For when you miss out

This weekend, #EdCampNJ went down in North Brunswick, NJ.

 If you don't know what an EdCamp is about, check out this fantastic review by +Jeffrey Bradbury on http://www.edcampnj.org/what-is-edcamp/


I went last year and it was such a great event. So much so, that it changed my perspective on learning, leading, and teaching. The people that I met there, some from the Social Media edu-space, became good friends and people who continually shape my existence!

So, when they announced the registration for  the 2014 version of EdCampNJ, I jumped at the chance to sign up. I was excited, especially since I had just changed just districts and jobs. There were so many questions I wanted to ask and a few sessions ideas I had kicking around in my head. If you think I am feigning my excitement, do yourself a favor and ask anyone of the over 400 educators who went this year how valuable that day was. The conversations alone (along with, "gasp" free swag and pizza) make this day one of the best of the year. 

Picture of last year with some of the great Edu-Peeps in attendance. 

Work up early on Saturday, got my coffee game going and then, I hear the dreaded cough from mountain tops. My kids, specifically the little one, has a HUGE cold. Goops, gabs, mucus, and snoogies all ruining up and down his little face (yes, those are medical terms). My life shifted to dad mode while trying to make the little guy feel better but when the SECOND kid also work up with those medical anomalies, I knew it was a sign. 

My hopes of going to the unconfernce were dashed. 

I knew it was going to be a great day but I needed to stay with the family. Thankfully, ever so thankfully, these types of events just don't happen in person. They also happen over the internet via Twitter, Google Drive, and Hangouts. 

I was able to watch along as the fellas from #satchat brought up great guest after guest during their show. I was able to follow the hashtag and see what people were talking about in the sessions and I was able to actually see the session materials thanks to Google Drive!

It stinks when you have to miss out on something, especially something you know will benefit you, your staff, and your school district in general. 

It stinks that you can't be a part of something greater than yourself BUT.. and there is always a but, the event is great because of the people who attend and their willingness to share of themselves. 

So even though I couldn't make it:

THANK YOU #edcampNJ organizers for all your hard work.

THANK YOU educators, teachers, administrators, and tech gurus who gave of their time and ideas. 

THANK YOU #NJED and NJ for being the BEST place to work in. YOU ALL ROCK. 

#edcampNJ: Why I love Education.

Education has a bright future.

If November 23rd, 2013 is any indication of the state of education, we are in excellent hands. It was a day I won't forget anytime soon. #edcampNJ rocked Central Jersey, with nearly 300 educators. I have been fortunate to attend a few edcamps before (#edcampSTEAM and #edcampLeadership being two of them) but yesterday was something special. Yesterday, I felt what I #Ehad known for quite some time, that there isn't something wrong with education and that there doesn't need to be major overhaul in what educators do. Yesterday, I felt PASSION. I felt it as soon as I walked in. 

Opening remarks of #edcampnj from Linwood MS in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

When I walked in, I was greeted by +Cassie Gorombey and a few others, who gave us some free swag and let us know how the day would go. Then it was over to the Big Board and the photobooth (yeah, they pulled out all the stops!) to see what sessions were coming and what I could look forward to. To be 100% honest, there could have been nothing put on that board and I would have been fine. Not to say the sessions were terrible but my primary goal yesterday was to meet and talk, face-to-face, with some people in my PLN who I had established these online relationships. It was a strange feeling, looking for people based on a 150x150 picture, but I was determined.

Learning about Standards Based Grading.

After the opening remarks, which were awesome and led by +Bill Krakower, +Scott Rocco, +Dana Sirotiak, +Jeffrey Bradbury and a few others, it was off to the first session. What is always great about the Edcamp model is that if the doesn't pertain to you or it wasn't what you thought, you can leave! (The rule of two feet, thank you very much!) I didn't find myself leaving because the sessions were not what I thought but I wanted to see SO MANY great educators that I found myself walking from session to session just to get a feel of what was going on.

The morning went by in a blur. By the time the second session had come to a close, my head was spinning (and that is a good thing.) Another great thing about #edcamp is that if you are sitting in on a session and the people in the room are on a device, that is a POSITIVE sign that they are engaged. Just like I was, there were many people who were tweeting, taking pictures, and writing down notes. Of course, I had my trusty analog tablet along for the ride (yellow legal pad, anyone?) but most participants had a digital device of choice. WiFi was free and abundant, as was the breakfast and coffee. As +Jay Eitner always says, if you feed them, they will come!

(Another thing I noticed? That some of the best conversations happened AFTER the sessions ended. After one session led by +Bruce Arcurio, a few of us stayed behind to talk about where education was going and the differences some states have. There was someone there all the way from Virginia. We continued the conversation right into the lunchroom!)

An emphatic Jay Eitner speaking passionately about education and new teachers.

After lunch, I have made sure to meet up with all of my fellow twitter tweeps that I had formed professional relationships with. Whether it was the #edtechchat crew of +Tom Murray, +Alex Podchaski, and +Sharon Plante, or it was finally talking to and meeting +Sandra Paul, I was happy to extend a hand, or outstretched arms, to these people I hold in such high regards.

I mean, I talk to these people a few times a week, lean on them for some advice and truly consider them colleagues. I think out of all of the things I will take from #edcampnj, it will be the impact that these people have on me and the continued relationships I will have with my #PLN. 

Overall, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that yesterday was about the best professional development I have ever attended. And do you know what made it even better? That it was FREE and I got to choose what I did. I would gladly give up another Saturday every month if there was something like this. It was unlike any conference I have ever attended. It was authentic, passionate and organic.

When you hear people talk or write about the negative state of education and how we are lagging behind and blah, blah, blah... do yourself a favor and ask them come out to one of these unconferences. I KNOW that their tune will change and that they will see and feel exactly how I do:


Education has a bright, bright future.

Some of my fellow edheroes - Tom Murray and Sharon Plante, along with Alex Podchaski, make up some of the #edtechchat team. Alex and Sharon met Tom for the first time yesterday as well!

The return of the blog! (2013 Edition)

After taking the summer off to relax and work on other projects (such as grad courses, raising baby, and you know, going to the beach), the blog is back and better than ever.

School started two weeks ago now (wow, where did the time go) and thinks have gotten off to a heinous pace. After a rocky start in which some things went down the night before the first day of school - because really, why wouldn't they - we rebounded and are making sure the students, teachers, and classrooms have what they need to succeed.

Another year under the belt means something else to me though - knowledge. Last year, we were working in new territory. We understood what needed to get done but not necessarily the best way to do it. Somethings we got it done quickly, other times it was a pain. But we learned. We failed. We grew.

I am happy to report that we have grown a lot. So much so, that we are rolling out a lot of new projects and products this year. Not only are we going to pilot a Bring your own Device initiative at our 5-8 Middle School, but we are also going to prepare for a PARCC test pilot, 1:1 pilot at the lower grades, and an expanded network to handle the load. It is going to be a crazy year.

That is why I came up with the GBTPS Technology Institute for the 2013-2014 school year.
I will be running, with hopefully many special guests from within and outside our district, a bunch of great workshops that are aimed at truly bridging the gap for EDTECH in our schools.

GBTPS Technology Institute 2013-2014

Take a look and let me know what you all think! If you want to be a part of a day, I would love to have you be a part of it and share what you do in your classrooms or schools. Please hit me up here or on twitter @MrCsays

Until next time, Carpe Diem folks.

Tweet for Tweet - 140 Characters or Less

Some people may call it a bandwagon. Others, a passing fad. Even more may say "what a time waster."

I, on the other hand, believe that Twitter is here to stay. As for bright neon clothes, yeah, those are a fad.

So what makes Twitter that endearing to my heart? Well, for one, I used Twitter to start back in 2008 with my Social Studies classes. My students, in groups, would create fake accounts for Meso-American tribes, such as the Aztecs or Olmecs. They would tweet facts, photos, and stories from their group and they would ask each other questions or answer mine on that platform. Mind you, this was for 6th graders. They loved it and so did I. It was much better than the straight forward report. It was such a hit that I expanded it to my 7th and 8th graders in following years!

Teaching is 24/7 - so is Twitter.

I encouraged my students to follow me on Twitter as well. As a professional educator, I know where the line is when it comes to social media, others, clearly, do not. I modeled a professional social media account by tweeting about educational resources, news, and inspirational quotes. My students could ask me questions publicly about assignments and the like and I could respond to them real time! If they were always going to be learning, why should I be limited to when I had to stop and start teaching. 

Education is 24/7 - so is Twitter. 

Now, as I have moved out of the classroom and into the Technology Department, I find myself using Twitter for something completely different - Personal Learning Networks. 

I participate in chats - from #njed to #satchat (a weekly Saturday morning chat where educators from around the globe participation for the betterment of education and teaching), these chats have given me and others a platform to share and garner ideas.

Learning is 24/7 - so is Twitter. 

Now other social media networks have come and gone (sorry, Myspace and Livejournal) and there are some current ones that don't quite mesh with education (Facebook) - but Twitter has the hallmarks to be a good resource for teachers and an even better learning tool for students. 

Life is 24/7 - so is Twitter

Twitter for Educators

From Slim Fairview - 

Quill Pens and Powdered Wigs in Today’s Classrooms

Students learn to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in grammar school.

Twitter's 140 characters are not the end. They are the means.

Thomas writes a draft of the Constitution, he uploads the doc. file to Slideshare: He clicks the T and it uploads to Twitter.

George sees the Tweet, clicks the link and the file appears. He wants to Share this with his Facebook friends around the colonies. He copy-pastes the twitter link to his Facebook page for his friends. His colonial rebellion group page on Facebook. A thumbnail comes up. This thumbnail is a miniature of the doc. file.

John sees this on the group page and clicks the thumbnail. He reads the draft. Under the comments page he adds his views on the matter.

Those who have a problem incorporating technology into the classroom should go back to quill pens, powdered wigs, and candle light. They have no business in the classroom.

Did I hear someone say Visit Williamsburg? I believe there is a website for that.

Regards,

Mr. C 

@MrcSays