Every year, San Antonio ISD staff decide to share innovative projects with the rest of Texas. With the advent of blogging, wikis and podcasts, these presentations are finding their way to a worldwide audience.

Some of the presentations given by SAISD staff include the following:

• Unleashing the Power of Digital Storytelling - View Materials | Listen to Audio Overview |
  Facilitators: Dr. Maria Kaylor (UTSA), Dr. JoAnne Ollerenshaw (Researcher at large), Claude Ascolese (Instructional Technology) and, developing materials and co-author, Miguel Guhlin
  This presentation was focused on introducing participants to the two different approaches to digital storytelling. The oral composition approach is appropriate for students who have high oral proficiency but yet to be developed writing skills and focuses on multiple content areas, while the written approach focuses on personal narrative writing.
• Setting Up Web 2.0 in Your School District - View Materials
  Facilitator: Greg Rodriguez with collaboration from Miguel Guhlin
  This presentation focused on sharing how easily it is to set up a district server as a Web 2.0 center to facilitate district wikis, blogs, survey management, and more.
• Second Graders Watch Their Gardens Grow and Write Blogs
  Facilitators: Paul Gates and Sylvia Martinez
  Learn how to blog with your students safely and joyfully. Discover how to integrate blogging into your classroom writing. Even your reluctant writers will love this.

Of course, all these presentations are available as campus/district sessions at no charge!

ELECTIONS
This past week, several SAISD staff were elected to office in Special Interests Groups (SIGs) that are a part of the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA). While I currently serve as President of the TCEA Technology Education Coordinators Special Interest Group (TEC-SIG), I had the good fortune to be nominated and selected as the new Member At Large for the newly created Strategic Open Source SIG.

Greg Rodriguez, Technology Integration Facilitator for Instructional Technology Services, was nominated as Vice President/President-Elect. I'm pleased to report that he was elected to the position! If you are interested in how the strategic use of open source software in schools can create an evolved teaching and learning environment, please do not hesitate to make contact! In the meantime, visit the Strategic Open Source SIG web site. There are a wealth of materials available to you!