Illinois Computing Educators (Thing 12)

Illinois Computing Educators (ICE) seems like a great professional community. I like that their resources are online for everyone to view, not just members (although there are probably more things available for the members - I'm not one, so I don't know). As I looked through the past events, several of them caught my eye: I liked the idea of the EdCamp Illinois very much because it seemed like participants can make their own choices about the sessions they attend and if they don't work out, they could change their minds! I usually feel kind of boxed in at professional development seminars, so the freedom of choice and applicability to the classroom really appeals to me. The Whatever It Takes conference also seems cool because they have different levels of training based on how comfortable you already are with the technology being presented. I also like how they are focused on classroom and school culture as well as incorporating technology because as I have said before (ad nauseam to those of you who have been reading these entries), I take exception to the idea of putting the technology first. I think we should think about what would make our schools better and then see if the technology can help with that improvement. One of the speakers at the Whatever It Takes conference also maintains this blog, which I think will be a good resource for me.

I have never been to an ICE or other technologically-focused conference. I tend to spend my professional development time and money on things related to writing and reading, but over the last decade, I have seen more and more sessions and resources at literacy conferences begin to include technology. At first, I was reluctant to attend those sessions because there no guarantee that our district would pay for or support new technology, and I preferred to spend my time learning about things that I could control. I can implement new curriculum or activities into my own classroom with no or minimal support from other people (although it always helps to have a second pair of eyes!). After looking at the resources available from the conference on the ICE website, though, I think that it would probably be a good experience for me. I like that there are sessions on building partnerships and connecting what students do in the classroom to the larger community through technology, and there were several workshops that looked connected to literacy even at first glance, like digital storytelling and writing. Several of them also mentioned leadership and creativity, and these are skills that each of our students will continue to need beyond their school experiences. Finally, I loved that the presenter notes for many sessions were readily available and that there was a shared document for each session where the participants could take notes together. That's a great example of the technology in action!

Another example of the technology in action making things easier is dotstorming. I visited the NICE Meeting Ideas dotstorming board and was, at first, a little confused about how it worked. I thought the dots were all pieces of information about each idea, so I was trying to click on them, but then I realized it was really only for voting about what people would like to learn about in future meetings of the Northern Illinois Computing Educators (NICE). There were some great topics; I voted for Student Feedback/Self-Assessment, Global Audience/Publishing, Student Leadership/Voice, Lesson Development/Technology Integration, and Blended Learning. I also suggested the topic of Creating a Community of Readers (no votes yet, but hope springs eternal!) because I think it is so important that my students know how to seek out and find a community beyond the classroom. I would actually love to use dotstorming in the classroom; I often ask students for feedback on several choices, and this would be easier and more readily available for future use than asking students to raise their hands and writing down the numbers on a post-it. It's also good that your name is not linked to your choices (at least I don't think it is) because then, students who pick an "unpopular" choice would not feel self-conscious. I could see using this to decide which Autumnfest booth my advisory wants to do or what day to give a quiz in English. The more choice students have, the more they will own their learning.

I will definitely explore ICE and NICE more in the future. I will also look into attending a conference because I know the more comfortable I get with technology and the more I can talk to teachers who are implementing it successfully in their English/Language Arts classrooms, the more likely I will be to implement it in mine. Learning about the apps, programs, websites, and extensions on my own or through an online community can really only take me so far. I know I need to talk to people in person and be able to ask follow-up questions on the spot for me to really learn it. Going to a local conference is a bonus because it is likely that I'll meet people who teach near me or in communities like mine, so I can hear about experiences that would be directly applicable to my classroom. Going to conferences like the annual one from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) or Scholastic's Reading Summit always leaves me energized and inspired, and it's time some of that enthusiasm was directed toward the technology that can help me reach more students.