Kevin Honeycutt at the OASSA

photo courtesy of Kevin Honeycutt

This past week, MPS Foto was one of the exhibiting companies at the annual fall conference of the Ohio Association for Secondary School Administrators.  The conference usually hosts around 300 secondary school administrators from around Ohio for a couple of days of professional development, networking, and head-above-water thinking.  We're obviously there to help grow MPS Foto and meet new people, but an important side benefit is being able to learn more about the issues facing today's school administrators.  Seeing the challenges faced by Ohio schools allows us to better understand how we can fit our service to meet the needs of our customers.
One of the themes that rose to the surface was how to best use technology to meet the needs of 21st century learners.  This year, we were able to sit in on part of the keynote presentation by Kevin Honeycutt, who is booked solid with speaking engagements on the innovative use of technology in schools.  What a revelation.  Mr. Honeycutt was more than entertaining and funny -- he was inspiring.  His technique of demonstrating exactly how teachers can use simple and inexpensive technology like the iPad to engage their students was amazing.  But here's the thing... I wonder if the reason Mr. Honeycutt is in such demand is directly related to the fact that so many adults (myself included) are amazed by what he does.  What I mean is that technology flips the script on just who is educating who these days.  My nine year old officially knows more about Windows Movie Maker than I do, and that requires an open mind and a tiny ego in order to keep up with her and be part of her digital life.
Which is why we're forwarding links to Mr. Honeycutt's videos and other resources to the administrators and teachers we know. How do your kids use technology in the classroom?