Day 3
Webinar by Vance Stevens
Abundance in Teacher Professional Development: More than meets the eye
I could see the webinar online this Sunday: Vance Stevens -like many other important educators who were online this weekend- is someone who works hard and he presented an interesting list of conferences and events online which are worth checking.
I was sure that the presentation would be useful and engaging - I was not wrong as I have followed him in his events online - you can find them on his website : https://learning2gether.net/ . Lots of opportunities for discussing online on Sunday and many interesting people we can meet online and become important in our life as educators. I cannot but say that my list of interesting web pages has become longer and longer and I have bookmarked so many so far. My Pocket is now full but I am adding more !!
When I saw his presentation I could not but think about the many changes which have taken place in education: yes , I must admit that I am pleased to be living in this century and to be offered so many opportunities for learning thanks to the use of modern technology. An event like MMVC16 would not have been possible thirty years ago!!
When I first entered the world of education I could only fly abroad in the summer or take part in conferences which were held in other cities in my country. I am a teacher of English and I wanted to learn more and be more updated. But our life is also long hours spent at school and planning and sometimes you cannot leave school to take part in conferences. The costs can be high: webinars and conferences online can really make a difference. What we have been offered can sometimes be cheaper than going abroad.
Today we have plenty of opportunities, most of them are also free and we just sit in front of our tablet, smartphone or computer and then we become part of a learning community that shares and discusses ideas about education, the use of modern technologies and new projects.
This is fantastic as we learn together and can enrich our way of working and sometimes we can find solutions to our difficulties.
What was really interesting was his list of events which he had collected for the next weeks and months:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/187pdWJxImKvaNoRTUjGw3dU78AXDCzWFtXAWhOBGWss/edit?usp=sharing
I have entered some of them in my Google Calendar and I am going to check more and share any I have found interesting and are worth watching. It is sometimes hard to follow such events as speakers are in the USA, Canada or in the far East while I live in Europe but what is really good is the opportunity of meeting virtually and we can share lessons, ideas, and tips. Materials are uploaded online and sometimes we are given the opportunity to choose and to see the recording!!
I cannot but say that Vance Stevens is doing a great job as he is providing us with the " tools" to get access to knowledge and to learn more.
After watching live the webinar I wrote down some important events in my agenda: one will be in September - it is a new event EduPassions free web conference on 3rd September
weblink http://www.edupassions.org/
I am also going to follow more Tweets and follow important educators as the web is an important source of information about free events which are run by people like Nellie Deutsch , Vance Stevens or groups of teachers who are interested in sharing their projects and support other learners.Don't miss the #EduPassions free web conference, 9.3.2016 https://t.co/hScjHzu2TG #edtech #edchat #pretchat #tesol pic.twitter.com/JPzDpfS42N— EduPassions (@edupassionscon) 23 luglio 2016
The future for me
I would like to work on projects in education so I feel that working and learning online can support me by providing ideas. Among the chats we were suggested in the webinar we were given ELT CHATS , I checked online and found not much but then I googled the word and I could find this interesting article by Shelly Terrell about hashtags for ELT teachers:
http://blog.esllibrary.com/2016/02/02/the-ultimate-hashtag-guide-for-english-language-teachers/
What would I like to research now?
I will see what other educators have already published and I will start writing too about the new
" motorways" that can help us develop as learners and teachers.
You can find here the slides which Vance Stevens has shared online with us. A precious document which I have shared online too.
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