Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Morpheus becomes famous at PETE&C!


Hey everyone, wow I have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to write. I am on on my way to South Side Elementary and while I am on my trip I thought I would recap my adventures the last week or so.


I stopped home and visited my classmates at Houston Elementary, I got to hang out and get cleaned up. It was nice to be home, but I really do like the open road and visiting all of you!


I had the privilege of going to PETE&C which is the Pennsylvania Education Technology Expo and Conference. There I was featured at the Keystones poster session, I got to meet a lot of nice people and teachers. Some of which are going to invite me to spend so time at their schools and in their classrooms!



After PETE&C I helped some students create a commercial advertising me and the upcoming followmeproject launch. Look for a contest coming soon, maybe you can make a commercial about the Followmeproject and get the word out. Check out our first commercial below!



Well until next time, Morpheus signing out!

Morpheus Poster Session Write-up

This was the write up that was on my poster for the PETE&C poster session! Check it out!

Morpheus Fortuna: Follow Me Project

History

Morpheus Fortuna is the evolution of an idea that began during my first year of teaching. As part of a classroom connection project, I sent a stuffed mouse named Warren to various people across the country. Each person that had Warren took pictures with him at interesting locations and completed a journal of his travels. After a job change, the idea of classroom connections via a stuffed animal sat on the shelf until my involvement in the Keystone Summit during the summer of 2007. Morpheus Fortuna was born out of the ashes of Warren; only this time, the classroom connection involves a Web 2.0 twist.

Concept

Morpheus Fortuna is a stuffed turtle which travels across Pennsylvania to visit teachers for ten days. During his stay, students are encouraged to bring Morpheus to life through various Web 2.0 projects, including a blog, photo site, wiki and e-mail address. The ultimate goal of Morpheus is to foster a collaborative learning environment among students and teachers while encompassing all aspects of the curriculum.

Morpheus Fortuna's Travels

In the short time since Morpheus Fortuna's conception, he has traveled a great distance and met a host of interesting people. After a brief stay at Henry H. Houston in Philadelphia, his home base, Morpheus has enjoyed a whirlwind year of traveling to these locations:

· East Forest Elementary School, Forest Area School District, Elisha Pospisil

· Damascus School, Wayne Highlands School District, Lori Sheldon

· Ceder Cliff High School, West Shore School District, Scott Snyder

· South Elementary School, Perkiomen Valley School District, Jen Moylan

· Warren Area Elementary Center, Warren County School District, Theresa Farrell

· Penns Valley Elementary School, Penns Valley Area School District, Angela Homan

· Jacksonwald Elementary School, Exeter Township School District, Steve Dibler

· Clarion Elementary School, Clarion School District, Traci Blazosky

· Pennwood Middle School, Pennsbury School District, Bob Morris

· Pennsylvania Department of Education, Harrisburg, Jim Beeghley

· East Elementary School, Greenville School District, Jan Abernethy


Student Centered Projects

The goal of Morpheus Fortuna is to foster a collaborative learning environment through the use of Web 2.0 between school districts, teachers and students. To this end, each school that has hosted Morpheus has created a variety of educational projects based on various Pennsylvania standards. These projects include:

· Animotos

· Blogging

· Books

· Bubble Shares

· Google maps

· Podcasts

· Posters

· Photography

· Project Lemonade

· Slide Shares

· Videos

· Voice Threads



How to sign-up

Do you think you have what it takes to bring Morpheus Fortuna to life? If so, visit www.morpheusfortuna.wikispaces.com and click on sign up to chose your date. Please make sure your read the rules and regulations before signing up!


Coming Soon!

Follow Me, Morpheus Fortuna is a continuously evolving project that is designed to grow with new technology. Soon, Morpheus will feature a revamped website complete with down-loadable lesson plans aligned to state standards, order forms for Morpheus products and a project idea page.