Wednesday, July 16, 2008

About the BLC Conference




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3 comments:

curtis said...

At the pre-conference workshop that I attended on "Building Learning Communities", I learned how to set up a blog and set up my own Google search engine. I also learned about PODCasts, the Jing Project and Skype video conferencing. Some early implementation thoughts include building a math department search engine with Google; PODCasting classroom lessons both for archival and feedback purposes as well as transforming old practices for my advisee welcome letters, classroom expectations, etc. I am intrigued by Google Docs as a means for collaborative note-taking in class with the students. Perhaps a math department BLOG for facilitating the sharing of projects, ideas, etc..

Someone from our team asked me what was the one thing I walked away with from our sessions so far...it would have to be that I have a responsibility as a teacher to embrace what is clearly the new media for communicating effectively with my students. And yes, I feel I'm already so far behind.

July 16, 2008 at 3:48 PM
Kathleen said...

Day One Monday, July 14, 2008

I spent the afternoon in a conference with the November Team, same one Curtis did Tuesday; learned and JOINED
KIVA.com
Google docs
Google custom search engines
Cha cha
Facebook
Twitter

Immediate implications?
I loaned money on KIVA, set up multiple accounts, created a leadership in schools doc for the deans and an running agenda for the division heads on Google docs...

I was dizzy.

Luckily, I was rescued by Team MCDS. We had a lovely repas français at AQUITAINE on Tremont St on Bastille Day, le quatorze juillet. Merci, Monsieur I. What could be a better recovery for a francophile, like me?

And KJ was very patient with my cranky GPS, but I got her back to her B&B before Patti turned me into a pumpkin!

That was Monday

July 16, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Kathleen said...

Day 2, July 15, 2008

After a super productive morning booking college interviews and tours for the 17 year old daughter and me (Part Deux of the Road trip East for KM), I arrived all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for Alan November's session on LEADERSHIP in schools, and he exhausted me over the four hour session.

I met some great folk from England, heard about how much more enlightened educators are in other parts of the world and readjusted my lofty vision of technology at MCDS and the work yet to be done.

So, take aways?

I bought gift certificates on KIVA for my kids to teach them about microfinance and understand a more global sense of the value of money and what "need" really is. This made me the happiest of anything I've done so far here.

I also got on Google maps, learned more about online social networks, attempted to enhance my own understanding of how google and wikipedia work (I have a renewed respect for the collective power of wikis and wikipedia in particular).

I also learned how to compare results of google searches depending on which country one is in... yikes
AND
learned about how things get tagged incorrectly on the web. Rather than preventing our students from access, we should be teaching them critical thinking skills. It is not about content, it's about thinking. This is not news to me, but good to be reminded.

When my head was fried, I met up with Matt at the opening reception.
My previous KIVA activities made me an odd sort of celebrity, which Matt S will attest to, at the Tuesday evening ice breaker event....signing KIVA forms, getting interviewed, photographed and blogged by Bob Sprankle. Ah fame.

Tuesday evening ended in the bar of the the Indigo, where I unwound with a lovely glass of Malbec and the All Star game, which was, in the end, never ending.

I moved to my room at midnight and turned off the tv at 1am, with the game still tied at the bootom of the 12th Inning. I am not that into baseball.

That was my Tuesday!

The question is starting to form...so Team MCDS, what will we do with all that we are learning...?
KM

July 16, 2008 at 6:07 PM

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