayden, Scott Merrick and Barbra Thoeming

Learn 10 critical lessons to help build effective and efficient virtual learning programs for student instruction and teacher professional development. (Contains Commercial Content)

The Jeffersons, Volume 1

2011-06-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

http://thejeffersonsmusic.com

lisabrokop.com

at MySpace

Hilljack's MySpace

We couldn't ask for better neighbors. One of these days the Merricks will actually go out at night and catch one of The Jefferson's local performances at the Bluebird!

Populating Your Personal Planner for ISTE2011 in Philadelphia? ISTE SIGVE Pics Will Help!

2011-06-05T06:26:00.004-05:00

ISTE 2011 is sneaking up on us and will be here before you know it. If you're attending ISTE in Philadelphia, this quoted search will help make sure you attend the REALLY important sessions, workshops, and events. Those, of course, are those chosen by the Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments as relevant in the SIG Picks' process. SIGVE members weighed in on the content of over 800 such items, limited to only 20 Picks. Two of those didn't "make," apparently, or were cancelled for other reasons, but the remaining ones are in this list. Go to it! I for one am clicking "Add to Planner" for every single one!

Quoted from the official ISTE website's search feature:

A Deeper Understanding of the Holocaust through Virtual Environments Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Poster]
Wednesday, 6/29/2011, 11:00am–1:00pm
PACC Broad St Atrium , Table: 7
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Social Studies
Andrew Wheelock, Erie 1 Boces/ WNYRIC with Susannah Renzi

Think history is dull? This presentation will highlight a powerful new way of bringing history to life. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE (Contains Commercial Content)

SAP141B Design Spaces for Learning: Exploring Physical and Virtual Learning Areas Add to Planner
[Workshop: Hands-on] Seats still available.
Saturday, 6/25/2011, 12:30pm–3:30pm
PACC 118A
School Improvement : Digital-Age School Design
Chris Johnson, University of Arizona with David Jakes and Christian Long

The design of school spaces affect how students learn. Discover how you can employ "design thinking" to create and redesign schools and classrooms that support digital age learning. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Dive into Virtual Worlds: Learning about Ecosystems through Immersion Add to Planner
[Concurrent Session: Model Lesson]
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 2:00pm–3:00pm
PACC 119A
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Shari Metcalf, Harvard University with Chris Dede

Learn real science, virtually! With EcoMUVE’s immersive, inquiry-based curriculum, discover plants and animals, dive underwater, shrink to microscopic size, travel through time and collect and analyze data. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

SUF222W Digiteacher Workshop: Digital Citizenship within a Project-Based Learning Environment Add to Planner
[Workshop: Hands-on] Seats still available.
Sunday, 6/26/2011, 8:30am–3:30pm
PACC 121C
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Digital Citizenship
Vicki Davis, Flat Classroom Projects with Julie Lindsay

Discover the project-based method of teaching digital citizenship in this workshop from Digiteen Project co-founders Vicki “Cool Cat Teacher” Davis and Julie Lindsay. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE, SIGDE, SIGLIT

Games, Simulations, and Virtual Environments for Learning and Teaching Add to Planner
[Concurrent Session: Panel]
Wednesday, 6/29/2011, 1:15pm–2:15pm
PACC 103A
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Games & Simulations
Greg Jones, University of North Texas with Lisa Dawley and Chris Dede

Discover games, simulations, virtual environments, and visual experiences in education and see projects that benefit learning and teaching. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE, SIGGS

Immersive Worlds, Immersive Learning: How 3D Virtual Worlds Change Everything Add to Planner
[Concurrent Session: Lecture]
Wednesday, 6/29/2011, 10:15am–11:15am
PACC 111B
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Diane Lewis, Seminole County Public Schools with Janine McGrath

Learn how you can provide truly immersive learning experiences in 3D worlds from Second Life and Quest Atlantis to WOW and many worlds in between. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Learning Between Worlds: Integrating Virtual and Real World Classrooms Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Poster]
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 4:00pm–6:00pm
PACC Broad St Atrium , Table: 35
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Technology Integration
Rory Nackerud, Center4EduPunx

Experience the integration techniques of a social media instructor morphed into a student teacher of middle and high school language arts and science. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE (Contains Commercial Content)

Machinima Fest 2011 Add to Planner
[Other Program Events: Meeting/Gathering]
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 5:30pm–7:00pm
PACC 126A
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Kae Novak, Front Range Community College with Marianne Mahlstrom, Rory Nackerud and Andrew Wheelock

Machinima Fest 2011 will showcase videos created using 3D virtual worlds or games, and it's potential for learning and communicating. Discover the possibilities of using machinima in your classroom. Everyone invited! Sponsored by SIGVE. For more information, including how to submit a video of your own, please visit http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/Machinima+Fest+2011 Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Project-Based Learning for Interactive Education in Virtual Worlds Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Poster]
Monday, 6/27/2011, 8:00am–10:00am
PACC Broad St Atrium , Table: 25
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Susan Toth-Cohen, Thomas Jefferson University

This poster details the specific steps and outcomes of project-based learning for graduate students who collaboratively developed virtual world exhibits on health and wellness. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Real World-InWorld Design Challenge: Inspire Students to Solve Space Challenges Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Poster]
Monday, 6/27/2011, 8:00am–10:00am
PACC Broad St Atrium , Table: 24
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Sharon Bowers, National Institute of Aerospace with Mark Clemente

Through both face-to-face (real world) and virtual world (InWorld) collaborations, students solve NASA-inspired design challenges. New challenges available each school year. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

TSIGOL SIGOL/SIGVE Forum: Teaching in the Cloud! Add to Planner
[Other Program Events: Forum/Summit/Symposium] Seats still available.
Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 2:00pm–4:00pm
PACC 105B
Virtual Schooling/E-learning : Virtual Learning Technologies
Kecia Ray, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools with Kevin Honeycutt, Scott Merrick and John Ross

Virtual, online, and immersive learning environments are becoming much more accessible and acceptable. Visit this forum to find out just how accessible learning can be for students and teachers! Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

Members and others will gather to celebrate our year, share a vision for SIG Virtual Environments, and pass the leadership torch. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE

The 3 Cs: Connecting, Communicating, and Collaborating for Student Scientific Research Add to Planner
[Learning Station Session: Global Collaboration Project]
Sunday, 6/26/2011, 7:00pm–8:30pm
PACC Broad St Atrium , Table: 13
Digital-Age Teaching & Learning : Virtual Environments
Randall Thomas, GLOBE Program/UCAR with Donna Charlivoix and Martos Hoffman

The Student Climate Research Campaign uses open source virtual platforms to engage an international community of students, teachers, and scientists in scientific inquiry and research. Recommended by ISTE's SIGVE (Exhibitor-Sponsored)

Blogging ISTE? Add Your Blog!

2011-06-03T06:22:00.000-05:00

"Blogging ISTE 2011" is a webpage at the International Society for Technology in Education's annual conference website, where one can automatically add his or her blog to the growing list of educational blogs whose authors will be, well, blogging ISTE.

Visit the page, click the link to add, and make it so. I have!

Congrats to Our Pioneer Class of 2011! AGAIN!

2011-05-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

This is what I'm talking about. Congratulations to our seven graduating seniors amongst the class of 39 graduation seniors at Middle College High School! Thanks also to our parents for support and to our legislators for opening up the path to our actually being a SCHOOL. And what a school it will be. Stay tuned!

and watch them walk!

Congrats to Our Pioneer Class of 2011!

2011-05-21T08:31:00.000-05:00

I'm proud enough to bust, and I'll be shaking the hands of these 7 pioneering virtual learners onstage on Monday. They're off into the world(s) after that! I've been building out a space in ReactionGrid, not yet available to our learners, but it will be. I took a few minutes to add a lasting tribute to these students that their future schoolmates will enjoy for years to come:

VEJ (say that out loud) is HERE!

2011-05-10T08:32:00.028-05:00

ISTE SIGVE star Rosie Vojtek has spent hours and hours an correspondence after correspondence to drum up articles from some of the pioneers of virtual environments for education and here it is, the very first and BEAUTIFUL issue of VEJ, the Virtual Education Journal! Pick up your own copy of this stunning 40 page publicaton inworld in Second Life at ISTE Island Headquarters, read it right here at the embed below, or visit ISSUU.com to read it, download it, and share it on your social networks--even embed it in your very own bloggie! Thanks to Rosie/Roxie for her untiring efforts of community support and innovation and to her husband Bob/BJ for all his work and support to make this premier issue a reality!

And now...

Open publication - Free publishing - More education

Day 3 and Home to Nashville, Still Alive from Beale Street Music Festival 2011

2011-05-03T06:19:00.001-05:00

We are, we're still alive, and we will long cherish the memory of rolling down toward Riverfront Park's deep gray roiling gloom to the tune of Girl Talk's "Oh No" and the eerily loud tornado horns, laughing all the way and singing the lyrics with a passion.

We parked in our favorite (0 Dollars Parking) onstreet row on Talbot and hoofed it over to Riverfront, asking three guys sitting under a warehouse dock overhang, "Hey, ya'll see any ditches around here?" They laughed and pointed to a covered loading area across the street that already held a swimming pool's quota of dirty water. We crossed the tracks and headed to the welcome tent where we were told "No one's made any announcements yet but no one's playing either. Hoodies up against the rain we descended the steep stone stairs where there were equal numbers of drenched festival goers leaving and coming in from the north entrance.

Those leaving were rather dour while those entering were almost to a person laughing and joking. The weird doppler effect of the air horns droned on as we made our way down to the center stage where, yes, Lucero was setting up. Colin wanted to hear them and hear them we would. They started maybe 45 minutes late but played a really rockin' set to an audience of several hundred stalwart fans.

I headed toward a portapotty at one point and saw a guy who'd decided the growing muddy puddles were just the thing to play in. Here's a quick example of his act:

More to come...

STILL Alive in Memphis, Day 2!

2011-05-01T10:11:00.003-05:00

We are home at the hotel and proud of it. The day was stellar but we're what we in the Merrick family call "Monkey-Skunked." One of our primary maternal patriarchs was John Donelson Whalley, Lee Ann's step-father, and I hear his voice each time I hear or say the term. Basically, John would drawl in his best Toastmasters' voice, full of authority, "As the monkey said after havin' relations with the skunk, 'I haven't had as much as I want but I'm pretty sure I've had as much as I can stand."

We're there.

Reference these pics as you read, assuming you have the stamina to read all of this!

We started out the day by looking for a good free parking spot and find one we did. Parking on a side street we hiked down to Beale Street proper to get the lay of the land. It was only a few blocks before we joined the throngs of tourists (pronounce that "tursts") roaming around the sawhorse-blocked street, in and out of the chotski gift shops (our fave was certainly Tater Red's Lucky Mojos and we're very likely to hit it again today, maybe for the license plate style plaque that reads, "My wife says I never listen to her, or at least that's what I think she said," or something like that.

We really wanted to grab a burger at Dyer's, the world famous deep-fried goal of burger-hounds, but we voted against standing in the considerably long line in favor of easing right into a table at Alfred's on Beale, where Colin had a great cheeseburger and I opted for the really tasty Philly Cheese sandwich, which was expertly grilled with onions and just enough for my appetite. Our waitress, Maddie, was really friendly and apologetic for our seating at a back table instead of on one of the porches, but we were frankly happy to be in a quiet spot and told her so. I quaffed a couple of a local draught, Ghost River Copper, perfectly cold and nicely balanced with a mild but very present hoppy finish.

After lunch we checked out the local Gibson Factory, decided not to spend the time to tour, and then headed down to the concert, aiming to hear Lotus, a band not on our original target list but one that Colin had checked out online in the hotel and found promising. WOW, are we glad we did. This performance was one of our festival favorites, and I'm a new fan of this highly thinky rock fusion band. You can gather that, I'd wager, from my pic set above, where it's obvious I was sort of obsessed by the band's lead guitarist, completely in his own groove. My only criticism of the performance, which tore the roots out of a 15 minute jam version of one of their recorded songs, is that the band seemed so immersed in their music they kind of forgot the audience (contrast the upcoming Mumford and Sons show), but they're young, and Colin and I agreed that their performance was so imbued with highly (say HIGHLY) technical aspects that their concentration on that was justified. It's just that if they want to grab the whole package and soar to the next level, they're gonna have to belly up and figure that out. I LOVE 'em.

From Lotus we hit our favorite secret gold mine, the SoCo Blues Shack, for another target performance, Blind Mississippi Morris. He did not fail us. This is blues at its absolute finest, and I have to admit I shed a few tears for no reason I could pinpoint, excepting that my little brother, recently deceased, would have loved this. Completely confident, aswim in his soulwarm bluesiness, Morris bore his way into the hearts of his growing audience, which swelled from our first dozen to a hundred or two by the time we headed out.

Then it was off to hear the Sick Puppies, an Aussie trio that I was introduced to in the indie film Rock Prophecies. We watched a bit, but I came away feeling that their competent mainstream rock is undermined by their falling victim to their own media image. They're just a'ight with me, and Colin's comment, "They're good, but..." pretty much sums it up. I did get what I think is a pretty tasty shot (see flickr stream) of their bassist, Emma Anzia, whom I think is, well, pretty much the bee's knees.

We were off to hear the spawn of a legend.

Devon Allman's Honeytribe could have been populated by any competent blues rockers, he's that good himself. His backers were quite good, though, and Colin was particularly taken by his technically expert drummer. Rocking a custom Les Paul signed by the owner of Gibson, Allman blew out our eardrums, which we sacrificed willingly to his powerful guitar mastery. There's a pic in the stream of the giant audience gathered in folding chairs in the John Hammond Blues Tent for his performance prior to it, and we just strolled right up to that stage like we owned it and parked at the skirt for several songs. WOW again: Greg's genes might even be improved in this version of Allman. We stayed for his take on Ramblin' Man, with its nicely time-modulated chorus (proving that blues rock can think, too) and moved on to The New Pornographers.

That was kinda nice, but not appealing enough to justify our adopted strategy of burrowing into the thick crowd to get in the heart of it for the performance. We only listened to a handful of songs, very competent mainstream rock, performed well, but something seemed missing. A.C. Newman seemed to be trying too hard, if that makes any sense, and Neko Case, though vocally powerful, seemed to be phoning in her performance. I'm not a fan, but the large crowd seemed to be full of them, with a good deal of heartfelt singing. Maybe too mainstream for their name? I'm not sure, and it may well be that I was just beginning to head toward that "monkey-skunked" state. All I know is that "The Band That Touched a Generation" seems to have missed mine, and gauging from Colin's sort of lukewarm response, it may be missing another one.

We had to see Jerry Lee Lewis, and heading down to that stage we discovered that a lot of other people had that notion too. We were at the back central edge of a bunch of folks, and to our surprise we discovered that they were there for a "family show" and there was some middle aged brunette woman singing at the piano, with no Jerry Lee in range. I'm sure this is very legit, but I wonder about the moral perspective of serving up basically an opening act to a 55 minute show. Sheesh. We left, headed back the to Pornographers for a song or two, then moved back to the Bud Light Stage. We wandered about a bit and came back, and Jerry Lee had indeed shown up, rattling out "Whole Lot o' Shakin'" for his adoring throngs. Coming from the first inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I appreciated the chance to see him live (we had taken a pass on his Third Man Records show last week in Nashville on Record Store Day, reasoning that 50 dollars for it was 'way overpriced). Still, I heard Randy Jackson's voice in my head--"Dude, it was just a little pitchy for me." Jerry Lee Lewis--"check."

For this next show we felt the need to burrow, and burrow we did, approaching to with 50 feet of the stage, mercilessly packed into a sea of fans. Luckily, all our immediate neighbors, now our best friends by virtue of proximity, were nice, kept their senses of humor, and only a few lit up cigarettes. There was a lot of smoking at Beale Street Music, btw, giving it, to me, a sort of European vibe. I was sad to see so many young people tarnishing their lungs with this dangerous street drug, but helpless to help without seeming like a fanatic.

My main thought, truth be told, was "Lee Ann would HATE this." But that's not true, really: She'd never get into this situation. I LOL.

M and Sons took the stage to a screaming crowd and tore into their trademark power folk with a vengeance. Now here is a group that can work a crowd. Marcus Mumford is just plain charismatic and he knows it. He's not obviously conceited, just reveling in his newfound power, and the band is tight as a keg. They layer their songs in acoustic glory then pound in an underpinning of power bass guitar to move the spirit, and at times the strong harmonies they were laying down were balanced by those issuing from the crowd, their lips moving in unison with M and Sons lyrics. Mumford and Sons had Memphis in the virtual palm of their virtual hand, and they rolled that hand into a fist and shook it at the sky over the Beale Street Music Festival.

That was about the time Colin headed out of our sardine can to make a phone call. I stayed a little while, hearing one track from their upcoming new (2nd) album, backed by a capable horn section, before weaving through the crowd to find him. We were monkey-skunked.

Sure, I would have loved to stay for Lucinda, but I happily acquiesced to his call to blow the pop stand. We headed back to the room, I uploaded the pics for this post, we took a run at iHop for a late dinner, then we were back in the room and heading for sleepyland.

We'd only had a couple rain shower events all day long, but I'm sure that Sunday will be different. We'd both REALLY like to see Sublime, the Avett Brothers, Lucero, and of course Wilco. Whether the monkey will get us or the skunk will hold us all night is partly dependent on the weather and partly on our stamina. We plan to drive after the concert so that C-man can be at school and I can be at work in the morning, both on time. Hello, Sunday.

Alive in Memphis: the Beale Street Music Festival 2011!

2011-04-30T10:52:00.001-05:00

Hi, ya'll,

My son Colin and I are in Memphis, TN for thie year's Beale Street Music Festival (the people jam formerly known as the Beale Street Blues Festival, and we haz a blast last night. Here we are near the end of the night at the SoCo Blues Shack...

After a mostly uneventful 3 hour or so drive down to our West Tennessee capital (did you know there are 3 Tennessees? Yup, East, Middle, and West) we drove right up to the Broad Street loft occupied by friend and professional photographer David Nester and rang his doorbell. David, David, David. The former resident of his two story studio/residence reportedly sank a quarter of a million dollars into it and he has only recently purchased it outright for considerably less after maintaining a mortgage that became wonky due to some bank mergers and our most recent hard economic times. It's on a CUTE little strip of historic commercial buildings and I think he was right to do so. His remarkable collection of art and artifacts make me feel righteously proud of my home office organizational skills. (That won't mean anything to anyone who hasn't seen how remarkably cluttered my office is, but please just imagine, especially if you've seen my desk at work.) David gave us some great tips on getting around in Memphis, and we are using them daily.

Our hotel is out past the airport, for a number of reasons, and I'm not sure I'd repeat that when we come back next year. The half-hour one-way driving time spends a bit too much time, though we're really being relaxed about our focus. It's a quarter to 10 a.m. and Colin's still asleep, though I got up at 7:30 or so, copping just about my normal 6 hours of sleep after crashing at 1:30. We have a shortlist of absolute musts, and we're right on track, though the advancing heavy rains might cut us even shorter. There's supposed to be an inch or two of heavy rain on Sunday, a development the weather media had led us to believe wouldn't develop 'til Monday. Oh well, Weather is.

last night we arrived around 6 at the venue and after paying $20.00 for parking walked its length to catch the lay of the land. Riverfront Park is a sprawling narrow greenway and the Fest takes up it all. No food or beverage is allowed through the gates, requiring purchase of, for example, a 3 dollar soda, a 6 dollar beer, and food starting at 5 dollars for a corn dog. We did partake of a 10.00 barbecue nachos basket that hit the spot, and I limited myself to one beer. Just won't do it. That had the notable side effect of enforcing sobriety at a music event, one that I savored, surprisingly. I'll do it again today and tonight. It may be growing on me.

Last night:
Manchester Orchestra--good, melodic, prog-rock maybe? We just heard them in passing but I enjoyed what I heard.
Egypt Central--eek, angry, abrasive sort-of-metal from shirtless wild men. Not my cup of tea, and it made me rue the omission of earplugs from our gear.
Cake--A fantastic, fantastic show, despite their immovable denial of our repeated "1,2,3,LOOOOOOng JACKet!"
MGMT--We actually ran into these folks at Huey's when we stopped in for world famous burgers before heading to the festival grounds. They were roaming around the picturesque bar and grill shooting video so maybe Colin and I will get our 30 seconds of fame in their next video release!
Slightly Stoopid--Niiiiice, chill, clever, intelligent music very weed focused. I'll put them on when I wash the car, most certainly.
Grady Champion--hot mouth harp to a three-piece guitar and drums backing band at the Blues Shed, literally a small stage with lights and sound and a roof over it, off in the north corner of the Fest. We returned there to hear Kenny Brown, a clear master of rustic classic acoustic blues. His slide work led us to comment that we would repeatedly return to that stage.

Finally: Flaming Lips, ya'll. I am not a fan, or wasn't, and now am. I'm going to pop a few pics in here to explain just how justified our staying for the last act of the night was!

I certainly never expected to see an abstract girl cavorting on a giant video screen morph into a gigantic pulsating female private part with the band members coming onstage through a door at its center. And the titillation continued with more naked video loop and giant plastic sphere crowd surfing! It was a proud parental moment to be standing there with my 15 year old!

More later: We're off to explore Memphis and to identify a less dear parking option for today and tonight!

2011-04-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

Hellloooooo. I've been a bad blogger.

Actually, I have been a very good worker. We have just been so very busy at my work that I've let my blogging slip. I just want to punch the virtual clock here to note a couple of developments:

First, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's announcement of a partnership with Pearson Learning (aka Florida Virtual School when it comes to digital content) to produce 24 courses in math and literacy serving all grades K-12 (http://tinyurl.com/gatespearson). What's more, 4 of them will be made available for free to schools.

Says a Foundation rep:

Each course will serve as a 150-day curriculum and will harness technological advances such as social networking, animation, and gaming to better engage and motivate students, Judy B. Codding, the managing director of the Pearson Foundation, told reporters...Secondary-level courses in math and elementary-school-level courses in English/language arts are to be available for the 2013-14 school year, and the entire suite of courses and accompanying tools are slated for the 2014-15 school year, Ms. Codding said. The four free courses—two in math and two in English/language arts—will be posted online as soon as they are finished, she said.

Lots of questions ensue: Which courses? What does "free to schools" mean? Does that mean that students can use, for example, FL Global School's teachers and take the course within their LMS (Learning Management System) for free? Woot!

I doubt it though. More likely, content will be "free" to schools for use in their own LMS, assuming they have one and the wherewithal to load digital content into it and manage its delivery using teachers, assuming teachers have been trained (and perhaps certified) to teach online--which, let's face it, isn't the same thing as bricks-and-mortar teaching. Pardner, I can tell you right now that just having the content is, yes, a good thing, but supporting it and delivering it entails much more than popping a web link out to teachers or kids.

Anyway, just a little glimmer of what every day in my own professional life looks like now. It's been a wild ride and it's getting nothing but wilder as we continue to craft online learning options for a public school system that has never really had them to offer. Again, woot.

I'll be trucking down with my son to Memphis this weekend for the Beale Street Music Festival, formerly the Beale Street Blues Festival. Last year it was rained out by the May Floods, but this year's weather looks better, having just suffered huge hits from the giant weather pattern that killed nearly 200 Alabamans and dozens of Tennesseans. If I can celebrate the music festival online at all I will, and at the very least you can look for pics here and in Facebook!

Please Call Your Tennessee Congressman or Senator

2011-04-13T06:19:00.001-05:00

and ask them to support House Bill 0732, the "Virtual Public Schools Act" slated to go before the Senate Education Subcommittee today. Here is the bill:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.capitol.tn.gov%2FBills%2F107%2FBill%2FHB0732.pdf

and just because I can, here it is in clickless form:

HOUSE BILL 732

By Brooks H

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 16, relative to virtual schools and to enact the "Virtual Public Schools Act".

WHEREAS, meeting the educational needs of children in Tennessee's schools is of the greatest importance to the future welfare of the state; and

WHEREAS, closing the achievement gap between high-performing students, including the gap between minority and non-minority students, and between economically disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers, is a significant and present challenge; and

WHEREAS, providing a broader range of educational options to parents and utilizing existing resources, along with technology, may help students in Tennessee improve their academic achievement and

WHEREAS, many school districts currently lack the capacity to provide other public school choices for students whose schools are high priority schools; now, therefore,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 16, is amended by deleting the part in its entirety and by substituting instead Sections 2 through 10

SECTION 2. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Virtual Public Schools Act."

SECTION 3. The purpose of this chapter is to provide Tennessee families with an alternative choice to access additional educational resources in an effort to improve academic achievement.

SECTION 4. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Sponsor" means an LEA or the department of education; and

(2) "Virtual school" means an independent public school in which the school uses technology in order to deliver a significant portion of instruction to its students via the Internet in a virtual or remote setting.

SECTION 5. A virtual school may be sponsored by an LEA or the department of education may establish a virtual school. A virtual school shall be a public school and shall be provided equitable treatment and resources as any other public school in the state.

SECTION 6. A virtual school shall provide each student enrolled in the school:

(1) Access to a sequential curriculum that meets or exceeds the curriculum standards adopted by the state board of education. The sequential curriculum shall have an interactive program with significant online components;

(2) The same length of time for learning opportunities per academic year that is required by law for public school students, unless such school can show that a student has demonstrated mastery or completion of an appropriate subject area; and

(3) Regular assessment in language arts, math, science and social studies.

SECTION 7. A virtual school shall maintain an administrative office within the state. This office shall be considered its principal place of business.

SECTION 8. Any student who is eligible for enrollment in a public school in this state may enroll in a virtual school. Sponsors are authorized to charge tuition to any person not enrolled in a public school in this state.

SECTION 9. In order to encourage collaboration among LEAs, a virtual school is authorized to operate according to the authority granted by the Educational Cooperation Act compiled in chapter 2, part 13 of this title.

SECTION 10. A virtual school shall be evaluated annually by its sponsor based on the following criteria:

(1) The extent to which the school demonstrates increases in student achievement according to the goals of its authorizing contract and state academic

(2) The accountability and viability of the virtual school, as demonstrated by its academic, fiscal and operational performance.

SECTION 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011, the public welfare requiring it.

We're HEEEEEEEERE! Podcamp Nashville 2011

2011-03-26T09:20:00.001-05:00

(I would end up ditching at lunchtime, but it was an event full of potential and learning, so I kept the liveblog up whilst I dealt with other things, real life, family obligations. I'll go through it tomorrow and explore some of the shared links. As you read my comments, consider that I'm serious about the education thread (not that there really _are_ threads in this "unconference," and will look into how I might help with that next year!)

From Podcamp Nashville 2011, LiveBlog:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d9a9dc80bf" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;From Podcamp Nashville 2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Virtual Learning Student Asks U.S. Office of Educational Technology...

2011-03-16T15:18:00.004-05:00

...Two Questions

I was greatly pleased to be present at the recent SITE (Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education) Conference here in Nashville as my dear friend Kecia Ray (and also my boss, in her role as MNPS Executive Director of Instructional Technology) and our student Taylor Grantham sat in on "A Conversation with Karen Cator." Along with them were two other educators, one from Wisconsin and one from Denmark.

It was a stellar hour, and I left with heightened appreciation for the work Ms. Cator is doing and also with something else--video! Filmed by colleague and pal Norman Merrifield, it serves as a reminder of just how good media can be when you enlist a professional videographer who wields professional gear. I'm posting the following videos, each a question from Miss Grantham and an answer from Ms. Cator!

A Little Song for Me Honey of Now, Oh About Three Decades

2011-03-15T05:35:00.000-05:00

Adam Taylor is a Two Foot Giraffe

2011-03-11T17:38:00.002-06:00

I had a great work day, culminating in a "Conversation with Karen Cator" at the SITE Conference over by the airport at the Sheraton Music City. I have to say this is my first experience with this annual conference which according to my boss and dear friend Kecia Ray is the only one of its kind, focused as it is on the two fields of Teacher Education and Technology. Its prominence was driven home when I ran into another friend, Wesley Field, of Skoolaborate fame, in the lobby, he having flown from his native Australia just for this conference!

MUCH more later on that, because right now I want to share a post from my school district's newsletter that highlights another innovator I'm VERY proud of, Adam Taylor at Overton High School. Here it is, from http://www.mnps.org/page66932.aspx :

From the MNPS Children 1st Newsletter, Wednesday, March 09, 2011:

Teacher Blog: Using Twitter to connect students around the world

Posted by: jabass at 12:23:40 PM

Adam Taylor

Here in the MNPS Communications Office we don't play favorites. But we're quite fond of Overton High School teacher-innovator Adam Taylor.

Adam is a Teacher of the Year Finalist who never stops looking for ways to engage his students. Lucky for them, he's a self-professed technology nerd who has been using social media and mobile devices to increase class participation and even hold classes and lectures after school hours and on snow days!

Adam runs his own blog where he shares his techniques and best practices with educators around the world. Here on Children First!, we will occasionally repost his stories in order to help share his innovations with the community.

This week's entry shows just how far his social media reach has taken him. Adam and his class have held two class-to-class meetings with students in Pakistan - over Twitter. Each class gets the chance to find out what classroom life is like on the other side of the planet. Below is Adam's account of these meetings and how they came to be.

In October of 2010 someone suggested making a list of educators willing to have class to class online Twitter discussions. So I put out a survey to my Twitter educator colleagues to see if any of them would be interested in having online discussions with students. In a relatively short amount of time we had a couple of dozen on the list.

Immediately, I scanned the list to see where the different educators were from. Most were from the US but there were a couple form Canada and the UK. Then I saw one from Pakistan and Serbia. So I sent her a message and waited.

For those who misunderstand Twitter, it is so much more than checking to see what a celebrity ate for breakfast. Twitter is an awesome way to connect with thousands of educators across the world. We are constantly sharing ideas, web sites, articles, policies, and many other tools. For me, it has been the most valuable professional development tool ever!

While trying to connect with Katherine Maloney in Pakistan, I was able to connect with Mr. Akerson from St. Louis. Mr. Akerson and I were able to get our students connected. He is a junior high/middle school teacher. His students do not have Twitter accounts, so to participate in the discussion his students took turns using his computer to answer and ask questions. My students (at Overton High School) all have Twitter accounts and were having a blast talking with the younger kids. The discussion was about life in high school. The conversation went really well. The students were mature and polite.

I later came in contact with Jesse Moland, an educator in Baton Rouge, LA. We decided to have the discussion using an online application called Today's Meet. It is a microblog/chatroom site that allows you to make a chat room with a specific URL to share with all those who want to chat. Individuals simply go to the URL, type their name in the box, and click join to get in. This is a great tool because it updates quickly, and the chat can be archived by copy and pasting it into a document.

Unfortunately because of snow day conflicts we were unable to have the discussion with Mr. Moland’s students. We hope to reschedule in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, Katherine Maloney (teacher in Pakistan) and I were able to work out a discussion time. In fact, the first discussion was three days ago. The topic voted on by students was “student voice and say in the school.” Because the Lahore American School in Pakistan is 11 hours ahead of us, my students came in early that morning before school to have the discussion. As a result of the time change one class would need to be at computers outside of class time.

Katherine asked if we could have another discussion two days later during her school’s technology open house. For the second discussion, we decided to address cultural stereotypes. The principal of the school and a parent also participated in the conversation. It was really cool to see the excitement in my students as they were able to have a discussion online with students on the other side of the planet.

I can see this project going a long way to helping my students understand different parts of our country and the world. With the right online tools students are not limited to learning from a book or the teacher in the room. The world and the people living on it become the classroom and the teacher.

To learn more about Adam and his classroom you can read his blog, 2FootGiraffe. You can also follow him on Twitter (@2footgiraffe). Thanks for the post, Adam!

Son to the Boy Interview

2011-03-10T05:45:00.000-06:00

My dear brother-from-another-mother Jimmy Morrison (he's one of the only people left who call me Scotty), mostly known as James, was featured in an interview at LA Canvas blog, and I think you should read it. The last line is something that goes a long way toward explaining why artists make art:

Interviewer Jacob Rohn asked him:

"JR: What is your ultimate goal?

He answered:

"JM: Any kind of music has to be supported by playing live. I’m working to put a band together and play a few shows. But ultimately, music lives inside you, it’s up to you, the artist, the make sure that it doesn’t die inside you, cause just like anything else you can’t take it with you."

My dear departed daddy used to sum it up this way:

"Ain't no pockets in them shrouds."

...although I must say he was talking more about his inability to save money and his great talent at spending it, whether it be on his family or his mistress of 20 years, than about creating art. But that's another story. This one, especially the public statement of my godson Seamus's victory over brain cancer, is well worth a read, and the music it describes is indescribably beautiful. Of course I'm most fond of "Lifeguard Girl," with the airy and mellifluous addition of my lovely daughter Miranda's voice weaving through its wry lyric so perfectly that Jimmy ended his recording with an instrumental version of the song as respite, replete with Miranda's voice as instrument. Go get it all at CDBaby or iTunes. Now.

SITEslides 030811 Merrick

2011-03-08T05:59:00.001-06:00

Here's the slides I may share on today's panel at SITE in Nashville, assuming I get the chance. If I don't get the chance, here's the slides I would've shared.

I'll add some notes after the fact just to make the online archive a bit more valuable to others. Until then, use your imagination.

SITEslides 030811 Merrick

View more presentations from Scott Merrick.

Saturday Afternoon Movies

2011-03-05T15:41:00.003-06:00

I can't believe this has been online for two years and I just encountered it. Truly, as James Gleick says in this recent Wired Magazine article, the basis of the universe is data, and no one can know it all. Here's a little movie for you all:

Open Letter to Tennessee (and WORLD) Technology Coordinators

2011-02-28T06:10:00.002-06:00

Greetings, All,

Those of you who know me and my professional history—14 years as a technology teacher at University School of Nashville and now Virtual Learning Curriculum Coordinator at Metro Nashville Public Schools—may also know that I am deeply involved at a national level in the field of virtual environments for teaching and learning and in various other projects tied to positive change in the way we teach and learn.

On January 26, 2011 the PC version of one of those other projects launched - JamParty:Remixed. Console versions for xBox, Playstation and Wii will be released in the near future. The console versions will have a live social interaction component.

Arkansas educator and dear friend Cathy Walker was involved and helped with the design of this program and along with her I am now serving as Education and Charitable Communities Liaison for the project. I receive no compensation for this role. It has been our hope and the hope of the “game’s” creator, Dan Sullivan, that the gift of music creation finds its way to the hands of children and to the child within the rest of us.

This is a unique gaming experience and has a Studio Mode where music can be created, played, and shared. Using this mode, students can create their own music (.mp3) mix for PowerPoints, videos, dance routines, etc. I personally am enjoying using the program to make intro, outro, and background music for instructional videos and podcasts—yes, I use JamParty:Remixed in my work!

Long story, short: We have PC versions that I can give away for free to schools, children's hospitals, community centers and such. I asked if I could start by offering it to folks at home ... you guys here in Tennessee. My wish was granted. This Education Donation project differs from “freemium” programs in important ways:

Many free programs are either “Trial” or “Demo” versions of the software they are trying to promote. The JamParty:Remixed software your school will get is the complete, fully functional version that is offered for sale at the Zivix site for $29.99. Nor is this an old program the makers just want off their shelves to promote a newer one: It’s only been available anywhere for one month!
Most freemium offers limit installation to a single computer. You will receive a version licensed for UNLIMITED installation within your school. We even show you how to open up the entire program with a cheat code so your kids don’t have to “level up” to open up sound banks and genres
Other offers like this (not that I think there really is one) will charge you a hefty shipping fee to send you any physical product. You don’t even pay shipping here!
Many other softwares send you their program knowing that you won’t be happy just having it--you’ll want to spend dollars later on further functionality. Again, this is a fully functioning version. We’ve even created our own JamParty4Education website that will be populated with lesson plans, downloadable add-ins, and more and it will be there for you in perpetuity. It’s already shaping up with videos, tutorials, links to relevant research to support adoption in your school, and a growing FAQ.

Contact us at jamparty4ed@gmail.com if you are interested, or simply go to jamparty4ed.com to learn more and apply for your very own school (unlimited install) copy of this amazing, potential-laden software. Bookmark that website: See number 4. above.

Importantly, we are not sure how long this free donation program will be available. If you want your own school copy with unlimited installation license, now’s the time to get it.

Please be patient. I obviously won't be responding to requests during school hours and both Cathy and I have busy families: This is a weekend avocation for us.

This message, by the way, is in no way sponsored by any of my professional organizations and does not reflect any of my employers' or professional organizations' views or interests.

Warm Regards,

Scott Merrick

--
It's all at http://scottmerrick.net

Educational Change Video Marathon

2011-02-24T11:54:00.001-06:00

I'm leaving work at the end of the day today to visit my alma mater (Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University) a few blocks away from my office at MNPS Virtual Learning. I'm going there view what I think is the first local screening of the independent film "Race to Nowhere." This is a movie I've been looking forward to seeing ever since I first learned about it on Facebook. Formerly subtitled "The Dark Side of America's Achievement Culture," its trailer, which I share at the end of this post, is intriguing, to say the least.

As the father of two beautiful children and something of an advocate for change (I feel personally responsible for the word "radical" appearing in the National Educational Technology Plan: "...the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies should identify key emerging trends and priorities and recruit and bring together the best minds and organizations to collaborate on high-risk/high-gain education R&D projects. It should aim for radical, orders-of-magnitude improvements by envisioning the impact of innovations and then working backward to identify the fundamental breakthroughs required to make them possible."), I am most interested in seeing this film for myself, even if it means subjecting myself to "heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink..." as advertised at the film's website.

Anticipation has me musing about the trend for change advocates to "Hollywoodize" their views by creating videos or, as this one is, full-length films and promoting their entertainment value, even to the point of profiting from them. Again, I want to share the trailer for tonight's film here, but before I do I'd suggest you beef up your upcoming Education Change Video Marathon by adding one or more of these film/videos to the bill. Here are several I've recently viewed, along links to their own trailers and some descriptive text from their respective websites. Watch each trailer and tell me you aren't motivated to view at least one of them:

Pricele$$, from Habitat Media, about the true cost of our current political fundraising legislation -- "PRICELE$$ is a one-hour documentary journey from 4th of July revelry to America's croplands; from hopeful windfarms to our nation's capitol in search of some answers. Maybe even a solution. The colorful cast of characters will inform, move, and amuse you. You'll be privy to personal accounts of lives upended and hear how postal rates cause global warming. You'll learn the definition of "running clean" and discover the fate of two politicians who actually enjoyed fundraising. Even the third graders in our film know something has to change."

ACT Out Against SAT, from Sam Kaufman, about the unfairness of using SAT scores for college entrance -- Host Allie Kaufman says, "I'm a high school student; my father is an award-winning filmmaker, and together we uncovered startling evidence that proves standardized tests are totally unfair to many students. If you've visited our website and watched our film athttp://www.ACToutagainstSAT.com then you know the tests are biased against females, students whose second language is English, against minorities, students who can't afford quality test prep classes or tutors, and all those students who aren't good on standardized tests--even though they do great in school. And you know that the SAT Essay section is a complete joke." And here's an article from the Huffington Post describing the petition driving effort.

Waiting for Superman, from Davis Guggenheim and Michele Rhee, a stirring (and controversial) film about "the failures of the public education system in America that makes suggestions (also controversial) to "fix" it. Disclaimer--I have not actually seen this film, but just now went into my Netflix queue. I'll weigh in on the debate just as soon as I experience it first hand.

Okay, here is the Race to Nowhere trailer, posted from TeacherTube so that even working teachers in firewall/blocked schools should be to watch it this very moment:

If You're in Nashville, Please Consider This Great Line-up for Feb. 28

2011-02-16T08:15:00.000-06:00

From Billboard Magazine, this article about a benefit from my neighbor, Todd Cerny:

GOOD WORKS

When songwriter Todd Cerney performed at Puckett’s Downtown in Nashville

on Feb. 11, he was overcome with pain and cut the appearance short, telling the

crowd it was likely his last live performance ever. Cerney, best-known for writing

Restless Heart’s “I’ll Still Be Loving You” and Steve Holy’s “Good Morning Beautiful,”

suffered a seizure Nov. 7 and was subsequently diagnosed with stage IV melanoma.

Restless Heart and Holy are just two of a long list of performers planning a

Feb. 28 benefit for Cerney at Nashville’s Red Rooster Bar & Music Hall. Ty Hern -

don, Bo Bice, Jeff Bates and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits are on tap, along

with songwriters Wood Newton (“Bobbie Sue”), Rivers Rutherford (“When I

Get Where I’m Going”), Thom Shepherd (“Redneck Yacht Club”), Lisa Carver

(“Everyday America”), Richard Fagan (“Be My Baby Tonight”) and Casey Kelly

(“The Cowboy Rides Away”), among others.

The event will also mark a reunion of the Piggys, a rock band that had a sig-

nificant following on Nashville’s club circuit in the 1980s. The group hasn’t per-

formed in 25 years.

Admission for the 6:30 p.m. show at the Red Rooster, located at 1530 Demon-

breun St., is $15. Donations are also being accepted through the Friends of Todd

Cerney account at Regions Bank, 1600 Division St., Nashville, TN 37212. For

more information, contact Cerney’s wife, Kip Kirby, here.

JamParty4Education is LIVE!

2011-02-14T17:09:00.001-06:00

JamParty4Ed

Promote Your Page Too

Okay, ya'll, it's live, yes, but it's not fully populated. What is there is enough to get you started on requesting you own FREE copy of an exciting new WindowsPC-based musical creativity software that offers so much hope for so many students and educators that I'm simply beside myself [looks to the left, jumps, startled} with the potentials. With JamParty:Remixed students with little or no musical training can begin to patch together their own creations from royalty-free song banks, "Jams," using an interface very much like the Guitar Hero and Rock Band ones many are so familiar with already. Think Legos with pieces of music. Not familiar with those tools? Never mind, you don't need to be. In Wikipedia, at the top of the definition for "Intuitive," is a screengrab from JamParty:Remixed. I'm not kidding!

Okay, I'm kidding, but I'm excited and I tend to kid when I'm excited. But the coolest thing is that once they've created their music, students can SAVE their creations as .mp3 files and share them with others. Do you have older kids who are into music already? Audacity, Soundbooth, Garage Band all can import these .mp3 files as tracks and your kids can add more instruments or even vocals, singing or narration. Cool?

Cool.

Watch this:

For Educators--Getting Started with JamParty4Education from JamParty4Ed on Vimeo.

Now go request your own copy!

Anybody Coming to Music City for SITE?

2011-02-07T14:17:00.001-06:00

I've been drafted by my good friend Jan Zanetis onto a remarkable panel session at March's Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference, to be held here in Nashville March 8-11. The panel, on the future of distance learning, includes Jan, Kathy Hayden, Mike Lay, and Kecia Ray. It'll be great, I do believe!

Anyone coming? If so, comment away and let's get something going during the conference, even if it's just a meetup for a few light beers and some dynamite honkytonkin' at Tootsies Orchid Lounge!

As usual, I'll be the Virtual Environments guy, and I'm looking forward to sharing our Virtual Learning experimentations with OpenSim and the great work my global colleagues and I are carrying out in Second Life via ISTE's SIGVE 3rd Tuesday Speaker Sessions. ISTE, like many other educational institutions, are greatly reducing their investments in Second Life, partly due to our national economy and partly in response to Linden Labs' relatively recent abolishment of what had been a very generous educational discount program. ISTE will be abandoning three of the four islands they've been leasing from Linden Lab for several years now, but they'll be retaining their original ISTE Island and hopefully allowing my own Bloggers Hut to remain standing. They are also discontinuing the weekly Speaker Sessions that esteemed colleague Kevin Jarret had run for several years, but the good news is that the SIGVE Sessions will continue as the sole remaining offering of its kind. Once a month, my good friends, we'll continue to see, hear, learn, and backchat about the best that Virtual Worlds have to offer for education.

If you're coming to SITE, gimme a holler!

Ridge Hike 012911

2011-01-29T16:29:00.001-06:00

It was a beautiful day today. I had to get up on the ridge up back of the house and trudge through the carpet of brown leaves and undergrowth, and my trail took me to Wessex Towers, where family lore has it that my grandfather and grandmother were married in a buggy at the top of the hill whereupon Wessex Towers perches. When my grandfather said "I do," the horses spooked and bolted down the hill.

Here are some pics I took along the way:

There Was a Man

2011-01-25T08:55:00.001-06:00

I was asked by Bill's dear wife Judy to play guitar at the service today. I'm going to try to play some instrumentals from my collection recently released at CDBaby.com and I did some revision to the song below, mostly because I don't remember all of it, which I wrote just after our Poppy died. He passed away in his easy chair with an ice cream cone in his hand. I'm going to attempt to sing it today but since I don't hold out much hope that I'll be able to get through it, I printed some lyrics at the hotel business office. Here's the song. I cannot thank all my friends and "friends" who have supported me with loving messages this week. It's been hard, but your caring makes it, well, different.

Love to you all, and here's my advice:

There Was a Man
Scott Merrick, revised January 25, 2011

Once had a granddad
Now I have none;
There was a man
If there ever was one.
Stands where he stood
at the top of a hill;
in the Tennessee woods
of my memory still.
Never heard a bad word
spoken of him;
The last time we spoke
he was broken and thin.
I took him by the hand
I said I love you;
He said I hope you understand
That I love you too.

Stands where he stood
at the top of a hill;
Never really knew him
Suppose I never will.

If you have a granddad
Listen to me:
What may be now
May not always be;
Tell him that you love him
Look him in the eye:
Your love is the one thing
that never does die.

Once had a granddad
Now I have none;
There was a man
If there ever was one.

Death

2011-01-21T07:36:00.002-06:00

I have been writing a bit of poetry lately, thinking I'll just add it to Speculativity, my little book of poetry at Lulu.com, when I have a new little body of it. Day before yesterday I put down something that had flown into my head whilst walking the dog. I am not depressed, by the way. I'm not contemplating anything, other than life: I am as hopeful and as positive in my feelings for my family, my friends, and myself as I have ever been, and anyone who knows me knows that I persist in being optimistic to a fault. But this poem grew legs along with my own as I stretched them alongside the clicking of MacGuyver's claws on the pavement in the silence of the winter afternoon. It's a short one so I'll share it here.

Last night I died.

Alone I walked up a steep road

I had never seen before,

All light behind, none ahead.

There were no gates,

Pearly or otherwise.

No one waited.

No angels sang.

I am dead.

Last night my older brother Ed called and told me that our brother Bill had been killed in a motorcycle accident. I have a lot to say about that, but I'll say it to my own conscience rather than air it publicly. I do encourage you to hold on to those who are dear to you and to show them as often as possible that you love them. That's what matters.

Bill was on the right in this picture, in the "Men Will Be Men" tee-shirt. My dear older brother Ed is in the middle:

"Still Waiting" at iTunes (and CDBaby)

2011-01-15T07:15:00.000-06:00

It's heeeeeere....

Want to get it on iTunes?
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/still-waiting/id414096732

'prec you giving it a listen and picking up your own copy if you like it. This is a collection of original instrumental tunes I've recorded over the years, and features acoustic guitar, mandolin, McNally strumstick, and lots of love. Two of the songs, including "Larceny," "Even If I Did," have lyrics, and if you do pick up a copy of the record and want the lyrics, just drop me a comment here with an addie to send them to. Reviews at itunes would be appreciated, especially if they're good 'uns. :)

Want to save nearly two bucks on it?

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/scottmerrick2

Mr. Winkle Wakes

2011-01-14T06:23:00.002-06:00

Via Facebook this morning I had to reshare a link from Scott McLeod, one leading to an amazing single webpage, a wiki page, actually, compiled by the fabulous Alec Couros, entitled

90+ Videos for Tech. & Media Literacy.

This page deserves some visitation and exploration. It's a veritable treasure trove of interesting, stimulating, inspirational content. I plan explore it often over the coming weeks, and I hope that you will, too; if, that is, you have any interest in education. My Friday morning gift to you comes from the "Conversation Starters" section and if you share this with others in your PLN I'm wagering it will start some conversations. From Mathew Needleman, "Mr. Winkle Wakes." Indeed:

PRICELE$$

2011-01-10T09:59:00.000-06:00

I've begun compiling candidates for a video series I'm considering hosting in Second Life. A couple years ago I did something similar with TED videos, and it was a fun experience, watching an inspirational video talk together with the text backchannel running strong throughout the viewing.

Anyway, the list of potential films grew by one today and that one is:

Preview for PRICELE$$ from Habitat Media on Vimeo.

Colin's a "Creep"

2011-01-09T09:36:00.000-06:00

Sharing this from last night's performance at Nashville Street Theatre Company, as Colin opened for What Up, English, four stellar lads performing original rock in very entertaining ways.

Miranda had just driven in from a vacation jaunt to Ohio and was suffering a bronchial infection that limited her voice, so Colin had to readjust his setlist on short notice for a solo performance, but his sister couldn't help herself--she bravely joined in on Colin's final song for a beautiful rendition of Deftone's "Sextape."

I loved that closer, but I have to say my fave song of the night was Colin's arrangement and performance of Radiohead's 1992 "Creep." Indeed. Enjoy:

The scottmerrick Daily!

2011-01-05T14:48:00.000-06:00

Hey all. It's in the sidebar, and will remain there, but I want to call attention to the cooltool of the day, Paper.li, where you can set yourself up with your own daily "newspaper," drawn from the (modified or otherwise) posts of the folks you follow on Twitter and your Facebook friends! I like it mainly because it transforms all that for me on a daily basis into a user-friendly compendium. In a way it's just another way to view your twitter feed along with fb, but in another way it's a way to take a solid look at just what you've gotten yourself into in your Personal Learning Network (PLN). How many times can I use the word "way" in a sentence, lol?

Here's what it looks like (today--tommorrow it'll look different!) in the widget for me bloggy. If you haven't already done so, go peruse it for yourself at this link: http://paper.li/scottmerrick!

Son to the Boy!

2010-12-25T08:23:00.000-06:00

Just in time for Christmas, my dear pal James Morrison, recording as James Paige Morrison to satisfy industry protocol in the light of that Country Music interloper who shares his moniker, has released "Son to the Boy," an amazing, masterful, musically and lyrically rich assortment of jewels from his thoughtful, caring, loving, introspective, and humorous mind. CD Baby has yet to get their gift certificate act together or all of you would be getting one from me. This is true listening pleasure, ya'll, and I highly encourage you to gift yourself its magic.

Of particular note (though there's not a lacking cut on the recording) is "Lifeguard Girl," an airy fantasy that features the underlying current of my lovely daughter, Miranda, who flew out to L.A. to help with that cut. I'm proud--proud of her, proud of my brother-from-another-mother, and proud of you for taking the time to check out

Immersive Australia: Education--A new modality for learning, collaboration, and knowledge production

2010-12-21T07:47:00.000-06:00

I came across this report via the SLED listserv the other day and emailed its author, Mandy Salomon, to request a copy. She promptly emailed me one, and when I read it...well, read it yourself!

Thank you, Mandy, for sharing so openly your hard work and excellent research. IIA_Edu_18Dec

Merry Christmas to All!

2010-12-15T10:46:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas from the disco Merricks!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Learning Environments--a Current Buzzword, Eh?

2010-12-09T13:00:00.001-06:00

Yup, it is, but there's a good reason for it. My own team at MNPS Virtual Learning is studying about Instructional Design via "Designing Effective Instruction" by Morrison, Ross, and Kemp, and the focus of the ISTE Leadership Symposium in Denver last summer, led by Chris Johnson, was learningspacedesign (HEY, that's me and Kathy with Lee and others in one of those pics!). The cover story of the Dec.-January Leading and Learning with Technology is, guess what, "Design New Spaces for Learning." (I have a little POINT-COUNTERPOINT piece in that issue, by the way.)

But I digress. Here's the share for the day: David Thornbug, the fabulously driven educational change advocate, recently presented on the topic at TEDx TLN, an event that took place in Phoenix, Arizona. This video, a presentation David calls "Learning on the Holodeck: Theaters Without Audiences," just became available at YouTube and I want so much to share it that I'm embedding it here.

The punch line is worth waiting for. Wait for it...wait for it...

Tennessee Educational Technology Conference 2010

2010-12-04T10:56:00.000-06:00

I spent much of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday schmoozing and attending sessions at this year's Tennessee Educational Technology Conference at the Nashville Convention Center. Let me just say this: Any conference that centers around educational technology needs to make sure their gathering place provides ample free wi-fi for its attendees. I know it's an old building, but they've done better at that in the past. Many of the attendees at these things need to be connected and they don't need to have to pay for a very laggy top-floor-only connection or plug into a hardwired laptop on the vendor floor. Just sayin'.

That's better. Now. This was a great conference for me because I

met Debi Crabtree, Virtual Learning Coordinator for Hamilton County Virtual Schools (and I'm still wondering why they can call their program a "school" and we can't) and her partner in presentation, Betsy Norris, and to sit in on several of their 5, count 'em, 5 presentations;
got to watch my boss, Kecia Ray, present twice;
discovered, thanks to Debi, CompassLearning, an online course provider that Debi says is "the most interactive and engaging content out there." I'll be reviewing that content this coming week for our own program; and
attended friend Rusthon Hurley's keynote address, where he emphasized the power of video in education.

I only had my Samsung "dumbphone" with me for picture taking, though I did also snap a couple things with the Mac PhotoBooth program, so though I apologize for the quality of the snapshots, I'm posting those four pics right here:

e4tn presentation re a new Middle School beta

program for online learning

e4tn demos their LiveScribe exploration

Debi Crabtree shares Web 2.0 resources. I even learned

a few new tricks. I am grateful to Debi for her sharing spirit and

her eloquence and I soooo look forward to our future

collaborations!

Rushton Hurley wows a packed house

Thanks to the organizers of the conference for a rich learning experience, despite the missing ubiquitous wi-fi. Sorry to my tweetz and other PLN for the lack of communication during the conference! I'll share out some resources here later!!!

Professional Networking for Lifelong Learning

2010-11-12T05:31:00.000-06:00

My thanks to the organizers of Texas's Virtual Education Conference '10, held this week Nov. 9 through 12, for the opportunity to meet a quality handful of new colleagues via my presentation last night. I did prepare a PowerPoint for it, though through the effort of adapting that object to the Elluminate10 platform I'm beginning to see value in starting out building a presentation in its whiteboard-based interface and will likely play with that during February's 4 webinar series with ESBOCES in New York. At any rate, on my way to my morning treadmill workout I want to offer the original PowerPoint here.

Focusing on only three elements of a PLN, it's chocked full of resources for an educator just starting out building a one, which for me has two "P's," Professional and Personal. Maybe I'll start abbreviating it "P/PLN" to make that point.

The 1 hour mini-event, moderated magnificently by Kim Caise, will be archived at the site, and if it's available via guest access I'll post the link to it right here. I had fun, and I learned some things myself. Please feel free to share:

PLN4LL

View more presentations from Scott Merrick.

Reposting Again, Another Opportunity to Share

2010-11-08T05:33:00.001-06:00

I consider David Warlick a friend. Back in 2007 I was teaching a week of Web 2.0 exploration to a group of teachers and David spent an hour of his time chatting with us, an hour borne of our acquaintance through ISTE and subsequent conversations about education. A resulting artifact was podcast number 59 of my "Snacks4theBrain!" series, an interview, music show I produced back then for the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach. You can read (and listen) all about that at the Snacks4theBrain! podcast website.

Zoom to present day, where you are encouraged to add to your calendar David's live share, detailed below, this Wednesday night via the K12 Online Conference. I regret to admit that I haven't participated at all in this annual event, but only because my personal and professional life has been so busy. Perhaps I'll see you in one or another event this week, or perhaps I'll see you at David's live post-conference keynote. I hope so.

Via email this morning:

Subject: Post-Conference Keynote Presenter Live

Fireside Chat with David Warlick

A message to all members of K12 Online Conference

Hello everyone! I wanted to invite you to continue to view the 2010 K12 Online Conference presentations including the post conference keynote presentation by David Warlick - 'A Gardener's Approach to Learning'. The culminating live event of the K12 Online Conference will this Wednesday, November 10th at 7pmEST/11pm GMT.The session will be in Elluminate and accessible via either of the following links:

Date: November 10, 2010
Time: 7pm EST/12am (next day) GMT
Short URL: http://moourl.com/k12online10__
Full link: https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008350&password=M.BCB4DFE87DA4243B4040ACD3044AF9__

Mark your calendars with this event and stay tuned for more details with invitations to participate in the live Echo sessions held at EdTechTalk throughout the remainder of 2010 and 2011. The Live Events committee will continue to share details and additional live events after the 2010 conference and before the 2011 conference.

The 2010 K12 Online Conference has been a fantastic two weeks with amazing videos from presenters around the world. The Live Events Committee hosted several events throughout the conference and will continue into the new year. We hope to cross paths at the Global Education Conference hosted by Steve Hargadon and Lucy Gray. Many of the current and past K12 Online Conference presenters will again share the wealth of their knowledge throughout the five days the Global Education Conference will be held. Be sure to check the schedule and support conference presenters by attending, engaging or volunteering to assist with conference sessions at the #globaledcon10 website.

Have a great week,
Kim Caise
K12 Online Organizer Team

Visit K12 Online Conference at: http://k12online.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Make Plans to Participate in the 2010 Global Education Conference, November 15 - 19!

2010-11-07T08:11:00.000-06:00

While my two colleagues are planning to leave me behind to hold down the fort at the end of next week when they traipse on out to Arizona for the iNACOL 2010 Virtual School Symposium, I'm planning to, well, hold down the fort at MNPS Virtual Learning, but I'm also planning to attend another conference, all from the comfort of my own little (admittedly techtripped-out) cubicle. Thanks to Steve and Luuuuuuuuuuucy (I have to say it that way every time I see her, for some inexplicable and likely juvenile reason) for making this happen. I repost content from the Global Education Conference website here in the sincere hope that I'll see some of you there (virtually, of course!). Here 'tis:

Bienvenue! Welcome! 歡迎! Willkommen! Benvenuto!

반갑습니다!

Seja bem-vindo(a)! Bienvenido!

The 2010 Global Education Conference will be held November 15 - 19, 2010, online and free. Sessions (do check this list out! You'll be AMAZED) will be held in multiple time zones and multiple languages over the five days.

The conference is a collaborative and world-wide community effort to significantly increase opportunities for globally-connecting education activities and initiatives.

There is no formal registration required for the conference, as all the sessions will be open and public, broadcast live using the Elluminate platform, and available in recorded formats afterwards. Links to watch the sessions will be posted a few days before the conference begins, in the "Sessions" and "Schedule" pages, and recording links will be listed soon thereafter. To verify that your computer system is configured correctly to access Elluminate, please run the self-test here.

We are currently looking for volunteers to help moderate session--please check here if you can help (and thanks!).

Thank you for your interest,

Steve Hargadon
Co-Chair
steve@hargadon.com
www.stevehargadon.com

Lucy Gray
Co-Chair
elemenous@gmail.com
elemenous.typepad.com
http://globaleducation.ning.com

A Spanish/Espanol version of the site is here.

If You Teach, Enjoy This. If You Don't, You May Not...

2010-11-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

I'm reluctant, in large measure due to the oft-expressed opinion of my dear friend Cathy Walker that too many would-be Web pundits don't really do anything--they only collect and re-publicize the original work of others, to share this, but omg I have to:

Utopian Visions? Possibilities? Something...Virtual Pioneers Closing Keynote October 30, 2010

2010-10-31T08:36:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the folks who attended my closing keynote for the two-day Virtual Pioneers History Conference in Second Life last evening. Spiff/Andy had asked me to close with some visions for the future of education, and I kind of went wild. Though one attendee rather rudely backchatted his boredom during the opening wrap up and summary, I appear to have stifled his criticism, at least to some degree, with the following presentation. I spiffed it up (pun intended) a bit after subsequent dinner conversation with my lovely wife, who serves up the best pushback from the point of view of a parent and educator. The backchat text file is at http://goo.gl/xiro .

Here 'tis. I may add some audio, but for now as you view it you should likely put on the Beatles "Revolution" or virtually any Ratatat, either one played very loud...

Utopianfutureofeducation

View more presentations from Scott Merrick.

Gary Stager's "Must Read" List for School "Reform"

2010-10-22T08:32:00.002-05:00

The esteemed Gary Stager, educational change advocate and a strong voice in the edublogosphere, last week posted a piece--on the new Huffington Post Education tab--which he, with characteristic aplomb, entitled, "Wanna be an School Reformer? You Better do your Homework!" I heartily encourage you to begin yours with a visit to that post and a thorough reading of Gary's careful and knowledgeable descriptions of the 18 books on his (though "admittedly subjective") list of essential required readings. I took a few minutes at the start of my work day to cull out just the titles with Gary's links to the books themselves, but only because I want a concise assignment sheet for myself in order to search my local public library (that "teacher's salary" issue ;).

[Posted later, a pic of my growing collection from the public library, shared with my colleagues at my cubby]:

Steve Hargadon, through whose Facebook post I became aware of Gary's article, suggests that "we need to do a book study of these." I concur. As I say, please do read the original post, but if you need the cheat sheet I submit it here, along with Gary's comment preceding his must-read list:

"The following books are appropriate for parents, teachers, administrators, politicians and plain old citizens committed to the ideal of sustaining a joyful, excellent and democratic public education for every child."

A Schoolmaster of the Great City: A Progressive Education Pioneer's Vision for Urban Schools, Angelo Patri

Dr. Seymour Sarason, The Skeptical Visionary: A Seymour Sarason Reader, The Predictable Failure of Educational Reform: Can We Change Course Before It's Too Late, And What do YOU Mean by Learning, Political Leadership and Educational Failure and Charter Schools: Another Flawed Educational Reform?

Seymour Papert, The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer

The Big Picture: Education Is Everyone's Business by Dennis Littky and Littky's biography, Doc: The Story Of Dennis Littky And His Fight For A Better School, by Susan Kammeraad-Campbell

Deborah Meier, In Schools We Trust: Creating Communities of Learning in an Era of Testing and Standardization

The Schools our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards" and The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools by Alfie Kohn

Dr. Theodore Sizer, Horace's Compromise

Jonathan Kozol, Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope

Herbert Kohl, The Herb Kohl Reader: Awakening the Heart of Teaching

Susan Ohanian and Kathy Emery, Why is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools?

Gerald Bracey published, Education Hell: Rhetoric vs. Reality - Transforming the Fire Consuming America's Schools

Not With Our Kids You Don't! Ten Strategies to Save Our Schools by Juanita Doyon

Go for it! And let me know when you're ready to have that book study group!

Sir Ken Robinson Helps Me Out (Again)

2010-10-21T06:03:00.001-05:00

Okay, just to make sure you watch this. I've Facebooked, tweeted, emailed, and done everything but run screaming through the streets to share this 11 minutes of reasonableness with others. Here's my last effort (today, anyway) to nominate Sir Ken Robinson for a Global Reason Award. Is there such a thing? Maybe not, but there should be. I started off my MNPS SWAP session by sharing this with the 18 K-12 teachers who were really there for a Web 2.0 learning day. I said it was "to let you know where I'm coming from, here." Here:

Web 2.0 for US! Session at Martin Professional Development Center 101910

2010-10-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

I had a great time yesterday facilitating an all-day Web 2.0 (and beyond) session for 18 MNPS teachers. The participants were a very nicely balanced mix of elementary, middle, and high school teachers and we got right into it at 8:37 a.m. The class was supposed to get underway at 8:30 but my watch (this has never before happened) inexplicably stopped at 8:16 and I kept glancing at it thinking, "we have a few more minutes" until I thought "It's been 8:16 for quite some time. Has time stopped?"

Off we went. The session was guided by the PowerPoint/GooglePresentation embedded here and underscored by dialog in a live chat room at http://chatterous.com. I have now pasted the chat log into slides at the end of the pressie and added a few replies to questions or comments I didn't see because I was sharing my little heart out up front of the room. The final slide shares a bit of my own reflection on the day's work.

Please take a few minutes (11, which you will not regret) to view the Ken Robinson presentation we started the day with, because as I said, "I want you to know where I'm coming from..."

Thanks again to all my wonderful new colleagues and my hearty encouragement to you to keep the faith and keep your change moving in the right direction. On of our main support structures at Virtual Learning is "Do the next right thing for our students." You know what it is. You are good teachers.

Here is:

Virtual Pioneers Online History Conference!

2010-10-18T05:56:00.000-05:00

Come and join in the 3D immersive fun and learn while you do it!

Second Life and OpenSimulator, two important artifacts of future history, are continually providing new ways to see, hear, and personally experience the past. Other 3D platforms are doing so as well, and in the course of these presentations over a two day period, as you drop in when your own schedule allows, you will see what all this can mean for learning and teaching over the next generation. Read the press release for the conference.

Andrew Wheelock (Spiff Whitfield) has facilitated into being a group of around 200 educators interested in exploring history in virtual worlds. The Virtual Worlds Pioneers has been going strong for years now, having started out in a Ning and migrating to grou.ps (as did so many other communities) when Ning dumped their free-for-education policy. The new address is at http://grou.ps/virtualpioneers/home and I heartily encourage you to join.

Why? Because VWP consistently offers events in virtual worlds where educators can share a passion for history. In doing so, they build friendships that can last a lifetime. Two lifetimes, even...

If you don't have a Second Life avatar, now's the time. Simply visit Secondlife.com and get one for free. Play around with it for half an hour prior to the conference so you will be able to sit or walk without sitting on someone's head (considered rude in any historical period or culture) or bumping into others embarrassingly.

This is the first ever VWP online history conference, but it won't be the last. Themed "Re-Create, Educate, Illuminate--Learning History Virtually," it runs Friday and Saturday, October 29 and 30, coming up in just under two weeks. I'll be wrapping up the conference with a closing keynote on Saturday, 4 pm SL (Pacific) time, to be followed by a "Closing Celebration- Socializing, dancing, prizes, and music!" The entire schedule is available online at the conference website and it looks to be a doozy!

Heck, I'll save you a click or two:

Saturday, October 29:

Date	Time (SL time)	Session	SLURL
10/29/10	1-2pm	Kimmer Jameson from PBS Eight will inspire us with her blend of great teacher resources that can adapt to Virtual Environment history.	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters
10/29/10	2-4pm	Csteph Submariner will lead us on a tour of this unbelievably detailed and historically accurate sim that highlights the trials and poetry of this era in world history.	Western Front
10/29/10	4-5pm	Jacon Cortes will take us on a tour of Antiquity Texas, an 1800's role playing sim in the Antiquty Community of Victorian Sims and ruled under the gracious hand of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Antiqutiy. Jacon has a superior knowledge of this time period as well as tremendous skill as a Second Life designer and builder. Please join us on this fantastic tour.	Antiquity Texas
10/29/10	5-6pm	Eureka Dejavu- Understanding Islam in Virtual Worlds	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters
10/29/10	6-7pm	Tamsin Barzane- The Yoruba Light Project (still under construction) connects the past and present of the West African Yoruba people to Salvador da Bahia in Brazil and to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.	Yoruba Light

Saturday, October 30:

Date	Time (SL)	Description	SLURL
10/30/10	10-11am	BigD Flanagan- Join BigDin a discussion of team teaching Social Studies in the secondary setting. BigD has 17 years of History teaching experience to bring to this topic. The subject lends itself to a wide array of teaching approaches and practices.	VP SKYBOX
10/30/10	11-12pm	Shenlei Flasheart-Overview of the 1:1 simulation of the Gettysburg Battlefield being developed in the openSim-based ScienceSim grid. Discuss how educators can become involved in this large-scale, big picture project to fully simulate the critical, 3 day Battle of Gettyburg.	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters
10/30/10	12-1pm	Norma Underwood -Historical Building by Students. Come see the Lincoln Memorial and a Holocaust Memorial built on a Second Life Teen Estate and moved to the Reaction Grid. If you are interested in re-enactments or role-playing, this shows what 13 and 14 yr olds are capable of doing.	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters Reaction Grid
10/30/10	1-2pm	DrM Magic- Connections Through Cultural Dynamics DrM & Students will present a cultural quilt of history and familial dynamics that bring educators and students together through a historic poster presentation blanketing their comforting past, gingerly gifting it to 21st Century learners!	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters

10/30/10	2-3pm	Ydnar Seljan-A Walk Through History with Language	Professional Development Cruise
10/30/10	3-4pm	Nany Kayo- Dias de Los Muertos-The Day of the Dead -Exploring this unique Mexican holiday.	Smithsonian Museum of Latino Music
10/30/10	4-5pm	Closing Speaker- Scott MerrickOh- Will wrap up our conference as only Scott can, by inspiring us with the future of virtual environments and education.	Virtual Pioneer Headquarters
10/30/10	5-6pm	Closing Celebration- Socializing, dancing, prizes, and music!	Olive's Bistro

Cross-posted from Oh!VirtualLearning!

Marc Prensky on digital_nation: life on the virtual frontier

2010-10-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

I'm cruising around looking for resources that will contribute to understanding for attendees of my Web2.0 for US! professional development session next Tuesday for Metro Nashville Public Schools teachers and came across this wonderful just-over-4-minute snippet from the PBS project digital_nation: life on the virtual frontier. I think it says a lot of what I'm moving toward in my own thinking and I thought I'd share it out with you, dear reader. I'd also like to point you to a recently published Education World interview with my colleague-in-change Will Richardson (well, okay, he's really an idol). In it he points out some obvious areas for change and admits frustration with the snail's pace rate of it. Here's a sort of a "re-tweet" from Twitter:

scottmerrick Scott SIGVE Merrick

Great Will Richardson interview:http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01richardson.h04.html

artclectic preview, ya'll

2010-10-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

I'm just sayin' -- if you are anywhere near Nashville the 3rd week of October, and you fail to visit artclectic 2010, you're playin' de foooooooool.

"Lives" is now available on Kindle!

2010-10-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

From Amazon today!

Lives relates one soul's journeys through three times: the American Civil War, mid 20th Century middle-class America, and a post-holocaust future in which the protagonist might well be the only man left on the planet. (Contains sexual references and scenes of violence in a dramatic context.) It has been described as a contemporary-historical-sciencefiction-futuristic-fantasy. The author welcomes categorizations from readers...

Hello,

Congratulations! The book(s) you recently submitted has published to the Kindle Store. Please note that while the title is available for readers to purchase now, the product description and links to the book’s physical counterpart may take up to 48 hours to appear on the book’s detail page.

Here’s a link to your book(s) in the Kindle store:
Lives | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014JKC36

Live Interactive Event Monday--Come Join the Discussion!

2010-10-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

From http://futureofeducation.com, an invitation:

Date: Monday, October 4, 2010

Time: 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 9pm GMT (international times here)

Duration: 2 hours

Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Event and Recording Page: http://www.learncentral.org/event/106358
Hashtag: #elev8ed

The Future of Education

Charting the Course of Teaching and Learning in a Networked World

A message to all members of The Future of Education

Between the NBC "Education Nation" Summit, Waiting for Superman, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million gift to Newark city schools, there has been a lot of media attention focused on the topic of education reform. Unfortunately, much of it has excluded actual educators, let alone students. Furthermore, and perhaps as a consequence, the dialog has become divisive, blaming, and ultimately counter-productive.

FutureofEducation.com and Edutopia are collaborating this coming Monday on a two-hour live and interactive look at "Elevating the Education Reform Dialog"--an online discussion with special guests and specifically for educators, to help move past the bashing and to engage in a constructive conversation about the best way forward. Connection details are at the bottom of this post. Confirmed speakers include:
Julie Evans is the CEO of the national education nonprofit organization, Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org) whose mission is to ensure that today's students are well prepared to become tomorrow's leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world.

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of eleven books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations.

Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. The Science Leadership Academy is an inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop school that is considered to be one of the pioneers of the School 2.0 movement nationally and internationally.

Deborah Meier has spent more than three decades working in public education as a teacher, principal, writer, advocate, and ranks among the most acclaimed leaders of the school reform movement in the U.S.

Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education. In addition, she is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. She shares a blog called Bridging Differences with Deborah Meier, hosted by Education Week. She also blogs for Politico.com/arena and the Huffington Post.

Will Richardson considers himself an "evangelist" for the use of Weblogs, RSS and related Internet technologies in classrooms and schools. Over the past six years he's had the chance to speak and work with thousands of educators from around the world on the merits of "The Read/Write Web." He was a classroom teacher for over 20 years who integrated these technologies into his curricula for over four years.

Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He has worked with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations.

Since 1982, Gary Stager, PhD, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression.

I'm on for ESBOCES Webinars in February

2010-10-01T21:51:00.001-05:00

Cool.

ESBOCES in New York is setting up a cool year of professional development for their administrators and teachers, and I've been asked to belly up for a 4 week series of weekly webinars on the general topic of Leadership in education. Cool!

New! Model Schools Virtual Technology Leadership Series

Get inspired from the comfort of your own home!

All administrators and interested teachers are invited to join us for this exciting and inspiring technology leadership series. Participants will be given the opportunity to learn from and interface with technology subject matter experts. This Leadership Series is designed to broaden your perspective on technology and its application to improving teaching and learning. Each series will run once a week for four weeks and will feature a different technology expert. Weekly webcasts will be followed by additional on-line interaction (blogging, discussions, etc.) and will allow you the chance to interact with technology leaders from other districts as well.

Here's some info on my contributions to this innovative effort, and I'll post links for participation here once everything's set in virtual stone:

February 2, 9, 16 and March 2, 2011, from 8-9pm EST, facilitated by Elluminate

Scott Merrick--Innovative Leadership: a Contradiction in Terms?

An essential element of effective leadership is making sure our academic institutions improve and thrive. Or is it? For example, maintaining an ongoing plan for Professional Development can be well nigh impossible: What works one year may not work the next. What one school needs may not be what another needs. Are our schools and our school districts missing something important that may, if not "save the day," at least help in particular settings? This four-week set of hour long interactions will focus on several general topics through the perspectives its presenter has developed over the last decade of teaching, teacher training, volunteer work, and professional practice. The topics are at this writing subject to change, but they will likely include the following:

The Read-Write Web and what that means for teaching practice, professional development, and personal satisfaction
Personal Learning Networks, Professional Learning Networks, and the big question--"Why Bother?"
3Dimensional Immersive Environments--Sense of Presence at a Distance and Why You Want It
Distance Education in K12--"Disantiquating" Schools and Schooling with Virtual Learning

Cool.

Education Nation Attempts to Talk about It!

2010-09-27T15:48:00.001-05:00

Did you miss the highly touted EducationNation broadcast on NBC yesterday?

I didn't, though I did check out before its ending. As a chat participant who did the best he could to be an active participant, it was immensely frustrating to be one of 6,000 educators who had been given access to the live chat stream--only to discover that it was being filtered manually by a reader who was then reposting comments into CoverItLive.

I've use CIL myself some over the past couple years, and I must say I'm in awe of the chutzpah shown by this attempt. And I'd bet that I'm not alone in spending an hour of my time in a conversation that really wasn't one.

Don't get me wrong, the attempt was epic. I'm just saying that if dialog didn't move beyond trying to "fix" the current educational system into some right radical ideas for right radical restructuring, nay, re-imagining, then all the fol-de-rol was just that, and balderdash, too. Discussions about "are teachers under attack?" and arguments about teacher tenure just aren't enough.

Since I didn't get any of my comments into the live chat, I am going to pull a few onto this blog post from the Facebook page set up for an alternative outlet. To my mind, this was a far better venue for the dialog than CoverItLive, but that could be just because I felt a modicum of dialog was going on there since immediate feedback from "likes" or comments on my comments could be seen immediately. Here are the comments, then I'm taking off out of the office for home. Without sounding despairing, because I'm not, really, I plan to wake up tomorrow to try to make some change in a system that is antiquated and held in place only because it's supported by the 7 most dangerous words in the English language, "That's the way we've always done it."

(After 30 minutes of searching for my now "older comments." I give up, but I will spend some time tomorrow working through the current topics. I hope they're not as dead-end as they were when I tried to participate...

Cheers,

Scott

New Research on Study Habits: We've got it all wrong.

2010-09-09T08:37:00.003-05:00

This is a most interesting NYTimes article about new research centered around the best way(s) to study/learn. It seems the most important think (though certainly not the only important thing) is motivation, something we can almost certainly assume our Virtual Learning kids have from the get-go. Thanks to USN's Justin Karpinos for sharing it and to Lee Ann for passing it along to me!

http://tinyurl.com/24l2wtk is the article.