Jeff sits down with Mark Greentree, John Carver, Steve Stanger and Shaelynn Farnsworth to discuss our students and how we can keep them safe online.

Topics Covered:

• Keeping Students Safe online in the school building and out of the school building
• What is acceptable interactions between students and teachers online? (emails, twitter, school email, blogs)
• Asking students to set up personalized online accounts for classes (gmail, twitter..etc..)
• Technology Acceptable Use Policies… (what should/shouldn’t be in it)
• What websites should and shouldn’t be blocked from school portals
• The transformation of the Librarian due to the transformation of technology
• The use of iPads/iPhones by teachers in class… How to use them, Why to use them, How to become more efficient with them
• Students using iPads/iPhones in class as internet devices
• Adding QR Codes to every library book in the school.

Websites and Apps Discussed:

John C. Carver serves the Van Meter School District as its Superintendent of School. Located 22 miles west of the State Capital complex, the Van Meter School District serves 630 students grades K-12.  In the past 2 year, the District has hosted hundreds of visitors from across the state and around the nation.

Van Meter believes we are at a “printing press” moment in the history of mankind and that our current “industrial model” educational system is no longer viable. The thinking is that technology used as a tool, infused into the identified characteristics of effective instruction; (student engagement, student center classroom, rigorous and relevant curriculum, testing for learner differences and assessing for learning) has great potential to enhance learning.  With 1:1 laptop computers issued to students in grades 6-12, mobile and stationary computer labs in K -5 and a Virtual Reality capacity, learners have “stepped through the looking glass”.  Utilizing web 2.0 tools, students are moving from consumers of knowledge to creators of knowledge. With SKYPE, Twitter and other social networking tools Van Meter has established global connections for learning K-12.  The emerging educational system is giving students a voice in their education and empowering them to THINK, LEAD and SERVE

Mr. Carver’s professional life of 30 years includes experiences as a high school social studies teacher, coach, athletic director, middle school principal and high school principal.  Additionally John has served as an adjunct instructor at Upper Iowa University on the Des Moines campus. Mr. Carver’s professional preparation includes a Bachelors of Science from Morningside College, Masters in Education from Drake University and Certificate of Advanced Studies from Iowa State University.  John and his wife Pam, of 30 years, reside in Clive, Iowa and have two grown children, son Adam and daughter Emily.

IntroductionPodcaster, I.T. guy, photographer, tech enthusiast, gamer, avid sci-fi reader, music dabbler and Apple geek.

Specialties:
Steven Stanger is a certified I.T. Consultant with over a decade of support experience in various environments, such as: education, entertainment and advertising industry, desktop publishing, photography, video and audio production, broadcasting, web and multimedia design and small business.

Mark Greentree is the principle blogger and podcast creator of www.everydaymacsupport.com. His aim is to inform users at all levels of experience how to get the most out of the Apple hardware and associated software. He is also one of the lead hosts on Not Another Mac Podcast, an Apple based round table discussion with Mac users and experts from all over world.

When Mark isn’t producing content for the Mac community he is a at home father to his two children under the age of 5. Hence, educating his children is one of his top priorities and that makes him well suited to be a guest on the TeacherCast podcast. Mark is able to bring a different type of discussion to the table as a result.

Mark is also a qualified photographer and worked for over five years as a scientific and industrial photographer for CSIRO Australia before leaving and working for himself.

Shaelynn Farnsworth is a high school English teacher at BCLUW, in Conrad, Iowa. BCLUW is a 1:1 Laptop School and Shaelynn creatively folds technology into her English curriculum to engage learners by creating authentic tasks aimed to challenge students. Shaelynn is passionate about connecting herself and her students through social media and has formed a blogging community, created a 1:1 Laptop Ning and co-developed the IOWAISH project which connected students in Iowa to an International School in Sweden.

Currently, Shaelynn is working on her Master’s Degree in English at the University of Northern Iowa. She is a blogger and an advocate for young writers. Shaelynn resides in Conrad, Iowa, with her husband and two children.

Twitter: @shfarnsworth
Website - http://www.wix.com/sfarnswort5/shaelynnfarnsworth