I just came back from TIA 2016, one of my very first teacher
conferences. I know, I know, I’m just a student teacher, but I like to get a
jump start on things. It was so amazing, exciting, inspiring, overwhelming,
etc. The list could go on. The conference was an absolute blast and I learned a
lot.
Educators, I have to say, y’all know how to throw a
conference! When I went to watch George Couros’s talk the first day I was blown
away! There were lights, a stage, music, the whole shebang. It was incredibly
overwhelming at first. Teachers were everywhere and I knew no one – at least I
didn’t see anyone I knew at Couros’s talk. I did end up seeing some friendly
faces throughout the day. What I did see during his talk were educators excited
about teaching and using technology to do so and that was incredibly
encouraging. I hear so many negative things from teachers and professors alike.
There are so many stories of teachers resisting technology and bashing on
students for wanting to use it and all of the bad things that come with the use
of technology.
George Couros and the teachers at that conference completely
blew away the stories in my mind. I can’t remember the exact quote, but Couros
mentioned at one point in his speech that technology is a tool, just like
pencils, and how if a students does something bad with a pencil you don’t take
it away and not give them another writing utensil. Digital citizenship is
integral to our society and careers today and because of this, it’s integral to
ensure we teach our students responsible digital citizenship. Sure, there will
be students who try to take the whole yard when you only give them an inch,
they’re students. Everyone knows that children and adolescents toe the line to
see what they can get away with and for how long. That’s something everyone
does with something new. We test the limits, some go overboard, and when that
happens we use it as a teachable moment, a mini-lesson so to speak. He was
incredibly inspiring, and I managed to snag his book AND get it signed. I
cannot wait to delve into it.
Of course, I went to other talks and learned so much about
Class Dojo and google classroom (which looks AMAZING), to gamifying my
classroom with Albert Thomas (who seems like an amazingly awesome geek). There
was so much more and I have so many ideas now that I can’t wait to delve into
more and play around with.
The best thing about TIA for me was that I felt like a
teacher, and that felt so right. It helped me grow my ideas and build my
confidence that I can actually do what I’ve been learning about from text books
for three years. It made me think that hey, maybe all of this debt isn’t too
terrible a cost for what I’m about to be doing. The teachers I met and talked
to, the presenters I listened to, they all helped me feel like it’s something
that will be difficult but so totally worth it. And after hearing so many bad
things about teaching, I was extremely grateful. All-in-all, TIA was an amazing
experience that I’m so glad I have under my belt and it’s only made me even
more excited than I was to being student teaching in August!
About our Guest Blogger:
Jennifer is a senior at the University of North Texas. She
is working on her bachelors degree in English Language Arts and wants to teach
middle schoolers. You can read more of Jennifer's writings at her blog: https://chillyougotthis.wordpress.com/
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