GEG Student Summit

Yesterday was the Google Educator Groups [GEG] Student Summit, held at Ormiston Primary School.

Essentially, it was an education conference, where students presented to students, and the adults were there as legal obligations. How cool is that? The power shifts, and students are the teachers. 

I had organised to take 20 students (and 2 other adults) to this event from my school. The tickets were free, and the total cost of transport was $40.

AND. IT. WAS. AWESOME. 

 The kids getting connected to Wi-Fi before the first keynote started.

A major highlight from the day was our students getting the opportunity to try out new technology (or otherwise, technology that we don't have at our school).
Such as Scratch, Makey-Makeys and IQube.

 

From a teachers perspective, it blew me away how much the presenters (students from various schools) could do, without any adult help.

This kid, from Ormiston Primary, managed 10+ people on his own, (note - all older/larger than himself) as well as lugging around 3x 20L containers of his technology, demonstrating it and ensuring nobody broke/stole anything. He was literally hip height on me. I was very impressed. He had no teacher with him. 

As it was our first time attending this conference, we had no idea what to expect. 

In one way. I was comforted in that we are doing some of the things that were being presented about (e.g. coding, using scratch). 

In other ways, it gave me some things to think about for our students.. 

What other kinds of experiences (both real and digital) could we organise for our students? 

Do they need all these things? Some of the tech, I couldn't see the educational purpose for it. Some were merely toys to me.

What other opportunities, such as attending this event, exist that we are not making the most of? 

How can I prepare the students to be presenters with such confidence, so they could present next time? (Which bless them, they have already asked to do).

If we go again, should we take less children? Only older students? (Based of observations of how many/the age of students attending from other schools). 

I have already asked the deputy principal and senior syndicate leader if I could organise a mini-conference sort of thing, where the students who attended the conference can teach the kids who didn't, about what they learnt. 

I'm thinking it could be a stepping stone, to a regular event. 

Students can teach other students, in the same way teachers do for toolkits, something they know. It could be keyboard shortcuts, how to bookmark internet pages, how to check your emails properly, how to use labels on blogs, how to use Google Forms to make a quiz, how to create Kahoots, how to edit movies on I-movie, the list goes on and on. 

Sometimes I forget how much my kids know and can do. When I write it like that, they seem like digital experts. 

I would love to do this as a stepping stone, to students presenting at this conference next year or whenever it is held next. It would help them gain confidence, respect for each other as leaders and learning leaders, and (hopefully) build empathy for how hard it is to get up and present. 

Maybe speeches in year 7/8 wouldn't be so scary...

I think it was definitely worth going on this event and worth all my organisation. 

I would absolutely do it again.