My tech transformation occurred two years ago. I feel transformed as a person and as a teacher and I know my students are the ones benefiting the most. I have always loved tech and I was looking for ways to integrate technology into my second grade classroom.
As part of our school’s newly formed Tech Committee I was sent to the MACUL conference in Detroit in 2007. I enjoyed all that I saw, but I hadn’t found that hook I was looking for. Then I attended a session titled “Wikis, Blogs and Podcasts.” The presenters were two teachers from Hudsonville, my side of the state. Diane Rich and Julie Myrmel showed these amazing tools and how they have used them in their classroom. This was it! I had found it. I took pages and pages of notes and left very excited. I hated the idea of the drive home as it delayed my chance to get on my laptop. When I did get home, I got right to work. My blog and wiki were set up and ready for the students when they arrived on Monday morning. This class of second graders was as excited as I was and I will say we did some amazing things with our wiki and blog.
I couldn’t wait to attend MACUL in 2008. I brought a group of my 2nd graders to the MACUL Student Technology Showcase to share our Claymation videos and met incredible educators through this experience.
I found amazing sessions and left with many, many great ideas. One session was on Favorite Web 2.0 Tools and was presented by Steve Dembo of Discovery Education. He showed Twitter. Now I didn’t completely understand it, but I wanted to try it. Once I got going I realized what a valuable tool this is! People were sharing all of this wonderful Web 2.0 knowledge and I wanted to be part of it. I learned something new everyday. I have found friends from all over the world and my network keeps growing. When I have a question, need help or an idea, I send out a tweet and my PLN delivers. Twitter has opened up the world to me and my students. We are reading and commenting on blogs written by students in New Zealand and Australia, we are viewing Voice Threads created by students in Virginia and Nebraska and we are participating in two Collaborative wikis. None of this would have been possible without Twitter and MACUL.
The third part of my transformation is due to the MACUL Space ning. I joined after the 2008 conference and found another great PLN of educators excited about and using technology. MACUL space is a valuable resource for sharing ideas and asking questions. It is right up there with Twitter as an important communication tool and resource.
I am equally excited (dare I say geeked?) about this year’s MACUL Conference in Detroit. I am presenting a session on Wikis and feel honored to be one of the Conference Bloggers.
I wonder how this year’s conference will transform me and my teaching? I can’t wait to find out!
As we get ready for MACUL 09, memories of past MACUL Conferences remind of us the benefits to come in a few weeks.
My first MACUL Conference was in 1998, and my supervisor, Jim Bembenek, encouraged me to present. As a two time past MACUL President, he set an expectation of contributing to the MACUL organization. That first year I presented The One Computer Classroom. Remember all the great Tom Snyder software that was popular then? I had 100 people in my session! First and only time it’s happened to me (chuckles).
Since then, every year I present something; and the last several years I’ve been privileged to help out with the TWICE sessions, where we videoconference with people all over the country and even internationally. This year in my session, we’re going to Wales for a Read Around the Planet presentation.
For me, the best benefit of MACUL Conferences is networking with others, meeting new people, and having time to sit and chat with my edu tech friends.
What do you like best about going to MACUL? Click below to comment.
Reading through Pam’s reflection of previous conferences got me thinking about how often people will dig through old files, scrapbooks, folders, and websites and reminisce about days gone by. Often, cleaning out old boxes, one will find old papers, trinkets, and pictures from the past. With the advent of social media sites, web 2.0, and the Internet in general, that opportunity to look back and rediscover has become easier and easier. Finding pictures from say….last year’s conference, is just one Flickr search away!
So I thought I’d dig up pictures from last year’s conference that were posted to MACUL Space and share. SMILE!
Find more photos like this on MACUL Space
Be on the lookout for picture takers at this year’s conference; you too may be immortalized on the web!
I attended my first MACUL Conference in 2002 and have attended each year since. I went the first year as a participant only; I got the feel for MACUL and benefited greatly from what I experienced and learned. The following year, and each year thereafter, I have come to the conference as a presenter. I like sharing and helping others learn and grow, and having a “presenter mindset” keeps me always on the hunt for new ways of using technology for teaching and learning.
Some of the most important MACUL experiences that have shaped me professionally include:
- Purchasing a Snagit/Camtasia bundle from the vendor area in 2002. I began screen casting long before it became a fad. People still come up to me and tell me they recognize my voice from the CD I published back in 2003! I’m still using Camtasia (and Jing) on a regular basis.
- Receiving a MACUL grant in 2004 for a digital storytelling project. I presented at the MACUL conference with a teacher from my district to share what we did and how digital storytelling positively impacts student writing. I developed a website to go with it, and people from all over the world still visit and use the teaching materials, especially to show the student examples.
- Hearing about the power of blogging from Will Richardson and David Warlick at Macul 2005. I created my own blog, Yes Tech! in Nov 2006 and have found that it helps me to be a reflective practitioner.
- Attending a Steve Dembo “Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools” session in 2007 opened my eyes to many new tools: Twitter, Wikispaces, and Flickr, to name a few.
- Getting to know & networking with other like-minded educators at social events on Thursday nights! The face-to-face meetings have continued, thanks to MACUL Space.
What are your favorite MACUL memories?
Had a chance to digest Andy’s excellent overview of his Personal Learning Network? If not, it makes for great reading on how one educator’s experience with MACUL, and other organizations, led him from being a follower to a creative leader of educational technology in our state. While many of us may not be up to the challenge of creating our own PLNs from scratch, there’s a great place to join an active site full of resources, connections, people, and discussions that will help you push your own boundaries as an educator.
MACUL Space is the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning’s social networking site for past, present, and future MACUL members to connect with one another outside of the conference, share and discover resources, and either begin to build, or extend, your own personal learning network. This year, there’s something extra special on MACUL Space! In addition to being able to share videos, pictures, blog, and chat about the conference, the MACUL Space discussion forum has three new topics:
2009 Conference Sessions – A place to talk about sessions you’re excited for, or discuss resources discovered during the conference’s 60 minutes sessions.
2009 Conference Workshops – A place to talk about either pre-conference workshops or hands-on session during the conference. Useful for sharing what you may have done with the knowledge you gained from a hands-on session.
2009 Guerrilla Sessions – More will be said on the Guerrilla sessions later, but this is a great place to plan, organize, and talk about the MACUL Conference’s “unconference sessions” that we like to call Guerrilla Sessions.
If you find the idea of building your own network of learners and educators a bit too daunting, you’re welcome to come join MACUL Space! The network is already in place, filled with resources, lesson ideas, problem solvers, and over 1,100 like-minded educators when it comes to using technology. Give your PLN a “kick-start” before the conference.
Image: ‘Une représentation de mon réseau social dans+Facebook‘
www.flickr.com/photos/49503019876@N01/1659321885
PLN or personal learning networks are definitely a hot topic these days…and rightfully so. My own development of a bustling PLN has had a profound effect on my teaching career…and life. Let me try and put into words the exciting and dynamic effects my PLN has on my career every day.
Through interacting with blogs, podcasts, Twitter, Plurk, and RSS feeds I have opened up a constant stream of ideas both tried and new. New websites await my exploration everyday as provided by my Diigo and Ning groups and there are always a bundle of great minds standing by for my queries.
It is essential to have supportive colleagues in our school buildings and I do have some great ones here in Hamilton. You can’t live without those people and there are some solutions that need close crafting. However, even the best colleagues can still leave you feeling a bit out on an island–especially when you are a so-called specialist. I am the guy in my school responsible for leading the tech integration, working in a specialized niche and speaking a language a lot of other teachers don’t yet speak. Luckily through a PLN I am intertwined with a bunch of others in my same shoes, people out on their own islands. By staying connected we share lesson ideas as well as ways to deal with issues only someone working in a similar situation can understand.
I recently found out that I have been named Macul’s 2009 Technology-Using Educator of the Year. It is truly a huge honor, but one I could have never attained without my PLN. Seriously, this award is a network award. Almost everything I have ever come up with has been based on an idea or a tool someone in my PLN taught me about first. After the news sunk in, I really started looking back at how my personal learning network has evolved and experiences at the MACUL conference are its backbone.
2004: I guess you could pinpoint the beginning of my online PLN to my masters program at Western Michigan Univiersity. Professors like Tracy DuBay, Brian Horwitz, and Bob Leneway not only were excellent instructors but have remained tremendous resources. It was also in this program that I learned about the MACUL Conference
2005: I began building what at the time I referred to as my Ed Tech All-Stars during my first conference. I spent the majority of my time at Tony Vincent’s sessions on Palms and other handheld devices. When I wasn’t at one of Tony’s sessions, I could be found listening to Meg Ormiston. Both offered immense information and I began following my first set of bloggers and edtech professionals. However, technology hadn’t fully evolved into the 2-way street we enjoy today.
2006: New York Times Technology columnist David Pogue and super blogger Will Richardson joined the All-Stars as did this amazing ball of energy named Steve Dembo. Blogging and podcasting were big topics that year and I started to understand better how commenting and blogging myself could begin open up actual conversations. That year at MACUL the WMU faculty organized a face-to-face meetup of online masters program students. James Stewart and I had been collaborating online for a couple of years, but had never met. We’re still sharing ideas today.
2007: I have to admit that I didn’t make it to Detroit for the conference. My PLN was growing all of the time and I was reading blog after blog. Will Richardson even published one of my emails. I was feeling very connected and all of those new ideas I would return from MACUL with seemed to be coming at least monthly from podcasts like Seedlings.
Enter MACUL Space! Another huge jump in my ability to connect to other great educators and thinkers came with the emergence of the social network Macul Space. Ben Rimes‘ visionary development of this site gave all of us MACUL die-hards a place to connect the other 51 weeks of the year besides our annual meet-up. What a great place to share ideas and have your questions answered.
2008: As great as things seemed to be going in 2007, MACUL 2008 and the rest of the year were an absolute explosion PLN-wise. The big blast came when I focused more of my time at the conference on building interpersonal relationships than just finding experts to follow. I had been reading Ben Rimes blog for awhile, but sitting down and talking with Ben and his wife Nicole who also blogs at Techsavvyed.net was just as beneficial as their presentations. I was also very surprised by how many new contacts and relationships I was able to build as a presenter. I focused on elementary tools for teachers and shared my classroom blog. It was great because the room was filled with other people who shared at least a somewhat similar situation. Many attendees introduced themselves afterward but even more began following my blog or emailed questions. During that conference, I expanded my network beyond the experts or the featured speakers and realized people on the front lines like me sometimes have the best ideas and the best advice because they relate best to my specific situations.
Then came Twitter! I didn’t see much use for the 140 character limiting microblogging site until I started following some of those old All Stars and some of my MACUL buddies. It dramatically increased the frequency by which I interacted with my PLN. I then started to look at who my friends were following. Almost instantly my PLN went global. By peering into Steve Dembo’s list of people he follows, I found a whole new world of people to learn from. Kevin Jarrett is from New Jersey. Dean Shareski is from Saskatchewan. Teryl Magee is from Tennessee and Lee Kolbert works in South Florida. This doesn’t include the great information I found coming out of the UK.
Wow! That’s a lot I just threw out there and it just seems to continue accelerating. I always thought “networking” was just something that business people did. I am amazed daily by the impact my networking has had on my teaching career.
So, what has this all gotten me? Well, I would have to say opportunity is the number one thing. This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend Discovery Education’s national institute. It was an amazing week spent with 100 other great educators and intense instruction from Hall Davidson, Dembo, one of this year’s featured speakers Joe Brennan, and the entire DEN team. Guess what that did for the number of new connections. Ditto for September when I was invited to the Google Teacher Academy in Chicago.
All of these experiences and continual stream of new ideas would not have been possible if I hadn’t gotten connected all of those years ago at MACUL. Besides connecting with great minds, I have also made some pretty good friends along the way.
We now interrupt your normally scheduled blog posting for a message from Ric Wiltse, MACUL’s Executive Director:
Time is running out!
Tuesday, March 3 is the early registration deadline for the 2009 MACUL
Conference held in Detroit on March 18-20. After 3/3 registration
rates increase by $30.Don’t miss the 33nd Annual MACUL conference, featuring an outstanding
line up of presentations by nationally known speakers and top
technology using educators from Michigan and the Midwest. You will
also want to see the latest and greatest in educational technology
displayed in our large exhibit hall. Participants will also be able
to experience the Digital World Model Classroom, showcasing the latest
and greatest technology in a model school setting. Attendees will
also have the opportunity to tour the Detroit Science Center at a
special reception on Thursday, March 19.Also, there’s still time to register for the Student Technology
Showcase. Bring a team of students and qualify for a registration
discount.Scholarships and MEA member discounts are still available. For more
information, contact macul@macul.org or call the MACUL office,
517.694.9756.For conference registration and for more information, visit the MACUL
website at www.macul.org.See you in Detroit at the MACUL Conference!
Ric Wiltse, Executive Director
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning
rwiltse@macul.org
In other words, if you’ve been on the fence about going to the conference, or if your district still needs a little convincing, this is your last chance. A week from now and you’ll have to come up with an extra 30 bucks, yikes!
Within the last week I’ve had at least three people ask me, “Are you going to MACUL?”
(Let us put aside for a moment the discussion that MACUL is not a conference, but an organization of talented people dedicated to the fight for Truth, Justice, and the Effective Use of Technology in Education.)
Anyway, of all the things they could have said, they asked, “Are you going to MACUL?” It seems to be a very important question, because I hear it being asked all the time. If someone else is going, why is it important if you are going?
After much thought (I am pro-thought), I’ve come up with some potential reasons why your friends want to know where you’ll be March 18 – 20, 2009.
- They will be on the lookout.
Some people don’t like the surprise of seeing someone they know out of context. It unsettles them.
Likelihood: Low - They don’t get to go. (Boo!)
I hate to actually point out the obvious, but times are tight. It can be difficult for teachers to get the opportunity to attend conferences. If they find out that you’re going, then you can be enlisted to grab handouts from specific sessions, keep your eyes open for a certain type of product, and basically perform any number of other duties that they themselves cannot.
Likelihood: Medium/High - They need a place to crash.
Thankfully the district is going to fit the bill for the conference, but not for a hotel. They want to share expenses with you to keep their costs down. Note to self: bring a bathrobe and real pajamas.
Likelihood: Medium - They need help.
They want to know that a friend is in operation within close proximity in case they get lost or can’t decide where to catch a bite of lunch.
Likelihood: High - They’re not on Twitter…yet
Instead of this newfangled social networking micro blogging stuff, they want some real live face time with you.
Likelihood: Medium - They want to connect.
Usually they probably only see you at district meetings or perhaps as you escort your class to the lunchroom, so they never actually have a chance to sit down and talk to you, much less conduct interesting discussions on how each of you are using classroom technology.
Likelihood: Very High
In the end, I think there is some truth to all of these possibilities…well, maybe not the first one. The MACUL Conference is an incredible opportunity to get some face time with both your online and offline friends, making new connections that will benefit you (and your friends who couldn’t go) throughout the year.
Mid-March, 2005; a teacher with less than 2 years of teaching experience under his belt sits in a large ballroom, laptop propped up on his knees, feverishly typing, trying to capture every piece of information he can as a presenter quickly flashes through slides. Names of websites, theories of instruction, fantastic resources, and numbers are hastily mashed into the Word document as an idea starts to form…
Traditional forms of “static” electronic communication (e-mail, HTML coding) are quickly being replaced by newer, faster, more connected, and easily customizable “fluid” forms (blogs, wikis). The young teacher recalls all of the “cute” monthly e-mails he’s sent out to the other teachers in his building, telling them about websites they might find useful in class. He imagines how many of them have been deleted, forgotten, tossed into the ethereal trash can of the Internet.
He decides there must be a better way. A way to communicate with just those that want the resources. A way to allow them to collaborate and communicate with not only himself, but each other in a way that messages and resources are shared openly for others to use. He imagines starting his own blog. According to the numbers on the previous slide, the presenter claims a new blog is “born” every 7.4 seconds. With a birthrate like that, he better get moving fast, or be lost in the sea of newborn weblogs.
As soon as he was home, he purchased a domain name, found a reasonable web hosting company, and began to teach himself how to use Wordpress. The old monthly e-mails died off, readership began coming to his blog, and he even managed to garner the attention of a few of his mentors and heroes in the world of ed tech.
Of course, through the cheesy prose and poorly written internal monologue it’s easy to discern that the young, neophyte teacher is me, 4 years ago. And while every educator’s experience at the MACUL conference may not lead them to founding their very own site, many often do have trans-formative experiences that radically alter how they interact with their colleagues and students. I have MACUL to thank for that experience. Without MACUL I might have been like every other new teacher in the field; signing up for professional development as a requirement by the district. With MACUL it was, and still is different. Despite the number and length of PD I receive from my district, I always want to be a part of MACUL.
The readership and conversation on my blog has continued to increase, and the contacts I’ve made throughout the state of Michigan have benefited not only myself, but my students and district as well. MACUL gave me an opportunity to grow in a direction that I wanted to, and gave me the tools I needed to continue that growth.
Sure, you may not come back from the annual conference blogging, twittering, or creating your own website, but I can guarantee that if you go with an open mind, you will take home more than you know what to do with, and may very well find the benefits of being connected to such a resourceful organization that you see beyond the conference.
Or so I gathered from O Magazine. And if you aren’t into volunteering for the pure Karmic goodness it gives you, then perhaps the free t-shirt and reduced conference cost appeals to your more fiscal sensabilites. Every year, the MACUL Conference is in need of volunteers, lots of them! From AV support to serving as guides to the conference facility, there’s a need to be filled by many talented conference goers. Available in either 1-2 hour shifts, or as a full day stint to receive a reduced conference cost, volunteers serve an invaluable resource at our conference. The people that stamp your SB-CEU sheet as well as hands-on lab support are positions that are only made possible through the efforts of volunteers.
Personally, I always make it a point to stand with the famous green MACUL “Ask Me!” sign for a couple of hours during the conference, just to help newcomers find their way around the facility or to help answer questions about special events. While I’m not in it for the T-shirt, it’s always a nice bonus, and it’s a small way that I feel I can help repay MACUL for all of the amazing support and resources they’ve given me. In fact, I was able to attend the conference several years ago for free as a student at WMU by giving one full day’s worth of volunteer work. Not a bad deal considering the amount of resources, connections, and information to be discovered during just one day of the annual conference. That, and it gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside.
For more information about how you can help by volunteering at MACUL, just follow the link below:
Volunteer at the MACUL 2009 Conference
Image: ‘An elevator button in the New Yorker+hotel.‘ www.flickr.com/photos/44124453791@N01/2829041283
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