The Thing About Tech

I recently went to Playdate San Jose in my attempts to find time to learn new technology. This was a day similar to the edcamp model I have blogged about before here and here. A day where I got to decide which app, tool, or website I wished to know more about and have time to discover. Not only did I walk away with an even more increased desire to find time to play with tech, I realized the thing about tech is...

1. There are lots of options. - This can be overwhelming and sometimes it requires you to focus on just one or two new pieces of tech to learn. 
2. You shouldn't get stuck in a tech rut. - What works best for you at one time in your tech lifetime may not be the best at another time. I got into a discussion with someone in one of my sessions about being open to trying new apps, not getting stuck in the "I like this because I've always used it" rut. This holds true for life in general, but I think this is most important with tech. With the ever expansion and retooling of tech, it is imperative that you be willing to try a new tool, app, or website.
3. You need to give yourself time to play. - To truly know whether or not tech is going to suit your purpose or need, you need to give it a chance. I'm not saying that you need to learn all the ins and outs, but at least give the tech a good test run before you decide it's not for you. 
4. Don't be afraid to try. - You cannot truly know what tech is all about unless you jump in and try. In all my years of hitting buttons and clicking here and there, I have never, I repeat, I have never broken anything. Ok, maybe I accidentally deleted some files, but I was able to get them back. The point is we need to act like our students in this regard and just click all over the place. Be fearless in your play!
5. Don't use tech just because it is there. - The use of tech should be purposeful. Have I used tech before because it was fun? Absolutely. But, the majority of my use serves a purpose. I think about my lesson objectives first, then about how tech can help in accessing, producing, and assessing those objectives. I think of the SAMR Model. Tech should not drive what you do, your lesson objectives should and there are times that pencil and paper are best. Using tech should take careful thought.

When all was said and done, I was exhausted and my head was full of ideas. I love that tech is ever changing and the fact that I can continue to learn it everyday keeps my brain fresh and my ideas current. I look forward to the next Playdate.

Edcamp. Take II.

How did I spend the first weekends of the new year? Learning in a professional community, of course! Last Saturday I participated in edcamphome2.0, which was my first edcamp experience, completely online. And this past Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in edcampsac, a face-to-face edcamp. Some might say that I had a hand in helping bring the edcamp experience to the Sacramento area, but that is it, merely a hand. The power house organizing team consisted of Peter Strawn, Colin O'Connor, Cynthia Cost, and Danielle Lemke, new acquaintances that I now consider to be trusted colleagues. 

Danielle, me, Colin, Peter, Cynthia

The day started with a decent gathering of educators from near and far, with varying years of experience. There were experienced edcampers and newbies, but you would have never noticed if the question had not been asked at the beginning. As the first sessions began, I was immediately flooded with new ideas to take back to my classroom, as well as to other colleagues. The mood was friendly, inclusive, and jovial. It is always nice to be learning with a group of educators that want to grow as professionals, which is not always the case at our own schools, so the day really energized me. Not only did I get to learn with familiar faces, I got to learn with new ones, creating relationships within the region I work. This is important to me because often I feel that I am in a bubble in my district, since I teach in the foothills of the Sacramento region. I am not near a metropolitan area, nor near an area heavy with technology industries like say the Bay Area or L.A. region, which can often promote forward thinking and innovation.

That's why I feel so strongly about this edcamp movement. It brings everyone together to share their knowledge, thus growing the knowledge base of everyone. It's almost like a collective think tank if you will. Not only were new resources, strategies and general ideas shared, but the sessions also allowed for individuals to problem solve issues in their own classrooms. In one session I was in, genius hour/20% time, a participant was concerned that an administrator might question her incorporation of the time into her math class. The group quickly offered up solutions and justifications she could use to explain her decision for starting genius hour in her classes. This is the power of a group of educators who come together to learn from each other, and I was almost dumbfounded by the amount of trust that had already been built in the room by people who barely knew each other.

I had two takeaways from the day that included the idea of changing the face of professional development. There are experts among us, we need to leverage the knowledge and talent of those around us, whether that be at our school site, district, or region. When PD is participant driven, the more learning takes place, which leads me to my biggest takeaway. I need to use this model in my own classroom, leverage the experts in my room, create a culture of trust and learning for my students. This way learning can be authentic and meaningful. We had a wonderful day, as evidenced by comments made in the Slam session. 


I was left thinking: Don't we want our colleagues and our students feeling this way about learning?

Edcampers taking a moment, in between sessions, to document their excitement for learning.

Yes Virginia, the Global Community is Real

If ever I needed proof that the global community is where I needed to be, then today was the day. I took part in edcamphome2.0, an unconference style of delivering professional development. This took place completely online through the use of google hangouts on air, numerous volunteer moderators and the 4 most amazing organizers (Kelly Kermode, Karl Lingren-Streicher, David Theriault and Shawn White). Now, if you are not familiar with edcamps, you really need to sit up and pay attention! Edcamps are non-commercial, participant driven and completely unscripted. You can read more about edcamps here and I'm sure I will blog about this more in the future. This kind of PD is by education professionals for education professionals. Today's participants ranged from classroom teachers to instructional tech coordinators, to librarians to principals. And, I might add that everyone I participated with today was an extraordinary, passionate educator wanting to grow and learn.

What I Observed

A few days before the event I saw posts in the Google+ edcamphome community teaming with excitement, questions and comments about everyone's desire to connect with one another. I was excited too, but still not ready to contribute to the general buzz of the community. Even though I am on twitter and have begun to blog, this is all still rather new and I enter every online activity with some trepidation. I am very aware of my digital footprint and want to stay safe online. Just a year ago I was afraid of becoming "searchable", but I am learning that I can be safe and still be part of a global community. And my fear of becoming "searchable" really went out the window when a friend and colleague texted me last night with the following image and comment:

In all honesty, seeing my image on her screen freaked me out. Do I really need to be a part of a global community? Is the community real? I mean does it function like a community does? Will the educational global community that I am becoming a part of take an active role in contributing to my professional well being? The answer is an emphatic, YES!

I observed the true meaning of community today, everyone coming together from across the country and world to take an active role in contributing to everyone's professional well being. This was evident from the very beginning, 4 people organizing an event for the benefit of hundreds of others. As edcamphome kicked off tech problems arose, naturally, and several people were helping to troubleshoot, not just the 4 organizers. Moderators, some of whom had never initiated a google hangout, stepped up to help with offering several session choices. And several participants tweeted out resources. This was all done for the betterment of the community, plain and simple.

What can the community do for you?

1. Help you build relationships - The kind of relationships that mean helping you when you are having a rough day or want to learn something new. I am finding that some of the people in my global community are becoming true friends. Here's the perfect example, a teacher from Argentina, Maria, establishing a new relationship with Susan, a school counselor from Canada. This was posted minutes after edcamphome was over today. That is how fast relationships can be built.

2. Nudge you to try something new - In the closing remarks, Karl, one of the organizers, urged everyone to blog about their experiences stating, "Not if, when you blog about this". Some became new bloggers today, like Laura Eldred. Read her first post here. 

3. Help you to learn by doing - Several participants today were not familiar with google+, the hangouts, googledocs, etc., but by learning by doing more authentic learning took place. I was so impressed how willing people were to take part despite this unfamiliarity. I was one of them. I got a crash course in goggle+ and hangout on air, but by learning in this manner, I have truly learned it.

My takeaway from edcamphome

The educational global community is real. It is chock full of passionate, fun, supportive people who want to share and contribute to others' well being, both personal and professional. For those of you who may be too scared to jump in, come on in the global water is great! The community will not let you fall. It will support you, challenge you and encourage you to try new things. The edcamp model for professional development is what learning in our profession should look like. Find an edcamp near you and become a member of a wonderful community.