1. Take Attendance
Use the DCMS Tech Training Attendance spreadsheet or the CMS Tech Training Attendance spreadsheet to mark your attendance.
2. "Create a Condition for Invention!"
As you know, I've been reading and studying about the science behind learning, about what happens in the brain when we learn. I ran across MIT professor Seymour Papert's remark in an article, and it really resonated with the idea of retrieval, elaboration, and the power of emotion - how they all work together in the brain to create strong neural pathways. Papert says, "The role of the teacher is to create a condition for invention rather than provide readymade knowledge."
When we review the big ideas from Make It Stick (Brown, et al), we learn that retrieval practice and elaboration are two strategies for learning, for mastery versus fluency, that carry a large whollup. If you want to review these ideas, watch Brian Johnson's synopsis of Make It Stick on YouTube.
3. Our Challenge
From Johnson's synopsis, we know that we need to provide students with the opportunity to practice retrieving information and explaining it in their own words. A fun, low-risk way to do this is with apps that provide students with disguises or scenarios. The disguises increase the fun factor, and anytime we can attach a positive emotion to learning, according to James E. Zull in The Art of Changing the Brain, we automatically increase the activity and energy the brain dedicates to mastering a concept.
Fun apps to work with in the classroom would include Telestory and MSQRD. Play around with one or both of these apps and decide which concept in an upcoming unit with work especially well with this idea of elaboration.
4. An Adult Challenge
Along this same vein, Kristen Herndon is working on a faculty/staff project to air at the DCMS talent show this spring. She wants to put together a montage of Dubsmash videos that you create because she knows the students will enjoy seeing faculty and staff "perform," and the Dubsmash app allows you to "perform" without actually getting up on stage. It's a win/win!
Here's a link to the Dubsmash app, and here are Kristin's easy-to-follow instructions!
5. Feedback
Let me know how team tech can work better for you. Leave your anonymous feedback here.
