Building Learning Communities 2011

In this four hour session you will learn the basics of information literacy, plus have the opportunity to work with members of our team as you explore how to build a blog, create a podcast or start a wiki. Learn how to integrate all of these tools together in meaningful and effective ways. Our team will show you how it all fits together and will be available during the course of the conference week to work on projects and integrate new ideas. The results will be expanded opportunities for authentic work, global audience and your students making a knowledge contribution.

Learn how to tap Google’s free online toolset and knock down the walls of your classroom, engage students and make connections in new and exciting ways. During this pre-conference session you will build robust learning solutions that you can immediately apply in your classroom. Develop a custom search engine based on your particular subject area or unit of study. Create an interactive map for your literature, history, math or science class. With these and other open-ended tools, the options are endless. When you return to your classroom in the fall your students will be stunned at what you did on your summer vacation!

Data can be fascinating, and it is not something that is just for math or science class. Since 2010 we have never had so much publicly available data about the way our lives are run, the environment, our geography, our history… But most of us do not know how to tap into the PDFs, tables, geocodes and charts to dig out the meaningful stories hidden in there. Learning how is one of the key new literacy skills our youngsters will need if they are to be fully participative members of society:

• How can Google open up hidden data?
• How can our students become gatherers of meaningful information about the world around them?
• What stories have been told using data, and can we find authentic real world problems that our students could help solve with their own open data crunching?

Collaboration is one of the most sought after skills in the 21st century. How do you transform your classroom into a collaborative community where each student is empowered to contribute and to take ownership of their learning? How do you become the conductor of an orchestra full of “unique instruments and musicians”?

This session will share examples from the classroom where students take on “jobs” to become part of that orchestra. We will look at and play with different “instruments” that are uniquely tailored to encourage collaborative work. Participants will explore how they can use classroom time as rehearsals in order to prepare their students for a 21st century concerto.

In a world of rapidly developing technology, are you having a difficult time finding a jumping off point? In this four-hour session you will take part in a hands-on learning adventure that models an immersion process you can use with your own students. You will interact with a powerful learning community as you explore a variety of Web-based tools and learn to integrate these same tools across the curriculum in meaningful and effective ways. The results will be expanded opportunities for developing a personal learning community, authentic work, global audiences and concrete ways that your students can make valuable contributions to their learning community.

High powered, low-cost smartphones now afford us the opportunity to learn on the go. With these devices, students can perform research, collaborate, interact with experts, and produce creative works all from a phone! But which one is best for supporting student learning? In this session, we will examine the Android and iPhone mobile platforms, unique features of each that support student learning, and applications and activities that support differentiated mobile learning.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own smartphone to this hands-on session as interaction will be built into the session using online polling websites, Google Forms, and other means of mobile interaction.

Do not miss out on this innovative workshop. Most content also applies to iPod Touch and iPad users. Teachers, administrators, IT professionals and technology coordinators are welcome.

How can leaders maximize student engagement and academic achievement? How can leaders encourage teachers and students to collaborate with peers and professionals around the world?

The goal of this session is to provide you with maximum capacity for effective leadership in the 21st Century. This session will outline essential skills for leaders and offer practical guidelines and creative solutions for building accountability into the planning process. Articulating vision and managing change will be emphasized, along with the following:

• Alignment of curriculum to standards
• Designing more rigorous, demanding and globally connected assignments
• Building capacity for family and community involvement
• Addressing issues related to equity
• Developing critical thinking skills
• Designing staff development programs
• Defining new roles for students
• Sharing best practices

How can photography be used in the the narrative reflective processes to improve writing? What can be learned from the images, videos and narratives we create when taking or making pictures? What does our point of viewing in the images we record tell us about our point of view? We are storied people, living storied lives. To know who you are, to make sense of your life, is essential to making sense of an educator’s own practice. Come to this highly popular session to learn how to render the familiar a little strange through photography.

Convene with a number of BLC veterans for a newbie survival session. We want you to get the most you can from your time at the conference, so let us show you the ropes. We will give you tips on choosing sessions, how to get around the hotel and how to find help. We will also highlight the various online tools used throughout the week to help us stay connected, and we let you in on the best places to charge your laptop. Finally, Boston is a great city and we will share some recreational recommendations!

The kick-off social event for BLC11. Join us for our opening reception at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Come pick up your registration package, meet and mingle with your new colleagues.