NHSTE meeting was grand

Last night's NHSTE Annual Meeting was a blast. It started out with a web 2.0 smack down. Lots of cool sites in a very short time. Although the crowd was small on the rainy night, everyone seemed to be enjoying the sites. The dinner was delicious and the after dinner speakers gave us food for thought. Cheryl Oakes and Bob Sprankle from Maine shared their insights on participatory culture. There is no doubt in my mind why they are keynoting at K-12online.

Podcasts added this month include Barry Lyga's Hero-Type and Suzanne Phillips' Burn.

Lyga, Barry. HERO-TYPE

What happens when a nobody with a bad case of acne saves a classmate from a homicidal maniac? He becomes a hero, of course. He is even given a car -- or at least a discount on one. And the car comes complete with Support the Troops ribbons. When Kevin tosses the ribbons because he thinks they are empty symbols, he doesn't know he is being photographed. And now the hero has become the villain who doesn't support our troops. What happened to free speech?

http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/mp3/lyga_hero.mp3

Phillips, Suzanne. BURN

The locker room is the worst. The football players just can't get enough of bullying him. Freshman year started out just fine but now it is a total disaster. He does his best to stay out of the way. Camerron has learned which hallways to avoid. Which classes to be late for. Where he can be safe. His friends don't want to be associated with him since it would make them targets too. Cameron isn't even really sure why he is a target. But everyday gets worse. And Cameron is getting angrier. And he feels he is about to explode.

http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/mp3/philips_burn.mp3