After completing my first F2F session with the Cohort21 group I am left reflecting on all of the wonderful discussions that took place throughout the day. I must admit that I was hesitant to join Cohort21 because I was not entirely sure what to expect or what it was all about. Today opened up my mind to the endless possibilities that technology provides to educators in order to enhance our teaching practices and student engagement within the classroom. What I particularly enjoy about Cohort21 is that it is forcing me to step out of my “teaching comfort zone” and challenging me to take risks and explore different teaching methods and teaching tools.

Highlights of today…

Learning about WordPress and how it can be used as a powerful educational and professional tool. Blogging is a slightly terrifying concept as my personal experiences and reflections are published for the general public to read. I know that blogging is a great educational tool and I am looking forward to improving upon my own blogging skills and being comfortable with sharing my thoughts to a larger population.

Twitter– As Danielle Ganley tweeted “I have a tech crush on Twitter.”  I, too, have a tech crush on Twitter. Being introduced to TweetDeck and the various educational resources and publications that are readily available to anyone and everyone opened up a whole new Twittersphere for me. We are told as educators to stray away from social media; however, after today’s session, I strongly believe that Twitter can be an extremely valuable educational tool.

As I take time to process all of the information that was thrown my way today, I am eager to further explore Twitter and Google Classroom. At this moment, I would also like to focus on using more of an inquiry approach with my students through Project Based Learning for my action plan. I am curious to see how others have encouraged the use of technology as a tool for students to reflect on their experiences throughout the PBL process.

Thank you to all of the organizers and facilitators for putting together a great day! I am looking forward to our next session in November!

 

twitter-for-education

8 thoughts on “Soaking It All In

  1. Hi Amanda,

    I am so glad that you found value in our first F2F session, and can put some uncertainties and fears behind you too! You can always ask Chris Coyne about what’s coming down the pipe too 🙂

    You’ve made a great first impression, and some great strides so early on. Being open to taking risks, and even to blogging and tweeting can be quite a leap. I’m glad you’ve jumped!

    Looking forward to more in the near future,
    garth.

  2. Way to go Amanda! Out of the gate early with your first post. Nice! I like that you have made the blog your own by changing the theme. Play with the “widgets’ if you are looking for more things to play with. I look forward to seeing you on Twitter and what you share on Diigo.

  3. Congrats Amanda on joining Cohort 21! We knew that with your passion for learning you would be a great fit.

    Looking forward to all the things you will share back here at P.C.

    Kim

  4. Hi Amanda,

    It was so great to read your first blog post and see what a positive impact the first F2F had on you!

    If you are curious about Project Based Learning, you HAVE to check out High Tech High. They are the masters of PBL and have some awesome resources for teachers. This PDF is a great entry point and gives a lot of valuable tools / ideas for embarking on this in your own classroom:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9vDCLDArV-sVFdQc3NYUXpYNUU/view?usp=sharing

    Looking forward to reading more of your musings and reflections (the more you do it, the less scary it gets)!

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