EduCampAKL 2013
EduCamps are informal gatherings of educators who get together in their own time to share their knowledge and learn from one another. It's informal arrangement allows the discussions to happen that the participants need and want.
A SmackDown is a great way to share professionally, you could use it in your staff or team meetings. Like a Petcha Kutcha on a small scale, you get two minutes to talk about any tool or idea, about learning. I presented two tools. First was the way I have been using Pinterest to help teach and inspire writing with students. I have created a large collection of images in boards labeled "characters" and "settings" which I used to model writing with. Like many of our students, I am a highly visual person and although not an avid writer, I feel more inspired and creative when I have a visual to scaffold my words.
Next was EduClipper because I love Pinterest and find it a valuable tool for visual bookmarking, great for inquiry. EXCEPT they do not allow users under 13 years old, a common problem with online tools. EduClipper uses the same basic formula but is designed for teachers and students, an excellent alternative.
My favourite discussion of the day was about Minecraft for learning. There is obviously a lot of interest out there and I enjoyed being bale to share my passion for Minecraft as a game and a teaching context.
I shared my Minecraft Quest blog with the group, which is a blog of challenges with some guiding research, vocabulary exploration and questions to engage fun and thinking. Students can share their creations on the blog or leave comment linking to their own blogs. Some teachers are using the challenges for their Minecraft Clubs at school.
Another great day with teachers modeling life-long learning, collaboration and reflection, I am proud to have been that company; and I had fun.
EduCamps are informal gatherings of educators who get together in their own time to share their knowledge and learn from one another. It's informal arrangement allows the discussions to happen that the participants need and want.
A SmackDown is a great way to share professionally, you could use it in your staff or team meetings. Like a Petcha Kutcha on a small scale, you get two minutes to talk about any tool or idea, about learning. I presented two tools. First was the way I have been using Pinterest to help teach and inspire writing with students. I have created a large collection of images in boards labeled "characters" and "settings" which I used to model writing with. Like many of our students, I am a highly visual person and although not an avid writer, I feel more inspired and creative when I have a visual to scaffold my words.Next was EduClipper because I love Pinterest and find it a valuable tool for visual bookmarking, great for inquiry. EXCEPT they do not allow users under 13 years old, a common problem with online tools. EduClipper uses the same basic formula but is designed for teachers and students, an excellent alternative.
My favourite discussion of the day was about Minecraft for learning. There is obviously a lot of interest out there and I enjoyed being bale to share my passion for Minecraft as a game and a teaching context.
I shared my Minecraft Quest blog with the group, which is a blog of challenges with some guiding research, vocabulary exploration and questions to engage fun and thinking. Students can share their creations on the blog or leave comment linking to their own blogs. Some teachers are using the challenges for their Minecraft Clubs at school.
Another great day with teachers modeling life-long learning, collaboration and reflection, I am proud to have been that company; and I had fun.
Read my tweets and those from #EdCampAKL on my e-portfolio.
Thanks again for participating and contributing to EduCampAKL Shaun. I didn't make the Minecraft session, it got lots of feedback on Twitter. Was great to see everyone and also thinking that there were a lot more first timers this year. I enjoy the serendipity of EduCamps and the conversations. Date set for 2014 - 26 July, see you there.
ReplyDeleteHey Shaun, loved reading your reflection. Such a pity I missed this year. I would have enjoyed hearing the smack down, and learning about mine craft. I am just starting out with Pinterest and would have loved to be part of some of the other workshops. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAll the best
Sonya
Ahhh thanks for your post - I have two boys (9 and 13) who love Minecraft - as a teacher i can definitely see the benefits but hadn't quite got around to investigating these benefits. Thank you for sharing your blog. Pleased to see EduCampAKL was as awesome as ever.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Naketa