Integrating Technology & Genius Hour: My Journey as a Teacher & Learner
Find me on
  • My Blog
  • About Me
  • Genius Hour
  • My Other Websites

What I Learned at #RSCON4

12/16/2013

2 Comments

 
#RSCON4 took place a little while back, in early October.  A whole weekend full of webinars led by some amazing educators around the world--I was excited!  And even more exciting--the webinars are recorded and you can still watch them here!  In fact, while this post is going to be about some of the highlights from the webinars I attended (or watched afterwards), I am still watching the recordings of some of the presentations that I missed so this blog entry is by no means a summary of all of my learning, since I know that I will learn more as I continue to watch the rest!

David Truss: Shifting Learning

Picture
This is a screenshot of one of the slides from David Truss' presentation on Inquiry Based Learning.  David is an administrator at the iHub Inquiry School (which I was lucky enough to visit last year-my blog about that here) and I absolutely love what his students are doing!  Learning is made meaningful because students get to develop inquiry projects around  things that matter to them (like Genius Hour on a whole other level).  

Anyway, what struck my about this slide was not only how cool their projects are, but the verbs that describe what his students are doing:
  • designing
  • improving
  • developing
  • inventing
  • creating

He really sums it up well on this slide, when he asks the question: "What do students 'do' at school?"
Thanks for inspiring me, Dave!  Learn more about what Dave Truss does on his blog.
Picture

Joan Young: Facilitating “Wow” Learning through Humor, Novelty, Awe, and Fascination

Another fantastic webinar I attended was Joan's presentation on facilitating "wow" in the classroom.  Of particular note was her slide about classroom jobs.  I love these new 21st century positions:
  • classroom environment engineer 
  • class photographer (which can give the pictures to the class tweeter if you have a class twitter account)
  • blogger
  • music manager

I love these ideas!  And as Joan notes, it definitely fosters a sense of community.  Students love sharing their learning and being the class tweeter, blogger, etc.  
Picture
Picture
I also really enjoyed her advice about novelty in the classroom.  Reminds me of Imagination Education.  How can we engage our students through imagination?

Check out the rest of Joan's presentation here and her blog here.

Denise Krebs: The World Needs Your Contribution--Really! How my PLN Changed Everything

Another fantastic presentation was given by my friend, Denise Krebs.  She spoke about how her teaching has evolved over the years (and the role of her PLN in that).  Denise facilitated an excellent discussion around giving students choice.
Picture
Ideas that were discussed:
  • inquiry projects
  • concept based learning
  • allowing students to create projects based on learning outcomes
  • Genius Hour
  • choice in presentation style
Picture
Another favourite slide was the one you see above.  Trust Children.  Such simple, but powerful words.  Thank you Denise for inspiring us all!  You can check out her blog here.  

Honestly, I could go on and on...but instead, I encourage you to check out the list of recordings here and watch some of the great webinars yourself!

Thank you to the folks at The Future of Education for putting on such a great conference!

Have you watched any of the webinars?  I would love it if you shared your favourite learning moments below!  
2 Comments
Denise Krebs link
12/16/2013 09:22:33 pm

Gallit,
You are so good about follow up. You came back to what you learned at RSCON4 and shared it here. That reminded you all over again about the important things you learned. Brava!

You were inspired by two amazing presentations. Such important things shared by David and Joan. I am humbled to be mentioned among them! Thank you.

Warmly,
Denise


Reply
David Truss link
12/17/2013 02:11:53 pm

Thanks for sharing Gallit!
I remember watching David Warlick's 2006 K12 Online Conference Keynote a few months after it was recorded. It was one of three things that combined to inspire a transformation in my classroom. I think we often look forward to find the next shiny tool or newest presentation, when in fact there are some real gems that have already been shared. I just re-shared this Dan Meyer presentation in a comment: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html - most people think of it as a 'Math' video, but I see it as one of the best commentaries on the need to re-think learning that I have ever seen. It doesn't matter that it is 3+ years old!
You've inspired me to look back at some previous conferences, including #RSCON, and finding the gems that have already been shared.
Dave.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    My name is Gallit Zvi and I am an Elementary School Teacher and Vice Principal in Surrey, BC. I am also a blogger and co-author of The Genius Hour Guidebook.
    Click to continue...

    Picture
    Tweet
    what is genius hour?
    My Genius hour posts
    geniushourguide.org
    geniushour.ca
    Picture
    Tweets by @gallit_z
    Gallit on Pinterest

    Archives

    April 2020
    January 2019
    July 2018
    October 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    Appsmashing
    Assessment
    Blogging
    Byod
    Capp
    Collaboration
    Community
    Cooperation
    Creativity
    Critical Friends
    Cross-curricular Connections
    Differentiation
    Digital Literacy
    Digital Storytelling
    Eportfolios
    #ETMOOC
    Field Study
    Genius Hour
    Hac
    Imovie
    Inquiry
    IPads
    Iste
    Media Literacy
    Mr. Rogers
    Museum Box
    Picture Books
    Place Based Learning
    Powerpoint
    Prezi
    Reflection
    Stations
    Teaching
    Technology
    The Genius Hour Guidebook
    Twitter
    Web 2.0
    Web 2.0
    Wifi
    Youtube

    RSS Feed

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.