one-to-one computing webinar and CEESA conference

A great opportunity for those of you who are interested in making the transition to a one-to-one computing environment.
This webinar from DyKnow is scheduled for March 10.
Here's the link to the registration page and the webinar summary overview.

Presented by: Kyle Berger, Executive Director of Technology Services
Alvarado Independent School District
Seventy percent of students who attend the Alvarado Independent School District (AISD) are considered economically disadvantaged. Just like everywhere else, budgets are strapped and money is tight. So how is this district two years in to a one-to-one computing initiative?
In this webinar you will learn about the innovative strategies and groundbreaking ideas used by AIDS’s Executive Director of Technology Services Kyle Berger. As a change agent and thought leader, Kyle gathered support from local businesses, board members, parents, teachers and students. You will learn about what it took to plan this program and ongoing implementations. A question and answer session will  follow the event so come ready to ask questions and gather insights.


I'm busing preparing for the upcoming CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) Conference presentation on March 17-19. CEESA is an organization of international schools in the region.

The write-up of the presentation is shared below, and I'll post the slideshow of the presentation and notes after the conference.


This session will be an interactive session in which participants will share and walk away with examples and ideas applicable for the classroom.
The session will consist of:
1) a brief explanation and list of criteria defining 1) Project Based Learning 2) Challenge Based Learning, and 3) Authentic Assessment
2) briefly sharing a few simulations which come close to meeting these criteria:
a) content based simulations: Jason Science and simCEO*
b) open-ended simulations: Farmville and World of Warcraft
3) briefly sharing the benefits of using simulations in the classroom and the potential barriers/solutions that these same simulations pose in terms of assessment practices
4) collectively sharing other effective simulations that session participants have used
5) a collective discussion about the potential for and challenges with developing simulations for use in classrooms