Reflections about my Summer Academy course @etfonews #etfosa14 @aimeelou34 @monahan_scott

http://goo.gl/IPRCga

I had the GREAT opportunity to instruct a Summer Academy session for ETFO last week.  I taught GAFE (Google Apps for Education) for Beginners. What fun we had in beautiful Bracebridge at the Nipissing University campus.  A big thank you goes out to Mike Mayes-Stewart who was our "go-to person" and caterer coordinator guru ;).

Although the participating teachers considered themselves beginners they brought with them a wealth of knowledge about teaching styles and strategies.  They represented eight different school boards so we all learned a little more about how ICT implementation varies across the province. They were willing to share ideas and they brought with them an excellent growth mindset each day! I think I learned as much from them as they learned from me.

The goal of the course was to become more confident with GAFE and to choose your learning goals.  I think the teachers appreciated the time to play, explore and develop something they could use with their students in September.  I got excited every time a participant mastered an app or shared how it could be applied to his/her teaching.
I love technology when it allows us to connect with others but I think the best part of the Summer Academy was the ability to meet face-to-face.  I LOVED the incidental learning that happened when 21 engaged teachers worked together.

I gained technical knowledge preparing for this course and I also feel that I sharpened my facilitator skills.  I must thank fellow Summer Academy instructors Aimee Ford and Scott Monahan for their invaluable suggestions,  examples and resources.  As a first time SA instructor Scott and Aimee allowed me to volunteer in their course which helped me prepare for some typical beginner questions and help me set the pace for my course. Their willingness to share was key to my success!
I also want to thank Emily and Ruth of ETFO provincial for answering my many questions and for accommodating my last minute requests;)
I created a Google sites for the course that collated many great resources: http://bit.ly/etfosa14jensen 
 I hope ETFO gets the go ahead to run more technology based workshops again next summer as it was a valuable learning experience for all.