#EdCampSTL- Gateway to Amazing Professional Development

Edcamp St. Louis recharges my teacher batteries.  Third Quarter is always the toughest time of the the year.  But after I leave edcamp St. Louis, it helps rejuvenate my focus.

My first session at Edcamp St. Louis in 2012 was Bold School which was facilities by Matt Weld. It was engaging exciting and big pictures discussion we had in the hour.  I loved that we had diverse group in the room and talk about how we can make education better.  I think sometimes we get to silo-ed with our professional development.  Sometime we need to take a moment to look at and discuss big picture ideas.

It is this collaborative and open space that keeps me coming back year after year.

If you have chance, go to one http://edcamp.wikispaces.com/complete+edcamp+calendar  

The Royal National Theatre YouTube Page- Theatre Gold

National Theatre Greek Theatre YouTube Playlist

I did a summer abroad program in London and Edinburgh when I was in college.  The classes focused on History and then my evenings where free to go see Theatre.  I saw over 20 plays while in London.  I feel in love with the Royal National Theatre.  I saw The Seagull there with Judi Dench, Les Parents Terribles(Indiscretions) with Jude Law and Francis de la Tour, Johnny on a Spot, and Author Miller's Broken Glass.  I admire their commitment to excellence.  The have an amazing YouTube channel which offers many videos that Theatre Teachers can use in the classrooms. Enjoy exploring this Theatre Gold

National Theatre YouTube Channel

National Theatre Discover Channel

Celebrate 2nd year anniversary of theTheatreCast Podcast

I am so thankful for Danielle Filas my TheatreCast Partner in Crime.  It has been an amazing adventure connecting with our guests and sharing our love for Theatre.  It is made me fall in love with the creative process all over again.  Through this process of producing a podcast, I have discovered the passion for being advocate for the Arts.  

Here are some episodes that can explore Show Business.  The audition process, the creative process, creating your own work and ways of making a living in the Arts. 

TheatreCast #27 -An Online Masterclass with-Caitlin Muelder

TheatreCast #44- Get More Life With Hunter Bell- Co-Creator of [Title of Show] 

And Now. Here. This.

TheatreCast #34| Broadway Veterans Deidre Goodwin and Kim Stern 

Using PicMonkey to help students demonstrate their knowledge of the Elements of Plot

Using PicMonkey.com,  I created an Picture Collage of the moments that the Elements of Plot occur in the movie the Princess Bride.  It is an interactive way for students to watch a show, movie etc in order to determine the movies elements of plot.

The Processs
1. Watch Movie, TV Show, Play etc.
2. Search or Take Pictures of the Moments in the Story where the Elements of Plot occur.
3. Upload Pictures to PicMonkey.com
4. Select Collage
5. Label the pictures using the Text and Overlay features.
6. Download the collage and

Theatre- A 21st Century Skill since the 5th Century B.C.

I recently took an online class and one of the units was on 21st Century Skills.  I started to look over the list and saw so many things that we do in the Theatre classroom.  Things we have been doing for years.  It inspired me to focus a TheatreCast episode on how Theatre incorporates these skills on a daily basis and we have been using these skills since the Greeks in 5th Century B.C.  

The list that inspired TheatreCast Episode

Share your Knowledge- "I Can't I Have Rehearsal" is no longer an acceptable excuse.

The more I read about the current trends in education, the more I realize that we as Theatre Educators are experts in Project Based Learning, Maker Spaces, and creating content for an authentic audiences.  We need to help our fellow educators as they join us in a world we have inhabited for a long time.

I encourage you to present professional development about how to create project based units for the teachers in your buildings.  As Theatre teachers, we know the how to get our student up on their feet and actively engage.   Help teachers of other disciplines, bring that excitement into their classes.

We are already experts in these areas, now we must step in and share our stories, tips, our bag of tricks to help students become creative problem solvers.  "I Can't, I Have Rehearsal is no longer an acceptable excuse for not stepping out and changing the world of education.

It is a battle I fight myself everyday.   There is always a show and there is always moments to be worked on, props to find, costumes to make, programs to be typed, etc.   Take the time and make the commitment to present within your school, at a TeachMeet, an EdCamp,  or Thespian Festival.

#28 Days of Writing- Let the Gauntlet Begin

I am joining  Tom Barrett's  The Curious Creative Blog- #28 days of Writing initiative.  I am glad I caught his post in my social media stream.  It was just what I need to help commit to develop the writing habit.

As the Theatre and Film teacher, the rehearsal process is second nature to me.  I know how to plan out what should occur when, when to add in the additional elements- lights, costumes, props, sound, etc.   But when it comes to writing, I am not as self-assured.  But I am taking up Tom's challenge, to begin the process of writing every day for the next 28 days. I excited to see where the writing will take me and I am thankful for Tom Barrett call to action.  I was lucky enough to meet Tom when I was part of the the 2013 Google Teacher Academy Sydney Australia Cohort.