"Teaching Together"

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present at the third annual "Teaching Together" Conference at Baldwin-Wallace College. "Teaching Together" is an organization of approximately 300 pre-service teachers who are at all different points in their educational journey. The conference was attended yesterday by 60 students who participated in sessions on Praxis II exams, resume building, constructing a professional portfolio, interviewing skills, resources for ESL students, and my presentation on creativity in the classroom. My fellow presenter and I were able to share various resources and opportunities to engage students, particualry in reading and writing, in other avenues than traditional literacy activities. As I was presenting, I began to think about the use of new literacies in the classroom. I shared with my audience how simple it was to create a blog last week, and the importance of utilizing various media and stratedies to motivate and engage our learners. The audience seemed interested and receptive, and I hope that a least a few future teachers will remember to broaden their horizons in future lesson planning!