For my inaugural post on my blog I thought I would begin by reflecting on what I learned at the recent ISTE11 educational technology conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a long journey from Chile but definitely worth the trip! There were so many excellent workshops, student displays, and inspiring educators there! What is below is a run down of the speakers that "stuck with me" so to speak. They had a message and now I'm trying to apply it in my context. I encourage you to click on the links and find out how their message can inspire you as well!
@kevinhoneycutt: A simple message but powerful. Use tradigital (traditional and digital) resources to inspire our students to be more and go farther. We shouldn't limit them but get behind them and help them soar in the 21st century. His website had a million tools to view and inspire teachers and students and he encouraged everyone to take a "digital safari" on his site.
@leecrockett: He was passionate about promoting 21st century fluency skills (be a committed sardine by visiting his site!) The message was another simple one-we need to teach the skills that students need for the future (solution, collaboration, creativity, media, information) because the economy of the world is changing in favor of creative, collaborative jobs.
@willrich45: Presenting with another colleague, Rob Mancabelli, they led us through a great discussion about change and how to help educators embrace the changes coming in education. The message was so clear and useful- consider the emotional side of the arguments against change as well as the rational. Their book recommendations (click on Reading List) are a valuable resource alone!
@stevehargadon: While I wasn't fortunate enough to see him give a session, he did a wonderful job hosting a social media roundtable discussion which I was fortunate to be a part of. Another powerful message came from this- Administrators and teachers alike need not be afraid of social media. We need to unlock, unblock and unthether the students from the four walls inside the school. While the social media debate is similar to the one that has raged for decades on sex education in schools, let's use our time to teach admin, teachers, and students how to use these tools appropriately through engagement.
So, what's the mashup? I plan on continuing to work on our PLN (Personal Learning Networks) at my school but start the next semester with a look at the emotional arguments toward change by discussing the "elephant scenario" from Chip Heath. After, I'm hoping to challenge my staff to a digital safari looking for resources to teach and develop aspects of the 21st century fluencies that are needed. While I would love to address the open network issue, I believe I'll table that for another day (or blog post!)
How might you use these resources above? Did you attend ISTE11 and find resources that you too want to mashup into your personal context?
Jessica
04 July 2011
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8 comments:
I'd recommend looking at the ISTE Unplugged sessions with your staff. Also, welcome to the blogging world!
I was reading your tweets throughout ISTE & now can also take a look what you've listed in your blog. What really draws me in is your enthusiasm. I agree with David about the Unplugged sessions. I attended a number of them & came away with great information.
Looking forward to reading more.
Welcome to the blogging side of the world...
I love the idea of teaching appropriate media use through engagement, as opposed to sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it will go away. That said, I face the issue of non-stop texting in class, and I agree with some teachers who find it incredibly distracting for students - any advice from the conference??
Welcome to blogging. I hope you continue to share your thoughts, both in writing and in person. I agree with @leecrocket that "we need to teach the skills that students need for the future." But I believe we need to teach these skills to children in our classrooms as they work on activities and projects that are meaningful to them right now. I think, after reading a bit about the 21st Century Fluency Project, that is what that program promotes. Did you get that message from the presentation? I will have to continue to investigate.
@myrondueck- Yes, many people were discussing the issue of students texting during class. There were suggestions that teachers should use the texts to their advantage- ask the students to text about the class to a specific number. I think the point here is that if the students are engaged in the type of learning they are desiring and needing, they will use the technology with focus. Have you considered using today's meet as a back channel for questions during the lesson? it's like texting in that it is short messages but focused on the class at hand. The other comment I heard often was to have AUPs in place and used with consistency so students know exactly where the boundaries are. I hope those help!
@MMolishus- Thanks for the welcome! I am glad you looked at the fluency 21 project (I hope you signed up to be a committed sardine as well!)You are absolutely right, the message was that we need to teach those skills in CONTEXT in a relevant and meaningful way in our classrooms. I hope you found them as motivating as I did!
Jessica, congratulations on jumping into the world of blogging! I enjoyed your reflections and tweets from iste11. Good luck!
Welcome to the blogosphere, Jessie!
I like your first entry - succinct, informative and full of resources!
Wohoo!
Cristina, @surreallyno
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