This sums up the energy at #macul15. Thank you @campbellartsoup #LightningTalks pic.twitter.com/FYj1cXhyzn
— Brad Wilson (@dreambition) March 20, 2015
I love March. Basketball is all the buzz, Youth Arts Month is being celebrated, and it is major conference season. One of the conferences I have made a habit of participating in is MACUL. I started going about six or seven years ago and it opened my eyes to the potential of technology integration in my classroom and in turn, opened many doors for my students and myself to learn, grow, and share.
This year was no different. Although I was only able to be at MACUL for one day, I connected with a lot of great people, learned some great new things I hope to use in my classroom, and shared some ideas that I hope open some doors for others as they return to their districts and classrooms.
In my first presentation, I shared how I use various tools like CheckThis, Schoology, LiveBinders, Camtasia, Artsonia, and PBS LearningMedia to Flip, Blend, and Remix my classroom. It was fun to get everyone up and dancing to start (thanks again for playing along, even at 8:30 in the morning) and then get down to how we can rethink our classrooms to engage students in content that allows them to work at their own pace and share their voice with others in authentic ways. If you were unable to make my presentation, please check it out below:
One session I attended was about Sketchnotes, with Karen Bosch. I have had the pleasure to get to know Karen online for the past few years and I was really excited to hear her talk about her process of creating images like the one below of the MACUL closing keynote:
#macul15 #sketchnotes closing keynote @TechMinock @Techbradwaid pic.twitter.com/flj5lJop9z
— Karen Bosch (@karlyb) March 20, 2015
The other presentation that really got me thinking was given by a fellow Art teacher, D'Andra Clark and her colleague, Steve Weller, who co-created a course that delves into using the Design Thinking Process to explore computer technologies.
Ready to learn #macul15 pic.twitter.com/YOCVxbUsUo
— Janine Campbell (@campbellartsoup) March 20, 2015
Lightning Talks right now in the grand ballroom. #macul15 pic.twitter.com/1YGQ4rt1qn
— Ron Houtman (@ronhoutman) March 20, 2015
Although I had a shortened time at MACUL this year, it was still as impactful and I am ready to implement new concepts in my classroom. I also enjoyed spending some time in Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts exploring the special exhibit of work by Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo and the stunning views from my room.
“@campbellartsoup: Good morning #macul15 - looking forward to learning and sharing today! pic.twitter.com/RhuEeaDibt” I think you're in Chicago.
— MACUL E. Culkin (@MACULfun) March 20, 2015