November Learning: Expanding the Boundaries of Learning

Angela Maiers

About Angela Maiers
Independent Consultant, Des Moines, IA

Angela is proud of her 20-year career in education, especially the years she spent as a classroom teacher. Angela is currently working as an independent consultant dedicated and committed to helping Departments of Education, schools, districts and teachers reach their goals in literacy and literacy education. An author and researcher of several books and journal articles, Angela’s current work — Classroom Habitudes (2009) — is quickly gaining acclaim in the classrooms and in online conversations.

Blog – http://www.angelamaiers.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/angelamaiers
Friendfeed – http://friendfeed.com/angelamaiers

Pre-conference Sessions

Building Learning Communities? It’s Elementary! (presenting with Brian Mull)

This session addresses the same content explored in the Building Learning Communities: Putting It All Together workshop, but explores issues and examples from the perspective of an elementary school teacher.

In this four-hour session you will learn the basics of information literacy, plus have the opportunity to work with members of our team as you explore how to build an online showcase for student work, create a podcast or start a wiki or blog for the elementary classroom. Learn how to integrate all of these tools across the curriculum in meaningful and effective ways. Our team will show you how it all fits together and will be available during the course of the conference week to guide you as you work on projects and integrate new ideas. The results will be expanded opportunities for authentic work, global audiences and concrete ways that your students can make valuable contributions to their learning community.

Main Session Workshop

Writing for REAL

Writing is not just a school subject. Writing is lifework. Writing about our lives, living what we write and understanding the power of our words is what makes us human. We can no longer afford to teach writing and reading divorced from real life. If our students are to know writing in this way, the experiences they have as writers in school must mirror both the intellectual and emotional work of real writers. This session will explore lessons, resources and new technologies that prepare our students for the lifework of writing and empower them with the confidence and excitement to share their voices with the world!

Fluency 3.0

Web 2.0 and emerging technologies have provided us with a new platform to engage, communicate and connect in unprecedented ways. But, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Web 3.0 presents an entirely new way of seeking and sharing meaning. As facts become obsolete faster and information continues to exponentially grow, literacy and basic technology skills are not enough. Web 3.0 demands a new fluency; a new understanding how knowledge is created, constructed and shared.

Together we will examine several emerging trends that will profoundly challenge our fundamental assumptions of what it means to be a learner, teacher and citizen in the 21st century. I will lay out what is most essential to know and teach as we all prepare to operate in this new world.

Join me as we challenge one another to think deeply about the answers to the following questions:

• What lies ahead for learners as the Web continues to evolve and change?
• What challenges and opportunities do we face in a Web 3.0 world?
• What are the implications for current methods of teaching, learning and assessment?

This session will support educators to work with digital texts and social mediums in order meet the changing nature of literacy practices.