Technology is a challenging on many fronts.  I experienced one of those challenges this week…connectivity.  When I went to compose my post I found that my trusty MiFi wasn’t being so trusty and I couldn’t connect to the Internet to create and submit my post.  This was also a challenge we faced during NCCAT.  When creating a classroom that is technology based or flipping the classroom one of the questions you must ask is “Can my children connect?”  While it seems unthinkable that anyone is out of touch these days having taught at and been the administrator at a high poverty school I know that there are families who do not have access to the Internet.  These families don’t have Smart phones…or even phones.  And while flipping the classroom is a great way to create an atmosphere of student responsibility for learning we still have to mindful of the students that are “out of touch” with us when they go home.  How can we make sure they have access?  One of our presenters actually discussed this very topic.  Since our district is one to one it is very possible for instructors to provide recording and assignments for students to take home without having internet access…but we must be careful what the assignments are composed of so we always include the students who do not have that access.

The other challenge I face instructing teachers is helping them to truly embrace technology as a teaching tool.  When our district first went one to one I saw some AMAZING things and I saw some classrooms where the laptop simply replaced the textbook and paper and pencil.  It was merely a tool for recording information and regurgitating it back.  It is so important that technology…whether a Smart device, laptop, etc. be used to its potential and not merely to provide a different forum for consuming lectures and notes.  I challenge my teachers to NOT use Powerpoint as a presentation tool.  I challenge them to include technology in their rubrics…not just for word processing..but for research, collaboration, and creation.

I’m sure in the near future connectivity will become less of a challenge…but it will be up to educators to embrace and instruct using new technology.  We owe that to our kids!

After a week at NCCAT I am exhausted and overwhelmed…but in a good way.  So many ideas, so much information, so many things I am dying to run home and tell everyone about.  It’s going to take some time to process it all.  I’m taking a lot with me…especially about incorporating technology into the classroom.  But what I’ve enjoyed the most is the reminder that true learning and transfer takes place when students apply what they have learned in hands on and meaningful ways.  So the truth is we don’t want them to keep their hands to themselves…we want them to use those hands to explore and apply!  Whether that’s creating a book report using Aurasma or learning skills of cooperation and team work while building

a tower out of pipe cleaners it’s the hands on opportunity that makes the connection.  While the world of education seems obsessed with testing it is so refreshing to be in a room full of educators that are obsessed with learning!    It is so important for teachers to take the time to really connect with other educators to allow them to reflect on their practice and where their peers are in their instruction.

I came to NCCAT many moons ago.  I was part of a group studying how to use camcorders in the classroom, “Lights, Camera, Action.”  Wow…we have come so far and it is time for educators and others to realize that the world our students live in is not the same as the world we grew up in…it is more hands on…information is immediate….they do multitask…now how are we going to teach them.  When I came last time we sat behind huge editing equipment.  Now teachers can flip their classrooms in the blink of an eye with nothing but an iPhone.  How are we reflecting on our teaching strategies to make sure they are going to meet the demands of our students.

Time for our final session.  I’m excited to go home and get back to my family.  But I’m left with one question floating through my brain, ” How am I going to help the teachers I work with take that step to embrace more experiential, problem based, and hands on learning?”  The good thing is I know I have a support base to help with that….my fellow Kenans!

Thinking about what to expect from NCCAT I found myself thinking about the last time I was at NCCAT.  I was part of a group of teachers studying how to use Camcorders in the classroom. Wow have things changed.  As I read the Edmoto posts on AR and gamification I realized how in just a few short years our teachers have so many more tools at their fingertips to engage and reach students.  I know that I’ll leave with many new ideas and educational tools to share with the teachers in my district…technology and other.  What a wonderful experience it will be and can’t wait to see what Ah-ha’s we experience as NCCAT “shines the light” on our fellowships.

No I didn’t just jump off the waterfall….but I did just jump into my externship with DPI.  I entered the fellowship with what I felt was adequate knowledge, but soon came to learn there is so much more to learn about Common Core and how the shifts should look in our classrooms.  As someone who trains teachers I’m always asked, “How is this supposed to look in my lesson plans?  In my classroom?”  While there is no easy answer to that our training in Asheville helped to provide a road map in the form of a lesson plan rubric.  Can’t wait to share!!!