Last weekend at the Long Island Connected Educator’s Summit, Tony Sinanis and I facilitated a session, 5 Ways to Support a Culture of Learning. A few days prior to the conference he shot me over a bunch of ideas and then we worked together to refine them for our presentation. So, as a disclaimer, these “5 ways” are more his than mine, although I do agree with them.
That being said, here are the five ways to support a culture of learning. And, after each one are three points to consider.
Earlier this week I attended the National Principals Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The more I’ve immersed myself in interacting with other educators on a regular basis (through such means as social media), the more the conferences I attend have become about the who, and not so much the what. In other words, if I need an idea or resource, I don’t necessarily have to wait for a conference as I can reach out to someone whenever I want. At the same time, conferences are now primarily about connecting with old friends, making new ones (who I probably initially met on social media), inspiration, and conversations.
To illustrate the point, here are five conversations from the National Principals Conference that pushed my thinking, all of which took place on the same day.
[Read more…] about 5 Conversations from the National Principals Conference #NPC17
This past Monday at the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference (PETE & C), Erin and I had the opportunity to present on project based learning (PBL). While we had presented on the topic many times before, this was the first time the presentation was mostly based on the contents of our book, Hacking Project Based Learning. (Exciting!) Rather than walking the audience through the book’s ten hacks/chapters, we decided to take a unique approach by focusing on six main symptoms and remedies for PBL Paralysis (obstacles that could prevent educators from implementing project based learning: standardized testing, needing grades, poor professional development, etc.).
Following Monday’s session, Erin and I were asked (and flattered) to present the session again on Wednesday, which we did. Between the two presentations we took the time to revise and edit our work.
That being said, here are five lessons learned from giving the same presentation twice (at the same conference).
Currently I’m sitting at the Orlando International Airport, about three hours away from boarding one of my two flights home from the Model Schools Conference. Originally I had planned to instead attend ISTE in Denver, but this past February I was presented with the opportunity to go to and present at Model Schools. So, I decided to make the switch and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
Here’s a look at some of the presentations/keynotes I attended, as well as overall conference highlights.
This post was originally published on EdSurge.
In general, technology in the classroom is no longer a novelty, and solid pedagogy trumps those lists of “cool tools.” Yet time and time again, conference presenters lure in attendees by fixating entirely on apps, tech toys, or anything else hot on the market or App Store.
We can do better.
While all of these technologies may get us excited, the reality is we are absolutely ignoring the hard, necessary work when we decide to prioritize dog-and-pony technology shows over working together to move instruction forward for the benefit of our students. With these thoughts in mind, here are five ways for educators (and some of you entrepreneurs, too) to rethink technology-obsessed conference presentations.
[Read more…] about Why Your Tech-Obsessed Conference Presentation Stinks – and How to Make It Better
Last Sunday, I attended the Tony Sinanis (@TonySinanis) pre-conference keynote for my state’s annual educational technology conference, PETE & C (Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference). The topic/title of the presentation was “Telling Your School Story.” In general, the focus was school/district branding, communicating with stakeholders, and a look at how social media is changing education.
Anyone who is a part of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) knows Tony, the principal of Cantiague Elementary School in Long Island, is a good friend of mine. However, prior to Sunday I had yet to see him deliver a formal conference presentation…To say I was blown away would be an understatement.
[Read more…] about 5 Soft Skills That Will Upgrade Your Presentations
Last week I had the opportunity to attend two days of Curriculum Mapping Boot Camp with Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Dr. Marie Alcock in New York City. Here are five of my takeaways:
A few weeks ago at the Edscape Conference I co-facilitated a one-hour session titled, Non-Negotiables of Professional Development.
The Problem
My partner, Erin Murphy (@MurphysMusings5), and I only made it through 6 of our 23 planned slides. All it took were the first few slides and a thinking routine to generate an intense, on-topic discussion that lasted the entire hour and could have easily gone on for much longer.
Daggett’s Presentation
A week ago I had the privilege of attending a full-day presentation by Bill Daggett. If you ever have the opportunity to work with him, do it! Highly recommended! Prior to the presentation I had heard so much about his ability to engage an audience. So, I was as interested in watching a world-class presenter do his thing as I was in the content that he would bring to the table. In both regards, he did not disappoint.
As I start to type this, I am on a plane from Miami to Atlanta (and then from Atlanta to Allentown, Pennsylvania), flying home from the Apple Distinguished Educator Summer Institute 2015.
Last night, as the conference was wrapping up, I was at the hotel pool and I started to reflect upon the experience with two of my fellow Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs), Stace Carter and Ben Mountz. This conversation helped to jumpstart my thought process in regards to my conference takeaways.
Here are five points that encompass what I learned, in no particular order (and I think you will be surprised):