Friday, October 25, 2013

I Love Tech Dates with Students

Jennie Magiera started the Play Date phenomenon of PD. Since then, we have been itching to offer something similar for our students. During October, the National Writing Project has been running a series of #geekouts for students. In these #geekouts, students come, they make, and they teach others how to make. Those others consist of teachers, community members, and anyone watching the GeekOuts. I really enjoy this form of learning. There is no agenda and it is built just around learning. People come to learn, to share, and to make. It blends the concept of makers' squares, Hangouts on-air, and Play Dates.

After connecting with a variety of educators and other professionals during connected educators' month, I became more adamant about getting students and parents connected. Too often, our parents are not connected. Many do not even have the knowledge of how to navigate the school's Website. Therefore, they are not able to provide support for their children. They also may not know what technologies to be using with their children - they may be fearful of using any or they may be open to any type. The spectrum is large.

So, how do we connect parents and students with teachers? We - two co-Instructional Technology Specialists - and I plan on building learning among our feeder schools. Therefore, we will bring the elementary, middle school, and high school that all feed into one another together. We will have a "what students love and love to share" area, a "what parents love and parents love to share" area, and a "what teachers love and love to share" area. These areas are flexible and learners and leaders can rotate between each. The goal is to promote learning - in its purest form.

We plan to host our first ever event on Valentine's Day to promote a LOVE for learning. More info will come later.

How do you promote a love for learning? How do you promote a love for sharing information?

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