Today I am planning to spend time in the exhibit hall visiting with some vendors of software we use to teach our middle schoolers. Naively, I believe I will have sufficient time to get my needed information before my first scheduled meeting. As I enter the convention center, topics catch my eye, and I have to stop to learn what is being explained. There are many booths/tables set up in the front lobby. Each table has someone explaining an innovative idea or product for increasing student success, enjoyment of learning, cyber safety, etc. By the time I make it to the exhibits, I have to turn around and rush to hear Adam Bellow present 10 Web Tools to Make Learning Even Better. If you ever have the chance, please attend one of his professional developments. Besides being entertaining and having a well designed, digital presentation, he emphasizes the fact that social networking is definitely the present and future of technology in the classroom. I have heard this repeatedly in other sessions; I am now convinced. This blog is my first step. Next? Well, I have many choices from twittering to using virtual learning tools. This session is so packed with great ideas that I almost yell "encore" at the end.
My next session is Teaching Writing in the Digital Age. A middle school teacher promises to share the secret of getting students to write and to write well. I am so disappointed to learn that this is a veiled commercial for a product. I leave the presentation early and try to get to those vendors again.
The exhibit hall is packed with over 1000 different technology exhibitors. My list includes many to visit, but my first stop is SMART. I make it just in time to sit in on the presentation for a new tool called a Smart Stick. This fits into a USB drive and gives teachers access to hundreds of standards-based, highly developed SmartBoard activities for math, science and social studies. In conjunction with the activities are many resources for additional helps and practice pages. This was developed for Smart by IgniteLearning for middle schoolers. I want this for our school so badly, but the price is pretty steep.
The next presenter is Harvey, an internationally known, creative resource for teachers who use the Smartboard to engage their learners. He speaks so quickly that I can't catch his last name, but I have heard of him before and know I need to just pay attention and absorb. The next 30 minutes are spent learning tips and tricks for creating Smartboard lessons from this master.
Heather Lamb takes the stage as Harvey leaves. Heather will be with us in August so I want to stay and listen to her. Again, social networking is the focus. She suggests Twitter and Facebook as examples of tools to use in the classroom. I am getting more and more intrigued with this concept. Ms. Lamb finishes, and I finally pull myself away from the SMART exhibit to visit others.
I rejoin my MSD group at the end of this busy day. All of us are so excited about what we have learned today! However, the hectic schedule is catching up with us so we decide to eat at a restaurant we have seen at our transfer point on the light rail. The Buckhorn Exchange turns out to be a wonderful choice. It is Denver's oldest eating establishment built in the 1800's. The walls are lined with elk, buffalo, and pictures of the old west. We are seated in the garden balcony section. There is an old cook wagon sitting in one of the corners that turns out to be where they prepare our meals. Not only do elk and buffalo adorn this place, they show up on the menu! More choices include yak, ostrich, rattlesnake and alligator. Thankfully for this chicken, they also serve beef here! The food is delicious, and the conversation going on as we eat is centered on making social networking a viable choice for our district.
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