Conference Session Update - The Way of the Google Drive

I'm really excited about this conference session! Here are some updates:

I already posted about the miGoogle conference in Brighton, MI on November 3, but we were also accepted to present that weekend at the Michigan State University College of Education Technology Conference!

I will be presenting with two friends who will enhance the conversation tremendously. My friend and colleague, Jake Gentry (@jacobgentry1026), will be at both conferences. We also confirmed this week that Clark Rodeffer (@CDRodeffer), will be joining us at miGoogle. A little background on them:

• Jake is the youngster in the group. He is responsible for bringing that young teacher idealism. He also comes with (possibly too much) energy! The two of us work in the same school district and we've been incorporating a lot of innovative practices into his class in preparation for our session. Stay tuned for a short podcast or two about those.
• I met Clark years ago at a game design convention. He had an unexpected career change a few years ago and he ended up in education with a job similar to mine. His background in engineering and unique experiences in a New Tech high school in Michigan has given us much to talk about when it comes to innovation and change in education. It's an amazing opportunity to have him join us.

The full title of our session is The Way of the Google Drive: Thoughts and Tools for Inspiring Change.

Among other things, I'll be providing the big picture backdrop for the session. We will have plenty of practical examples, but with a title like The Way of the Google Drive, we'll get deep at times.

To hone in on those big, fundamental ideas, I challenged myself to write something (at least vaguely) related to the conference session and post it every day in October. Most of those posts are over on my Teaching Like an Artist blog. Here are some key links:

• Why I always start my training and conference sessions with the big picture
• A short three-part series on the inspiration of art and the power of tech
• The third post in that series is particularly important because it explains what this "way of the Google Drive" is all about.
• To easily access all posts on that blog that I tagged with The Way of the Google Drive, click here.

If any of that seems too abstract, don't worry! Most of the session will highlight classroom examples we've been a part of and I will address some of those over the next week.

If you want more information about the session, our page for the miGoogle conference can be found at this link.

The Way of the Google Drive - Thoughts and Tools to Inspire Deep Learning

Next month I'll be presenting a session at the 2015 miGoogle conference in Brighton, Michigan. Jake Gentry, a friend and colleague, will be presenting with me.

Our session is called The Way of the Google Drive. It's a reference to note a student gave me when he thanked me for telling his class about the power of technology for learning and creating like never before.

To build some hype and to refine our thoughts, I'm going to be blogging about the underlying ideas every day throughout October. Most of it will be a better fit for my Teaching Like an Artist blog (here's the list of posts tagged with The Way of the Google Drive), but I'll post some items on this blog as well.

For now, here is our session description:

A student with a computer and a Google account has access to the most powerful tools in the world for learning, connecting and creating. In this session we will explore some big ideas about inspiring students to use those tools to reach their dreams and potential. 

All concepts will be grounded in practical applications useful in all subjects or grades. I'll demonstrate creative presentation options like comics, narrated slideshows and music videos. We will also look at several tools that can take any student project to a wider audience.