Attend the edTechXEurope International Summit in London and, afterwards, document how exceptional museums, libraries and heritage sites engage audiences with creative technologies to inform a student project exploring heritage and identity called "The People Before Us."
My fellowship gave me the opportunity to really immerse myself in a very wide variety of museums, libraries and heritage sites, comparing and analyzing effective engagement strategies and innovative tech. Ultimately it helped me hone in on how a connection was created between visitors (specifically teenagers) and history. I saw first hand how gimmicky technology can fall flat. The best engagement and deep learning is built on a powerful story & questions that foster a meaningful dialogue.
Besides the clear evidence for the power of story to engage, I was really intrigued with how the best museums provided props, maker-spaces, and places to respond and interact (souvenirs too). It can be prompted by a simple video... or as simple as a sticky note station. We sometimes overcomplicate things with the dazzle-dazzle of the latest technology thinking it is a magic ingredient. In fact we need to stay anchored to the heart of what we want kids to learn and students as co-creators.
One of the biggest take-aways was how the best examples of engagement were not at the top of a Google search result. I discovered unique places from my planning research and even through word of mouth, which enriched my experience immensely. Best surprise was helping my friend Heather on her quest to find ancestors in Northern Ireland. It was like a real detective story that took us to graveyard, old churches, and the national archives in Belfast, Proni. It sparked so many history questions.
Giving students time to stop in awe, reflect, and to ask questions is the essential ingredient to deeper learning. If we don't bring our students on a journey where they feel like they are part of the story and invested, then they will not want to be bothered. Engaging video and provocative questions seem to win every time, along with giving students an opportunity to wrestle with these topics. I would love to have my students think about this as they create their own exhibit in the library.
As I work more with students and my fellow teachers I hope that they will see new opportunities to use the library in new ways, bigger grander displays, interactive exhibits, performance space. Also I am really inspired to explore further more resources that museums offer, from digitized archives to cool youtube videos about the places themselves. The virtual museum or heritage site is not the same as the physical space, however the resources they offer us is absolutely priceless.
I regularly work with teachers collaboratively providing resources and ideas, and already the conversations based on my experience has begun and the school year has not even started. This trip inspired some new topics, from genealogy to the question of Brexit and the Northern Ireland border issues as well as identity in Ireland, and the UK. My trip was intense and long so I admit I am still unpacking the experience, the photos, the inspiration. I am excited to do some digital storytelling!
It is so essential to take time out of the classroom and school to make the kind of very real-world connections that our students crave. When we get stuck in our curriculum and planning guides we sometimes are taken further away from what it is like to be a student. I absolutely love learning and I cannot tell you how much this fellowship meant to me, to be a researcher and to fall in love with learning all over again. My students and colleagues will feel my energy when we meet in the Fall.
We have to stay fresh in our role as student in order to be effective teachers. We all feel the energy from our students and colleagues when they have an unusual and exciting summer adventure. When it is coupled with an intensive learning experience, the way in which a teacher is renewed has an impact that must be ten-fold on everyone around them, lasting years.
I think one of the things that really sets Fund for Teacher apart from other learning opportunities is that they provided me with a blank slate to craft a passion project. I realized when I started researching options that I needed to focus on what I am passionate about and how it would inspire me to go further and deeper. And like any academic pursuit, the experience opened up a whole host of new questions and interests. In my case, Brexit, and the history of Ireland are to name a few.
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