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!
It is pretty amazing to see someone take the plunge and jump in to try things out. What I found is that when I really focused on my own learning, that I became a better educator. I started to understand the opportunities our kids have now and think about how we can really tap into the power of our world today. Hopefully you see some of these same things and through your sharing, I know you can help many others push what they are doing in their own classroom! Thank you for your willingness to share!
ReplyDeleteI bet you feel as great at the skier at the end of the run in the video! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Twitter goes, don't worry about missing something - the great stuff has a way of turning up again and again.