The first workshop I attended was called Tap Into Your Creative Mind with The Tech Rabbi. During this workshop, he taught us how to engage learners in the classroom and think with a creative mind. One big idea that stood out to me was sketchnoting. He showed us different ways that we can creatively take notes while learning. He showed us examples from the app he used called Paper53. I have always loved doodling in class and this app is the perfect way to doodle and draw helpful pictures and diagrams, while taking notes at the same time. I can see how this app would be very effective for students to use and I have used it to take notes in some of my classes. It is easy to use and you can change colors, draw shapes, draw straight lines, and write with a calligraphy-style pen. The Tech Rabbi was a very engaging speaker and really opened me up to new ways to incorporate creativity into learning. My favorite quote of his was when he said "you don't have to be an artist to be creative. Creativity is about a personal way of expressing ourselves". I found this very interesting because sometimes people think if they're not a perfect artist, they cannot be creative. The Tech Rabbi shows, however, that anyone can be an artist and sketchnoting is a great way to personalize your notes and learn in a new way.
The second workshop I attended was learning about the app Seesaw. This app is used to display digital portfolios as well as parent and teacher communication. It also allows students to independently document what they are learning through videos, pictures, drawings, etc. I had briefly used this app when volunteering at McKinley Elementary a few weeks ago with a technology workshop for 4th and 5th graders. There, I helped students learn about different apps and we used Seesaw to upload the student work for the teacher to see. In the Seesaw workshop, the speaker taught us how to use the app as well as examples of when it is helpful. She showed her family profile and how every member of her family uses the app to communicate and keep up with each other. She showed a video of her son going through the steps of a subtraction problem. This is so effective for elementary teachers to use with their students because rather than just doing a worksheet, students are engaged and you can see exactly what steps they used to solve a problem in order to figure out where they need help. We created a drawing on the app and posted it for the other people attending the workshop to see. She showed us how we can view, edit, comment, and like other people's work.
The second workshop I attended was learning about the app Seesaw. This app is used to display digital portfolios as well as parent and teacher communication. It also allows students to independently document what they are learning through videos, pictures, drawings, etc. I had briefly used this app when volunteering at McKinley Elementary a few weeks ago with a technology workshop for 4th and 5th graders. There, I helped students learn about different apps and we used Seesaw to upload the student work for the teacher to see. In the Seesaw workshop, the speaker taught us how to use the app as well as examples of when it is helpful. She showed her family profile and how every member of her family uses the app to communicate and keep up with each other. She showed a video of her son going through the steps of a subtraction problem. This is so effective for elementary teachers to use with their students because rather than just doing a worksheet, students are engaged and you can see exactly what steps they used to solve a problem in order to figure out where they need help. We created a drawing on the app and posted it for the other people attending the workshop to see. She showed us how we can view, edit, comment, and like other people's work.