Tag: pd
17 Take-aways from Summer PD
Summer PD 2015 just ended. A couple dozen of us–teachers, library media specialists, tech integrationists, lab teachers–gathered virtually for three weeks to experiment with some of the hottest tech tools available for the classroom–Google Apps, differentiation tools, digital storytelling, visual learning, Twitter, blogs, Common Core and tech, backchannels, digital citizenship, assessment, and more (12 topics in all). It was run like a flipped classroom where class members picked 60% of daily topics, then they read, tested and experimented. Failed and tried again. Asked questions. They shared with colleagues on discussion boards, blogs, Tweets. Once a week we got together virtually (via Google Hangout or a TweetUp) to share ideas, answer questions, and discuss nuances.
The class awarded a Certificate based on effort, not end product. Here are my takeaways as moderator of this amazing group:
- They are risk takers. They kept trying long beyond the recommended hour a day in some cases.
- They were curious. They wanted to get it right, see how it worked.
- They are life long learners. Some had been teaching for thirty years and still enthusiastically embraced everything from twitter to the gamification of education.
- They were problem solvers. I often heard, ‘if I tweak it here, I can solve this problem’.
Top Ten Reasons for signing up for Summer PD
If you haven’t yet made the decision to join me at Summer PD for three-weeks of high-intensity tech integration, here are the Top Ten Reasons for signing up:
10. Tech in ed is a change agent. You like change.
9. You’ll have a bunch of tech ed skills you can now say ‘I know how to do that’.
8. Your school will pay for it of you promise to teach colleagues–or show the videos.
7. It’s fun.
6. You want to meet new people.
5. You’re technophobic, but lately feel like teaching without technology is like looking at a landscape through a straw. You want to change that.
4. Richard Sloma said, “Never try to solve all the problems at once — make them line up for you one-by-one.” You want your tech problems lined up in single file.
3. Technology in education is the greatest show on earth. Well, at least in the classroom. You want to be part of it.
2. Ashton Kutcher told teens, “Opportunity looks a lot like work.” You agree. Learning tech ed this summer is an opportunity you’re ready for.
1. Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Education’s fix requires technology. You’re ready for a new level of thinking.
