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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.
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At the end of the day at Rebel U, we ask each teacher to complete an evaluation form. We cannot stress enough the importance of this evaluation and need each attendee to complete the form. Despite what people may think, we take the time to go through and read each and every response. We listen to your concerns and try to address any issues or questions you may have as we plan technology professional development for the year and start planning for future Rebel U days.
Below are some of your questions or concerns that were voiced on the evaluation this year. We wanted to take a moment to share some words on these to keep lines of communication open.
I would love for tech people to do some sessions.
Our Tech & Media Team each presents a session. We have learned from past Rebel U's that by presenting more than one session, we are over-extending ourselves. In order to effectively run a full-day, district-wide professional development, supply lunch, and provide tech support, it takes many hands. To see what members of our Tech & Media Staff presented this year, check out our sessions below.
- Dan Townsend - "The Art of Gamification"
- Sarah Wood - "Teaching & Learning Like a Superhero"
- Kelly McGee - "Movie Making Magic"
- Jason Faasse - "iMovie for the iPad: For You, For Students, and For Fun"
- Jesse Burrows - "My Favorite Part of Macs & iPads"
It was good, but we need more presenters.
We open a call for presenters months in advance of Rebel U. We extend invitations to teachers, Kent ISD professionals, and other educational technology professionals. As Rebel U takes place at the beginning of the year, it is often difficult to bring in outside presenters as many interested presenters are tied up with their own professional development in different districts. We rely heavily on our own teaching staff to share what they are doing. If you know of someone who is doing something awesome with technology, please encourage them to be a presenter for Rebel U!
Keep sessions focused, it doesn't help to have a bunch of resources with no time to explore.
Each session is planned by the presenter. The Tech & Media Team does not require a particular presentation format. We feel that there is so much that teachers can take away from watching their peers present and seeing different teaching techniques and methods. Much like students, teachers also have their preferred learning styles. Even though a presenter doesn't present the material in a way that meets your preferred learning style, it equips you with a new tool for your teaching tool belt that you might be able to use in the future with a student. We encourage everyone to present because we know everyone has a different teaching style and can bring something new to the table!
Question/Comment:
You called the afternoon project a collaboration project, but I didn't understand how it was collaborative when I was in a room with people that were not part of my grade level or content area. I felt it was an individual project that I had to complete and it was difficult because I did not have my standards with me.
Response:
As described at the movie reveal, the purpose of the collaboration block was for everyone to have a common topic that is relevant to our district and classroom and determine a way to integrate that topic into your curriculum. The project was meant to be a little challenging and make you think outside of the box and try out a new tool, resource, or method that you learned during the day. We randomly assigned people to rooms so that you would not be with others in your grade level or content area so that you could talk to the people in your room and get a different perspective and feedback than your usual team (an example of cooperative learning). We also asked each teacher to complete a slide with their ideas so that you could go back to your grade level or team and discuss several different ways of implementing something and then potentially create something that would be feasible to do with your students. We knew people would not be bringing their standards with them, but also understand that they are all online, so that anyone could access them. We also understand that this was something new and different than past professional developments, but we like to stay on top of current trends and help model and bring ideas and concepts to you in a way that might be useful in your professional practice.
Comment:
Tech problems at the end of the day were the only down point of the day.
(This comment is in regards to too many people trying to access and edit one Google Presentation at the same time.)
(This comment is in regards to too many people trying to access and edit one Google Presentation at the same time.)
Response:
Although encountering technical difficulties is never ideal (especially for our team on this big day!), sometimes it is almost a blessing in disguise. When something unexpected happens, it teaches us to think on our feet and react quickly. When you taking steps forward to integrate technology into your classroom, you can never observe others too much. Even though there were technical difficulties, it was great to see how others came up with their own solutions without being given direction or giving up on the project (emailing information, creating own Google Doc and sharing it, working off someone else's computer who had access to edit, etc.). This problem solving and communication demonstrated that we have amazing teachers who are proactive and willing to create solutions to problems.
Comment:
I did like the fact that there was training in other things rather than technology only.
Response:
Such a compliment to receive! Our team strives to not only make technology integration meaningful and relevant, but help teachers understand that it is nothing more than a tool that can enhance learning and instruction. If you attended a session where you did not feel it was about technology, hats off to the presenter for making it a seamless integration where the technology utilized complemented the curriculum!
Comment:
It would be nice to have my own iPad and laptop to be more fluent with the things you would like me to learn.
Response:
The district tries to provide all teachers with a device. Although this district-provided device may not be uniform across the district, it can be a powerful tool in your learning environment. We understand that your device may not be the one that you wish it would be, but one of the things we pride ourselves on with Rebel U is the fact that it is self-directed learning and everyone can use the device that works best for them. You get to pick sessions that are interesting or relevant to you, not what the district feels you should have or should learn. Mobile devices offer portability and some different capabilities, but many of the same ideas or concepts can be implemented on a desktop as well, sometimes just a little bit differently or with a different resource.
Please feel free to ask your questions about Rebel U! We are continually evaluation the program so that our professional development is meaningful and relevant.
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