• Originally published November 7, 2009 at 10:12 p.m., updated November 8, 2009 at 12:25 a.m.

YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and podcasting. The same things students love to play with also can be used to help teach them.

Area educators and students can find out how at the sixth Texas Computer Education Association Area III Educational Technology Mini Conference from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the University of Houston-Victoria.

"We have a generation of children in the classroom today that is more technologically savvy than any that has come before," said Dennis Riedesel, UHV associate professor of education and TCEA Area III director. "All the new technology offers educators a host of new options to reach these students in ways they find engaging and fun."

The mini conference offers more than 25 sessions from which attendees can choose to attend.

One session will show teachers how to create their own podcasts and make them available via iTunes. Another will offer teachers ways to use blogs in and out of the classroom. Still others will teach ways to use Adobe Photoshop to add fun to the classroom.

Along with workshops about enhancing the classroom experience with blogs, podcasts and social media sites, attendees can learn new ways to teach counting, probability and fractions. Teachers also can learn about useful Web sites, free online resources and effective ways other teachers have used new technology to enhance their lessons.

"Many of these new tools will soon become as ubiquitous as chalkboards in classrooms," Riedesel said. "Remember, it wasn't too long ago in the history of education that marking on a board in front of the room was cutting-edge technology."

While schools date back thousands of years, chalkboards have only been a part of them since the early 1800s. It is vital for teachers to learn about the growing number of resources available to them in order to provide the best learning environment possible for students, he said.

Presenters will include area teachers and UHV School of Education & Human Development faculty members.

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