EdTech Team - Illinois Summit (Featuring Google for Education)

On June 12, 2015, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the EdTech Team Illinois Summit at Homer Junior High in Homer, IL. The two-day summit focused on the inclusion of Google Apps for Education in a collaborative, teacher-driven, student-centered, and creativity-focused environment. How's that for buzz words? While it always seems like a mouthful to list, there really are few other ways to express the energy and focus of summits and conferences like these. From the Keynote to the individual breakout sessions, the message is always consistent: students need us (educators) to help them use technology in authentic ways, and when we do, they are capable of great things.

It's always the little surprises that make these types of summits interesting. Keynotes are inspirational Workshops are enlightening. Conversations are refreshing and the tech environment is a nutrient rich source for continued personal growth. Right before I walked into the Keynote on Day 2, I saw what might have been my favorite part of the conference. Two of the student volunteers, two early middle school students, I assume, were using iPads to control the actions of two small robots that they sent racing down the hallway. For them, I'm sure they were just having fun. For me, I remembered when the school environment was a place to explore and learn and then at sometime in my childhood, I became bound to a single classroom at a time for a single subject. These kids were learning about technology live in the hallway, on a Friday, during the summer, with zero direction - I know, the dream life.

The rest of the day was about trying to be innovative with technology use. No problem there. A lot of it was "How to do X." Not the best environment for me. I'm the type that can figure out "How" once I decide I want to do it. I like to see how the tools are being used in the classroom, not how to use them myself. But, nearly every presenter was in the same boat as I am. How do you teach the teachers this stuff to keep the innovation going? Turns out there's a different classification of learners among teachers: "How do I do that?" and "How do I use that?" Together, these types of teachers can champion all sorts of learning because their strengths in one area will supplement the weaknesses in the other.

So what I walked away from was a little bit of knowledge - coding! - and a reformed philosophy centered around the keynote. Professional Development has to get personalized too. We need to differentiate as much for different types and skills of teachers as we would students. Thanks to the EdTech Team and all of the volunteers for making the summit a success.