Learning Together

Last week, I had the opportunity to present at the Chicago Public Schools iPad Academy about how my students are using Mental Note as multimedia science journals to teachers using or hoping to use iPads in the classroom.  The developer was nice enough to offer the participants a free app code to use and try the application after I showed the ways my students were able to use the application in the science class and also my goals for the future use of the application.  I was happy to share how I was using the app and how it was changing the way my students were developing their science knowledge.   I was able to share my ideas and get ideas from teachers as we had an informal discussion about the app and possibilities.

Or, how could this just be better?

What I learned at the conference though goes beyond presenting and seeing presentations. I was reminded, that for me, the deepest learning and best idea generation happens in a social setting of conversation.  After the conference, I evaluated all of my avenues of learning: twitter, reading blogs, reading books, going to conferences and trainings and I realized that the learning is similar to our classrooms in the way that it is mostly a one-way street.  The information or ideas are presented by others in a variety of formats and I make a decision to learn from it or to ignore it, much of the same way our students make the choice in our classrooms to participate in the learning or not.  The most beneficial and most engaging learning I experienced was through conversation about a range of ideas with other teachers who pushed beyond the conventional and pushed the thinking of those in the room. Some of these teachers are the same people I am learning from online, yet it was so much richer because it wasn't my consumption of their ideas and learning, but a collaboration and a conversation.  


This has created a focus for me to attempt to create the same culture in my classroom for the next school year and have students build their knowledge together and in conversation.  As well as a push to use technology to not only create records of their ideas and learning but to use it as a platform to start conversations and to generate new ideas.

After leaving this great event and reflecting on all the great teachers and ideas, I was saddened that the conversation was over...for now. Yet we have the technology to change this for both ourselves and the students we serve.  I am excited to try to continue the conversation with some of Chicago's most amazing teachers and have our students join in!