I just attended a two day PDSB conference on how to use technology in the classroom #TLDWpeel. I figured since the schools are going BYOD, I best prepare myself for the change, and a little birdie, @the_mulcaster, told me that I was going to join her there and share my experiences using iPads with the students. Well, I am now ready to "jump" in and...I kind of feel like, if I don't, I will be left behind.
So, what did I do? First of all, as our keynote speaker George Couros (@gcouros) was sharing with us the reasons for embracing the world of digital technology, I finally opened up a Twitter account and made my first "tweet."
I have Facebook and use it to keep up with friends and share what is happening in my life. It is often a time sucker and, when I am on it, before I know it 45 minutes have flown by. So I find it a bit of a time sucker. I have postponed starting a Twitter account because I did not want to have one more thing to eat away my time.
I also feel that in this world of the internet and Smart Phones, I often feel over-stimulated and that there is too much information being thrown at me. How do I ever sift through it all?
But, I did it. I joined Twitter. During the keynote yesterday, I realized the importance of my role as a teacher. What I like most about my career is that I am always building relationships: with my students, their parents, and my colleagues. Let's face it, that is why I became a teacher. I love connecting with people, teaching, learning and sharing. To do that in the 21st Century means embracing this world of technology, a world that, as George Couros informed us, is mobile.
My second leap is to start a blog, another thing I just feel I don't have the time for and something I have always felt that I did not feel comfortable doing because who is really interested in what I have to say? But again, this is the 21st century and it is how we connect with each other. This will be something I will use with my students and their parents and, if I am going to ask my homeroom class to start blogging, I better start doing so too.
George Couros ended his presentation with the following clip which does epitomize how I feel at the moment but we will see what works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebtGRvP3ILg Let the journey begin!
