Presentations

George Siemens says: “teachers such as Fisher are a rare breed. “What he’s doing is cutting edge.”

Quentin D’Souza says: “Clarence is one of those one-per-centers that are leaders.”

Dean Shareski says: “Clarence is one of the very few master teachers of the twenty – first century.”

Wesley Fryer says: “Clarence Fisher is both a rock star and a hero.”

I have spoken at conferences in many different parts of the world to audiences ranging from teachers and administrators to tech people and district personnel. I have made strong connections with educators who work in public and private systems as well as in international settings. I am able to do presentations either online using tools such as Skype or Elluminate or in person.

Here is a selected list of presentations that I can offer.

Flight Plans

Keynote: We talk about twenty first century classrooms like we are gazing off into the future. But its 2010 and the 21st century is getting ready to pass us by. What are we doing to change the way classrooms operate? How are we helping our students to be global thinkers who can bridge ideas and cultures? Join Clarence Fisher as he describes the 21st century classroom as it could be.

Information Alchemy

Keynote: It used to be hard to find information we needed. BG (Before Google) we had a lot of questions, but not very many answers. This has changed. Now we live in an expanding universe of complex, biased, multimedia texts that come at us from all corners of the globe. How do we help students synthesize information, combining all of the pieces they’ve found scattered across the globe? We will look at how knowledge is constructed online and how we can help students create the channels they need to gain valuable perspective on our changing world.

Information Warfare in the Classroom

Keynote: We live in the middle of an ever expanding universe of biased, complex, multimedia text from all corners of the globe. How do we help students to gain the skills they need to tell truth from fiction and navigate their way to some understanding of truth? What are key skills that our students need?

Be Kind Rewind

Workshop: Kids today are different. Period. But just how different are they? There have been many theories about: digital immigrants and digital natives, about Google making us stupid and about how students don’t even know how to read anymore. Is this true? Is any of it true? What kinds of classrooms are kid friendly? How can we organize learning spaces and places to promote the kinds of learners we want our students to become?

Pulling the Pieces Together

Workshop: There are a lot of amazing tools out there to choose from and use. But how do they fit together into a curriculum that can support learning over the entire school year? What do all of these things look like in an actual classroom? This session will look at classroom life over the long term. How can you use the power these tools offer to give your students a window on the world and a voice on the world stage? How can you get the latest information into your classroom?

The Power of Social Media

Workshop: If Facebook were a country, it would be the third most heavily populated country in the world. Twitter is aiming for one billion users. Online communities and the connections and opportunities they bring to people are  impressive, amazing and sometimes a little frightening. What do these changes mean? How do they effect schools? Students? Parents? How can we harness the power of social media to get the latest information in to our classrooms? How can we share a positive message of our classrooms and our schools with parents, students and the world?

Managing Online Communities

Workshop: More and more often, classrooms and other learning spaces are either moving fully online or are hybrid spaces, with some face to face time and some time online in a community. Whether you use Facebook, ning or some other type of software, building a successful and engaging online community can be a tricky business. How do these spaces grow to become positive, focused places where teachers and students learn together? Leave this session with a better idea of how online communities can enhance the learning that happens and some tips for being successful.

Click: Classroom Life in the Fast Lane

Workshop: A globally connected classroom is a different kind of space. Classroom life is collaborative and fast paced. Tools and time zones come and go, but what do the days actually look like? How do the different technologies fit together? We’ll explore how teaching, learning and assessment look different when you connect your classroom with the world.

Literate Online: Reading and Writing are Different on the Web

Workshop: What it means to be literate is changing. Electronic text is very different from print text. Teaching students how to read and write in these new forms can be complex . This session will also examine how the easy to use technology of RSS has the power to change your classroom. Information on a daily basis from leading experts around the world personalized for every student in your classroom at absolutely no cost. What are some of your options for getting information into your classroom and pushing it out your message to the world.

Unconference Sessions

Sometimes the best sessions that emerge are ones that are planned on the spot out of the needs of the people there. I have experience facilitating successful unconference sessions with groups ranging from 20 – 100 people. Setting a quick agenda, opening the discussion, making certain that a range of opinions are heard from and bringing all of the thoughts in the room together to close on a successful note are a few of the things that need to happen to make an unconference session successful

Custom Presentations Available

I am also available to design custom presentations to meet your needs. For example, I have spoken to groups of administrators all from a single district focussed on a new district initiative. I have spoken to parent groups about internet safety. I have also done a number of training workshops, working with groups in a hands on approach setting up tools to use in your classroom.

If you are interested, send me an email at glassbeed@gmail.com with as much information as you have to get our discussions started.