Tuesday, July 22, 2014

More Professional Development That Counts

I really like the Pinnacle sessions that have been offered this summer. I like the smaller group dynamic and the more "personal" feel of the training. Unfortunately, I missed some of the training and I know that I missed a lot.

This morning, I learned about app smashing, a new term that I didn't know until today. I knew about apps, I knew about the different uses and how to take "this" from "that" to make "this other thing", I just didn't know what it was called. I learned about SAMR (add to TPACK to enhance education) and how to use apps to create lessons that take the student above and beyond the simple steps of Bloom's Taxonomy and SAMR. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that out there and the app possibilities (there are SO many that are free, especially for Education). It's time, to turn a phrase, to find a few good apps that work well together to help students get to the level of learning that must be experienced.

Working with some of the free apps, there are limitations but most will do just about anything that's needed, particularly when you use one app to create something for another. Apps that I will see in my lessons next year include Lucid Chart, Pixlr Express, Powtoon, and  BookTrack. There are any numbers of other apps on the iDevices but my school has few of these devices. BookTrack is a great way for students to narrate and sound-track their own writing. I think this will work well with Book Reviews for my Educational Media Students.

In the afternoon, I learned more about the adult learner through andragogy, as opposed to pedagogy. As a Pinnacle Leader (Tech Trainer for the LEA), I expect to teach adults differently. It's an interesting subject to discuss. Even though you may teach students (children and adults) very differently, learning doesn't seem to be so different. The advantage and disadvantage of teaching either group lies in experience or the lack thereof. I don't see that my high school learners are so different from adult learners (at least at the upper classes) but I can see how different younger students would be. The younger the student the less likely there is experiential learning, background knowledge, and other "baggage" to contend with during a learning session.

I believe it's important to consider "training" a learning session rather than "training". If in the first five minutes, (thanks to Lisa Montgomery) you haven't told me what I am doing "here" or why I should "care", I'm lost. Afterall, I do have ADH...oh look, a chicken! The older the student the more difficult it seems to "captivate" them. One important thing to remember is that adult learners come with their own preferences and experiences and they are all valid. I hope to differiate in my learning sessions by providing several "choices" for my learners - and myself.

Thanks to Teresa Thomassen, Debbie Ray, and Lisa Montgomery for real professional development that matters.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Robin! We love to know that we are helping our teachers make a difference with our students. Thanks for taking time out of your summer to expand your horizons and enhance our sessions. You are a jewel!

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