As I sit here at 30,000 feet I begin the process of reflecting on the amazing experience that was ISTE 2010 in Denver. I’ll be honest that my initial emotion is a feeling of sadness that I am leaving so much excellent learning amongst so many brilliant people. These are the members of my PLN. My personal learning network. People that I have have had the privilege of speaking with, presenting with, moderating alongside, collaborating with, chit-chatting with, and generally getting to know for quite some time. Through the power of the PLN we have what began as professional relationships, but now have evolved into meaningful, long-lasting, friendships.
There is no question about the amount of learning. Happened in the formal sessions, poster sessions, unplugged sessions, bloggers’ cafe, etc. Just look at the tweets under the #ISTE10 hashtag. I learned of new tools and resources with rock-solid examples of their application in K-12 classrooms. For example, in the #SIGMS10 (special interest group media specialists) Smackdown I learned of some great new tools for teaching digital citizenship, mobile researching apps, and digital storytelling. It was relevant and applicable to teachers and students; while delivered in a fun, interactive format that kept us engaged, laughing, and collaborating.
Despite my feelings of being bummed about the end of ISTE 2010 and leaving my new friends, I think of this as just the beginning. Why? This tweet by Bud Hunt caught my attention:
I believe that’s a great way to sum it up. How can we be bummed about that?!? I’m excited for what this coming school year has in store for me in working with teachers and students. I hope you are too. Remember, there’s lots of fellow teachers that need YOU! There are students that need YOU!
It’ll soon be the beginning of a new school year. “Do important things. Be brave. Share lots.”
Thanks for reading.