Gmail is furthering its offline strategy today with the announcement of the ability to include attachments in composed emails when offline. Google says this was one of the most requested features for Offline Gmail and starting today, you be able to attach files in offline mode the way you would in online Gmail.

You’ll be able to attach all types of files except inline images, which are images in the body of the email. When you have Offline Gmail enabled, Google says that mail now goes through the outbox when you’re online or offline, allowing Gmail to capture all attachments regardless of internet connections.

Earlier this year, Google rolled out a Google Gears version of Gmail, which detects when you are offline. It caches your e-mail so that you can read it, respond to it, search it, star it, or label it. When you are connected to the Internet again, it sends all the messages. Google also introduced an offline version of Calendar.

Offline access is a big part of Google’s strategy to chip away at Microsoft’s Outlook’s hold on business email. For promotional purposes, Google now wants Gmail users who are using Offline features to take pictures of themselves while accessing their email from an unusual place, such as a submarine, without internet access. Google will post the most interesting photos on the Gmail Blog. I guess a picture is worth a thousand words.

AISG is still following the 90’s model of stand alone MS and HS classes. However, it is in the formative stages of planning the implementation of a 1-2-1 laptop program. At the moment, there are over 70 kids in the MS/HS that have registered their own laptops in the school’s wireless system.

This year the school committed to upgrade the wireless system to handle hared-core wireless use. We have had a few glitches but overall it has gone well. The “plan” now has to move from tech classes to integrating the tech into the classes. A major roadblock seems to be the logistics of what do we do with students if we don’t have the tech classes to teach? How do we fill the time? Can we afford to hire more part or full time teachers.

The elementary school seems to be much further ahead than the MS/HS. As part of the PYP unit of study students will now complete an “ICT Passport”. It’s an information and communication technology booklet that students complete as they integrate information technology into the unit of study. As a students uses a photostory, researches a topic, develops a presentation using tech skills, they are are also logging what tech is being used. Pretty cool stuff.

But now … what about the MS/HS? How do we build on the program? How do we keep moving? A plan needs to be developed. If any of you out there have suggestions, I would appreciate hearing from you. Next year we hope to put a laptop on every teacher’s desk. More of my time will be dedicated to collaborating with teacher’s to integrate meaningful tech into the lesson plans. The idea is to give the teacher’s a year’s head start before the kids arrive and spend their time with something more than a $1000 pencil.

The film was shot in two parts only because the studio wasn’t big enough to accommodate the whole shoot. The film took six million dollars and three months to shoot.

Cog was a television advertisement for the Honda Accord, made with minimal CGI and no trick photography. It was created in 2003 by the London office of advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy.

The two-minute advert appears as a single, long camera dolly along a Heath Robinson-esque chain reaction arrangement of parts from the car. It is in fact two one-minute chain-reaction sequences, carefully set up on opposing walls of the studio and stitched together^[1], the join being at the moment where the muffler/exhaust box rolls across the floor (this can be seen by watching the floor pattern change). The advert took approximately 20 takes on each of five days of shooting to film, and only minimal CGI was used, for lighting highlights and slowing down the motion at one point. The cars featured, one disassembled for the pieces and the other on the trailer, were two of the six hand-built pre-mass production Accords.

This year I started collecting student work electronically from the beginning of school. Our school developed an information management system for students and teachers called MyDragonNet. As an elementary teacher, I find the system to have wonderful firewalls and safety systems, so much so that the parents (my primary clients) are locked out unless the students give them their password.  Because communication with parents is key to my work, I decided to look else where to find a home for my ePortfolios.

Look no further … Google Sites has allowed me to be as creative as I like. Seamlessly merged with Google Docs, Calendar, Picasa 3, YouTube, Google Videos, and Gmail (as well as what seems to be new programs every week) I have all I need to create and fly into Web 2.0.

Here’s how I started. Before starting with the class, I created my own template of what I wanted from each student. This gave the idea of what I was looking for.Once I was comfortable with the initial layout, it was time to roll it out to the class.

Each student created a Gmail account (although not necessary, in hindsight, it was the best decision). Each student had the basic requirements in front of them to follow. They could be creative as to the formatting their little hearts desired. I have a number of great sites. If you would like to actual examples, send me a note and I’ll be glad to have students share a site with you.

I have created a best of best page using actual kid examples. You can view it here. The sampls include tips for:
* Creating a Home Page
* Embedding Projects
* Creative Design options
* Sharing Your Writing
* Vodcasting and Podcasting

There was one sad note, the principal came by observed the creation of the sites. As he watched, he noticed a couple of girls chatting via Gmail. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice or realize their discussion was about the web sites. They were collaborating, he was worried they were playing. His trust of the kids wasn’t at the level I have. Sure, they’re 10 years old and they will make mistakes with electronic media. I consider mistakes a learning curve, not a loss of control. I would rather the mistakes come early and on my watch rather than later where kids might really get themselves into hot wate … at least now, I hope I can bail them out.

Seven Steps to a Flat Classroom
In this Slide share presentation, Vicki Davis describes and illustrates the seven essential principles for an effective flat classroom.

Flattening the World: How to Harness Web 2.0 Tools To Engage Learners Inside and Outside the Classroom
Doug Balsa’s Slide share presentation shows how educators can get started in creating a truly global classroom. Although it was posted two years ago, there is still a lot to be learned.

The Five Phases of Flattening a Classroom
Vicki Davis describes the tools and student competencies needed fo r each phase of evolving into a collaborative and global “classroom without walls”.

Flatten Your Classroom and Embrace 21st Century Learning (Slide Share presentation)
Julie Lindsay’s conference presentation provides an overview of how the flat classroom concept supports 21st century learning skills. I had the privilege of meeting Julie this fall. Her presentation is very powerful.

Flat Classroom Project Student Awards
Award-winning examples of student videos created as part of the Flat Classroom Project.

Last year I had the privilege to be part of an international team of educators to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I was selected to be members of the NASA/UCF Aeronautics Space Institute. Being given VIP passes,

we were able to visit the launch and landing sites as well as visit numerous buildings where few are allowed to visit. It was during this time tha

t I was awe stuck by Orbiter Discovery. Today STS-124 took off to the International Space Station. On board was the Japanese payload named Kibo. I was able to have lunch one day with the Japanese scientists who worked with Kibo.

During our two week stay I kept a blog of our daily itinerary. So

me of our studies included

• The Space Shuttle Program
• The International Space Station Program
• Strategies/plans for lunar and Mars exploration
• Aeronautics principles
• Orbital mechanics principlesRocketrySpace Environments
• Space Materials, including their selection and testing
• Living and working in space, including the effects of microgravity on the human physiology, design of crew modules for space living, space food, space suits and space tools.
• Astronaut training techniques
• Life support systems, including the growth of plants in space for long-duration flights
• Solar energy principals

This was by far the best professional development I have ever had. Perhaps one day you will be able to go yourself.