Comments+and+Reflections


 * Wordle from our reflections and comments on the BLC10 Conference - scroll down for actual text**




 * (Ann)** There were 18 of us at BLC this past week. What a team! What ahhaas did you have? What did you learn? What is puzzling? How will you bring back what you learned to your students? So many questions, and I'm sure you each have your own unique thoughts. Please share by responding to everyone through this post.

So much to do, learn, discover and teach, so little time to explore, process, plan, create and implement.
 * (Anne)** Here are some of my first thoughts - not necessarily connected:

"We are of the web now not just on the web" Powerful statement from one presentation I attended. Participation and contributions to information on the web is whole new dimension. Web as communication tool not just source of information.

Social skill development has a whole new perspective now.

Role of educator not just facilitator of learning but designer of learning opportunities. Educators provide and design opportunities forstudents to explore and create new learning. This closely follows the early childhood developmental perspective on learning. Risk taking, discovery, team work -collaboration-cooperation, social engagement, creativity, imagination, and hands on learning are all key components of an early childhood curriculum. These were common themes throughout presentations on 21st Century Skills.


 * (Steve)** The two best sessions I went to that framed my thinking for the time were Michael Wesch's plenary and Bob Pearlman'ssession, each of which took different angles on student-centered, project-based learning. I've had a preference for this style of pedagogy for years, since I first confronted the Teaching for Understanding Framework. Both of these sessions put the pieces together for me more comprehensively, very helpful as I start to think through how to partner with the faculty of WHS and the curriculum coordinators in taking more steps in this direction. I really want WHS students to find their learning engaging and meaningful and want their experiences in the building to powerfully prepare them for what's beyond their time in the old brick building next to the Common St. graveyard. Dr. Wesch's session reinforced my commitment, and Bob's gave me a nice picture of the toolsto use and the destination we have in mind.

Secondarily, for someone who comes from a more technology-poor school andsystem, it was great to swim in the waters of all the tools that are outthere. My most immediate application is to think about updating the WHS website and communicating more frequently and directly with the community myself. I also hope to move along the learning curve far enough that I can start to be a help in brainstorming with my teachers about effective tools that will help them meet their teaching goals.

And then, of course, fun hanging out with you all, gorging myself onchowder, etc.

My first reflections on last week prompt the feelings that there was so much to capture, that there was also so little time to absorb it all, and there was huge comfort in knowing that there were so many other professionals with me to help in that effort. I am also extremely grateful to have had the chance to begin to get to know each of you on a slightly more personal level. Ann's reference to "team" rang unexpectedly true for someone so new to the group. My most lasting impression of the three days is that Watertown does, indeed, have a very strong team driving it!
 * (Cindy)**

Small things also come to mind initially: • I am resolved to begin to "lurk" on Twitter, even if I am not ready to participate, having watched several of you engage so productively with that community. • I am thinking that "manyeyes.com" has tremendous potential for creative use in classrooms. • I am very impressed by the use of technology to support early elementary classes without taking away from the social-emotional work that is particularly important at that age level. Several of the workshops I attended addressed the use of technology from K-3. • I am intrigued by the idea of using the internet to widen the audience for student work and to extend the options for children to find constructive feedback for their efforts- a topic about which Iwould like to think more, as there are balances to be reached, as well. • Michael Wesch's presentation was spectacular. He is someone I would like to continue to follow. • Inviting our students to share with their teachers the impact the web has on their (the children's) thinking is a must if we want to encourage adults to see the value of changing their practice. How powerful was it to see clips of kids using technology and to listen to them talk as they did so. I will be looking for ways to use videos of children in faculty meetings, etc. • Again, I thought that Watertown was among the best presentations I saw! What a bunch!

Mostly, I realize that I will need more time to review all my notes and to think back on the experience before I am able to share all my impressions. However, I am very eager to hear more details about what others found. I promise to share other thoughts as I have a chance to collect them!


 * (Maggie)** I am totally awed and humbled by the incredible work that is going on in the world of education that I knew little about before attending the BLC conference. I think of myself as a teacher who loves technology and wants to integrate it into the classroom as much as possible, but my whole world of thought just expanded exponentially! Rather than using bits oftechnology here and there (which is a good starting point) I'm now seeingit in a whole new way - it's about the social connections, sharing, getting people talking, using imagination and creativity. Students can now connect with others just like themselves all over the world...a global community...the possibilities are just endless and my head is certainly spinning. This conference threw me out of my comfort zone for sure, yet gently expanded it at the same time. There are so many things I want to do with my students next year...mainly to create a learning community that is less teacher centered and more student centered. It is a delicate balance in third grade, teaching basic reading/writing/math skills while cultivating creative thinking and self-expression. This is something I am already doing, but I now have a whole new way of thinking about it all.

You all know how much I enjoy and feel it is important to teach kids through the arts. Throughout the conference I kept thinking about the important balance of creating art in a simple, organic, hands-on way yetusing tecnology to full advantage. I used to feel (and many teachers feel this way) that more technology use means more sitting behind the computer. While computer use is certainly a part of it, technology is way bigger than this....it's about creative thinking and also thinking about who our audience is. When we do projects, they are not necessarily done for the teacher or for the parents to see, but to share with the entire world. This makes us really think through the quality of our final products and raises expecations for students. We are all aware of the great amount of time it will take to implement technology in the classroom, and one way to manage this, in my view, is to use project-based learning as much as possible. The projects I do with students can take a couple of months, but so much is learned in the process, kids don't even realize they are learning.

I have a long list of sites to check out....I will keep you updated on anything I feel would be helpful to use in the classroom with students


 * (Mena)** I found BLC to be a great learning experience. I was struck by each of the keynote speakers who reinforced the idea that the teacher's role has changed to that of facilitator. Teachers also need to give students project time where they can explore concepts while integrating technology. The issue of helping students understand that all of the information they research and come across on the Internet my not be accurate is a real one that needs to be addressed as well. How do do this?

- Take advantage of the visual aspects of slides when making presentations - find photos that make my points "sticky" for the audience - Start a Flickr account and stop using slides from Goggle Images that may be copyrighted - use Flickr to size photos using - picnik - Look for slides that have a Creative Commons License on compfight.com - Look for royality free music on incompetech to accompany presentations - Look for tips on media productions and equipment on Alas Media - Reflect on how we can use the internet politically to build support for public education (a real problem, outside the classroom, I don't know the answer to - lesson plan from Dr. Michael Wesch)
 * (Elisabeth)** I have made several mid-year resolutions as a result of BLC:

our students become masters of very little. In depth problem solving takes time. Why not see high school students take a project that interests them and spans their entire four years? Why have elementary students have 3 and 4 week topics in science, rather than a whole year of in-depth study on one topic in science? These are some of the thoughts the BLC provokes and inspires each year.
 * (Toni)** For me, BLC is a continual source of resources that I can use with students. These are typically tools I can use with students to reinforce what I believe about where the direction of education is going and must continue to go. If we are to help students hone and develop their own natural talents and aptitudes we need to stop the teaching of the past that sees the teacher trying to enforce their own knowledge in a dull,irrelevant vacuum. The most important thing I take with me every year is the idea that in order to help students become creative thinkers, problem solvers and collaborators, teachers must learn to teach less and let the students learn more. They must be facilitators and project managers. They must allow the student to become the masters and have faith that they bring something to the table, as opposed to the classroom teacher standing at the head of the class possessing and honing all of their own knowledge. To become masters of the ability to take an idea and expand it and fully understand it, students can and should work for long periods on a project. The idea of short times spent on a variety of topics will see

re-engineer what we do. A key phrase jumped out at me when he said that we need to “change the script”. As we think about the changes we want to make in our schools, teaching approaches, etc. I think a good question to ask ourselves is “How is it going to change the current script?. Now, like everyone else, I need to take some time to review and absorb what I learned and determine how best to share it with teachers and students.
 * (Janet)** One thought that keeps coming to mind is what Richard Halkett mentioned in his keynote when he talked about the need to do things differently and

Brian Mull that addressed this very concern. I realized we can create our own search engines, using google, to help guide our students to find valuable and valid resources on the vast information highway. I am interested in exploring all aspects of using google, like finding the best search strings and defining parameters around which to use those strings.
 * (Sheila)** I am particularly interested in research and the internet -- using google, the most widely used search engine. I attended a session with

I also was struck by Darren Kuropatwa's presentation on design and how I can use power points more effectively in instruction. By teaching, and by example, I can help students use power points more effectively, as well. There is so much more to learn!


 * (Beth)** Wow, so many thoughtful comments! I have had a couple of busy weeks so I find myself on the tail end of this discussion.

Several thoughts stuck with me from the conference. I think of the "monkey trap" from Rahaf Harfoush's keynote, referring to how we continue to do the same old thing without any real connection as to why it was done in the first place. This is making me think of routines and processes at school in a whole new way. Why do we follow certain methods and procedures and can we be more efficient, simple and creative?

Mitch Resnick's words reminding us that it is not enough to be consumers or interacters resonates with me as an occupational therapist. I love to hear that we have to become the "makers of things". I want to see students create and not just passively consume information.

Angela Maeirs' presentation on writing helped me think of writing beyond the composition book. I am intrigued by the visual aspect of literacy and started to read Sara Kajder's book, Bringing the Outside In - Visual Ways To Engage Reluctant Readers (...and writers). I am hoping this ties in with my TIP course coming up.

David Jakes's talk has me wanting to play around with the three tools he presented for managing information and projecting ideas and presence (Evernote, Posterous and PixelPipe). All you need is a smartphone and an email address. We can be so productive with our cellphones in organizing our life's daily tasks. Although I work with elementary students, I see the power of high school students using phones in a variety of learning tasks. He was great at shining the light on how facile kids are with technology tools at home.

I hope to continue to bring students interests and passions into school. So often they are left at the door. I am always amazed at the talents some of these kids have. We have to harness those!

Finally, I enjoyed my connections with the Watertown group, during our lunches and sitting in sessions together. I am grateful to be part of this group.