PBS TEDTalks Education 5/7/13

It's MOOC time

It's Friday here and the beginning of another round of blogs for educational purposes. This blog was initially set up a couple of years ago for the purposes of my graduate studies in curriculum and instruction. It was a then and it is now a wonderful way to document my learning experiences. I've sporadically used it to continue gathering all things in the field of educational technology. I've linked the other sties I use to do this as well. And from time to time, I have used it to let off some steam. Today's post will be brief, answering the following questions: Where are you from? I am first generation American. My parents are from Colombia. I was born in New York, NY but spent many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. I currently live in Albuquerque, NM. What's your background? What is your native language? What others do you speak? My native language is Spanish, though I am fluent in both Spanish and English. What language(s) do you teach? I teach Spanish at the high school level. Where do you teach? I teach at an independent school, Sandia Preparatory School, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What do you hope to get out of LTMOOC? I'm looking to experience the MOOC as a student and evaluate its potential at the secondary level. What hobbies or activities do you like to do? I enjoy travelling as well as working in our garden. My background is in History, Secondary Education, Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on technology. Looking forward to this adventure!

The 21st Century Skills Teachers and Students Need to Have (Authored by Mohamed Karbach)

The 21st Century Skills Teachers and Students Need to Have

On the Importance of Keeping Up With Technology

Whitby Writes on the Importance of Keeping Up With Technology

One view on the leadership qualities needed today in EdTech

Effective educational leaders must be aware that our schools do not belong to us. Their  role is to carry out those objectives set by the community and not our personal agendas.  Our schools must be a reflection of the values of the community.

NYTimes: Videos of Top Teachers Explaining Their Craft

ISTE12 and the idea of a flipped conference

I first mentioned it at the karaoke party on the rooftop of the Andaz hotel.  "I just feel like the whole passive-audience format is a bit dated, especially with all this talk of flipped instruction".  I should have known better than to approach the subject when everyone was more engaged with the person singing Aerosmith's "Dream On".  But I would argue (and bet money) that the majority of attendees probably felt something a bit different than ISTE conferences of past: that there was much more learning, exposure, networking, experiencing in most every space of ISTE but one - the sessions.  That's not to say that the presenters of these sessions were not qualified nor did they fail to bring pertinent information.  But when you are in a room (classroom?) of two hundred, just how much information can you walk away with?  The presenters for the most part, zipped through their myriad of apps, sites, etc. while most rushed to download the app (discouraged, btw) on their iPad and check it out.  You see, this format of delivering ninety-nine apps in sixty minutes worked when all we had was a yellow ledger (or handout) and pen to jot them down (ok, laptops, but we weren't trying to download software during the sessions).  The attendee would make quick notes like, "Yes! Use this " or "Not for me/my class".  But now, it's all about experiencing it right there and then.  We want to play with it, evaluate it, critique it, share it, tweet about it, and determine its worth all the while surrounded by our peers who may have valuable input.  Perhaps this is where someone can insert the idea of a flipped conference.  I haven't ventured far enough into the world of flipped classrooms to form an opinion, but it's an idea, anyway.
Conferences like ISTE should re-evaluate the format in which the information is disseminated to the 21st century (I'm going to stop using this term very soon) educator.  Much like our learners in our classrooms, we have moved away from being a passive receiver of information.  If you witnessed the poster sessions  run by children, the various playgrounds, live theaters, and various other "lounges", this is where the action was taking place.  I'm not suggesting tossing out the baby with the bathwater, but the way we obtain information is now dependent on the type of material we are gathering.  Conferences will always be essential to PD, however, they must evolve in order to keep us engaged.