School Supplies: Pencil case, Calculator, Twitter...

This August, all of our incoming Freshmen will be picking up one tool for school that may not be as familiar as the pencils, pens, and calculators they've been accustomed to.

That's because we're requiring all incoming 9th graders to have a Twitter account.

We run an annual one day Tech Camp for all incoming students and this year we'll be demonstrating the many ways students can use Twitter in their educations. From following current events to backchanneling lectures and labs to connecting with experts to building community lifelines and collaborating with their peers in sharing hashtags of links, apps, observations, and ideas -- students will be getting a crash course in the utility of the social web.

Right now, our tech committee is planning this year's camp. Among things to discuss are the nuts-and-bolts of computing in a 1:1 environment, digital citizenship and social media, and using the resources of Web 2.0 to connect with the world of education beyond the classroom walls.

We'd love to hear your ideas on what should be addressed at a high school tech camp!

Tech Camp Isn't Just About Tech

Ok, so it wasn't a 'Nature Trail to Hell (in 3-D)', but my kids and I finished up tech camp early today so I took them on a nature walk around the campus.

Today was a good day. Tech camp consists of giving incoming students a day to work out all of the kinks of managing a computer in a 1:1 wireless environment. Even more than that, though, it gives incoming students a chance to meet and greet without the edginess of having to compete with the veteran students.

I had my kids -- all of whom were upperclassman transfers -- make little digital comics introducing each other. The art teacher took photos and collected the images for the yearbook. The kids got to know each other and they got to learn some of the basics about using their TabletPCs all in one fell swoop.

And, finishing up early enough, we were able to spend a half hour out on the pond. Kids talking. Students getting to know a new school. The things the first day back should be about.