Before completing this post I reviewed some of my peers’
blogs to see how others spent their time at MACUL. I wanted to determine
whether my experience was different from others, or if we all had similar
reactions to the conference. All of the blogs that I read gave positive reviews
of the conference and all discussed seminars different from the ones that I
attended, perhaps that was my mistake.
I have to be frank here; I was underwhelmed with my
experience at MACUL. I saw three separate presentations, all on completely
different topics, but alas I left Grand Rapids feeling no more knowledgeable
about the uses of technology in the classroom than when I arrived. I saw a
presentation titled “Student Creativity and High Expectations,” one that
focused on 1:1 Implementation, and finally “Using Technology When
Differentiating Instruction.”
I think the presentation I was most disappointed by was the
seminar on 1:1 Implementation. I was excited to look at how it’s being
implemented in schools, what activities and lessons educators have developed,
and how some of the challenges have been tackled. Instead the hour focused on
why schools should look to 1:1 classrooms in the first place. I did get to have
a conversation with a Principal in Western Michigan that will be implementing
1:1 this year, it was interesting to hear about how the process was going for
her as well as what exactly she was hoping to gain and what opposition she
received.
I won’t go into detail on the “Using Technology When
Differentiating Instruction” presentation. We were shown website after app
after website, focusing mainly on math resources. Perhaps it’s all of the
assignments focusing on differentiation this term, but I’m inclined to argue
that having students play math games on the computer “at their own pace”
doesn’t necessarily qualify as differentiation. I did take down notes on some
of the websites, so I’ll have to look at them in more detail to gain a better
understanding.
Finally, the first presentation I attended on student
creativity and high expectations should have been scheduled for the afternoon.
This was my favorite seminar of the day. It left me so excited and motivated to
go home and make lesson plans, and differentiate, and create exciting lessons!
Rushton Hurley was an excellent speaker and left me we a rekindled enthusiasm
for teaching that was getting dragged down by assignments. I hope some of my
peers were able to go to this presentation because it was fascinating.
Overall I’m glad I attended MACUL. I’ve gotten to use a TON
of technology in my classes this year and we’re always trying new things. It
was nice to get a few new ideas and be re-inspired as this semester comes to a
close.
Hey Catherine!
ReplyDeleteAs your fellow MACUL buddy, I would have to say that I felt that I didn't have any big takeaways for "practical uses" of technology upon leaving. I think what was most interesting was our discussion on the way home from the conference about how it seemed that we spent a lot of time throughout the conference being convinced that technology was needed in the classroom and that it ultimately benefited learning. However, I feel that we both agreed that it is beneficial to the students in some aspects, but just because it's fun and students are playing along, doesn't necessarily mean there are advances in learning taking place. My biggest takeaway that I wrote about in my blog was the idea of remembering to be critical of technology in our teaching and when implementing it deciding whether it is helping to guide students to this substantial learning.
I would love to hear more about the student creativity and high expectations talk especially as it was the one that you found most exciting!
ReplyDeleteBut overall I had a similar experience as you did, but I blamed my experience on bad choice making rather than it being a bad conference. Morgan and I clearly did not belong in a presentation about Pinterest, it was a been there done that experience for us. And while the Lightning Talks we attended were interesting, I didn't find anything other than the structure that applicable to my own classroom.
However I agree with you that our expectations about what will be presented can make the actually presentation somewhat disappointing.
It's too bad that the seminar on 1:1 implementation didn't have a lot of useful information about how to actually do it! I guess it would be interesting to hear of the benefits of doing it, but I imagine that most of the people who attended that seminar were looking for advice on how to get the ball rolling in their own schools. I'd be really interested to hear what the principal you spoke to said about opposition and/or backlash that she has received.
ReplyDeleteI also attended a seminar about differentiation that was specific to a math classroom, but I think that it was a different one because it actually had math in the name of the seminar. Anyway, the one that I attended also focused heavily on websites, apps, and math games. I totally agree with you that this is NOT effective differentiation on its own! However, the presenter that I heard from teaches in a VERY different environment than I do, and the readiness levels of her students cover an incredibly wide spectrum. For this reason, the strategies that she discussed probably have more value in her setting than they would in mine. I hope that you at least got a chance to reflect on what it truly means to differentiate instruction!
I'm glad that the seminar on creativity and high expectations left you feeling so exhilarated, especially at this point in the program! What were some of the ideas that you were wanting to race home and explore? I'm hungry for ideas to shake up my math classes and tap into the students' creativity.
Catherine, I'd be curious to hear more about the opposition that the principal you mentioned encountered in her search for 1-to-1: funding, ideology, etc. I've been disappointed in my placement: although the district made a big noise about a big tech roll-out, they really only bought the chrome books. There was no follow-up, and the training for teachers was minimal. In the end, the district discovered that they needed much more server and wifi horsepower just to get the wireless intranet working. Point being: wondering what you heard about, and whether the restrictions were in financing, planning, or just because people doubted the value of technology?
ReplyDeleteWe spoke about this a little bit, Catherine. I was sorry to hear that two of the three presentations you attended were on the flat side. I suppose that it's a perpetual risk with attending conferences that the luck of the draw winds up going against you. I'm especially disappointed that the 1:1 presentation focused so little on what they did with the opportunity...I'd love to see lots of inspiring thinking about the affordances of 1:1, and how teachers have leveraged it for the benefit of student learning.
ReplyDeleteI was glad to hear that you were impressed with Rushton Hurley, and you weren't the only one. I see that he has some videos on the web and I plan to check him out.