Saturday, February 8, 2014

My Experience at the Texas Computer Education Conference

I arrived at the conference on Sunday afternoon.  It was a rainy day but I had rays of sun shining on  me all the way because I knew I was about to experience some life changing training from the best teachers in Texas.  On Monday morning, I volunteered for the Smart Board session. It was a very informative session but since I use Smart Notebook resources regularly from my desktop, this session really did not increase my knowledge but it was presented very well with great resources that I can share with others.  

The next session I attended was- Integrating Augmented Reality into the Classroom by using the app Aurasma. I think this is an amazing app and I do plan to integrate it in my classroom this year. I would like to use it to guide students on practice problems given in a work sheet document. I have connected with some teachers online that will share their resources and expertise with me. 
   
Attending Flipped Classroom with TI  Nspire enabled me to learn  about the features of the TI Nspire.  The device is no longer called a calculator but a "handheld" and I thought this was interesting information. Using the TI-Nspire, teachers can  flip their classrooms by introducing an interesting video and posting it online for students to view at home. Then students would  participate in an activity using the Nspire.  The Navigation system enables teachers to receive immediate feedback of student understanding and the teacher can project the students Nspire screen for others students to see thereby increasing student engagement.   
A polling feature was demonstrated that allowed students to get assignments  sent to them from the handheld. The device can  save pictures to Microsoft word that comes from the Nspire pictures program 

 I attended a session entitled "STEM- Why Now"by Cindy Moss of discovery education.  This session gave me chills and it was a very powerful presentation for me.  She introduced me to a new acronym FAIL- First Attempt In Learning. She also stated that STEM needs to be redefined.  Many Educators have different definitions of STEM courses. We know it means Science, Technology Engineering and Math but it can also mean s Strategies That Engage Minds
She stated that STEM jobs are on the rise especially in Texas.  Many jobs only require special certification and a few hours of junior-college. Our students merely need an opportunity, an introduction and  training in how to think and problem solve. She shared different strategies that can be used in teaching STEM such as making observations and using manipulatives. 

I presented the session- Creating, Editing, and Sharing online resources through CK12.org. I had 40 participants and it was really an enjoyable experience sharing this resource. Using this resource I have created an online resource  that includes notes, videos, and practice problems for my next unit-Polynomials. I am including that in the resources I have listed below.  

I also attended Managing the Connected Classroom and there I  was introduced to another acronym-SLATE- which means Sit up -Listen -Airplane mode -Track speaker and Engage in conversation.  

Below are some of the resources that were shared. This was quite an enjoyable conference for me. 

Here is a link to all the resources I was introduced to

-Resouces for Math teachers by  Tom Readon 

Direct link to STEM lessons and resources 

http://www.aurasma.com/ This site is about augmented reality.  I do not have the presenter notes but you can google to get tutorials. 

http://education.ti.com/en/timathnspired/us/home Link to TI Nspire Math Activities and Lessons 

Polynomials-Book I created through CK12 

You can create and edit resources to share with students 

No comments:

Post a Comment