As Fiona has indicated, there was lots to take in over the past few days. Some of it was reiteration of things many educators are well aware of - the exponential growth of all things IT, the production and reinvention of many new tools, and the expectations of students to have access to many different types of tehcnlogy in all aspects of their life - both in and out of school. 

Other elements included sharing a new and different ways of teaching and learning - an offering of some of the tools which have worked effectively in the classroom.

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Key elements from my notes captured in a Wordle
As indicated above, one of the key focuses was on students (naturally). This included the workshops where students presented details of the classroom experience from their perspective: e.g. Day 1- 'Student created web content' - flipping the responsibilities of teaching and learning in the classroom. 
3 students also spoke to us all from the heart, about 'What works for me and how I like to learn'. They conveyed that while they see the need for more traditional structures in lessons, they value connectivity with their peers to discuss and review school after hours. (The connectivity and delivery FaceBook offers seems key.)

Some demonstrated new and innovative programs like 'Values Exchange', uses for Google Earth, and the integration of several programs and/or websites to engage students using IWB activities. 

'Values Exchange' is built to share and collate student reponses to current issues - and in a way that has them consider and justify their viewpoint, and in comparison with others. It is the social, and potentially, international sharing of opinion which is reflected here.

Also shared were views on using iPads, effective web 2.0 tools, recommended apps, and the importance of developing your PLN (including Twitter and Google+). All of this with an emphasis on connecting meaningfully with the 'connected generation' - not just for the sake of using new and different tools.

Activity on Twitter was at times frenetic, as participants agreed, echoed or questioned what they were hearing. Everyone will take time to absorb what they heard and shared, some of which is collated for further viewing at: http://aisitic11.wikispaces.com/Home. Conference tweets can also be reviewed on Twitter at: #aisitic11


 
I thought I'd share with you what Linda and I have been doing this Thursday and Friday at the ICT conference organised by the AIS and held at Knox Grammar this year.
Firstly, for all you tweeters out there, search for and follow the conference hashtag #aisitic11 on Twitter. This is a great way to 'virtually' attend the conference and get access to some of the best ideas, links and discussion generated by the conference attendees. Also, have a look at the conference wiki to get a whole range of resources that are available to anyone.
This morning's Keynote was given by the fantastic Mark Scott - the Managing Director of the ABC. He was a wonderfully engaging presenter who spoke about how he worked to transform the ABC from a traditional broadcaster to and innovative digital media leader. 
The first workshop I attended was given by Megan Bennett from Abbotsleigh. She spoke about how staff are using video conferencing facilities to enrich their professional development. By doing some PD in this way, time and costs are greatly reduced when compared with traditional PD delivery. This could be a great thing for St Paul's staff to investigate and be a truly international school. Here are some of the ways they have used video conferencing:
  • whole school staff meeting with expert educator (international)
  • collaboration between schools
  • teacher librarian conference (AIS)
  • development office fundraising
  • IT managers meeting
  • K-12 team meetings

I also attended a workshop on collecting student feedback to enhance and shape learning activities in the classroom. This was given by Thea van Os and Peter Ellis from St Joseph's College. Using things such as Poll Everywhere and Twiducate teachers can get immediate feedback from students on how they are learning and whether they are understanding and what they think. It encourages student voice, especially those who normally are too shy or scared to say anything in the classroom. This was a really good reminder for me to ask for feedback from students (it's usually not that bad, despite what we might think!).

Lastly there were 'Sandpit' sessions that were open to anything people were interested in. Most people opted for learning about iPads in the classroom but as that's not an option for me, I went with a small group to learn more about OneNote. One of the people in the group shared how he is using the program and it has really inspired me to explore the capabilities of OneNote much more! I think there is a Breakfast Bytes session in this :)

So, after lots of chatting to former colleagues, twitter friends and current colleagues; along with tweeting, listening, thinking and a very long train journey there and back; I am quite tired after all that! I will share what I learn tomorrow and hopefully you will find something that sparks an idea that you can use in the classroom.