Anytime I do a blog post which is a list, my traffic shoots up.
– A friend / tech-blogger
This post has been rattling around in my head since the end of the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Annual Conference last week. I most appreciated the chance to meet and discuss technology war stories with folks I had only “met” before through twitter, make new connections in the math world, and think about how new ideas and products will change my classroom culture. But trying to summarize the experience in a blog post is difficult. There’s just too much stuff – new tools, inspiring people, great school action – how can I fit it all in?
I got it — I’ll make a list!!!
Often, the most popular presentations are those which feature lists – it’s a great device for getting foot traffic to your session.
- Amazing Chrome Apps and Extensions to Enhance Teaching and Learning!
- The Magic Bag of New Presentation Tools for Teachers
- 60 in 60 – App Attack
I confess I enjoyed Steve Dembo’s list session – “Something Old, Something New” – which challenged participants to share tools on Twitter and think about how “old” tools still could be thoroughly effective in the classroom, and not to toss them for new things, while also embracing the new. Sessions featuring lists can be intoxicating hours of “wow”.
After my session featuring Desmos on day 1, I was energized to think about a session for next year. There were few math-specific sessions at ISTE, and the group I worked with seemed appreciatice and eager for more. There are many, many math tools I use in my classroom, and I’d love to share them…I even have a title:
The Math Tech Tool SmackDown!
60 minutes – 10 to 15 math tools, lots of oohs and aahs over their wonderfulness, some quick examples, a few cute anecdotes, and everyone leaves happy.
Teachers LOVE lists!
The list is also a cop-out.
List sessions are often one-sided affairs. The presenter moves rapid-fire through tools with examples, and the time crunch to get to everything means little time for discussion. The application and personalization are left for the user to figure out later. They aren’t BAD sessions at all (heck, my last post on this blog is a list…and you’ll find many other lists buried here on the blog), just know going in that discussion of pedagogy will not be the order of the day. Follow up that list session with a smaller group opportunity and syntthesize your new learning immediately.
I’m suddenly feeling less excited (and a little guilty) about my Math Tool Smack-Down. Some twitter sharing from a colleague helps lend some clarity to my thoughts:
https://twitter.com/JGradyHHHS/status/615878743597424641
Yes! It’s about best teaching practice – not the tool (duh!). It’s easy to forget that in the tsunami of stuff (and swag) at a big tech conference.
Jed Butler is such a great math resource, and an awesome friend. He came as a participant to my Desmos session, and ended up being a vital resource when the tech went south. He also acted as my button-pusher, and general problem-solver. On the last day of the conference, a lunch conversation of math tools developed into a potential ISTE talk for next year, featuring problem-posing as a framework for making use of apps and tools. Such exciting conversation, and there will be a lot more to come this month when Jed and I (along with Mike Fenton and Glenn Waddell) share Desmos morning sessions at Twitter Math Camp.
Extending conversations beyond conferences – one of the most powerful aspects of my participation in the Math-Twitter-Blog-OSpehere. Keep a lookout here on the blog as we get deeper into July as the group shares out classroom ideas.
Thanks to Priness Choi for sharing out her experience in my session. Yes, I move around a lot!
mathcoachblog 