The 2014 Information Technology Educators of MN (ITEM) Conference has come and gone and it was a fast-paced, invigorating event. Memorable moments abound, but some of my favorites follow…..
Keynote presenter Naomi Harms, shared her excitement around ideas like student driven passion projects, moonshot thinking, and genius hours. More about those ideas soon..
Author Jonathan Friesen did a superb job of slowing us down, and grounding us too. He reminded attendees of the importance of connecting with kids within the realm of the heart. Indeed, we need to start with the heart to get to the mind. Kids who feel weak, different, victimized, out of control, or not trustworthy, have hearts that need to be rescued. Something as simple as saying “I believe in you”, or demonstrating that you genuinely want to know a kid, begin the healing process. Make a profound difference in a child’s life by noticing them.
Apps were heavily discussed and shared…..names John and I heard often included:
- Aurasma – Teachers also create Auras to add engaging digital information to printed materials in their classrooms. Like a QR code but anything can be the trigger – http://www.aurasma.com/
- Today’s Meet – chat platform for classroom teachers and learners – https://todaysmeet.com/about/backchannel
- Kahoot – A game-based classroom response system – https://getkahoot.com/
- Adding video/links to Destiny – http://safeshare.tv/w/oCKDHMYTET
- TubeChop – cut a youtube video to get what you want – http://www.tubechop.com/
- Plickers – collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices – https://www.plickers.com/
- Laurie Conzemius did a phenomenal job at her preconference session titled, Top Ten Tools for Schools, and shared all of her apps through my new favorite app; Symbaloo. See Laurie’s top picks at http://tinyurl.com/lktbs49
The Minnesota Multitype Library Systems hosted Literary Parlor Games on Friday evening with our Literary Lumberjack Ross Nervig. We are proud to report there was much excitement and buzz as a cash bar, taco bar, friendly game competition and chocolate fountain rounded out the evening! Pssstttt….John made a new friend!
Me, Poe, and The Raven #mnitem #literarygames pic.twitter.com/qqKGEqBtSi
— John Meyerhofer (@JRMeyerhofer) October 3, 2014
And wait…..there is more…..
Conference Links You Can Use Today!
- ITEM (MEMO), has a new website at http://mnitem.org/.
- Conference presentations have been archived at http://bit.ly/1qjx3tE
- All materials from ITEM’s second Unconference are at http://bit.ly/1rqzObD
- After the Unconference, there was a smackdown! Participants shared their favorite tools and you can see them at http://bit.ly/1njjtdI
- Follow the ITEM Twitter conversation (#mnitem) at http://bit.ly/101C049
Did you attend the 2014 ITEM Conference? Share your favorite takeaways in comments…..