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Showing posts from June, 2018

EdCamp Still Rules

  Looking Back at 10 years of EdCamps Oh how the time flies, EdCamp Madison is turning 10 this year!  It will be held Saturday, February 3rd at Sun Prairie West High School. Which can be found at 2850 Ironwood Drive in Sun Prairie Wisconsin from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm.  Get more information and register here: https://sites.google.com/sunprairieschools.org/edcampmadwi/home   I will always remember sitting in my first EdCamp opening session at the very first EdCamp Madison and having no clue what I was in for. So, I’d like to take this space to go over some of the basic rules of EdCamp. No One Will Pitch It for You EdCamps are unconferences. By this I mean that they have a blank slate of sessions for the day. There may be a few predetermined sessions, but ultimately the session topics are determined by attendees during the pitch & plan session that opens the day. If an idea gets pitched there will be a session on it. If a topic doesn’t get pitched, there won’t be a session on it. So, it i

Many GIFtS from ISTE 18

Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to attend the ISTE 18 conference in Chicago. Now, I could spend days writing reflections on every session I attended because they were amazing. But I'm beginning the capstone project for my Master's on Monday.  So, I don't have time for that type of post.  But, what I have done is put together some of my biggest takeaways as GIFs with links to the associated session materials where available. Session Materials from Awesome Google Apps, Features, Tips & Tricks , & Online Tools You Never Knew About by Bret Gensburg Presentation from Dynamic Learning With G Suite by Kasey Bell Materials from  Learner Profile, Backpack and Plan: Helping Discover the Purpose for Learning by Barbara Bray Materials from  Ditch That Panel: Different, Innovative, Tech-Laden, Creative, Hands-on Teaching by Matt Miller and Ditch Panel Avengers Materials from  EduProtocols: Break Free from Pre-Packaged Lessons

Every Author Has a Story #DBC51

I was lucky enough to win a contest from Dave Burgess Consulting and received all 50 books DBC has published (Tara Martin’s Be Real is number 51 it was released this week.) Looking at the catalogue is amazing. There is something for everyone in education from teachers to coaches to administrators to support staff to learners. The biggest truth I’ve found among the books of DBC is that everyone has a story to tell that has informed their professional life.   Each author has a set of learning outcomes that they’d like to leave their audience with. But, every book starts with a story. These personal stories are open and honest about failures and growth. As you read the stories, you’ll find yourself nodding and smiling knowingly at all those details that resonate with your own experience. You may find it “getting a little dusty“ in the room as you read stories about their tough times or how they learned open up about their struggles. But, these stories are not just tales

Retweet > Selfie

I just got home from an amazing experience at University School of Milwaukee's Spark Conference. I saw some amazing presenters. These are people whose books and blogs I have read and adored. I saw Aaron Hogan , Tara Martin , Michael Matera , Shelly Burgess , and Julie Smith . But looking at the #USMSpark feed , I saw so many people taking selfies with their #EDUHeroes or their PLN. Looking back on the 2 days, I realized that I did no such thing. The main reason is my crippling shyness. I have be working on just come up and say “Hello”to people this year. Now, I actually have to ask if you’d take a picture with me? That would take me way out of my comfort zone. Yes, it is probably something I need to work on. But, I don’t think I’d get the same high I get when I see something else in my Twitter feed. The thing that really gives me the feels is when one of my #EDUHeroes retweets something I said or even better quotes me in a retweet. Think about it, we live in an age where