Blended and self-directed professional development is the training teachers need for the 21st century. K12 Online is the way to make that happen. - Wes FryerDarren Kuropatwa streamed in live over the internet from Canada to share his experiences last year with K12 Online. It is an online conference for professional development online. Presented by individuals involved in cutting edge 21st century learning. It is marked by the passion of the people participating. Dip your toe in and see what is there. It is free, that's right.....free!
Bud Hunt did the keynote from his car, porch and basement. It was truly that homegrown. K12 Online - everyone takes turns driving the learning and riding the learning. It's up to all of us to make connections. Why shouldn't teachers just have their own professional development? Because we will perpetuate what we already know. It's nice to learn from other places, hear about issues and how they are overcome . These are conversations that should be happening.
A district tech integration specialist from Alabama tried to figure out a way to provide her teachers cutting edge tech training for the one day they had. She set it up so the teachers would listen to the podcast or video on K12 Online all at the same time that day. They were able to choose sessions that applied to them as learners. One great way to choose is by academic needs at school. Talk about meeting differientiated needs!
Jeff Utecht - formerly of Shanghai American School had the idea of hosting a LAN party (Local Area Network - haha) He had pot luck dinners at his apartment for four Saturdays where everyone brought food and then after dinner they would break up in the apartment with computers and headphones for an hour and then would come back as a group and podcast their thoughts.
Sheryl NussbaumBeach spoke about the Live events on K12 Online - fireside chats and "when night falls" events are a way to connect internationally with other educators. Conversations with other educators can transform our thinking.
The great thing about this conference that is coming again this year... is that because it is online you can go view LAST year's sessions now. AND, did I mention it is free?
