I had the pleasure of attending the annual Florida Educational Technology Conference in Orlando Florida recently along with my Instructional leader Lisa DeSilva and Director of Technology Assisted Instruction Donna Swainson-Robinson.

The conference had a profound effect, and the only disappointment was that more educators from the island did not make use of this awesome opportunity.

We can all agree that we are living in a global society with a strong emphasis on technology and technological gadgets. There is no doubt in my mind that we all have a single determination to provide the best possible education for our children, and this conference covered a wide spectrum in fulfilling this objective. Below are a few of the inspirational ideas used in North America and the rest of the world in ensuring that they create a global society of learners:

Using what works for the kids: Kids have many websites that they go to everyday. U-Tube, Myspace and Facebook are just a few that come to mind. If as educators we are to make a difference then it may be useful to consider posting our lessons or creating web pages where students can access dialogue about the subject area. Kids could pose questions and their own classmates could very well give their own understanding of the topic. Imagine getting kids to download lectures or class notes on their phones or to record lectures using their podcasts! Imagine teachers creating blogs? The possibilities are endless.

Utilize Technology in teaching: The resources available online are endless. Using Google maps can make the difference in a student's understanding of the context in which a literature book is presented. Immediately correlations can be made and the student will undoubtedly become enlightened and excited.

Global technology: Numerous testimonies were given about classroom link-up between teachers and students in different parts of the globe. In a geography class where students are learning about the culture of South Africa, they can through web cams interact with students in those parts of the world and share their knowledge.

Project Based Learning: Students need to learn to work in groups. After all, no man is an island. In order to survive in these global village students therefore need to be taught lessons of cooperation and collaboration. Teachers and students often consider the possibility that only some students do the work and that others just get a "free ride" however technology has facilitated the teacher's ability to monitor students' projects to see the contribution made by each student and the length of time each student spent in bringing it to completion. An example of a project which was presented and which had a big impression on all who attended was a project done by a 3rd form secondary school. They were asked to create a model of what they would want their new school to look like in 2050. The creativity was awesome, the discussion breathtaking; the craftsmanship on the model would cause Donald Trump to hire these kids on the spot. The collaboration, enthusiasm, vibrancy and total commitment to a high level of excellence in the final product was phenomenal.

Using technology when testing: As teachers, we teach using the books, using the computer, using personal experiences and testimonies of others who are knowledgeable about the subject area. When we are writing letters or even when we need to know something we quickly run to our spell checks. Unfortunately we don't afford our kids this privilege.

When testing, we seem to remove all evidence of what the student learned with the hope that they will use their memory. There is a place for memory, however if recall is all we are testing then something is radically wrong. We have to teach our kids to be thinkers. That means that we should give them the definitions, give them the contexts and the words however get to the point where we allow the students to use the information to analyse, synthesise and evaluate the material. After all facts are just books, laptops or iPods away. The key then is to get them thinking. If we are truthful during the days when we went to school we probably had one text, no computer and a few resources. We needed to rely on our memories for both thinking and evaluation. So are we teaching them as we were taught or are we exposing them to the resources of the future?

Make it relevant: The society in which we live and the exposure to technology have made our students and children very inquisitive and enquiring. Teachers should use this to their advantage by drawing kids in based on their experiences and exposure. A maths lesson on shapes should see students being asked to identify shapes on their school building or creating a sports complex using the shapes learnt in the lesson. Immediately kids get fired up because they realize that they are not just operating in an abstract setting. Virtual tours, map reading internet searching, web cams should all be tools used to engage the learner.

Imagine This: Imagine getting kids to download lectures or class notes on their iPods! Imagine teachers creating blogs! Imagine students in a classroom in Bermuda making contact with a classroom in the US to study politics and law! Imagine students work being posted on the net so that their parents and relatives can see it! Imagine establishing a reputation where the websites and educational tools used by teachers and students in Bermuda become the envy of the world because of the exemplary standard that we maintain! The possibilities are endless. I dare to imagine, will you?

Lester Clarke MA, BA, Dip Ed is a Social Studies Teacher at CedarBridge Academy