I'll first start this post by saying, it isn't going to be pretty, formal, or probably very organized. I just finished my 3rd day at TCEA and my brain is a bit fried, but I do have some pressing thoughts that need to be said, or at least I think heard by the leaders and teachers currently in Microsoft Education.
It takes guts to present. I don't present. It makes me feel ill. So I know that presenters have to be so brave to go out and do this voluntarily. That being said, if you are a company like Microsoft, who pay people to promote your product, then I think we need to get more focused on the lesson design, sound instructional practices, and learning. Here is why. I didn't attend all Microsoft sessions, because frankly the ones I do attend are a bust for me. They are focused on the button clicking and bells/whistles that are found in Office 365 products. Great. There are a lot of them. They are awesome. But what is out there for those of us who can push those buttons already? The answer is nothing. There aren't sessions around the amazing lesson designs that can be utilized with OneNote. No sessions on the really cool options for feedback and branching in Microsoft Forms. Nothing about the ability to create personalized learning and student choice through the Class Notebook. Nowhere to be found is office online. ONLINE POWERPOINT and ONLINE WORD are the same as GOOGLE SLIDES and GOOGLE DOCS and nobody knows it. Today I sat through a session that coined OneNote as a 3-ring binder. You can put all your stuff in. You can put those PDF worksheets in it. Your kids can get it anytime they want. They can even write in it and keep their notes. BUT IT IS SO MUCH MORE!!!!!! Where are those sessions at? Where are the innovative ideas? Sulphur Springs ISD cannot be the only school district in Texas utilizing OneNote to redefine lessons through technology. OneNote is more than a house for digital worksheets and notes. Now I know what my colleague John Bimmerle would say, well Meredith you lead those sessions. Perhaps that is one answer. But who else will also lead those sessions? Where are our other Microsoft schools and teachers? Where are our strong Microsoft Education trainers at? We don't need them on the floor of the Expo hall. We need them leading sessions with strong instructional mindsets. Google is. They are leaving you behind, and not because they have a better product. Because they have a team of teachers who stand up and scream from the rooftops about how wonderful it is and how it can impact LEARNING. I am not saying there isn't a need for training. There is. But there is a larger need for sound instructional strategies around Microsoft tools. I love Microsoft products. I love the online community and I love the responsiveness of the Microsoft Team. This post isn't meant to be a bashing of Microsoft or those presenters at TCEA. It is a plea for help. It is a calling for the leaders in Microsoft Education to attend events like TCEA with an instructional mindset. UPDATE!!!!! Thank goodness for Suzy Lolley. She saved my conference with some cool ways to gamify the classroom and use OneNote. OneNote wasn't the topic but the tool to help along the strong instructional strategies. I wish I could have stayed longer to check out her other sessions. I believe Microsoft paid for her travel, and I hope they continue to do so! I encourage you to seek her out if you are wanting to learn more about Microsoft products.
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April 2018
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