Lifelong Learning

I just spent two days attending the Martin Institute for Excellence in Teaching's Summer Conference in Memphis. The theme was Teaching for Tomorrow. In his opening remarks, Lee Burns, Headmaster of PDS, quoted hockey great, Wayne Gretztky, saying "I don't skate to where the puck is, I skate to where it is going to be." As educators, we must look forward to what education will look like in the 21st century. One of our guiding questions for the conference was, "What does it mean to be well educated in the 21st century?" There were many great thinkers and presenters on subjects ranging from Twitter to Leadership, Differentiated instruction to glogs. My brain is full! This conference renewed my passion for teaching and reminded me why I love my profession. I am still reflecting and absorbing all I heard but here are some of the ideas and strategies I want to improve upon and/or implement this year.

*Giving students a larger audience for their thoughts, ideas and work. This can be done through class blogs, voice threads, wall wisher, wikis, videos (like this one I did with my JK students) and many other Web 2.0 tools. When children (and adults, for that matter) feel they are being heard, it is very empowering for them. I have also found that when students know that their work will be presented to parents, friends, on the web, etc., the quality of their work improves dramatically.

*I want to be more of a contributor and collaborator with my online Professional Learning Network. I have primarily been a "taker" on Twitter and PLN sites. I plan this year to contribute, give help, collaborate and comment more.

*I am so inspired by the leadership at my school, and particularly, our headmaster. He has set in motion a "big picture" model that I hope more private schools will embrace and implement. He says we are a private school with a public purpose. You can read more about it here. So what does that mean for me? I hope to broaden my students' idea of community. Just as we have obligations to our families and friends, I hope they will recognize their need for involvement in and commitment to the Memphis community and beyond.

*I did a presentation on Google Earth, which again reminded me of my need to continue learning, sharing, and collaborating. See previous post for information.

*I am going to explore the following sites and find ways to use them in my classroom and share with others.

Thinkfinity.org- Search for lesson plans and resources by keyword or State standards

Glogster.com- make interactive posters

edutopia.org- improving education strategies and research

Haiku.com and Moodle.org- Learning management systems

There is so much to learn! How could anyone ever be bored?

PS- great article about the conference

Commercial Appeal article on MI conference