Week Eight (10/17/10 - 10/23/10) - Take Two!

Image from: https://hrlibrary.wikispaces.com/Per5+LIfe+and+Literary+Work+Connection

Now that the conference dust of a physical conference is settling and I am finally getting back to a place where there is some sort of calm, I can write about my incredible virtual conference experiences from this past week. 

I think it is an incredible time to be an educator!  There are so many tech options out there that every learning experience can be a grand and memorable one.  The K12 conference has been incredible for me.  The conference really opened my eyes to new and innovative technologies and has also showed me their impact on students and other teachers.

I love the idea of virtual workshops that are global.  How rich conversations and classroom planning can be when you have input from around the world!!  I think the global workshops will also be helpful because there are times - for teachers and librarians alike - where you feel isolated.  Global workshops really help in reminding us that we are never alone and a friendly voice can literally be just a click away.  I also love that technology is creating a culture of teachers that share resources.  I am a strong proponent for sharing information - an idea I had to struggle with as an English MA, as English majors tend not to want to share because they are afraid of an idea being stolen - and I love to see that collaboration results in more learning experiences that are helping and reaching more people.  I hope that technology continues to promote a culture of shared ideas and shared learning!

Since I have not been able to post on wetpaint, I did want to mention here (until I can post) that the second video I viewed for this week's postings was "Student Voices: Let me tell MY story."  It was absolutely amazing because the video showed the student's perspectives when it came to technology.  It is incredible to see how students have embraced technology to expand their knowledge in music and to showcase their artistic abilities!  I could not get over how informed the students were and how effortlessly there were able to create media forms that not only can be used for themselves but can also be shared with other students.  My favorite quote  - the students want their "web footprint really big but our earth footprint to be very small." That is the coolest way of going green I have ever heard!

I look forward to next week's conference sessions and cannot wait to see what new world will be opened to me then.