so recently, please check out their website at http://www.
discoveryeducation.com/. I especially love all of the live webcasts that they have scheduled relating to current events. Students can watch and learn from primary sources. Perhaps this will motivate the students to then create their own blogs, podcasts or webcasts relating the events to their own lives. Digital natives expect to create meaning and share it with others. This is an amazing advantage that our students bring to our classrooms every day!
M.E.L.
One of the additional hats I wear is K-12 Media Specialist for Shepherd Public Schools. Even in my role, it is difficult to keep up with all that the Michigan Electronic Library has to offer! Don’t let this overwhelm you, however. Their website, located at http://
mel.org/, provides links to reliable free resources, interlibrary loan throughout the state with access to over a million titles, cutting-edge Featured Resources, and M.O.R.E.: Michigan Online Resources for Educators. One thing that I particularly like about M.O.R.E. is the ability to search their resources by subject or by state standard. If you find that students are struggling with a particular standard, you can search M.O.R.E. for carefully-selected, technology-based activities that have been aligned to the standard that you choose.
MACUL Conference
Nope, I don’t get a kickback for pulling for the MACUL Conference either, but it is my “must-see” event every year. The challenge at this conference is not to walk away with useful ideas, but instead to walk away and choose just one useful idea to implement! That truly is the secret, though. Every person who is utilizing technology, innovation, and cutting-edge resources started small. Rather than feeling like you must go back and either reign as Tech Guru or do nothing, I encourage you to implement one thing that you have learned--just one. Then, decide what to do from there. For example, you might try attending a Moodle or Blackboard training through your school or REMC. These are
MACULJOURNAL |
both excellent resources for all grade levels. Shepherd Elementary teacher Tracie Benzinger had this to say after attending a Moodle workshop at the Shepherd Secondary Media Center: “In two hours I went from Moodle-less to Moodle-user. I see this as a very user friendly means of putting important information and documents into the hands of parents any time of the day, or night.” In my own blended format courses at Shepherd High School, I am using Moodle to give a pre- and post-test for each of my courses to document student achievement. This was efficiently implemented when I put my final exam in Moodle and then made a copy of it for the pre-test. In addition to Moodle, however, there are dozens of exciting innovations at your fingertips when you attend the MACUL Conference!
Start Slowly
I’m sure you have heard of the fable “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The thing I like best about this fable (Google it if you aren’t familiar with it!) is that the tortoise is not rattled by the hare. Instead, the tortoise continues slow, steady progress and continues moving forward. When it comes to cooking, I am determined to be the tortoise. My gluten-free bread has yet to wow anyone, and my family steers clear of my gluten-free, non-dairy macaroni and cheese, but I’m still plugging away. I’m no guru, but by trying things that I am learning from others, I am not afraid to attempt some innovative recipes and to encourage others to do the same! Cook up some innovation in your classroom today and inch your way toward innovation! You just might be wowed by the results!
Kristi Bush is the K-12 Media Specialist for Shepherd Public Schools and also works with Michigan Virtual School as an Online Instructor Trainer and Course Developer. She may be reached at
snearybush@gmail.com.
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