This is my last assignment for my 515 class at APU. I've learned so much! My case study is on tech in the classroom. Many can say it's a valuable tool, others may disagree. Read my document below and let me know how you feel about tech in the classroom! (Google slide to come soon.)
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I LOVE to learn. I really enjoy going to conferences. Honestly, if I can learn something new, that will help me grow as an educator, I'm all for it! But there have been a few times where I've gone to a conference and I had wished I'd been able to walk away with a little more. What's the solution? The revolutionary approach to conferences...the UNCONFERENCE!
Now, for those of you new to this idea, let me explain. An unconference idea is an ingenious hack to traditional conferences. An Edcamp (unconference) is where the meetings are teacher-led! Teachers generate and share thoughts on old ideas, new solutions, apps, common strategies and more! These meetings can be visited in-person or online via Twitter. Still not making sense? Here is a video that explains it all:
So, since I couldn't attend in-person, I attended via Twitter! My Tweetdeck was exploding with info from #edcampmagic. I really wished I was there! (The column on the right.)
This is a quick screenshot of what the agenda was for the day:
It was exciting to see people posting about makerspace and creating things by hand. There were great strategies to incorporate into stem classes! There were even items that were discussed in my own class like Makey Makey, Minecraft EDU and Sphero!
You could tell by the tweets and images posted that this was a really enjoyable collaborative learning experience. Take a look!
The interesting thing is that common core is all about "collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication". This was all happening amongst teachers at this unconference! In addition, this type of engagement helped to support California Standards for the Teaching Professional. Most especially standard 6 "Developing as a Professional Educator". Teachers were able to reflect, create goals, continue professional development (in their way) and collaborate with others.
I know this was an effective means of learning for me. There was so much information I felt like my head couldn't possibly retain it all! So I had to "favorite" some of the tweets, and retweet things I found of interest. I even emailed some of the links to other teachers like the math apps and engineering tools. It was a great learning opportunity. Learning should be a social task. When we talk and share ideas, we learn from one another. According to Smith and MacGregor, 1992 "...learners benefit when exposed to diverse viewpoints..." and "In the collaborative learning environment, the learners are challenged both socially and emotionally as they listen to different perspectives, and are required to articulate and defend their ideas." I really feel that this was a great learning opportunity for me. I was able to watch and learn from afar. I was able to give input via direct message, or tweeting to those in attendance. This is just a quick snapshot of the tweets I was getting in my email:
Being part of an unconference is a great way to learn and share ideas with others from all across the globe. You gain invaluable insight from other educators in the field. To learn more about Edcamps and upcoming events, go to: http://edcamp.org or http://edcamp.wikispaces.com Also, you can review some of the conversations had at the Edcamp I attended, by looking up the hashtag #edcampmagic.
Professional growth is a must for anyone in the field of education. Not only are we teachers, but students as well. How are we to help our students grow, if we don't continue to learn ourselves? We must continue to have a growth mindset. Did we get into this profession for the money? No, we got into this for the kids. Let's do our part to continue to help them be the best possible students they can be, by continuing to improve ourselves and passing that knowledge down to them. Thanks for reading! |
AuthorMy Name is Lucy Manalo. This blog is about my professional journey as I work, go to grad school, teach, and coach all while I juggle being a mommy, a wife... ArchivesCategories |