Apr
11
Thing 13: K12 SOS idk lol….
April 11, 2010 | 2 Comments
Those are most of my acronyms, I’m afraid. I left out the one I use most often when I’m attempting more complicated technology applications. I’ll leave that one to your imagination. But the K12…that particular one sparked my imagination. I came away from the K12 Online Conference with two thoughts. The first was the usual self-flagellation about my pedantic teaching style that incorporates technology as an afterthought. The second was that I don’t have to recreate the wheel for every lesson. There are amazing thinkers out there in cyberland who would love to share and collaborate what they know. And that was an uplifting realization.
I listened to three presentations and will go back for more. In fact, I’ll definitely be listening to these three again and linking to their supporting materials for my own projects.
Number one: Geocaching Across the Curriculum caught my eye immediately since I’ve tried geocaching with my daughter. It’s a giant scavenger hunt using GPS devices to search for actual caches hidden by others using clues and geographical hints. Beth Ritter-Guth described an algebra class’ experience making clues with equations. Wow! She also suggested various ways other subjects could use geocaching. Caching has a real cachet – it’s novel; it’s getting out of the classroom; it’s fun; and it is definitely applicable to multiple subjects, but it’s a one-trick pony.
Number two: The Heroic Journey Project was a timely shot in the arm for Greek mythology. Kevin Hodgson used the popularity of the Percy Jackson books, plus a little technology, to invigorate the story of Odysseus. Students create their own heroic journey with help from Google Earth and Picassa, and the end product is a melange of creative writing, geography, history and technology. This idea is immediately usable. He includes links to supporting documents that walk one through the entire process. Winner!
Number three: Parallel Play or Collaboration – Leveraging the Wiki Platform for High Quality Work was the most thoughtful look at using wikis in the classroom. Paula White introduces a classroom wiki and then lets her students’ creativity run wild. She makes the case that simply allowing students to use it as a “drop box” for required assignments is not the goal. She wants what we all want – students using it as a platform for reflection, meaningful collaboration and growth. And she accomplishes that in her teaching. While not a dramatic presenter, her materials and methods outshine the field. She pulls project after project out of her hat and encourages other teachers to share and build on her work. She is a teacher’s teacher. Paula White, you’re my hero!
K12….who knew that so much professional development was available online? I just didn’t know where to look. This an exceptional resource that I’m going to tap often. Back to Paula…TTFN!
2 Comments so far
Sounds like you had an enjoyable conference experience. I like presenters that leave you with something that you are soooo excited to go back to your classroom and try the next day.
I have been trying to integrate technology into my classroom for a couple of years now and I began by using things that were already on the web. That could be an idea for a project or a Smartboard notebook that teaches a concept that we are working on at that time. As you become more adept at using the tools you will begin to plan lessons and automatically include technology, not for the sake of using technology, but just because the tool works for the lesson.
Kathy