Anyway...
George Couros was the speaker and he was pretty good, he largely convinced me regarding blogging, hence my most recent foray...
Some of the points I took away from the meeting included:
Would you like to spend a day learning in your own class? Great question, I know there were times that I wouldn't have wanted to be in my class, one massive practise springs to mind...the days before word processing. Having been a product of the process writing method myself nothing irked me more than draft writing, editing, redrafting and publishing on paper - in the end I'd settle for far less than I was capable of due to the sheer exhaustion induced by rewriting. In my own class I am always looking for chances for the students to work in a digital environment where the editing process is so much more efficient and allows them the freedom to edit, and improve their product without the tedium of starting from scratch.
I love teaching my class, we have guitars, drums, jokes, conversations, bean bags, lounges, communicate after hours on email regarding their tasks and assignments, share a lot of our lives with each other for that year we spend together...I have children waiting at the door to the room when I arrive for classes. This doesn't require technology either, it what makes us teachers. Building a relationship with your students allows a teacher to enjoy their own work as well - and if you're not enjoying it you're going to burn out too early and give up you'll go back to what's easiest not best...
Some other ideas 25 Things Successful Teachers do Differently
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1995 - a great year to be in Yr 1 according to my old class (via Facebook)
Learning first, technology second - Something that has always been at the front of my mind over my last 14 years as an eLearning Coordinator. When it comes to technology it is so easy for teachers and educational leaders to be dazzled by the bells and whistles of new 'stuff'. As an educator you really need to have your 'fad meter' running when evaluating classroom technology, not only that you also need to be looking at the staff you have at your school and the changes they may need to make in order to use technology - giant leaps or small steps? If the tech promotes good pedagogy, then small steps should be all that teachers would need to make - they are modifying good current practice...giant leaps are difficult.
Three things need to be really looked at: achievement of students learning outcomes (faster? easier? motivating? more effective? generally enhanced?), total cost (do you maximise exposure for students in an authentic way for a minimum outlay? installation will cost, support will cost, training will cost, consumables will cost - it's not just the price in the catalogue), and lastly teacher uptake - educators must see the point! If they explicitly see the value in an undertaking they will prioritise technology and its use - if not it may as well stay in the box.
Don't leave your stuff in the box - push something else aside and make memories that children will cherish for at least 19 years ;)
Steve
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