"Guten Tag & Hallo" From Germany...With Love

"GERMANY":  http://www.haikudeck.com/p/Pqm472C1Z7

Our friend and fellow education colleague from Munich, Germany was gracious enough to spend some time on Wednesday afternoon at a local private Catholic school teaching German culture classes to 6th and 7th graders.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for being a global educator and for engaging the students with your wonderful stories and perspective! 

All that glitters is SCOLT - March 5 - 7, 2015

This last week, I had the amazing opportunity to present both a workshop and a concurrent session alongside fellow iPad Gurus and Spanish teachers Donna Guzzo, Janet Robles and Michelle Olah at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) in Atlanta, Georgia. During our sessions, we emphasized the benefits and creativity possibilities for students in a 21st-century learning environment that does not emphasize rote-learning but rather authentic use of target language, thus honing learning and innovation skills (critical thinking, communication, collaboration & creativity) and problem-solving skills. 

During the workshop, Donna, Janet and I worked with educators in separate "centers" to demonstrate 3 apps, and then facilitated their productivity with these apps. We discussed possible activities, projects and tasks in which to use these creativity & productivity apps in the WL classroom (as soon as Monday). Educators make the BEST STUDENTS, and their creative juices were flowing. In my center, we utilized Aurasma, Padlet, and Nearpod. 

Due to personal family reasons, Donna and Janet had to leave the conference early. Therefore, because I prefer to present with a "partner-in-crime," Michelle Olah stepped in during our iCreate session. Attendees participated in live tutorials of 3 apps, as Michelle and I called on one volunteer to come up to the front and utilize the chosen app for the first time. Applications we facilitated included Photo Mapo, Educreations, and Tellagami. Again, the educators in the room were eager for the active-learning pieces. We had a lot of laughs, and immediately tweeted out during our session the digital artifacts that were produced. Amazing learners! 

tellagami.com/gami/MYNKUY/  

https://tellagami.com/gami/YQBUF9/ 

(World Language teachers are crazy and fabulous, by the way!) To all the attendees and those that may just happen upon this post, please share your experiences and digital artifacts with us. We love to hear about the creative activities happening in your classrooms. 
Happy creating!!!! 

Handouts and session examples from both the workshop and session are available in shared Dropbox folder here: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vv90wjvusdeueh5/iPadiPlayiPower%20Workshop%20handout%20030115.pdf?dl=0

We are...DIGITAL LEARNING CHAMPIONS!

It is all about the LEARNING, no matter where in the world the student is located or even how old the student is...we are all co-learners. 
I nominated my colleague and friend, Jennifer, here at this link: http://bit.ly/1N3Rokm

I was restricted to 250 CHARACTERS, but if I had 250 WORDS, this is what I would say:

As an Educator Innovator, Jennifer Williams champions teachers every day to develop and implement instructional pedagogies that engage new digital literacy practices.  Both an educational leader and the recipient of the American Montessori Society’s Research Award for 2015, Jennifer works with university programs and pre-service Montessori teachers to bridge the gap between theory and practice.  Breaking through century-old methods, she works to find ways to effectively prepare beginning teachers to integrate technology into Montessori classrooms and lessons.  Together with teachers and students, she uses technology as a meaningful learning tool discovering practices that complement and enhance traditional Montessori tenets in powerful and transformational ways.  Jennifer examines ways teachers can challenge themselves to co-learn with students and explore as digital composers in common learning spaces.  Through her vision of providing all students with authentic opportunities for international collaboration and relevant learning with use of advanced teaching practices and latest technology, she seeks to empower teachers and students to prepare for their futures in a world that will prioritize creativity, innovation, and exploration.  At Calliope Global, she strives to inspire educators from around the world to be curious and motivated in efforts to lead meaningful change.  Seeing the world through a global lens, Jennifer believes in the power of teachers to act as change agents to transform the educational landscape of our world in new and innovative ways.  It is my pleasure to nominate my colleague, friend, and inspiration, Jennifer Williams, as a 2015 Digital Learning Champion!

But wait, there's more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMFmLBC3lRs  

http://bit.ly/1N3WsFB