Technology integration...The Brave New World....thoughts from iSummit 2014

I am currently at the iSummit conference hosted by the Coalition of Lighthouse Schools. This conference is all about technology integration, digital literacy, and brave new worlds. The sessions have been good, but the networking has been great. Seeing such a varied demographic of educators, all ages, from public, private, and charter schools, all willingly embracing, and plowing through this educational frontier of technology has been encouraging. It excites me to hear leaders speak about risk-taking, trying new things, failing, and letting students drive learning.

I have come away with two challenges for myself:

•  I need to see digital literacy as an imperative, non-negotiable component of the educational experience.  Technology is not something that is an afterthought, a time filler, or an add on with which we can engage students.  It is an essential skill, as important as reading and writing. To see it as optional is to cripple my students. Sessions with Angela Maier on being brave and digital literacy have inspired me to do better in this area.
• When I told my thirteen-year-old, that I was leaving for a couple of days to go to a conference to learn ideas about how to better use technology, he told me, "You know, mom, you could just ask me and save yourself the trip". In the digital literacy session, three essential skills cited were curiosity, adaptability, and perseverance. According to the research presented, these skills are at their optimum level among Kindergarten students. The greatest resources for facing this new fronteir of technology are the children around me. They will teach me, push me, and challenge me if I am willing to let them lead. My challenge is to ask more from the students around me especially in areas of technology. I need them as much as they need me.   

It's also been invigorating to take part in conversations between sessions with other educators from my school. We are dreaming big about flipped classrooms, digital portfolios, and Genius Hour. I am looking forward to more inspiration at tomorrow's sessions.
 Click here for more information about the iSummit conference.