Notes from a virtual conference for educators and some of the exciting information that was shared.

The Speakers at the conference were : Lee Kolbert - Dean Shareski – Christina Asquith – Carol McGuire –

They talked about  How we should get rid of the walls in the classroom  Extend learning beyond the four walls  Start getting away from the “Mind your own business learning” that we are currently in.  Realize that the biggest façade now is that “School is the primary place of learning”  Think about what you can do in the classroom that can’t necessarily be done anywhere outside of it  Know that school is not going to last forever  And… What's so good about ‘face to face’ anyway?

According to one of them Culturally, we have lost the community We do what we do until we know better

Educators have to be Immersive – ready to plunge into risky territory Mobile - try new ways Collaborative and Social

We have to be Connectors first – make a connection with the kids first. Content experts second

Before…… Teacher Curriculum documents Colleagues Overhead? Maybe?

Now…..everyone needs to be a networked learner networked teacher Video conference skypewikis blogs Family Local community computers Social networking curriculumcolleagues Digital Photo sharing Digital Communication devices Facebook

According to the speakers, we have to realize that The smartest person in the room is the room. We can learn a lot from each other Participatory learning is the way to go Other methods of learning have to be utilized The world has changed and we need to capture and engage our students The world is moving so fast and our schools are not

At the end of each lesson We have to ask students How did you contribute to the learning of others? What did you learn from others?

What to do Consider what you already have – assets Have experts talk via virtual conferences We have to be transparent Teach with digital media – even if you start with the simplest form

Interactive sites For writing prompts (blocked at work) Digital storytelling Download videos Collaborative lists Photo novels Literary family tree Book discussion

Free Websites  Prezi.com- a free online alternative to Powerpoint. Sign up for student/teacher license  Quizlet.com – a free site that makes vocabulary fun  Google docs – create and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations online  Edmodo – Teacher invented twitter. Free private social platform for education  Wall wisher – sticky note board for students and teachers to post issues

Educator Resources center for interactive learning and collaborationwww.cilc.org- a place to find other teachers for cross-classroom collaborationwww.teachersconnecting.com- resources for teaching & learningwww.Freetech4teachers.com- understanding the ethical use of digital fileswww.digitalcitizenshiped.com- (formerly United Streaming)