Tag Archives: TIES Conference

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

TIES Conference Summary: A CMLE Scholarship

Jenny McNewThe following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Jeanette McNew, Talahi Media Specialist, St. Cloud School District.

I would like to thank CMLE for the scholarship to attend the TIES 2015 Conference:  Breaking Through: Transforming Pedagogy with Technology!

In 1990, I attended my first TIES conference and was inspired by Roger Wagner’s HyperStudio. Things have really changed since then, but once again I was thrilled to be able to attend. As a Media Specialist in a school library working to integrate a MakerSpace, I was eager to listen to Sylvia Martinez author of Invent to Learn. Although she made many good points about authentic learning in the area of STEM, George Couros, author of The Innovator’s Mindset, stole the show. He is a gifted speaker and truly inspired us to think about being a kid in our classroom while making us laugh and cry all in the same moment. Listening to his keynote really motivated me to improve on what I do for myself and my students each and every day.

What I love about TIES in the recent years is it is no longer about the newest and coolest technology, but has embraced the application of those technologies in real-time situations. Many times during the two days I would hear the comment, “My brain is full!” There is something for everyone and rarely do you find someone there who is not inspired by something they heard in a session or while collaborating with a new connection that was made. Do not misunderstand me – I was one of those in the “playground” this year checking out the Lego robotics, Swivl, and the Bee-bots.

Several sessions I attended really made me think about branding. Who are we allowing to brand our school and why do we let them control what is being said about us? How can we make social media work for us in branding our school and teaching digital citizenship? With that comes staff development. How do we best meet our teachers’ needs for staff development in a differentiated manner? There were several really good sessions with some great ideas to implement meeting these needs of students and staff.

Once again, thank you CMLE for the opportunity to attend this amazing conference.

 

School Media Specialist

Need financial help with the TIES Conference?

photo-1431036101494-66a36de47defAre you tasked with providing leadership or support for educational technology in your work setting?

Over 3,100 teachers, technology coordinators, school and district administrators, technology experts, and exhibitors are expected to attend the upcoming  TIES Education Technology Conference on December 12-15 in Minneapolis. Register today to collaboratively learn, teach, share and network.

Need more general information? Interested in keynotes and featured speakers?

Don’t forget the possibility of attending via Virtual Conference. For $160, access both keynote presentations and ten breakout sessions! Includes live and archived access too.

Short of financial support? If you work in a library or school media center in Central MN, CMLE will support your learning with financial assistance up to $200. The application is easy and we are more than happy to help!

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Aaron Wilson), licensed under CC0 1.0
School Media Specialist

TIES Technical Leadership Conference in St. Cloud

The future of wireless technology
Wireless is fast becoming the way to access applications and content. The challenge is in meeting the demand for access fueled by the proliferation of iPads, Android devices and a range of mobile handhelds. Explore the future of wireless technology with Xirrus CEO Shane Buckley.
       Designed for
> technology coordinators
> school administrators
> technical support staff
> network administrators
> technology integrationists
Plus more!
> “Unconference” for sharing, discussing and learning
> Leveraging social media for schools and districts
> Best practices for help desks
> Technology support tools		 Choose from two hotels—St. Germaine or Kelly Inn
You will be given two hotel choices when you register. However, as hotels fill up, we will have to make assignments based on availability.
Cost: $275 for two days  (including meals and lodging). Other registration options are also available.
.                                   Dates are February 13-14, 2014

This e-mail has been sent to statewide technology coordinators and directors.
 To get more details or to register, go to http://tinyurl.com/le5cyz5
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

TIES Conference: CMLE Scholarship Report

The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Paul Moe,  Sartell Elementary Instructional Technology Specialist

TIES 2013 Conference – Fast Forward; Transforming Pedagogy with Technology

moeI would like to thank CMLE for accepting my scholarship application!

I had a very good time at the TIES conference and  attended many excellent sessions. I  was able to find several new iPad apps that we are currently using in our schools. I also attended a few sessions on how other districts are managing their iPads. I found that we are all going through a rapidly changing time, which makes it hard to manage these new devices easily. It was nice to see that even large school districts such as St. Paul are dealing with the same issues we are.

I was also able to make some connections with colleagues from other school districts and have started setting up some meetings to discuss our uses of Schoology. We are hoping to have a google hangout with a few other districts to share what’s working and what is not with Schoology and iPads. The evenings were also filled with lots of sharing on how things are going with iPad carts with a group from Grand Rapids. They are trying to decide on which device to purchase and had many questions about the iPads. I was also able to attend a social sponsored by Schoology where I was able to get some inside information on future updates and changes. As is the case with most conferences, I left with tons of new ideas but will focus on a few new apps and improving our use of Schoology.

Thank you again for the opportunity.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

TIES Conference: CMLE Scholarship Recipient

The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Debbie Disher,  Media Specialist at Holdingford Schools

TIES 2013 Conference – Fast Forward; Transforming Pedagogy with Technology

Deb Disher, Media Specialist
Deb Disher, Media Specialist

After missing last years TIES Conference I went to the December’s conference with great excitement and anticipation.  I was not disappointed.  I found myself in several great sessions covering technology and staff development.

One of the things that I took away from the conference was the need for me to change our staff development for technology.  Although I am always encouraging teachers that we need to change the way our classrooms operate, I realized that our staff development hasn’t changed that much.  In a session by Kriss Zajner he shared his passion for technology and how they are doing staff development in his district.  He shared how they are using Twitter, mini sessions, 15 minute sessions, continuous learning and sharing, etc.

Another great session was “IGNITE Technology – Enhanced Professional Development” presented by 4 different schools.  Some of the key points in this session included:

  • •making staff development fun
  • •making it about students and their achievement – not the software/hardware
  • •sharing not presenting
  • •make it comfortable – maybe a different location
  • •tech camps.

Because of these sessions we will be working on several changes for our technology staff development.  We plan to start some weekly introduction sessions, Tweeting and making staff development sessions fun.