Conversation 1: Open Pedagogy/Dr. David Wiley (CoFounder of Lumen Learning)
Dr. Wiley’s talk focused on ways to use (and create) open source textbooks in the classroom. His best piece of advice was to learn how to use Google Advanced Search:
Select the usage rights option “free to use, share or modify, even commercially” then type “your-subject-area textbook” or whatever text you are looking for. I think this will bring some great online text-based resources into my classroom : )
Conversation 2: Unleashing Student Super Powers/Kristin Swanson & Hadley Ferguson
To be fair, this session moved rooms at the last minute and I thought I was attending a discussion of Common Core standards (something I figured out just now). Instead of Common Core we discussed student superpowers, completed a role play game and designed a school bus using post its, plastic cups and paper clips. The takeaway: activities are awesome. Don’t talk at kids, let them DO it.
Conversation 3: The Right Tool for the Job: Promoting Student Choice/Kim Deveaux (Ethical Culture School)
This session was a good reminder that students can control their own learning through the use of technology. Ethical Culture Fieldston School does an amazing job with online portfolios that track student mastery. A little bit chic-chic private school, but an amazing job.
Conversation 4: Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse: Engaging All Learners/Gerald Aungst (Cheltenham)
The best thing we did in this session was make a foldable. I remembered how much I LOVE foldables. I want to bring them back into the classroom ASAP. The one we did was a 4-section foldable with a definition, a section to agree, a section to disagree and a section to state your final word that I think could be really helpful in a debate protocol.
