A Non-traditional Contructivist Conference for Educators
View Podcasts made by conference participants
Conference Description:
A hands on conference in which educators will go behind the scenes of the Milwaukee Public Museum to work with instructors from The Stephens Group and museum curators to create digital content for the museum. Participants will learn about 21st Century tools such as podcasting, photo-editing and distance learning.
Educators can recieve two graduate credits from Cardinal Stritch University at the conference. Registration is limited.
FAQ about MDMC2007
Who should come to the conference?
This conference is designed for K-12 teachers, Library Media Specialists, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators and Students. Both platforms, Mac and PC (and now even Linux J) will be supported. All comfort levels with technology are encouraged to attend.
What will I learn at the conference?
All of our instructors have gone through the process of making a podcast at the museum. When Dick Diener was asked what he learned from the process he replied, “I think that the biggest thing that I learned was the importance of a well written script. I was surprised at how really vital this was. I think the writing and planning of the script, not even the technology, was what I learned most about. Everything after that went very smoothly.”
When asked what he thinks educators coming to the conference will learn he said, “Lately there has been a lot written about allowing students to use 21st Century Learning Tools. Many of these technologies are collaborative. Often collaboration is just not an easy part of a teacher’s routine. I think educators will enjoy this conference because it is designed not only to learn about 21st Century Learning Skills but also about collaborating with other educators.”
What if I’m brand new to digital media and don’t even know what most of the stuff on the web site is about?
Everyone coming to the conference will be at a different comfort level with technology and digital media. Not everyone in your group needs to become an expert in every technology. This is why the conference is repeatable. Maybe at this conference you will become an expert at making a podcast or posting to a blog. In a future year, you may choose to come to the conference again and learn more about how to make a video enhanced podcast or a movie. Assignments will be shared between members. For example, two team members may want to learn about how to edit the sound files of the podcast, while two other members may want to work on taking and editing digital photos of the exhibit. Our main goal in the conference is to get educators to think differently about providing real world relevant learning experiences for students.
What type of technical support will be available to help me at the conference?
Each group of 3-5 members will be assigned an instructor for the conference. Your assigned instructor will also be checking in with you throughout the week to check on your progress, help with technical support issues and troubleshooting, and to give feedback and assistance to your group as you move through the process. Participants will be given a variety of ways that they can choose to learn. They include:
- Direct instruction through breakout sessions
- Atomic Learning
- Peer Collaboration
- Electronic Handouts of all breakout sessions
What equipment do I need for the conference?
Everyone needs to have a laptop. Both Mac and PC has free software that comes with your operating system that you can use during the conference. During the opening keynote we will be explaining and demonstrating what the different software does so that you can decide what you might want to learn about and work with during the conference. If you have a PC, we would like you to download a free program called Audacity prior the conference at http://audacity.sourceforge.net along with a Lame MP3 encoder found at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows . You can also visit the Equipment page for other recommendations of equipment to bring to the conference.
What advice do you have for people coming to the conference?
Tammy Lind, an instructor for the conference, has this advice for participants:
- Come ready to work as a team and to really work with your teammates.
- You should also come ready to have fun with your teammates. Also be willing to laugh at yourself because we all know that technology doesn’t always do what we want it to.
- Come wiling to learn new things and things you may not have had experience with.
Where can I find out more information about the conference?
You can click here to download the Schedule (now includes session descriptions). The Course Information Page has more detailed information about conference events. Another great place to learn more about the conference is by listening to podcasts created of the Instructors talking about the conference at our Meet The Instructor’s Page .
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