Forty-three presenters – including three Apple Distinguished Educators, the Illinois art teacher of the year and the director of Illinois Computing Educators (ICE) – shared their expertise with District 58 faculty and administration on November 3 during an all-day professional development workshop, “Transformative Learning Experiences,” at Herrick Middle School.
“Our theme for this District-wide workshop was based on the underlying belief that technology can and does fundamentally change learning,” said Scott Meech, District 58’s Director of Technology.
The day was divided into three traditional sessions, one “un-conference” session, and an opening and closing keynote presentation.
The keynote by Steve Dembo, director of social media strategy and online community for Discovery Education, focused on the impact of technology and Web 2.0 on the classroom.
Click here to view Steve Dembo’s biography.
Session offerings, half of which were led by outside presenters and half by District 58 staff, include:
- Motivating Students with Blogging
- Transcending ‘Spectacle’ for True Digital Storytelling
- The Flipped Classroom: Redefining Teaching and Learning
- Engaging Your Classes with Edmodo
- Literacy Centers for Guided Reading
- Advanced Google Research for Students and Teachers
- Using Digital Media to Support Literacy
- Kidblog.org: Making Writing Come Alive
- Incorporating Wikis Into Your Classroom
The traditional sessions were followed by un-conference sessions, which were an opportunity for collaboration and sharing about learning and technology.
“We wanted to provide time for teachers and administrators to discuss topics on the spot that may have arisen from earlier in the day or were not covered in a session that was offered. Discussion topics were created that day to answer questions, share experiences, collaborate, and set up meetings,” Meech said.
