A number of times throughout the day I was confronted by the quote we are all "standing on the shoulders of giants." This quote was mentioned in a number of conference sessions throughout the day, and it hit home with me. In developing my professional learning network over the last year I have found many incredible teachers, via twitter and blogs, who have shared their incredible work. These "giants" have helped to reshape and redefine my role in the class and the type of teacher that I want to be. Today, it just so happened, is also a day where I finally got to meet some of my "giants" face to face.
When I first discovered Greg Kulowiec (@gregkulowiec) on twitter, his work on app smashing re-shaped the way I viewed technology in the classroom. We have had a few conversations on twitter over the last year, and he is always more than willing to share ideas. Today his session focused on students using appsmashing to be truly creative. He shared many interesting ideas, but to me, the most thought provoking idea he shared was the idea that if students open an app, and there is already something there they are not really creating. The program is telling them what to do. He presented about using multiple powerful tools that force students to create (explain everything, iMovie, garage band, paper 53, imotion hd, etc.) that students can use to create content individually and then pull all these pieces together to create authentically unique projects. His project was fast paced and informative, and it is clear that his ideas are constantly evolving and advancing.
My mind was a buzz after leaving my first session. That feeling continued for the next hour as I was drawn in by the intense enthusiasm of another giant from my learning network, Shawn McCusker (@shawnmccusker). From the movement he started talking he wove a masterpiece, explaining how he has worked to create a culture of learning and research in his class. He spoke with purpose and passion. He showed some technology examples of student work, but his emphasis was on the process, not the technology. I think that is something that many people lose sight of when they start infusing technology in their classroom. He shared his rule that if technology is interfering in learning or relationships we need to put it away. He also talked about student choice. He gave examples of times that students wanted to take their learning in a different direction, so he went with them and supported their learning. These examples helped reinforced that my current beliefs about student choice are on the right track. The work I have started in this area will be further enhanced by "standing" upon the work that Shawn has done.
The first afternoon session was parented by Amy Burvall (@amyburvall) where she discussed remix culture in education. This concept was completely new to me. I had actually decided previously that I would attend a different session during this time slot, but in my morning session Greg Kulowiec mentioned being blown away by a discussion with Amy the night before, so I figured I needed to check it out and I was not disappointed. She shared many interesting ideas and examples of what remix culture is and how we can use it in our class. However the most important take away from this session was the connection between education and pop culture. I think this is a hook that will draw students in, and the area of remixEd is so broad that there is a lot of different ways students can explore and differentiate their learning. Many examples she shared made me realize that a lot of teachers have dabbled in remixEd but have not clearly defined or extensively explored the concept. By exposing students to different examples of remixed work, they can support students to further develop creativity utilizing technology as a tool to get there. The entire presentation was built upon the idea that nothing is unique, everything is built upon previous people's ideas. (This reinforced the "giants" theme for the day.) She shared many examples of remixed work to emphasize that remixing is a powerful way that students are already using to commicate, which I believe makes it a powerful outlet to engage students in learning. This is a completely new concept to me, and has helped me redefine what it means when we say we are encouraging students to be creative.
Today was an amazing day of learning. I got to meet and learn from people whom I have admired for a long time, and I was exposed to a new "giant" that I can learn from in the future. Can't wait to get started today!
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