I was very fortunate to attend Ed Tech
Teacher’s iPad Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. The 700+ educators who gathered to investigate how they
could improve their craft inspired me.
After attending three keynote addresses and seven workshops my mind was
ready to pop. Needless to say, I
am still digesting the information but some of the bigger ideas that resonated
with me are shared below with more detailed information linked to Google Docs.
I hope to return to those docs as ideas gain clarity. All presentation materials from Atlanta can be found here.
To set the mood even though the song may not have been written about the state. You could also watch the WCSH news report.
Big Whopper Of An Idea #1
While attending the iPad Summit in Atlanta,
GA., I was presented with a very intriguing and frightening idea; Hacking Education. Tom Daccord, in his keynote, posited
that education is a commodity. If
a family cannot find what they need in school they will looks elsewhere. Families are no longer limited to just
physical space. Students can now
access information from a number of resources both virtually and in reality. (continue reading)
Big Whopper Of An Idea #2
Educators are used to being “the hub of
learning” in their everyday interactions with students. Teachers make thousands of decisions to
improve student understanding and engage passion. The hub is now moving away from the teachers. Educators need to see themselves in a
new way.
Big Whopper Of An Idea #3
As educators we care a great deal for the
students that work with us everyday.
Educators worth their salt spend a tremendous amount of time considering
all their pedagogical options and have an array of tools up their sleeves to
engage their learners. The
technological revolution in education is adding new tools at an amazing rate
and educators cannot keep up.
There is little time to experiment with the new tools and even less time
to evaluate their effectiveness with students. For some teachers this creates a resistance to incorporating
technology into the classroom. (continue reading)
Big Whopper Of An Idea #4
We do not have to change everything we
do. We must continue to work hard to help our
students be prepared for a world we cannot even conceive. However, we know that for our students to
be successful they will need to be able to collaborate, search for information,
synthesize that information, and present that information to various
audiences. Technology will be
present in the workforce so it must be present in our classrooms. As educators we need to help students
develop the skills that will allow them to successful utilize technology. However, this does not have to be done
at the expense of our professional expertise. When considering the use of technology think as you always
would. What do you want your
students to be able to do? The
answer may not always lead to technology. (continue reading)
Big Whopper Of An Idea #5
No amount of PD will replace actually
working with the technology in the classroom WITH your students.
I have been contemplating this
following idea in my head for some time now. My trip to Atlanta and a
recent workshop hosted by Bea McGarvey helped bring some ideas into focus. (continue reading)
I love the "what if..." I have had the same "day dream" about that kind of learning. Making school more real for our students - making it about life-long learning and sustainable. It's a big jump from where we are now but I think we are making baby-steps toward that goal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting these ideas out there. They are all good food for thought. Now I've got to get back to my Atlanta reflection!