Catch the Wave

Today is the final day of the Learning@School Conference. Everything has been great! Rotorua has to be one of the prettiest cities in New Zealand. The town centre and the Government Gardens (where the main venue is) both have beautiful trees and gardens. I’ll post some photos later today. My motel unit is close to the city centre, the gardens and Lake Rotorua (no view though) , and it has the dubious honour of having the most ferocious shower I’ve ever encountered! … in Rotorua even showering is an extreme sport!

At L@S, it’s always exciting to catch up with the friends I’ve made in the ICT PD programme over the eight years I’ve been involved. During this conference, I’ve noticed that teachers’ ‘learner behaviour’ is changing. Teachers are taking a more active part by questioning, discussing and collaborating. Many will no longer just sit and listen. I believe this confidence and interactivity comes from the professional development they’re receiving and the learning communities (both real and virtual) that they belong to. And its a good thing!

The keynote speakers and workshops I’ve attended have all been interesting in their own way and I’m looking forward to my first ‘unconference’ experience this morning. Go to this Wikipedia page to find out about an unconference
Here is a list of the L@S unconference topics. I’ll let you know what happens!