Conference

I actually typed this up quite a while ago, but thought I would post it here anyway.

I participated in the Learn NC online conference on October 1st and attended Watauga High School’s Technology Demonstration on October 22. Both programs were very informative in different ways; the Learn NC conference brought together education staff members from different content areas and positions while Watauga High’s demonstration was more focused on local media services.

The online conference was especially helpful because I was not aware of Learn NC before this event. The opening remarks briefly stated the purpose and services that the Learn NC website offers. One session of the conference addressed professional development standards for teachers. I found myself agreeing with the content because I attended professional development meetings when I was student teaching. I believe that it is very important for the teachers to have that collaborative time where they learn about new practices that can improve their teaching and help capture student interest, but at the same time, since I had just gotten through college, a lot of the material was redundant to me. For some teachers who have been teaching a long time and perhaps have not had the time or money to attend conferences or read up on the latest educational practices, I can see how professional development can really be beneficial. Learn NC’s online courses could also help due to the fact that they are designed with an educator in mind. One participant asked if Learn NC provided online courses for SLMSs, and one of the moderators replied that they did offer a few, so it was very reassuring to hear that SLMSs were included in the program offerings.

My favorite session of the conference was when they invited a science teacher to share her experiences with creating project-based learning lesson plans. While it is good to talk about practices in theory, it is more beneficial to hear from someone who has had actual experience implementing such practices. Mrs. Yonce described her frustrations and positives experiences with PBL, warning viewers that it takes a lot of time, effort, and making mistakes before a teacher gets used to this style of teaching. Mrs. Yonce also said while her EOC scores had improved, not enough studies have been performed to determine if PBL significantly increases student performance on traditional paper tests.

Watauga High School’s Technology showcase gave me a lot of useful information regarding online databases and Distance Education. The two full-time media specialists went over the features and how to navigate their six online databases, from Britannica Online and InfoTrac to NCWISEOwl. While I’ve heard of NCWISEOwl, I was not familiar with ABC-CLIO or EBSCO, so it was very nice to find out about these databases.

There were several reoccurring patterns I noticed regarding the databases-most of them had a translator tool so that ESL students or those more comfortable in another language could easily switch the article text from English to a different language. Most of the databases were similar in design, so students could easily transfer their researching skills from one site to another. Also interesting was that all of the databases included MLA citations at the bottom of each article. The SLMSs explained that the students had been plagiarizing and that this was a way to help prevent copyright infringement. On one hand, I think that it is great that the citations are ready for easy copying and pasting. Such simplicity will encourage students to give credit when it is due. On the other hand, I find that it is incredibly lazy. It’s not too hard to memorize the format of a MLA citation, and once you start typing the bibliography, you can get the hang of it pretty well.

One of the best aspects of this showcase was hearing about the communication going on between the SLMSs, staff, and students. The students had been surveyed about which online databases they used and why in order for the SLMSs to determine which subscriptions they might want to drop or add depending on student needs. The SLMSs also talked about how they would teach a class and instruct students on which database to use for which subjects and how to navigate the web sites. It is great to hear that they are not simply teaching Boolean logic and Google “research”.

The Distance Learning session was also intriguing. When I was in high school, I do not believe we had that option available to us, but by the time I went to student teach, they had NovaNet in another high school in the county, proving that this technology option is growing fast. I am amazed at the coordinators’ dedication; I would have never thought the computer lab would be open from 7 am until 7 pm! The EOC scores are impressive (92%), and the fact that high school students can take college courses for credit is a time (and money!) saver. I thought it was very interesting that the coordinator stated that he believes that within twenty years, all high school students will be required to take at least one online course in order to graduate.

Overall, both events provided me with a lot of new ideas and insights regarding technology and student learning. While it was a great collaborative experience to hear from a wide range of staff members and content areas in the Learn NC conference, it was equally beneficial learning about Watauga’s media services that I will someday be using in my own SLMC.