It's only been two days, but it seems like I haven't blogged in a year. Being so focused on completing my wiki and my multi-genre autobiography projects, I just didn't feel I could even stop long enough to blog yesterday. It did give me an opportunity to let a few things sink in, though, so reflective time is good.
Regarding our fabulous guest speakers, I truly appreciate the fact that each one was so different and offered such a wealth of information. I think Bill did an amazing job choosing people that were such a complement to his expertise, which made this environment so rich with content.
Although I had taken David Bruce's video class a couple years ago, I learned additional information from Dr. Dowdy that gave me more ideas to take back to my classroom and my colleagues. She is such an inspiration and I can see how she would be able to challenge her students to think in different ways. I need to learn more from her.
Gary Mote had so much to share and was so encouraging about using this technology. His daughter's powerpoint was a great example of what students are capable of doing with the right guidance.
Jeffrey Pellegrino was such fun and I was intrigued by his presentation on the response system. He has such a diverse background and his sense of adventure comes through, even when discussing something that seems far removed from the wilderness.
What can I say about the ATT Classroom of the Future? That was simply mind boggling. I can't even imagine the logistics of bringing a class there for such an extended period of time, but it sure would be an incredible experience. I'd love to figure out a way.
Looking back, I can't believe all that we learned and accomplished in one week. Granted, I didn't do much else all week, but it was certainly worth every hour in front of my computer. Now, on to the next projects. I hope these next two weeks don't go quite as quickly, though. For tonight, I think I need to sleep.
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i was going to do a summary of the week as well, however, i think i'll just piggy back on to you here. it was quite a week for this poor old social studies guy. my very first forray into the literacy arena was quite the eye opener. seeing all the interesting and innovative ways in which to engage students of all ages and ability levels, both with and without high falutin' technology was, simply put, fantastic. thank you to everyone who was there and shared.
ReplyDeletethe thing i take away is the sense of community i shared with the rest of you. it was a very open and honest learning atmosphere. somthing i value above most all other aspects of being in the classroom. thank you all, see you in a few weeks.
I will follow dru's lead and just say "Ditto" to KAT. When I first saw the list of all the guest speakers, I was a little put off since I wanted to learn from "the man" Dr. Kist. However, after having experienced all the presentations, I wouldn't change/leave out any one of them.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the Classroom of the Future was probably the least interesting to me. (Could it be sour grapes?) I may rue that statement in a few years if I find myself having to revamp what I do now to include so much tech in useful ways, but if that comes to pass, I'd be very lucky to have that "problem."
I love Dr. Dowdy, and I hope, KAT, that you do get to work with her in the future. She inspires me to do my best teaching by constantly finding new ways to throw me a curve. I've come to learn that when she's got me feeling off-kilter, I have to trust her, and I'm usually in for another epiphany. She is so deliberate and intentional in her teaching. An excellent model of reflective practice.
Both Jeff Peligrino and Gary Mote (and Tom McNeal) impressed me with their willingness to help teachers/professors do their job better. I saw in them what I unfortunately do not see enough of in local school districts - quality professional development opportunities. I felt that if I had a problem about something I wanted to teach, they would not only be able to help me figure out the technical end of it but would also help me make sure I was moving in an appropriate pedagogical direction. I would love to see their expertise and positive attitude adopted? cloned? by curriculum directors adn tech consultants everywhere.
Finally, thank you, all of you, for the sharing of your ideas and (esp. through the MLA's) your selves. I know I learned much from all of you already, and I look forward to our discussion continuing.