Recently a friend and I were talking about some of our district meetings, some of which are the occasional ‘Tech’ meetings. We have tried the ‘Cafeteria’ style, where teachers choose from a list of presenters & presentations/workshops. It’s worked ‘okay’, but not great. And as my friend and I were talking, we got around to all the different things that my students do in class. She then suggested having students give some of the presentations/workshops!
I know, she’s brilliant! Now many would be skeptical of the idea of having 5th graders presenting to a group of adults. I will admit that, while I thought it was brilliant, I had my doubts that my students would be open to the idea. To my surprise, they were on-board. Many of them asked when the meeting is, and what they should present! Two girls want to show off their knowledge of ‘Animoto’, another boy wants to do a whole presentation on using iMovie from an iPhone (via Reflector – his idea), and a few others that want to present, just not sure on what. My students are FEARLESS and amazing!
After school I was talking to another teacher about the idea and my students’ responses. She also felt that it was an awesome idea. She pointed out that many teachers don’t think students can do what they have seen in the (past) presentations/workshops. She went on to state how powerful the experience could be for the students and the teachers. Teachers would not only see that students COULD do it, but have a deep understanding of the different tools or apps being used, and how these tools can be used to show their knowledge in different subjects. And the students would shine, gain confidence, and experience something so HUGE at such a young age.
I can’t wait to see how this ends, or should I say begins (let’s hope this is the beginning of something great)! I’m so excited. I will definitely be blogging about their success in about a month! Stay tuned.
Nowa Techie 