For the third year in a row, I attended the free Innovations for Learning conference in Lexington on June 1. (For the first time, their registration numbers resulted in a "sell out"!) In the morning, I partnered with the KDE KyGoDigital team to work with CIO's and TRT's about how Google apps and other key edtech can impact instruction. In the afternoon, I presented a few sessions on game-based learning / gamification, as well as innovative presentation tools for teachers and students. This last session was livestreamed via KDE's YouTube channel:
Note: CheckThis, the last web tool in the presentation above, just discontinued its service.
IFL is an incredible and generous opportunity from Fayette County to learn, share and network. I highly recommend attending it next summer if you can, and follow the conference hashtag at #IFLLEX.
On June 7-9, Jefferson County Public Schools had its first Deeper Learning Symposium. (Follow their hashtag #JCPSDL.) Nearly two thousand JCPS educators descended on the Kentucky Exposition Center to expand their conceptualization of what learning needs to be. As a person who had their presentation proposal accepted (once again on the topic of game-based learning), I was a fortunate non-JCPS attendee. While several sessions were intriguing, one of the more inspiring sessions was a keynote screening of the documentary Beyond Measure, which happens to feature the journey of Kentucky's Trigg County Public Schools from traditional methods into a new mode of teaching and learning. I was excited to see educators, many for the first time, talk about using Twitter, competency-based education, the power of PBL, and so much more!
As we look ahead, don't forget that EdCampKY will be at Bardstown Middle School on August 26, 2017. Be sure to get your free tickets here!
