Inspired to Lean in and Learn #FETC!

This past week I was privileged to enjoy some professional development at #FETC in Florida with thousands of other amazing #edtech leaders and our HCOS curriculum consultant Natalie Sing!

Here are some of my take-aways!

1.  Gamification of learning is a popular educational route and as IMT is big at HCOS it was interesting to hear Jane McGonigal, Director of Game Research, Institute of the Future share emerging technologies in this regard.   Do games make us better?  Here is a short video on her reasons for gaming!

2.  Augmented reality is here to stay!  Lesley Fischer presented on this topic with excellence.  Top apps that caught my attention:

• Colar
• Aurasma

3.  Other notable apps shared by different leaders!

• Arloon- Math science apps to make your classroom fun!
• Anatomy 4 D- makes the human body come alive
• Popplet- timeline and presentation apsmule
• WeChat- free messaging and chat
• MakeBelief- comic strip making.
• Little Writer- get your Pre-K student writing
• Flashcardlets
• Smule- turns all text into auto rap.
• TinyTap  - make your own APP.  (Thanks Lisa)
• E Bib - Bibliography app
• Storyboard That- Storyboard creation
• For more top apps of the year click on this review by CommonSense

4.  Maker Movement!  I was thrilled to listen to Sylvia Martinez author of Invent to Learn.  All I have to say is READ her book, and see how she is inspiring younger makers with the Superawesome Sylvia shows!  This young entrepreneur takes making to a new level.  Martinez has so many amazing things to share including the process, the plans, some ideas for establishing a #makerspace, and the encouragement to take risks and make mistakes!  We are very blessed to have our own makerspace this year in the learning commons, and are eager to learn from maker teachers/library staff in our schools who are running Lego-Mindstorm camps, Makey Makey camps and other 3D printing learning.  Here is Sylvia sharing on makered in your school.

5.  Innovation- Inspiring learning from David Sengeh, Innovator from IMT Lab and his inventions for comfortable prostheses.  His advice for innovation in education was to encourage the why questions, motivated from empathy, compassion and a desire to help others in community.  I loved his message of Hack your own community to discover how to help others!  Here is his TED Talk.

6.  Change- Preparing for change requires listening skills, surveying your patrons, a planning process, patience and remembering who you are serving.  Important tips to remember before implementing change from Google guru Rushton Hurley.

7.  3D printing is happening in your neck of the woods.  Watch for all kinds of applications as students connect real life applications, and become engineers and designers.  Makerbot is the printer we purchased for our learning commons and I was pleased to glean more about these machines from the keynote CEO of Makerbot. Making 3d in your classroom has never been more fun!  Our learning commons team is learning the ropes via your students as they make. :)


8.  Global collaboration and open access!  Stuff of which our learning commons thrives on!  I loved sharing on Twitter and met some other amazing educators in the process.  I also met the CEO of AT&T while flying to Florida and gleaned some wonderful tips re innovation! Professional development is a wonderful process to be appreciated and shared! #longlivelearning



Blessings
Pippa