Hello Big Picture Learning....

A new addition to Big Picture Learning is the TechGuru Blog…. a place to learn about, explore and tinker with education technology in support of student-driven learning. I am your host of this column. I hope to provide a voice for utilizing technology for the purposes of empowering students. Students expect that they be allowed to learn through the avenues that they interact with the world. That means that teachers can often be the biggest impediment to engaging education because of our fear or unfamiliarity with ‘what’s new’. I hope to provide a space for us all to experiment, innovate (fail sometimes) and learn some cool tools.

For starters, I hope to create a network of ‘Tech Champions’ from across the BPL network! If you are a Tech Champion at your school, or know someone who is, please email me at david@bigpicturelearning.org. I will add you to the invite list for our upcoming forum. Let’s share best-practices, find solutions and celebrate our successes in bringing technology fluency into BPL schools.

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that there is a renewed appreciation across the education sector for approaches that focus on student expectations. (Relationships, Relevance, Time, Timing, Play, Practice, Choice, Authenticity, Challenge and Application). There are now powerful technologies out there that enable us to meet each of these 10 expectations - as well as amazing tools to streamline and simplify our job as educators. This space will highlight emerging ed-tech and how it can help us meet student expectations.

Lastly, I am eager to support you all! I am available to problem solve, evaluate technologies you are considering, conduct one-on-one pd, or work with your whole school. Feel free to schedule a FREE online one-on-one consultation with me via my Google Helpout.

-David Berg

david@bigpicturelearning.org

@davidberg10

If we teach today as we taught yesterday,  we rob our children of tomorrow.

-John Dewey, 1916

David Berg has been an advisor at The Met Sacramento High School for nine years. He recently took on the role of Vice Principal. David has been instrumental in helping The Met Sac become a pioneer for innovative tech integration.

David has worked with a broad array of the education community, he has served on the SCUSD Google Apps Rollout Committee, has conducted ed-tech professional development for a variety of schools throughout the country and has showcased latest ed tech for Tom Torlakson, California Superintendent of Education.

When not negotiating the wilds of the technology landscape, David is also a lead instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School, where he has taught leadership on sea kayaking expeditions for college students, the US Navy and NASA. Leaving to Learn!

You can get in touch with David though twitter @DavidBerg10, email at david@bigpicturelearning.org or checkout his Google Helpout.