E-Learning Professional Development

Today I took myself out of my comfort zone and tried something new with UNL 297b Practicum Students.  Over the past few weeks, I have searched for webinars that focused on elementary math instruction, classroom management, and technology integration.   Rather than presenting to all students on one topic, I created a youtube playlist, so students were able to choose which webinar best met their needs.  I encouraged them to consider their personal goals and spend a few minutes browsing before they chose their webinar.  The majority of the class chose to watch, Practical Classroom Management, a webinar that took students through scenarios and proactive ways to improve the behavior in each scenario.  While students watched their videos, they took notes on a graphic organizer.  I explained to students that they could use their choice of presentation tool to create a 3-5 minute presentation about their webinar.  They had the option to work individually or in small groups.  Most students chose to work in groups and I enjoyed listening to their conversations.  I observed leadership skills, creativity, independence, risk-taking, and impressive collaboration as I monitored the room.  I feel fortunate to be working with such a dynamic group of future teachers and observe their passion in action.  I hope that this learning experience was valuable to each of them and I am excited for our next seminar, where students will have the opportunity to learn from each other as they share their presentations.