NETA 2012 Conference

The 2012 Nebraska Educational Technology Association (#NETA12) Conference is in the books and what an incredible time it was! Our great district Instructional Tech Team of @catlett1 @techiefeldie @jennykbps were all there, as was the catalyst to my dive into the technology pool @angie_wass. I lost track of all the friends I made from #EdCampOmaha that were there.  On a quick sidenote, just let me say this, I'm using Twitter hashtags and @names becuase, if you're not on Twitter, you're not collaborating!

Thursday morning started with @KevinHoneycutt as our keynote speaker.  He shared personal experiences and stories to remind us the importance of focusing on reaching each student, and helping them be prepared digital citizens, not just digital natives (kevinhoneycutt.com) I purchased ITSE's book 'Digital Citizenship in Schools' which has over twenty lessons for students to protect themselves and their digital DNA.  This will be the start of next year's computer lab sessions in my classroom.  He also shared that because the jobs our students will have when they enter the workplace aren't around yet, we need to teach them L2L2L - Learn to Love to Learn!

With this being my first NETA, I was amazed at the great breakout sessions that followed.  The 21st Century Learning Environments hosted by @j_allen was discussed at a district and school administration level. While I'm not at the level, I enjoyed hearing what considerations, other than funding, are looked at when implementing technology.

Next, I attended Kevin Honeycutt's 'Before They Click...' This was an eye opener session for me.  While I was already aware of the need to control personal information online, this took me to a much higher level of understanding.  The permanence of information posted to the internet was engrained into my brain! This is when I was sold on the need to teach my 6th graders the importance of being good digital citizens and knowing the impact of an immediate emotional release online.  WOW!

Following lunch, I attended back-to-back sessions with @tammyworcester, 'Go Digital' and 'Google Activities for Kids!'  Notes for each of her sessions are available on her website (tammyworcester.com, Training Handouts, NETA 2012).  She also has several books which go into further detail of the material in each session.

My final session of the first day covered iPads and Apple TV.  This provided a little information on utilizing iPads as both an instructor and a student.  From the student's aspect, it provided the method of creating a report without paper - completely electronic.  The process was continued for the teacher by presenting how the electronic document could be filed, graded, and returned to students, all without a single piece of paper being used.  While the concept is good, given the limited technology in my classroom and the small amount of time in the computer lab, this isn't feasible for my class at this point.

The second day started with one of two keynote speakers.  I selected Tammy Worcester's presentation '21st Century Teaching & Learning - It's About Time!'  This one session turned into me watching three more sessions hosted by Ms. Worcester.  I listened and learned from Tammy's numerous ideas on how to integrate technology into the classroom; utilizing blogs, google docs, and numerous other websites and apps that synergize both student and teacher work.  There were great ideas presented here!

My final session of the day was entitled, 'Apps for Students Struggling with Organization' by Dr. Mary Spillane.  I attended this session as there are always a few students in my class who struggle with organization.  The session was specifically geared to those students with autism, ADHD (or ADD), or learning disabilities.  The session was great for me as I will have two autistic students in next years class.  The apps came fast and furious, most had a small cost, but some were free.  I've already added two of them (Pocketpond and Emotions Flashcards) to my personal iPad!

Overall, my first NETA conference was nearly overwhelming!  I'm still looking for links to the sessions I wanted to attend, but prioritized lower then the sessions I did attend.  There are three BIG technology pieces I took away from NETA.  First, 21st Century Learning is behind the powercurve.  We entered the 21st Century over 12 years ago, why isn't this in every classroom already?  Second, technology integration isn't something you simply add to a lesson, it's how the lesson is taught, how the student learns.  If a teacher thinks about adding technology after planning a lesson, it's being done the wrong way.  Lastly, and most importantly, our students are all digital natives, we must teach them to be digital citizens in every sense, including the protection their digital DNA.  My personal opinion is that as an educator, if I am not using or teaching these three important technology pieces in the classroom, I'm not teaching my students effectively.  In closing, I'll simply ask, 'Are you teaching in the 21st Century?'