It's been a wonderful first day in Napa- and not only because the weather here is sunny and mild! The first day of our Brainy Bunch Renewals are always fun because we are able to reconnect with friends that we haven't seen since last January. It really is a funny-feeling phenomenon- to show up at the same time, same place, each January, and spend 4 days with the same basic group of people. Then we all go home, and come back again a year later! The years ARE flying by- seems like only a few months since I was with all of these "like-minded" people.
Our speaker today was Dr. Doug Gentile, who is actually from Iowa State University! He is a professor and researcher who studies the effects of the media- and especially violent video gaming- on the brain. Dr. Gentile has authored several books on the topic, and is considered an expert in this field. His research is vast- and his passion for the topic is evident.
I'll spend this evening going through my notes and trying to synthesize them into a few major "key learnings". Here is one- the most obvious one: Violence in the media and in video games absolutely DOES affect the brain- and as you might imagine- in a very negative way! Much of what he shared with us was scary--- but he used humor, as well. Though overwhelming, it was a wonderful day of learning!
I'm leaving now for an "adventure. I'm driving "up valley" to have dinner at the Culinary Arts Institute, near Calistoga. I'm told it is fabulous. Several of the friends I'm traveling with (2 from Salt Lake City, 1 from Seattle, 1 from Phoenix, and 1 from Iowa) love to cook, and they say that nothing else compares to a meal at the CAI. I'm not a cook--- but I love to eat, so I'm sure I'll enjoy myself.
Tomorrow, we'll spend the day processing what we learned from Dr. Gentile today. This is how Pat always sets-up these workshops, and this strategy is very effective. We get information from "the expert", then have the opportunity to TALK about what we've learned with our fellow learners. Tomorrow will be an opportunity to practice what is called "elaborative rehearsal." We'll rehash what we learned, we'll draw upon prior knowledge and experience from all class members, we'll paraphrase, clarify, and question... and we'll "cement" our new learning.
More later! I'm off to have a fabulous meal! Julie
I love the idea of how your session is set up with a day to learn and then a day to process. I have been at so many conferences where all the information is great but overwhelming and you don't feel like you ever really process it. The brain, video games, and violence sounds like an interesting topic. Hope you enjoyed your meal!!
ReplyDeleteI agree having a day to process all of the information is important. We learn so much at different conferences and I need time to reflect on my thinking and how it relates to my classroom. At an inservice I attended yesterday, we talked about what the next step would be in implementing the new Iowa Common Core Standards. It was a good way to reflect on our learning and brainstorm ways we can continue our learning.
ReplyDeleteHaving a day to process is so important to me. I feel that most of our schools inservices are lost because I spend my time after them getting ready for the next day instead of reviewing what we just went over. Also I would be very interested in hearing what was said about the effects of video games because I will admit I am a gamer myself!
ReplyDeleteChris M.