Show and Tell in the BrainWorld

As I mentioned in my last post, I retuned to present at the Indiana Computer Educator's Conference last month.  This time was different.  Aside from six years of advances in technology, this time I decided to take two students with me to present.  The response has been extremely positive.

My students have been invited to speak at other schools, and this past weekend, I was invited to be a guest speaker for Dr. Curt Bonk's graduate course in Instructional Technology, offered through Indiana University.  Curt has since added me as a guest contributor to the online component of the course.

I've also generated a bunch of new content on my website, ginormousbrin.com, and, perhaps the most exciting of these is a free podcasting tool I've created.  GinormousFeedster is an RSS feed generator that produces iTunes compliant podcast feed code in less than five minutes.  If you're interested in podcasting and you don't have the latest and greatest in software, check it out.

All of this stuff make me think back to what was my favorite part of Kindergarten and 1st Grade--show and tell.  Do we ever really grow out of our desire to share what we know, what we like, what we're passionate about with others?  Thinking about my own teaching practice and that of my peers, do we do enough to nurture that desire in our students?  How often do we unwittingly squelch it?

Let's face it.  A student who wants to share with peers is a student who is engaged and excited (and, yes, maybe sometimes a show-off, but that's okay).  Engaged and excited learners, in turn, make for a more vibrant learning environment and a culture of creativity and inquisitiveness.

So, I say, bring back show and tell, for all students.  Why should elementary school kids have all of the fun?