eSchool News reports that the most rapidly expanding Internet demographic (I hope this is the proper marketing phrase) is the preschool user. Twenty-three percent of 3-5 year-olds have been online.
PBS Online has an entire section for preschoolers and kids like to correspond with grandparents.
It gives the phrase “you have come a long way baby” a whole new meaning. 
If you find concept mapping tools of value, free resources from Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) may be of value. The core tool, CMap, can be obtained from the organization’s web site.
A description of Cmap and concept mapping can be found in a eSchool article.
The final day of the TNT conference runs half a day so that folks have an opportunity to drive home. Grand Forks is on the eastern edge of the state so many conference participants have a long way to go.
I attended a session today sponsored by the (North Dakota Interactive Video Network. K12 videoconferencing in North Dakota is a big deal primarily because small schools can share resources (i.e, mostly instructors) with other schools in a cost effective manner. We are talking H.323 (IP) applications.
The session had a broader purpose and spent a considerable amount of time promoting on-line resources not involving other ND schools. The basic idea is that ???providers??? are offering educational videoconferencing experiences ??? typically for a modest price (say $100 or so) and these experiences (often interactive) can be used to expand student educational opportunities.
Some Examples: You may have to explore to locate the resources provided – try locating “educational resources”.
Albany Institute of History and Art –
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Ways to Locate Resources
Virtual Field Trip Search Engine
While I frequently write about educational technology, I also recognize that it is quite possible to describe activities I have not actually performed myself. Geocaching is an example. I know that it represents an application of GPS and I have used a GPS device, but I have never actually located a cache. Today I had my chance.
Monte Gaukler, a tech buddy of my wife, presented on geocaching. She has worked with the activity in middle school, but has also become interested in geocaching as a family activity.
The training exercise was ingenious and was conducted within the area surrounding the conference site. 1) Hide a numbered golf ball and determine the coordinates with a gps. 2) Exchange GPSs among members of the group. 3) Use the coordinates to locate the appropriately numbered ball.
It was a very effective training technique – this old dog learned a new trick.
The conference also provided an opportunity to promote the University’s instructional design program. The University of North Dakota has a fledgling program in this area and it was a great opportunity to meet teachers and tell them about the program.
I like computer conferences of any type. Big ones, small ones ??? if I have the opportunity, I am going. I enjoy the opportunity to interact and to pick up ideas from practitioners.
The conference in North Dakota is called T-N-T (Teaching and Technology). This is the 14th year for this conference and I have had the opportunity to attend many. North Dakota is obviously one of the smallest states (in population), so a group of several hundred people at a technology conference in North Dakota is a reasonable turnout.
Elliot Soloway and Cathie Norris (GoKnow) provided the opening keynote. If you know the recent work of these individuals, you might anticipate the topic ??? ???sub-laptops??? (hand helds). I have not been a fan of this position, but today???s presentation was quite persuasive. They seem to have anticipated many of my counter-arguments. In addition to building on the willingness of students to work with small devices (cell-phones, Game Boys, etc.), the core logic is to use tools that are cost effective and task appropriate. They claim sub-laptops can perform 80% of academic jobs for 20% of the cost. So, the idea is to combine a 1:1 sub laptop initiative with a few Internet-connected classroom computers. What are the 80% of tasks ??? drill, writing, reading, etc.
Another of my personal issues ??? input. The presenters strongly recommended the device and a keyboard as making up the basic unit.
LeTendre and Baker, authors of a book on international differences in academic achievement, challenge the position that differences in homework are associated with differences in achievement. Using data from TIMMS (the international study of math and science), they conclude that relying on homework may increase differences associated with out of school variables. Homework may lead to frustration unless the environment outside of school is consistent with learning from home work assignments.
Here is a summary of some of projects underway to develop very inexpensive computers. The motivation for these companies varies – from providing technology in under-developed companies to challenging existing computer powers. Ignore the anti-Microsoft, etc. tone of this piece. I am adding this post as a source of information about new hardware alternatives and not to take an anti- “evil empire” position. It is true that Microsoft and other companies with proprietary operating systems increase the cost of computers and the proportion the operating system would add on very inexpensive systems would be substantial. Must be some way to achieve a middle ground here.