I think that teachers are a lot like pilot lights….we always
have a little flame flickering waiting for something to ignite us so we can
heat up our classrooms. I have had some great professional development
opportunities lately and I am lit. I
have been an imagineer in the Magic Kingdom of PD at FETC, found golden nuggets
of wisdom at TCEA in Texas and got some sweet tips and tricks at PETE-C in
Hershey, PA.
I keep a Google doc called “Aha moments” to record the highlights of my journeys. I learn just as much presenting as I do
being a participant. As I am one of those people that has to be reminded that I
even have the world at my fingertips with a camera and Google in my pocket, my
aha moments might be a bit less of a splash for you.
Don't re-invent the wheel!
One thing that I always think is eye opening is that we don’t
have to invent everything ourselves. Back in the olden days, you may have had a
colleague that would share that test or activity that they made up or maybe
they wouldn't. The thing is that
technology has made it very easy to share with the world, and not just for those people who are willing
to stand up in front of the crowd and present. With web 2.0 sites, everyone has the opportunity
to easily share what they do in the classroom…so you don’t have to “reinvent
the wheel.”
Use Web 2.0 Libraries and Galleries
A lot of the popular web 2.0 tools that are out there give
people the opportunity to make their work public. Before you use one of those tools, take a
look in the “libraries” or galleries that already exist in a lot of these
tools. At best, you will find something
you can use tomorrow, at the very least; you will find a model or example you
can build off of.
Here are some prime examples:
Livebinders are a great way to organize links, pictures, and
information on a topic that kids can use in class or at home. There is a vast library of Livebinders that
teachers have made and shared in their library.
Check out this timely one on US Presidents for kids
or Web 2.0 Tools for
Reluctant Writers, Common
Core Middle Grades Math which features a great tab for students! Click on the featured binders tab and go
through the list of topics on the right hand side to find a binder that suits
you.
Edcanvas is another way to present pdfs, photos and text,
videos, etc. on a canvas – again that students can use in class and have access
to at home. Check out some of the
featured canvases in the gallery in each subject area: Photosynthesis,
Physical
Geography, How
Big is Infinity?
Interested in flipping your classroom? Get your students registered into Collaborize
Classroom (it’s free!) and check out the great library of critical
thinking questions based on short videos, photos, literature, science social
studies, etc. Register here for your own
private classroom.
Ed.ted.com is another way to flip your classroom – great short
videos are accompanied by simple questions and critical thinking prompts. Once again, there is a library of videos and a quick and easy
format so that you can make them your own.
Take a look at the Case to
extinguish the words Good and Bad or the 3
Minute Guide to the Bill of Rights.
You can even get professional animators to visualize your concepts.
The SCAN tool at TregoED,
which helps students learn how to see different perspectives and a write
argumentatively, has a library of scenarios with built in problems to solve
based on historical or current events for online discussions using the SCAN
critical thinking strategy. A great way to get them thinking and writing
on hot topics.
Bottom line is that web 2.0 tools are by nature tools that
we add content to and share! Take
advantage of the collaborative nature of these tools, read, revise and
reshare! It is a great way for all of us
to ignite our classrooms.
