A Teacher’s Thoughts

Digesting a conference has always been a process that involves time for me. This may take a little longer. I attended Wikis Across the Curriculum presented by the cool cat teacher over in Augusta, Maine. We created a wiki as part of the conference while the whole event was streamed live on ustream. Here are my thoughts as a first time participant in this type of workshop.

I love everything being hands on. I love having multiple ways to engage in what is happening. I am easily distracted. I need to work on my ability to multi-task.

Google presentations rock! Here’s to hoping they get the glitches ironed out soon (and really they were only minor). Has anybody used Google Presentations combined with the chat with students yet. With some guidance and practice I can see this being effective for some students. As I have a hard time listening and chatting, I can also see it as difficult for some students.

The back channel was great, good discussions about creating, thinking. Getting kids to involve collaboratively is different than how they may be used to working on “group” projects. I was glad to know that I wasn’t alone in this challenge.

Vicki used the term “pro learner”. So, in the classroom, what can I do to allow students to be pro learners? And from the context that I am a science teacher, what can I do to allow students to become “pro learners” of science?

The imperative is to help these students learn to learn. While each subject may have some specific skills, there will be many commonalities.

Sharing, creating, collaborating is expected.

Connected literacy and contextual linking is becoming second nature to students and adults. We expect to be able to dig into information when we see it. When we can’t click we feel deprived of an opportunity.

Jumping into technology can be hard for teachers. Sitting next to two colleagues, both of whom use technology on a regular basis, who are new to web 2.0, I could see them overwhelmed at times. I remember being overwhelmed and just trying to take in something, but needed this reminder be fore beginning a blogging workshop next week for a few teachers in my school. In the end they both enjoyed and learned from the workshop. I think it was one of those lessons that won’t really hit until sometime later.

Well that will be all for now. Another two hour car ride tomorrow to think and discuss.