Recently I’ve been training a pretty tough audience – teachers. Since I’ve been teaching for about seven years I know what it’s like to lead a group, and the demands and expectations that educators have, because they are doing this stuff nearly every day, are higher than most. It’s a challenging audience and it’s given me a chance to mix two topics I really love: education and 21st century technology, and DIY tools like blogs, websites and (multimedia) software.
So far in 2009 I have worked with both the Durham TESL association and Canadian Centre for Cultural and Language Studies (CCLCS) here in Toronto. I led workshops that varied from one to five hours. In each we looked at concepts like web 2.0 and future-now Internet applications and how tools like WordPress and other CMS (Content Management Systems) might be used be people like teachers to organize and control digital and online content and connect and inspire their students with the power of Internet resources.
I am slowly constructing a home base for my workshop which so far, in expanded form, I am calling “Electronic Me: Teaching You to Get Tech.” The name could have easily and obviously been “Digital Me” but I expand beyond the convention of talking only about computers and incorporate discussions of other (20th century) electronic equipment such as televisions, DVD players and iPods (particularly for teachers and trainers).
Perhaps you or someone in your organization is looking for some advice or hands-on training to create a website or video. Maybe you’d like an overview or an in-depth session on a specific topic like WordPress websites and blogs for entrepreneurs, creating documents for MS Word and PowerPoint, or using iPods in the classroom.
Please contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to the opportunity to “Teach You to Get Tech.”
mike | strongandfree.ca
