straight from ncte.

So I’m in the 21st Century Learning Center . . . and what am I doing?  BLOGGING!

The opening session was Amy Tan & her story was lovely.  Her main point:  Invisible Strength.  And I was inspired by her story.

Then I went to a session with Kylene Beers, Bob Probst & Sara Kajdar.  It was all about teaching reading to struggling readers.  A big part of their message included using technology to reach all readers.  And the examples all included free programs that could be run from one computer.

Book trailers (like movie trailers) using MovieMaker or imovie.  Using Garage Band to record literature circle conversations.  Using Podcasts to broadcast world wide via itunes.  Using skype.com to talk to other classrooms across the country.  Using GoogleEarth to take a “Literature Field Trip.  Amazing, mind-stretching ideas.  Here’s a link to Sara’s site with info on all of these!

Two Key Points:

1. Use technology to solve authentic problems in our classrooms (Sara).
2. Replace the “3 R’s” with the “4 C’s” (Kylene).  CREATE.  COLLABORATE.  CRITIQUE.  COMMUNICATE.

Okay, I’m off to listen to Nancie Atwell.  🙂