I am Back

Life happens and time has flown by.   Since ISTE 2013 I have attended 2 FETC conferences and I am planning on attending ISTE 2015 in July which will be held in Philadelphia this year.  Most of the notes from both FETC conferences can be found if you followed me on twitter - @mrsmartinusa 

Technology in schools has changed tremendously since I first posted on this blog.  The current trend is moving towards MakerSpaces and tinkering as opposed to step by step instruction.  This will be a difficult transition for many, but it seems that the studies have shown that it will be greatly beneficial to the students and to the future industry leaders of our country and the world.  Student learning will go back to being the responsibility of the student, but it also requires all educators to be more creative and open to new ideas and accepting of the needs of each individual student.  It is an environment where collaboration among educators and one that allows student collaboration is vital.  

3D printers and augmented reality has allowed us to introduce the students to concepts at younger ages.  In K-12, there is a move towards teaching concepts in a more concrete manner before moving to the abstract concepts of formulas and theories.  It allows the students to not only have a better grasp of the concepts, but also excites them and makes them more engaged in the learning process.

This has caused me to rethink my teaching methods and redesign my curriculum to better fit the needs of our students.