NYSCATE 22 KLH
December 2022
NYSCATE22: 4 Days of Amazing Things
This year, I attended NYSCATE's annual conference in Rochester. (NYSCATE stands for New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education.) This was my first time at this conference, and it was amazing. My brain was full. Here are some highlights from the conference.
Want a more visual way to see some of the highlights? Check out my Wakelet (link above). Wakelet is a way to digitally curate resources and information using hyperlinks in a visually-friendly format.
Highlights (these are a few of my favorite things...)
A middle school's journey towards civic readiness
"I've never walked away from a final exam with tears in my eyes"
- Not only was this session great in terms of wrapping my head around what a middle school capstone project for the seal of civic readiness could look like...but the presenters/teachers talked about how incredible this journey was for them.
- Students said they wished they'd had more time, and that it was their favorite part of the year
- The teachers said, this experience was so powerful that they felt invigorated. They really connected with their kids, and came out of this feeling like they could teach for another 20 years, if they had more opportunities like this.
- The Capstone project brought inquiry and real-world, problem-based learning to these kids.
PBL Tapas
If you love inquiry and problem/project based learning but wonder how to implement it (or how to convince teachers), this "menu" is wonderful for making the whole process more digestible (pun intended) and accessible. The link will take you to a Google site which lets you dig into various areas and get more comfortable with them. Each section has a slide deck, examples, and there's even "recipe cards" to get folks interacting with the site. These presenters were wonderful. Pages include:
A Taste of Driving Questions & Public Products
A Taste of Voice and Choice
A Taste of Authenticity
A Taste of Sustained Inquiry
A Taste of Reflection, Critique & Revision
Blended Learning for Active Learners
Ok, so I attended a few sessions that blend together in my mind, in a wonderful way. Laurie Guyon, Matthew X. Joseph, Brian Aspinall, and Daphne McMenemy all brought different stories to the conversations around making learning more engaging and meaningful for students of all ages, and incorporate PBL, digital citizenship, and student empowerment into the equations.
These thoughts resonated with me:
- “If you’re planning the lesson longer than it takes to do it, then you have to change that.”
- "Gauging student engagement is more than just cataloging who is turning in their assignments or leaning forward in their seats with eyes on the teacher."–Fisher, Frey and Hattie
Other things to look for in the Wakelet...
40 Ed Tech Nuggets in 60 (Virginia Bond is AMAZING)
From Assistive to Inclusive: Leveraging Available Technology to Foster Student Success
Engaging Technology for the ELA Classroom
Creating Engaged Digital Citizens
Flip for Current Events
Monica Burns: 10 Ways Book Creator Supports Digital Literacy Skill Building