Written by Wow, day one at Cohort 21. I didn’t know what to expect when I initially agreed to come into the group but I’m glad I have and I’m already better for it.
Started by adding tweet deck, diigo, google hangout, and Kahoot tools to my arsenal (things that were not on my horizon at all). They all seem like tools I could use in my classrooms actually quite easily.
- Tweet deck will help me keep track of my multiple twitter accounts and hashtags I want to follow
- Diigo will help me research new ideas and find out about what other people think about their own research
- Google Hangout will be great to have face-to-face interactions with my newfound peers
- Kahoot will be great for quizzes in my class!
Today was a fantastic opportunity to meet a ton of new people and exchange some incredible tools. I didn’t feel like the tech expert (which is a little bit of a new feeling) and I felt that I took a lot in from this professional development.
This group of people all have very similar aspirations to myself, despite being from all sorts of different disciplines and grade levels. It is a sign of continued development in the independent school sector and the push by administrators and teachers alike to pursue a higher, better, more efficient, more connected, more student centered way of teaching.
I already have an idea about where I want to go with my action plan for the associated project and hope to develop this over the next several blog posts including establishing the foundations of research for my ideas, developing the material, and trailing it with some of my students this year.
My thoughts? More to come!
Wow, Andrew! I’m so glad you had a really positive day. Can’t wait to hear what thoughts you have brewing for an action plan.
Totally agree with you! I knew these tools and had use it for personal tools before. It is definitely worth it a try in the classroom.
Hey Andrew,
It was great to meet you today. I’m glad to hear that you were able to take away some tangible learning from the session, and that you’re already thinking ahead to your action plan. Your comment about how you learned things that were not already on your radar reminds me of a blog that Brent (@brenthurley) posted yesterday about “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Check it out when you have a minute:
http://cohort21.com/brenthurley/2015/10/17/what-happens-when-you-change-schools-after-13-years/#comment-238
Looking forward to November already!
Les
You are so lucky to already know what you want to focus on this year. It always takes me months to figure out! I look forward to hearing more about it. Glad you’re in the cohort this year!