The NECC Challenge

Read Jen's post, and totally copying her, I challenge those attending NECC to draw in new names to the conversation. Then tell everyone how you did that on your blog. How could you draw in someone new? Here are some ideas:

• Put up a live stream from a session at NECC (ask the presenter first!) and advertise this on Twitter, Plurk, Jaiku, Classroom 2.o, or your favorite socialnetwork.
• Invite someone you have in your network to a stream or liveblogging. In Twitter, this is done with the @ symbol. (remember to ask the presenter!)
  
• Ask someone from your school to join you in cyberspace to watch or listen to a session (ask that presenter!)
• Show/Tell someone where a live stream to a NECC session is and help them connect. This would be someone else's stream.
• Find someone outside of North America and help them connect to a NECC session.

Okay folks, those are the challenges. Can you deliver on any of them? Oh, and lastly, get a photo of Alice Mercer in a blonde wig.

technorati tags: NECC ISTE networkchallenge jlwagner
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RL Relay For Life

In a few minutes, I will be leaving for The Relay For Life of Chambersburg Event at Scotland School for Veterans' Children.
Nine teams will camp out around the SSVC football field one more time. This school is still slated to close as of this writing. As this will be the last year, I have been roped into helping with the concession stand at the 24 hour event again. The stand is staffed by past SSVC employees, spouses, children, & friends.My consolation is that Starbucks will be there to serve free coffee.
While it is too late to buy luminaria for this event, which will be lit tonight, it is not too late to donate at ----> the ACS site <---by clicking.
I don't usually go around in the caregivers lap, as my mom has been gone a very long time. We tend to have a rush on food at that time at the concession stand by the noncaregivers.
It's not too late to donate to the Second Life Relay For Life. If anyone wants to donate go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09RFLorg?team_id=451857&pg=team&fr_id=19490
and click "Donate" or "Luminaria".
Thanks in advance for your donations!

technorati tags: RelayForLife PassionateRedheads

The Passionate Redheads Gala Event

June 14th both 1pmSLT - 3pmSLT & 6pmSLT - 9pmSLT
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Southern%20Colorado/163/42/26 !!
Once again the Redheads have received some great donations from around SL to place for auction during our Gala Ball.

You can start viewing and placing bids on the items starting Saturday, June 13th now. Directions on how to place your bids are available at auction location. Stop by anytime between Saturday morning and the close of bidding on Sunday, June 14th at 8pm to place your bid or check to see if you need to increase your bid. ;)

Along with the wonderful Silent Auction, we will also be having a Fashion Show on Sunday, from 4pm to 6pm SLT.

The theme is the Phantom of the Opera Masquerade Ball. Join us for a romantic, fun time in the Passionate Redhead's Theater. Great music waiting with DJs taking your requests or dedications. You will be just a TP away from the darkened rooms of the theater where the Phantom is will be watching over the silent auction from secret locations.

We hope you will join us for this special event !!!!

technorati tags: SLRFL PassionateRedheads GalaEvent MasqueradeBall

Photo courtesy of Nwardez available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/21263342@N06/3294550575 covered under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Network Challenge

Do you buy your morning coffee on your way into work? Well STOP IT!!
I challenge the network to give up the gourmet coffee once a week. (You know it has to be serious if I say that!)
Instead brew the coffee at home or drink the free coffee at work.
Use your credit card to donate the money you save (about $5) to the Relay For Life. You can either go to http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sacre%20Bleu/164/135/26 and donate L$5000 to our pink kiosk in front of our team store OR you can use your credit card to donate $20.00 ($5 gourmet coffee X 4 weeks) or more to https://secure3.convio.net/tacs/site/Donation2?idb=1542376135&df_id=1005221&1005221.donation=form1&FR_ID=19490&PROXY_ID=451857&PROXY_TYPE=22
Get your family, friends, church friends & co-workers, to do the same!
It's for a great cause!

technorati tags: SLRFL PassionateRedheads Donation coffee

Photo courtesy of TalBright available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48553010@N00/72898816 covered under Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Creative Commons license

Paint The Grid Purple

Need I say more? I belong to like the totally best Relay For Life Team EVER!!
I have purple hair, purple clothes, a purple bracelet, those Lennon-style purple specs, a purple fogger, purple flags, purple texs.....and Daaneth turned his whole sim purple!!
Just in case you didn't know, I am a proud member of the Passionate Redheads!
If anyone wants to donate, in world go to our Redheads store and donate Lindens to our pink kiosk. http://snurl.com/j42w8
Off the grid go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09RFLorg?team_id=451857&pg=team&fr_id=19490
and click "Donate" or "Luminaria".
Thanks in advance for your donations!

technorati tags: RelayForLife PassionateRedheads PainttheGridPurple

Photo courtesy of stingray and the American Cancer Society, available at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=19490

Network Challenge

A couple days ago I challenged people on Twitter and here I repeat my challenge. In these last days before summer, I challenge you to produce an audio book w/ students! Then disseminate!!
There are numerous tutorials on how to do this and I won't repeat that here. Basically, all you need is something with which to record and students reading their original works. Why not have each student create a story? That project works in well with many content areas. Then have them read their story into the recording?
Tell the world about your audiobooks by posting comments here, on your blog, to Twitter, or Plurk. How creative can you be with this challenge?

technorati tags: audiobook mp3 podcasts Voicethread

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Will You Be Missed?

Seth Godin poses these questions in his TED Talk :

1. Who are you upsetting?
2. Who are you connecting?
3. Who are you leading?
4. 
   

These are the very questions which we need to answer in order to change the status quo. Are we affecting the staunch educational bureaucracies in our locations?
I would have to answer yes to the first. I am 'disruptive' as one administrator put it. I pretty much upset everyone at my school, constantly questioning "the way we have always done it" boulders and offering more efficient technological solutions.
Unfortunately, I am not connecting nor leading anyone. In order to be led, one must want to be led. In order to lead, there must be someone to lead. I am 'out of step' with others in my physical location. I find myself very 'in step' with my connections online, however. Recently, I really enjoyed the 74 hour long WiAOC2009. Finding my computer incapable of recording (it's old), I had to limit myself to pinging announcements of events and attending events. I am thoroughly enjoying my participation in The Passionate Redheads Team of the Second Life Relay for Life! The Memorial Rockin' 24 for Relay raised L$500,000+ and The Passionate Redheads raised funds for two of those 26 hours.
How would you answer those three questions? Please tell us in a comment here or on your on blog. Let's generate some discussion.
BTW, I took a blogging holiday for a month. I think no one noticed...

technorati tags: sethgodin TEDTalks WiAOC2009

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A Paradigm is not neutral

It springs from one's philosophy. One believes the world is flat or round. That is one's worldview. Technology has the same distinction.
After reading George Siemen's post entitled," Technology as philosophy", including the comments, I responded thus:

@Brad,”…essence of Web 2.0 is by no means anything technological. And so schools that spend their time and energy fretting over what tools to use, instead of exploring how the technology might change the game, have already taken themselves out of the play” is the most thought provoking statement!
I would build on that to proclaim the the essence of Web 2.0 is one’s worldview, or philosophy. One uses technology according to one’s worldview in the field one finds oneself, whether that be business, marine biology, medicine, or education.

I am wondering what other people think of these ideas. Am I alone in my folly or do I share a common view?

technorati tags: eLearnspace georgesiemens technology paradigm

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