What I Learned at the 2012 IETC Conference

My talented colleague, Jane (left) and me.

This week, I had the privilege of attending a two-day conference in Springfield, IL, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel: the Illinois Education & Technology Conference (IETC). I was lucky enough to be accepted as a presenter, along with my super-technology partner-in-crime, Jane Zappia, who teaches sixth grade in the same district as me.  We had both attended this conference two years ago, but then were not able to go last year due to budget cuts--if you teach in Illinois, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about--so we decided to attend this year as presenters* (pronounced "free").   

Our presentation was on using Screenr in the classroom, a free and simple web-based screencasting program with several classroom applications. You can view our presentation notes HERE, if interested:
http://tinyurl.com/clqpcbz

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Jane poses for a green screen photo.

My Favorite Session at IETC

One of our favorite session at the IETC conference was a presentation put on by some teachers from Centralia, IL.  The session was on using green screen software.  The software wasn't free, but definitely reasonable (approximately $100 per package).  The two software packages come from the same company, but one is used for still photographs, Green Screen Wizard, and the other one is used for video footage, Green Screen Zipper.  With these programs, you can change the background of your video and create the effect of students being in any setting--the moon, the White House, under the sea.  If you can find a picture of it, you can put your students there.  Jane and I were both excited about the classroom potential for engaging students, and have put these items on our Christmas lists!

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NOTE: As my brain continues to process all of the things that I learned while at IETC, expect for more blog posts...

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Were you at ICTE also?  If so, what was your favorite part of the day?  Answer in the comment section below.