Web 2.0 - Teachers Teaching Teachers

Teachers Teaching Teachers

I visited the webcast and listened to the Classic Show of New York Teachers participating in Public Planning. Special host contributing to the session were Felicia George of New York City, Bill O’Neal of the Trenton Writing Project, Julie Connelly a New York Teacher Consultant and Susan Edihemir. Participation included guest from the chat room and wikis responses. The discussion was centered on a three week writing project for teachers. The project is scheduled for the first three weeks of July. Participation on the wikis was limited at the time. Highlights included: 1.What is a Writing Project? 2. What are the summer opportunities? 3. How technology is used to focus the project. 4. The emersion of teachers in writing to become better writers themselves.

Special groups are also available including the Advance Writers Project. The technology focus has occurred for five years with each year being different. The major objectives are to focus on what teachers are doing in the classroom, identify theory and practice, and tie the theory back to what is going on in the classroom. The Writing Project Teachers are exploring technology and implementing it in their classrooms. As the various participants contributed to the discussion the following points were significant.

Bill O’Neal reported that Trenton has the regular Summer Institute and three open short institutes which run for two days.
§ Four years ago they started the first summer experience.
§ The Advance Technology Institute is open to others not just the Writing Project participants. Experienced teachers and new teachers are involved.
§ A chat room participant was interested in learning about wikis and blogs.
§ Suggestion to consider Summer Institute as a prerequisite to the Writing Project.
§ Planning included bringing digital projects into the classroom, explore different things of interest and develop a project at the end of the experience.
§ Continue to include time to “mess around” explore and examiner tools.
§ Groups work and opportunities to post questions and materials to share learning.
§ Each week learn a new tool to accomplish a goal.
§ Discussed opening a Skype line to another school – evidence that it is happening at between some colleges and universities.

This web cast can be found at http://www.edtechtalk.com/node/3194.