Teaching: Learning: Technology - Gaining Vision
CESI National Conference
Friday, 13 Feb 09, Maldron Hotel, Tallaght
Saturday, 14 Feb 09, Coláiste de h-Íde, Tallaght

CESI Conference News, 08 Feb 09
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1. Friday CESI Meet Update
2. Advance Booking Deadline Extended
3. Change to Saturday's Programme
4. Teachers from the American School of Warsaw
5. Exhibitors and Advertisers
6. Conference Refreshments
7. Teaching and Learning with ICT: Listen to the Podcast
8. DigiTeach Article
9. Are you on THE list?
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1. Friday CESI Meet Update

This inaugural CESI Meet will host an eclectic line-up of speakers and topics, as well as some interesting and not-too-challenging activities for the audience. The findings of last year's Tymon North ICT Futures Exchange will also be shared. The overall aim of the night is to share ideas, news, and the latest in CESI world mixed with the chance to spend some social time together.

Those staying in the Maldron or nearby, but NOT attending the CESI Meet, are encouraged to join the CESI Meet contingent from 9pm in the bar area of the hotel. It should make for a great social evening! For complete location details, visit the CESI Location & Hospitality page at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-locations-and-hospitality.

2.  Advance Booking Deadline Extended

Advance booking will now remain open until midnight, Tuesday, 10 February.  While registration will be available on the day, online registration is discounted. For further details including advance booking see http://www.cesi.ie/conference-registration.

3. Change to Saturday's Programme

Due to illness, Capstone Keynote speaker Joe Dale is unable to attend the conference. As a result, the current online programme will change slightly. On Saturday, registration opens at 8:00am with the Opening Address starting at 9:00am. All of CESI wish Joe the swiftest of recoveries.

4.  Teachers from the American School of Warsaw

International attendees at this year's conference will include returning teachers from the American School of Warsaw,
http://www.asw.waw.pl. This year a total of 8 teachers from the school will be joining us!  Please be sure to give them a Céad Míle Fáilte!

5.  Exhibitors and Advertisers

All 20 exhibition stands have been booked for the conference. CESI Conference 2009 would not be possible without the support of our generous conference exhibitors and advertisers. All attendees are encouraged to reserve time at conference to visit with our valued exhibitors and advertisers. Visit the CESI sponsors and exhibitors page at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-sponsors to learn more about the exhibitors who will attend the conference.

6. Conference Refreshments

Tea and coffee arrangements have been changed this year in that a tea and coffee stand will be in operation throughout the day. The aim of having an all day stand is to alleviate the congestion experienced in years past during set tea and coffee times.

7.  Teaching and Learning with ICT: Listen to the Podcast

In the Teachnet Learning Blog's most recent podcast Clifford Brown talks to secondary school teacher John Hegarty (CESI Executive Member), primary teacher Anne Dempsey and teaching principal Joe McDonald, about a wide range of issues relating to the challenges they face in their respective schools in increasing the use of ICT in the classroom. The discussion covers issues around the role and duties of the ICT coordinating teacher, the importance of leadership, funding technology acquisition, the use of interactive whiteboards and motivating teachers to use ICT in their teaching. Listen to the podcast at http://blog.teachnet.ie/?p=763

8. DigiTeach Article

In the latest DigiTeach article Enda Donlon explains what RSS is, how it works and ways in which RSS Feeds can be accessed and utilised. Access the article from the CESI homepage at http://www.cesi.ie

9. Are you on THE list?

If a friend or colleague has forwarded this email to you, then you are probably not on the CESI Mailing List. Be "in the loop" on all things related to ICT and learning in Ireland. Join the CESI mailing list at www.cesi.ie.

CESI, http://www.cesi.ie, founded in 1973, promotes the use of ICT in education at all levels in the Irish education system. It is a voluntary body that draws its members from primary, post-primary and third-level teachers.

Teaching: Learning: Technology - Gaining Vision
CESI National Conference
Friday, 13 Feb 09, Maldron Hotel, Tallaght
Saturday, 14 Feb 09, Coláiste de h-Íde, Tallaght

CESI Conference News, 01 Feb 09
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1. Friday CESI Meet Reminder
2. Wow! What a line up for Saturday!
3. Advance Booking for Saturday
4. Conference Sponsors
5. Visit Amawele and Camara
6. All About CESI: Listen to the Podcast
7. DigiTeach Article
8. Are you on THE list?
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1. Friday CESI Meet Reminder
The Friday evening CESI Meet is officially booked out. The nature of the event (mini, soap box and nano resentations) dictated a strict cap on attendance numbers. Those attending are encouraged to arrive early. The event starts at 7pm.

Those staying in the Maldron or nearby, but NOT attending the CESI Meet, are encouraged to join the CESI Meet contingent from 9pm in the bar area of the hotel. It should make for a great social evening!

For complete location details, visit the CESI Location & Hospitality page at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-locations-and-hospitality.

2.    Wow! What a line up for Saturday!
The participation of the following speakers in this year's CESI Conference truly makes CESI's "Teaching: Learning: Technology - Gaining Vision" an event not to be missed:

This year's Opening Keynote will be delivered by Scottish educator Laurie O'Donnell, Director of Learning and Technology with Learning and Teaching Scotland. His current remit includes responsibility for the world leading Glow schools intranet programme. In 2008, Laurie was named as one of the George Lucas Education Foundation's "Global Six" in recognition of his work on Glow and for promoting the use of technology, such as computer games, in Scottish education.

Joe Dale, Capstone Keynote Presenter, is Leader of French at Nodehill Middle School on the Isle of Wight. Joe's MFL (modern foreign language) blog has been nominated for two Edublog Awards in the last two years. The title of Joe's keynote is "New Tools, New Curriculum, New Opportunities." As part of his presentation, Joe will share how 21st Century teachers can harness the types of technologies popular amongst young people in order to engage them in purposeful and relevant communication with virtual peers around the world.

New to the CESI Programme this year is the inclusion of two plenary presentations. The first plenary presentation will be delivered by John Hickey of Apple. John is the Senior Manager for Higher Education for Europe, Middle East, India & Africa; and he will speak to attendees on 21st Century Skills and Learners. The second plenary speaker will be Ciaran Mc Cormack from the FÍS Community whose presentation will include an exclusive preview of a new Pan European Digital Media Project called EuroCreator.

Along with the above, conference attendees will have 20 other presentations and workshops to choose from on the Saturday. These include a range of talks and workshops on Web 2.0 applications, ICT management in schools and integrating ICT into the curriculum. View the updated conference programme at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-programme

3.    Advance Booking for Saturday
The last day for advance booking your Saturday attendance is Saturday, 7 February, one week prior to conference. Registration is available on the day of conference. There is a €5 discount for those who book online, so don't delay, book your place now at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-registration.

4.    Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors
CESI Conference 2009 would not be possible without the support of our generous conference sponsors and exhibitors. All attendees are encouraged to reserve time at conference to visit with our valued sponsors and exhibitors. Visit the CESI sponsors and exhibitors page at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-sponsors to learn more about the sponsors who will exhibit at the conference.

5.    Visit Amawele and Camara
Amawele facilitates the twinning between schools in Ireland and South Africa to promote cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. Amawele is currently working with Teachnet on a range of ICT projects which can be used by schools involved in twinning. Visit Amawele's exhibition stand at the CESI Conference.

Camara take in second hand computers that have been discarded by Irish Organisations and individuals, refurbish them and send them to schools and colleges in sub Sahara Africa. Camara also organize groups of volunteers to train African teachers in basic computer literacy and more specialised technology areas. Visit Camara's exhibition stand at the CESI Conference.

6.    All About CESI: Listen to the Podcast
The Teachnet Learning Blog is currently featuring the podcast, All About CESI, where host Clifford Brown talks to second level teachers Adrienne Webb and Tom Kendall, both National Executive members of CESI, about the organisation that has been championing the cause of ICT integration in education since 1973. Topics include the history of CESI, its role, how to get involved, current challenges and what's on the agenda at this year's annual conference. You can learn more about the Teachnet Learning Blog firsthand by attending Teachnet's Saturday presentation at the CESI conference. Access the podcast at http://blog.teachnet.ie/?p=738

7.    DigiTeach Article: An Interactive Whiteboard and an Experiment with CPD
In this week's featured CESI DigiTeach article, "An Interactive Whiteboard and an Experiment with CPD", Adrienne Webb shares her experience of providing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers in the use of Interactive Whiteboards. Access the article from the CESI homepage, http://www.cesi.ie

8. Are you on THE list?
If a friend or colleague has forwarded this email to you, then you are probably not on the CESI Mailing List. Be "in the loop" on all things related to ICT and learning in Ireland. Join the CESI mailing list at www.cesi.ie.

*Teaching: Learning: Technology - Gaining Vision*
CESI National Conference
Friday, 13 Feb 09, Maldron Hotel, Tallaght
Saturday, 14 Feb 09, Coláiste de h-Íde, Tallaght

CESI Conference News, 31 Dec 08
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1. General Conference Programme
2. Online Registration is live
3. Meet the Conference Working Group
4. DigiTeach Article: Bloom-in' Pixels
5. Online Poll: How old are the majority of PCs in your school?
6. Conference Questions and Comments
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1. General Conference Programme

This year's General Conference Programme is now accessible on the CESI website. The programme provides an overview of the events that will take place over the two days. This year, the conference will consist of a special Friday evening programme followed by a full Saturday day programme.

The Friday evening will see the first-ever *CESI Meet* take place! This is a CESI version of a TeachMeet session, its aim is to encourage people to share information, ideas and projects in a semi-formal and social setting. Three formats of volunteer presentations - mini (7mins), Soap Box (15 mins) and Nano (2 mins) - will provide us with good variety, food for thought, and provoke discussion. This last can be continued when participants who last the pace repair to the lounge for light refreshments.

Saturday's programme will include the opening keynote, 16  presentations & workshops, the capstone keynote and the CESI AGM. Along with this agenda, plenty of time has been factored in to allow for touring of exhibitor areas. Specifics of the keynotes, presentations and workshops will published in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned to CESI Conference News.

View the General Conference Programme at
http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2009-programme

2. Online Registration

Securing your place at the CESI Conference has never been easier! Visit http://www.cesi.ie/conference-registration and book your place now for either one or both days of the conference. Booking is a two step process where first you'll be prompted through a registration page and then onto the payment page.

CESI encourages all conference attendees to use our secure Online Payment facility which is powered by PayPal. As it is more efficient for us to process online payments, we are giving a discount of €5 for those attending Friday or Saturday or €10 for those attending both Friday and Saturday where the bookings are made via our online system. We are happy to receive postal bookings in the normal manner as outlined in the Postal Payment section below.

3. Meet the Conference Working Group

Whose behind this year's conference? Teachers just like you, teachers with a keen interest in using ICT to bring about the best in teaching and learning. Year in and year out, a subset of the CESI Executive Committee gives of its time and talents to organise the conference.This year's Conference Working Group is made up of the following:

* Mags Amond, Second Level Support Service & Loreto College, Cavan
* Mary Becker, Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education, Dun Laoghaire
* Noel Cunningham, The Kings Hospital, Palmerstown, Dublin
* Enda Donlon, Mater Dei Institute, Dublin
* Conor Galvin, UCD Belfield
* John Hegarty, Clongowes Wood College, Clane
* Tom Kendall, Loreto Secondary School, Navan
* Bairbre Ní Choisdealbha, Galway
* Pádraig Ó Dubhaigh, Coláiste de hÍde, Tallaght
* Pat Seaver, Pobalscoil Neasáin,  Baldoyle, Dublin
* Adrienne Webb,  St. Michael's Holy Faith SS, Finglas, Dublin
* Nelius Young, Second Level Support Service & Abbey Community College, Wicklow

4. DigiTeach Article: Bloom-in' Pixels

In this week's featured CESI DigiTeach article, "Bloom-in' Pixels", Mags Amond of Loreto Cavan and Second Level Support Service takes a look at using images for educational purposes, and explores sources to find them, software to edit them and methods to use them. Access the article from the CESI homepage, http://www.cesi.ie

5. Online Poll: How old are the majority of PCs in your school?

While visiting the CESI homepage, take a moment to respond to our latest poll question, "How old are the majority of PCs in your school?" Upon completing the poll, you'll have the opportunity to view the results of our previous polls including (i) Will we ever get our €252m? and (ii) Do you think the ECDL should be offered by all Post-Primary Schools?

6. Conference Questions and Comments

If you have any questions or comments relating to the conference, please use the 'comments' facility below to post them.

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CESI, founded in 1973, promotes the use of ICT in Education at all levels in
the Irish Education System. It is a voluntary body that draws its members
from primary, post-primary and third-level teachers. The CESI Conference is
generously supported by the National Centre for Technology in Education,
www.ncte.ie.