Teachers explore a new world of technology
In hopes of keeping teachers up to date on new and upcoming technologies that can be applied to the classroom, librarian Chelsea Hamilton and digital learning coach Clayton Pope are hosting an event to inform teachers on campus about these opportunities. As the world shifts more and more to a technology based society, digital and online learning is becoming a crucial part of curriculum.
December 6, 2019
From Cricut in the Grand Canyon to Bulb in the Great Barrier Reef, teachers have the chance to travel the world of technology all day Friday in the library. It’s all part of the annual World of Instruction Extravaganza, a two day event led by librarian Chelsea Hamilton and digital learning coach Clayton Pope that began Thursday, and aspires to help teachers keep up to date with new technology.
“We have an annual sometimes, biannual instructional showcase for teachers, so that they can come in [during their conference periods] and have some hands on experience with some fun new tools to use in their classrooms,” Hamilton said. “I really enjoy the hands on stuff. We wanted to find different ways for teachers to have time to learn about new things or practice some more on things they may have heard about in order to be able to utilize their findings in the classroom.”
Various stations are set up throughout the library with each location offering a different technology tip including things such as Sketchnote, Future Ready, and Makerspace.
“Learning never stops so it is always nice to be presented with the opportunity to learn new things,” teacher Christine Rittenhouse said. “I was only there for a short time, yet I was able to go to two stations, I created a Bulb account and I think I am going to participate in this year’s Badge Program for teachers which incorporates new technology into the classroom. It was really cool, it was self paced and if I had any questions I was able to ask.”
For teacher Tim Johannes, the World of Instruction Extravaganza is an easy way for him to stay updated on the different teaching technologies available.
“I think it’s a great way to get teachers out of the classroom and learn more about resources on the internet and it gives them a chance to see things they normally don’t see,” Johannes said. “My favorite part was the part about the Google hyper-doc link so I spent a lot of time at that station. Overall it was super cool and I’m always trying to get the next new technology and stay on top of the cutting edge of teaching [resources].”
