The new school year has begun with a rush. It was nice to gather with members of my Professional learning network and share the first Teachmeet Melbourne event.
#tmMelb
TeachMeet Melbourne 2013
Another Teachmeet has come and gone. The tweets from the day tell the story so well. Thanks to all concerned for a great start to 2013.
TeachMeet – What else did I see?
Another Teachmeet is over and they just seem to get better and better. Yesterday around 60 teachers gave up their Saturday afternoon to gather and inspire each other at Teachmeet Melbourne (hosted by our beautiful Immigration Museum). After a previous Teachmeet I explained what I saw . I can now add to that list:
- I continue to see passionate teachers who obviously deeply care about the craft of their teaching, willing to take risks and continue learning
- I see people using the power of Twitter to synthesise their thinking, to note-take and to share their experience. Many have replaced taking notes, with Tweeting, serving double purposes
- I see wonderful stories of classroom practices by very new teachers and those not so new
- I see well thought out and clearly illustrated pedagogical theories
- I see old relationships re-kindled and re-ignited
- I see a strong emphasis on games based learning opportunities for our students
- I see new relationships being forged. People extending their professional learning networks. Following the twitter stream afterwards, there is plenty of evidence that people found new opportunities to connect and will have tangible evidence of the value of attending. I see conversations started that will lead to wonderful relationships.
- I see teachers who are understanding that teaching is no longer a private endeavour – accepting that so much can be gained by sharing their experiences
It is interesting to note that so many of the things I see, are not technology related – technology is the conduit that brought us together (Twitter, Wiki etc) but the depth of the experience is the relationships formed. All details are available on the TeachMeet Melbourne Wiki . I wonder what I will see next time ? What would I like to see?
People Power – Teachmeet
What I see at a TeachMeet
- I see …the power of Twitter. Most of the people who come along connect first via Twitter. In fact, this time a Twitter chat a few weeks prior enabled our connecting to the #mobile2012 conference in Phoenix AZ (Thanks to @losiath for connecting us to @jjash and for also involving @wfryer @allanahk and @pgeorge)
- I see…people who want to learn – participants at these events accept and celebrate their roles as learners. However ‘experienced’ anyone may be, they happily accept that seeing something from someone else’s perspective is valuable. A tool may be familiar, but in someone else’s hands it may be very different. Used Google docs before? Yes, but had you thought about using it for this..?
- I see … a generosity of spirit in teachers who are willing to share their skills, experiences and questions. Classroom teachers, Teacher-librarians, ICT specialists, Department personnel, Subject specialists – everyone with something to contribute and learn.
- I see … a wonderful variety of educators from so many different spheres all combining to find common elements as well as share differences. I particularly value the opportunity to relate to professionals who work in different sectors to those I work in. All too often school based professional learning is parochial.
- I see … an interest from our supporting bodies in how this form of professional learning caters for the thirst of people who are not being catered for in ‘standard’ learning opportunities.
- I see … a variety of presentation styles – all following the 2 or 7 min rule but some using Prezi, Keynote, Skype, a website or just a tour from our seats of an amazing learning space.
- I see … people who want to connect to other people, who value the conversations with other professionals that they might always not get around their staff room tables. The informal conversations and follow up after the presentations is as much part of the event as the presentations. Connections made at Teachmeet translate into increased and improved professional leaning networks, enhanced by the personal face to face contact.
- I see … a variety of learning environments. Teachmeets take place in educational environments – primary, secondary, tertiary, state, independent.
I like what I see and thank everyone who makes it happen. #TMMelb
http://teachmeetmelbourne.wikispaces.com/
TeachMeet Melbourne No 2 – Intro
My short introductory presentation at TeachMeet Melbourne 16 Feb 2012
I would like to set the scene as to where our gathering today fits in to a much larger picture.
1. The concept of Teachmeet is not new – the earliest mentions I found seemed to be around 2005 and associated with Ewan McIntosh from Scotland. Today, Teachmeets occur in many countries around the world. Highly evident in the UK, I also found mentions in USA and South Africa. There is also a Kidsmeet and Studentsmeet movement. There is a similar movement that seems much bigger in the USA referred to as Edcamp – the difference between these is not as obvious as the similarities.
2. Our Melbourne meetings were directly inspired by the Sydney experience where Teachmeets have grown dramatically in the past 12 months. Henrietta Miller and the Sydney team are amazing examples of enthusiastic teachers who began a movement that is now exploding. They are currently working on a world record TM with 160+ people already registered. A website has been created by them to keep the communication open and we are grateful to be included in that. The mission is clear and simple – teachers sharing with teachers.
3. The format for most meetings seems similar and we have chosen the 2 or 7 min presentation style. Two min micro presentations and slightly longer seven minutes presentations. If it happens that you are listening to a session that does not exactly thrill you or is not relevant to your current needs – the longest you will have to wait is 7 min until another session starts. The conversations and connections we make – putting faces to Twitter names etc are as valuable as the presentations.
The format depends on the willingness of participants to present and we are very grateful to those who have put their hand up for today. Obviously the example and experience of the team who presented at No 1. was motivating and we acknowledge that without volunteers, there is no TeachMeet.
4. So, in summary a Teachmeet has the following features and benefits –
5. TeachMeet International has also evolved as an online option for those who cannot meet personally . The second one is happening in March. As you can see it lives up to it’s international name with presentations from all around the world.
So, I am sure there will be a post after this one …….