Over the last decade, emergent technology has transformed the Choate experience in and beyond the classroom. Creating podcasts to tell stories in new ways, employing augmented reality to make material come alive, collaboratively annotating texts and conducting asynchronous video discussion–these are just some of the myriad ways you all have sparked the joy of learning among your students!
While the educational benefits of technology may be obvious, the dark sides are all too real–stress, distraction, loneliness and addiction contribute to our ever-worsening mental health crisis. Given this promise and peril, how might we educators mindfully embrace technology with an eye toward individual and collective well-being? Not only as a tool to enhance academic studies, but as an everlasting part of an integrated, fulfilling life? Can technology help unleash our uniquely human capacity to see our students as whole people?
We invite you to grapple with these questions and more at TECtonic–a new conference exploring the intersection of Technology, Education and Contemplation that’s designed to be 100% compatible with your summer plans. Unlike traditional conferences where you drink from a firehose for several days and return burned out, we’ll give you not only the time to marinate on the big ideas, but also the resources to translate your inspiration into practical application, holding your hand through the ins-and-outs of conscious technology implementation.
We’ve taken the content that would fit into a jam-packed three day conference and spread it out over six self-paced weeks that you can work through from wherever you are this summer. There will be a brief launch meeting at the end of the school year to orient ourselves and share our respective goals, and then from June 26 through August 4:
- TUNE IN – Experience the joy of co-creating an online learning community! Once a week at your leisure, listen to and collaboratively annotate a TECcast interview of an inspiring colleague, augmented by meditative visuals of our beautiful campus evolving through each season. Post a brief Flip response noting any big ideas you are contemplating, and any tools or techniques you might like to implement in and beyond your classroom.
- HONE YOUR CRAFT – Let us dream and build with you! Through a combination of curated resources (for all experience levels) and weekly 20 min. 1-1 Academic Tech consults (in-person or remote, scheduled at your convenience), apply your inspiration and insights into creative assignments and classroom activities that suit your teaching style. Once you have something you’re proud of, showcase your creations with the TECtonic group and, if so inspired, with your academic department.
Viva and Morgan are here to help you:- Build or refine your Canvas courses
- Take the power back with Apple Classroom
- Gamify your classroom with Kahoot! and Gimkit
- Streamline your workflow with keyboard shortcuts and AI assistants
- Deploy the same community building tools used at TECtonic in your own classes
- Create anything else you can imagine!
- COME TOGETHER – (Optional, for folks in town) On three evenings through the summer (scheduled based on max availability), grab a drink and roast some s’mores while we connect and reflect on our progress.
To honor your commitment to the art of teaching, we’re investing in you–TECtonic participants will earn $333 for their efforts 🙏 If interested, please complete this Google Form.
