Spring break was a welcome hiatus and I manged to relax (did I mention the cruise?) and read a few books; NOT teacher books (not that there is anything wrong with 'teacher' books)! When I returned from our 2 week break (I know...spoiled), I was actually rested and invigorated! We have been back for almost two weeks now and so much learning has transpired; both for me and my students. My Reading Recovery students are accelerating and I made a breakthrough with one of my writing students. Oh how I love those 'ah ha' moments!
Today was great! I am part of a technology team at school and we have been working on a professional development session designed to expose teachers to some of the available technology for 21st Century learners (and teachers). It was awesome. We decided to start slow and just give teachers a taste (well, a nibble really) of the possibilities that are out there. We chose to share our knowledge about Twitter, Skype, and Google Reader. Wow! I was amazed at how much I learned as a facilitator. A reminder for me that we really learn by doing.
Our purpose for today was not for teachers to walk away with new Twitter and Google accounts, rather our goal was to help teachers envision how technology might live in their world...in their classroom. I think we were successful. Yes, there were a few glassy eyes at the end of the day, however there was an energy in the room that held promise. I am anxious for someone to come up and ask me questions (although I am just a novice). And I can't wait to try out some new things...like the iPad I am getting through a Special Ed grant. Yahoo!
Before I go I would like to ask you all to share with me how you use technology. Do you Tweet? Blog? Subscribe? Skype? You can comment here or find me on Twitter @marcimurray. Can't wait to hear from you.
Now, back to my wine (Robert Mondavi Cabernet, 2009)
~Cab Lover
