My first journey to an ISTE (Worldwide Society for Expertise in Schooling) convention was to San Diego a decade in the past. I used to be nonetheless a classroom trainer on the time, hungry for digital instruments and techniques; to place the journey in historic edtech context, iPads have been solely two years previous after I went to that first ISTE! Sadly, I haven’t been to an ISTE convention since then…so I used to be extraordinarily grateful for the chance to go (together with some SCPS lecturers, and 14,000 others!) to this yr’s ISTE convention in New Orleans. It didn’t disappoint!
Briefly, listed below are a few of my private highlights.
EEEASE into an “Discover Board”
Holly Clark could promise loads with a session title like “The Good Blended Lesson,” but when anybody can come near that perfect, it’s possible her. One side I discovered notably illuminating was her distinction between a “Alternative Board” and what she felt was a greater branded “Discover Board.” An Discover Board is a hyperdoc fastidiously constructed with a pedagogical objective, infusing digital instruments; a Alternative Board is commonly solely a “tic tac toe”-style worksheet that asks the coed to finish duties which can be digital or analog. (The presentation Slides linked above have some templates and examples of Discover Boards.)
After the session, I mirrored on Clark’s outlined options of an Discover Board together with what I already knew about efficient digital pedagogy. I then made an acronym (as a result of all of us agree that training wants one other one!): EEEASE. Whereas this listing of key traits definitely can particularly apply to important facets of an Discover Board, they may additionally apply to a effectively made blended studying lesson usually:
- Have interaction the viewers (the “hook”).
- The scholars ought to Discover the subject to construct schema, inside a digital useful resource framework of “bumper rails” offered by the trainer.
- Clarify what you need the scholars to do: the instructions and step-by-step of the duty(s), the specified outcomes, and presumably a rubric.
- College students ought to Apply what they’ve discovered or what they’ll do. Optimally, the kind of remaining product that demonstrates the training is the selection of the coed.
- College students ought to digitally Share or publish their work (outdoors of the classroom when attainable) or mirror/self-assess on what they’ve carried out; ideally, they may do each!
- Provide a option to meaningfully Lengthen the training for those who want extra assist or full the work early.
STLP Will get a Shoutout!
On the second day’s opening session, a panel of scholars shared their insights….and Luke from Trimble County was one among them! He notably praised Kentucky’s STLP Program as a vital studying alternative that he personally loved and benefited from.
LeVar Burton
Whether or not you realize him from Roots or Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology or Studying Rainbow, LeVar Burton has been on the forefront of tradition and training for many years. Not too long ago, he’s joined forces with BYJU’S (the dad or mum firm of Osmo) as their new Chief Studying Officer with a purpose to create a brand new literacy app that’s about to launch, so ISTE turned a possibility to speak edtech and his life journey in an hour-long interview carried out by Donnie Piercey. To sit down within the entrance row of Burton’s speak will probably be a beautiful lifelong reminiscence for me.
Studying and Practising SEL in Digital Actuality
I came upon about Undertaking VOISS, a mixture VR platform and lesson useful resource website the place college students can work together in a digital faculty, training their selection of responses in varied social emotional studying eventualities and seeing the results of these selections. I’ve been intrigued by digital actuality studying for years, however admittedly the {hardware} necessities can typically be limiting (for instance, the necessity for headsets); I used to be impressed that VOISS will work on Chromebooks. They’re at present looking for district and college companions to broaden its platform utilization.
New E book
As a fan of PBL, I used to be excited to select up a replica of Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss’s Reinventing Undertaking-Based mostly Studying (Third Version) at ISTE’s onsite convention retailer. It already seems promising to supply some insights for my district management within the coming faculty yr.
Thanks to ISTE for facilitating such an inspiring and learning-packed convention!