Computer Conference

Last friday the practicum class was brought to a computer conference. My initial thought of this conference was that it was going to be information geared towards a professional that I would not yet connect to. After going to the conference I realized how valuable that day actually was. Here are the 10 big things I learned at the conference.

1.)ACTEM is wayyy bigger then I ever expected. I never thought that this conference was going to have so many people attend. The biggest thing I probably learned was the amount of information that was out there that I had no idea about. It was a huge eye opener to see how much of a possibility there is to connect technology to the classroom that teachers aren't using to full potential yet.I always felt like I was pretty up to date on a lot of technology but this conference blew me away. If there was one thing I pulled out of this conferences it was the possibility to improve a classroom through technology.

2.)I never knew how much you could actually do on google. The amount of applications is amazing and could actually be useful for a teacher. There is even a program called google reader that helps with placing all the useful internet tools on one page and collaborating them so your acess is much shorter. This is google reader: http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&source=en-mmm#directory-welcome-page

3.) Flickr was a great program that I learned about in one of my sessions. This program put together a easier was to upload videos and images to share with the world. Visit flicker by clicking here:www.flickr.com

4.) I always wondered how recent teachers always got amazing ideas for projects and units. I realized that a lot of upcoming teachers take use of a program called delicious. It is a way for teachers to collaborate with other teachers on anything they are seeking help on. It's like a huge dictionary for help in the classroom put out by teachers who have placed benificial websites that other teachers can browse and create ideas.You can subscribe to other teachers websites and find out which websites they find helpful. Visit Delicious: www.delicious.com

5.) At the conference I got to walk around to all the venders and witness the new products that are coming out for teaching. I thought it was amazing how much of these new products were actually eco friendly. It is amazing that in the career of teaching the future we are working towards a cleaner, greener,world and it gives me hope for what is to come. There were printers that used less ink and worked with LED lighting and recycled materials used for posters and displays. In all I was impressed by the number of "green" products displayed at the conference.

6.) The second session I went to was about making a interactive white board with a Wii Remote. I found this session to be one of the most benificial. I didn't even know this idea was possible and the instructor of the lesson was extremely informative. She broke down everything into simple terms and made this white board actually do-able for students. The Wi Remote acts as a mouse when standing up at the board and students have the ability to have the teacher or presentor at the head of the class teaching with an overhead projection screen. She showed the session videos of how these remotes work and also hands on how the light pens actually work. I found it extremely benificial because it is so cost effective.

7.)A really useful website I came across at teh conference was "how stuff works". I see students using this website a lot because not only does it provide images and information on a decent amount that students want to know it also provides videos for students to watch. It gives students the ability to acess information in a different way other then just looking up information online. Visit http://www.howstuffworks.com/ Today!!!

8.) For months I have been hearing about Smart boards. My practicum teacher had mentioned using one in class and Johanna has also mentioned using them in a classroom setting but I never actually came across one, until the conference. I never knew the capabilities of this amazing whiteboard. Teachers have the abilities to stand at the front of the class but still interact with the computer as if they have a magic wand telling it everything they want to do. I was captivated by watching the Smart board and hope one day I have the ability to use one inside my classroom.

9.)I have never really been to a conference with all teachers before so I was looking forward to seeing a collection of teachers wanting to learn. As sad as it is to say I am extremely dissapointed. These teachers spend their days in the classroom trying to gain respect and attention at all times but once they are in a conference with others in the same position as them their role switches drastically. I feel our class was more respectful at the conference then most teachers. There were teachers talking on the phone, texting, having other conversations, and just not paying attention. School probably funded for these educators to be there, why not take advantage of it? I got severely discouraged by the community sitting around me because it was as if they were creating a double standard. Isn't one of the goal of teaching is to set an example? Just because students aren't there doesn't mean that no longer applies. If their was one piece of information I learned at this conference it was how some actual teachers react to being taught and my hope for myself for the future is to be the oposite.

10.) My reaction to the conference would be overall positive. I feel lucky to have experienced the conference at an early age because now I know what to expect for the future and what sessions to look for the next time I go. I really enjoyed some of the sessions I went to because it opened up a new page of teacher resources I didn't even know where available. Most of the sessions were taught by actual teachers that use these programs on a daily basis so they were knowledgable yet spoke on our level. I never felt like I was lost in a session. Overall it was a great conference and I can honestly say I benifited from it. Now if I can only find the ability to manuver myself online and on these programs it will be a miracle.