The "All Things Google: Create, Share and Collaborate" annual summer conference at the Southern Regional Institute and Educational Technology Training Center, +SRI ETTC was amazing! All of the presenters at the conference were outstanding! They presented information to teachers, administrators, and many more! The presenters were +Kevin Jarrett, Sue Ross, +techiesue Ross and +Meredith Martin who are Google Certified Teachers, and +Frank Pileiro and +Rich Kiker who are Google Certified Trainers. Rich Kiker was the keynote speaker and had presented in sessions too. He is not only a Google Certified Trainer, but he is Google's top rated Google Apps for Education trainer in the WORLD! (That is impressive!) The day was truly amazing and I learned so much from my colleagues and peers.
The Keynote presentation Rich Kiker gave was amazing! As I reflect on his comments, I think of the evolution of technology and how people adapt. Here are a few points that really influenced me:
- "Bandwidth is the most important part in education. Knowledge is measured by your pipeline!"
- "Use knowledge to be able to apply it to real life in multiple situations!"
- "Access+Inquiry=Opportunity"
- "Un-learn and Re-learn"
- "Paper books are like museums"
- "...but they are trying." (Referring to senior citizens sitting in front of a webcam trying to take a picture.)
All of these points are important and so accurate. Today's generation of students are growing up with technology, so it makes sense to expect schools to provide adequate bandwidth so that information can be provided quickly to students. They are not intimidated by "un-learn and re-learn" concepts. They embrace the opportunity to teach someone about technology. They truly don't need to use paper books because everything can be found on the Internet. Finally, bridging the generation gap. Having baby boomers and senior citizens being willing and able to learn today's technology. As a technology consultant, I witness this often. I have many clients that are willing to learn about Windows 8, Google Apps, tablets, mobile devices, Skype and more. One of my clients called wifi, "hifi". We were laughing so much. I just love teaching them!
I feel these points are important because it shows how people adapt and change with times. It shows how far we have come and the endless possibilities that lie ahead. I wonder what type of technological devices or applications my grandchildren will be using and how they will react to me when I tell them the type of technology I used in 2014.
The Google conference covered many topics. Here is a list of helpful links:
- A collection of notes and links about the conference: http://goo.gl/ROmTDa
- A Storify of #allgoogle14 that was created by +Stephen Santilli http://goo.gl/lWrGLh
- Keynote presentation by Rich Kiker: http://tinyurl.com/GoogleandtheCloud
Thank you to +Faisal Youhari, +michelle wendt, all the presenters, and everyone at the +SRI ETTC who organized this outstanding conference!