May 11, 2015
I actually dreamed up the idea that I wanted to present at NISOD (National
Institute for Staff and Organizational Development) last summer. I had
been spending a lot of time studying the concepts of flipping the
classroom and reading about the use of technology in teaching. I
started drafting a proposal and decided to title it "Handing Aristotle anIpad". I came up with a general idea of what I wanted to present
and submitted it well before the deadline. I received an email congratulating me for being chosen as a breakout session presenter. I now feel even more strongly that what I want to talk about is important and timely.
Living with a teenager has given me a day to day picture of the way
young people live online. Not only do they enjoy using the internet,
they depend on it to stay connected to others 24/7. It has become more
and more clear to me that instead of objecting to the devices that all
these young people carry around and obsessively use all day every day,
we must learn to embrace and include them in the educational
environment. If we have any hope to engage these learners, we will
have to learn to talk to them in their language.
I have tried some innovative teaching techniques over the last year. I attended a conference on the flipped learning environment last fall. So I have lost of ideas and for weeks I have jotted notes on a tablet, on my iPad, or even my phone. Now it is time to put it all together into something that will interest and inform my audience. I feel a little nervous that I will be presenting to colleagues, but I am gaining confidence as I read and research and express my thoughts.
Like a good teacher, I started with my objectives. Trying to keep it simple, I chose three main topics. I am wishing that I could draw or knew someone who would illustrate my title for me. I want to use a lot of visuals. I will use PowerPoint to organize my presentation, since I know it well. I worry about technology failure, which can always happen. So it seems smart to create a handout of some sort. Tomorrow I will talk more about the expectations I have of the conference.
