On the ConnectED Conference

I am freshly back from Niagara Falls.  (I know-and in the middle of the school year no less!)  I had a very spontaneous opportunity to go there for what I thought was your basic conference about using technology in the classroom.  Don't get me wrong, I was very excited to go, especially because I received a division grant that allowed me to turn my classroom into a 1-to-1 environment with iPads. However, to say I was out of my depth is an understatement.  I have an understanding of what I want to do with technology in the classroom, but the overall affect I know it could have for student learning seems overwhelming.  I just don't know enough, and don't know enough about how to get there!  So I really looked at going to this conference as an opportunity to learn.

When the invitation was sent out and the ball started rolling, I have to admit that I didn't know what I was in for.  I knew there was going to be talk about technology in the classroom.  I knew that the conference was in Ontario.  I knew I was going with a handful of others.  What I didn't know is how dynamic this conference was going to be.  This morning as I was reviewing the notes I took over the last several days, it hit me how valuable going to the ConnectED conference was, and I discovered that my take-away was very different from what I thought it was going to be.

Truth be told, I think I came back with more questions than answers, but I don't look at that like it's a bad thing.  At least now I feel like I have direction.  This might not seem like such a big deal, but it's the one thing I really needed.  I had an understanding of what I wanted to achieve in my classroom in general, but now I feel focused.  I learned about tools, coding, tech toys, maker spaces and maker thinking, redefining the classroom with Google Apps for Education, implementing Genius Hour and digitizing lesson planning and gamification...in 3 days.  My brain was exploding.  I was excited and overwhelmed, and the day before the last day of the conference I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to figure out a way to put it all together.  And then it was Friday.

Thankfully, a light bulb went off in my head within moments of attending the first session of the last day.  The session was called The Connected Classroom.  It was delivered by teacher Peter Cameron, and he spoke about technology in a way that surprised me.  I don't know what I was expecting when I attended his session, but it wasn't what I got.

The session was about using technology to make human connections.  Of course there have been many conversations about how technology is preventing people from making valuable connections with each other.  Texting and "saying" something on Facebook is easier (especially if it's something negative) than it is to speak to someone face to face.  As Cameron's session went along he shared how he began the year with compliment booklets students make for each other to set the tone for the year, he showed how he connected students with experts and "adventerures" around the world using technology, and he made sure that he worked volunteer time into his class, all in an attempt to cultivate community and make human connections.  It was also apparent that the students interest was the driving force behind so much of what was done in class.  The whole time I was thinking, "That's how I want to teach."  I highly recommend checking out his website here to get a better idea of all the wonderful experiences his students are engaged in.

From there, everything just sort of snowballed and culminated in a session that focused on the importance of having a growth mindset, and how that affects a classroom.  Having this type of mindset forces us to look at the process rather than the product.  These presenters shared how they posted student work on bulletin boards highlighting the mistakes the students made with a positive message like "My brain grew!" on sticky notes.  The teachers that spoke at this time also acknowledged how adopting a growth mindset was an uncomfortable one at first because teaching in this way completely changed how they looked at curriculum, planned units, assessed students and collaborated with each other and the community (local and global).  They also went on to say how their students are better, more critical learners because of it.  This session was headed by principal Gianna Helling.  She documents her school's journey here.

When it was all said and done, I realized that a major change in the classroom comes with letting go and giving students autonomy.  And lots of it.  The great part is that I don't have to become an expert in all the areas that students find interesting.  There is a global community of experts, educators and professors, university students, athletes, explorers, "adventurers", authors (and any one else you can think of!) that are literally only an e-mail or Skype session or Tweet away.

In this post I've really only begun to scratch the surface with all of the information that I received over the past week.  Below are some of the comments that were made in the sessions I attended by the presenters I saw.  These statements from presenters made me reflect on what I was doing in the classroom, and challenge me to view teaching, planning, assessing and collaborating in a different way:

1. What should we do and why?  When we figure out the "why", it gives our "what" purpose.  (I strongly suggest watching this video to better understand what the "why" can do!)

2. Let's fail spectacularly.  Failure is a great teacher.

3. If you're not reflecting on a daily basis, you're not learning.  (Applicable, I think, to both my students and myself.)

4. It's important to allow yourself and your students time to PLAY with technology.

5. Create a school-wide model to teach students how to organize their digital work.

6. Teach students how to use technology and then create a school environment that supports using it.

7.  It's not about finding the perfect answer because there may be many.  It's about bringing the thinking to light.

8. Students need to see teachers using technology for learning, and moving through the the learning process with them.  We don't have to be the experts all the time.

9. Inquiry is where inspiration and perspiration intersect to create genius.

10.  Share.  Share everything.

11.  Remember that learning is messy.

12. When we post the product, we are saying we focus on the perfected end result of learning.  Creating a bulletin board to post evidence of the process says we are focused on how we got to the product.

13.  I spend the first two months of school allowing students to engage in tasks that I know they will fail in.  Then we learn how to deal with failure.  We talk about the process of learning.  We talk about how to think when we fail, what we should do, who we can talk to and we train our brains to look positively at failure.