Ryan Bretag’s recent post …Aren’t Good Enough has hit a cord with me. I commented on the post, but felt the need for a longer response. Ryan speaks to two issues that have been haunting him for some time; Pockets of Greatness aren’t Good Enough Learning spaces that live and die with the teacher aren’t Good Enough Now I cling to these pockets of greatness or excellence as a sign of hope. There are days I am so overwhelmed by…
Jen Wagner has tagged me with the Thinking Blog Award, I am flattered. As my past English teachers can attest I have always struggled with writing. Get me talking, I won’t stop. Try to get me writing, I won’t start. I blog for two reasons; to force myself to learn to how to write and to keep track of my ever evolving journey into learning and technology. I have to say it has been quite a journey this last year…
During my EduCon 2.0 experience I participated in many discussions. In one such side conversation we bantered about the idea that we are all just part of an echo chamber. I have come across this idea before in the various blogs I read. It is the notion that we are all just preaching to the choir. To some extent I think this is true, but we all must step out of the chamber and into our districts and schools. Here…
Friday I attended an Apple Roadshow, which highlighted best practices in a one-to-one environment and was reminded of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. A while back I looked at this site, but never really spent any time with it. One of the resources they have put together is Route 21. Route 21 contains ideas and materials for implementing new skills and tools into regular classroom instruction. It is well worth a look, there are many good and practical suggestions…
A while back my family discussed the idea of having a technology fast. Once a month we pick a day usually on a weekend to turn off all tech and do a family activity together. I look forward to this day, I think we all do. Recently I have had to endure a mini technology fast or at least a major slow down. I have felt crippled by the inability to keep up with work and my participation in my…
Awesome is the only way to describe my feeling about EduCon 2.0. It was a conference focused on learning and the people who play a role in the process; students and educators. There were no vendors, nor products or tools demonstrated. It did not mean that participants did not learn about twitter, or voice thread or flicker, but they learned about them from a conversation here or there. It was a conference born of a group of people wondering “what…
I attended the keynote and the first two session at EduCon 2.0. The third session I spent in the Cafe Ustreaming the different sessions. Below are some notes and comments from the two sessions. Session 1: Notes Influence without Authority: Finding the Common Ground to Frame Innovation and Change Kevin Jarrett and Sylvia Marthinez This session focused on the Future Search process to help bring about change. The process is researched based. In order for change to occur you need…