The Discovery Education Network hosts an annual professional development workshop, the Discovery Education Network Summer Institute (DENSI), where DEN stars from around the country (and abroad) can attend and network. This past summer, I attended my first DENSI, which took place at Montana State University in Bozeman.
"The six-day DEN Summer
Institute, held July 21-26, featured a variety of speakers and hands-on
workshops designed to empower educators to invigorate curriculum and engage
students using the latest innovations in teaching and learning. The event also
provided an opportunity for educators to connect, collaborate and share
resources, ideas and strategies with fellow educators from around the world." (Discovery Education News Release)
The DEN Summer Institute was a transforming learning experience for me. In regards to technology integration with student learning, the workshops confirmed practices that I believe our district does well, and it opened my eyes to areas for improvement. The workshops were engaging and interactive. Each session I attended increased my confidence in implementing the technology concept or tool with my own students and colleagues.
The most impressive aspect of the conference for me was the positive climate of the entire event. There was a comfortable risk-taking atmosphere. I am skilled in some tech areas, but am still growing in others. There was an air about the conference of being supported and safely exploring new learning with others. Even with some high tech experts from all over the country, it wasn't at all intimidating. This type of learning environment is, in my opinion, the atmosphere we need to create in our classrooms and computer labs, where students can take risks in their learning and make mistakes and grow from them confidently.
The following links on this site will offer the highlight sessions for me with some work samples and links to shared resources. I hope you find them useful.
DEN Stars at Yellowstone National Park
on July 22, 2012
on July 22, 2012