Guest Speakers

In one of my classes on Friday, November 11th, 2016 we had two amazing guest speakers! I do mean absolutely AMAZING! Now to be honest, any time I have been to a conference or a presentation with guest speakers, I expect to be bored at least part of the time. However, these two guest speakers captured and held my attention the entire time they talked!

The first speaker we had was Amber McCormick, @EdTechAmber, who is currently an elementary teacher. She spoke about Sketchnotes. I have heard of Sketchnotes before but I have never used them for many reasons but the main one being because I cannot draw AT ALL. However, after Amber's presentation I was excited about trying Sketchnotes and I am trying to figure out how to use this tool in the classroom.

For those that do not know what Sketchnotes are they are a way of taking notes using pictures, text, different types of writing, and colors. Sketchnotes are a great tool to use to help students visualize and remember information efficiently. Please check out this video we watched during Amber's presentation that explains Sketchnotes effectively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9KdRfNN9w. Amber walked us through how to create our very first sketchnote as she explained why they are effective in the classroom and how they work. See my first attempt- please disregard my lack of drawing talent- below.

After learning about the valuable tool of sketchnoting, I realized that as educators we need to actually teach our students how to effectively take notes in class as it is a very needed and useful tool throughout life. Sketchnoting allows all types of learners to be able to take notes effectively and create ones that will actually help them learn information easier. I know if I had been taught how to take notes likes these then I would e more able to take more efficient notes in classes without having to write everything out long hand.  One last thing that Amber introduced us to was an item called the Rocketbook Wave Smart notebook. The Rocketbook Wave notebook is an interactive notebook that allows you to draw or write in it using Pilot Fixion pens and then send your drawings and other writings to your computer or tablet, from the notebook!  The most amazing part of this notebook is that once you fill all the pages you can put the notebook in the microwave with a small bowl of water to erase everything- up to five times! You can find this product on Amazon. Thank you Amber for the wonderful and useful information you provided on Friday!

The second guest speaker we had was Bryan Miller, @Edtechnerd, who presented on coding, robotics, and the importance of play in the classroom. One amazing part of Bryan's presentation was Dash and Dot. Dash and Dot are two different interactive robots that can teach students how to code using tablets and/or computers. Both Dash and Dot can be used to play games as well. For instance, as a class Bryan programmed Dot with different responses similar to ones you would find on a magic eight ball and then we asked Dot various questions, shook Dot, and got a random answer. Bryan pointed out that the times we live in and how technology keeps progressing we need to teach more students how to use computers effectively, how to code, how to use and interact with robotics, and how to play. Play in the classroom, and life in general, is important because it opens up our students creativity which can lead them to create new amazing things like Dash and Dot. Check out my sketchnote on Bryan's presentation below. Also, check out this website for more information on Dash and Dot: https://www.makewonder.com/.

I want to thank both Bryan and Amber for coming out and teaching us about such amazing things and for being amazing at presenting! Also, a huge thank you to Dr. Jennifer Williams for making it all possible!