PBS, ISTE, and Theodore Roosevelt

As my colleagues and administrators can attest, I skew a bit on the enthusiastic side. When I learn something new, am asked for help, or am excited about a lesson I tend to come in full speed, guns a-blazing. But as I’ve learned, when you’re trying to get folks to come along with you, sometimes a gentle nudge works better than a giant push.
 
Case in point:
Last March, I was fortunate enough to have been selected with 51 other teachers to attend the PBS Digital Summit which took place last weekend. A quick summary of my two days there:

• Meeting the other PBS Lead Digital Innovators and forging new friendships
• Hearing Michael Gorman present to us on “What Would Dewey Do?”
• Learning and laughing with Leslie Fisher as she shared all sorts of tech tools
• Dinner, chatter, and music at Howl at the Moon Denver
• A-MAZING panel discussion with Shelly Fryer, Michael Gorman, MJ Moore, Patricia Brown, and Jaime Casap
• Presentation on sharing student work with Wesley Fryer
• Edcamp afternoon facilitated by Hadley Ferguson
• SWAG!

 
And this was before the day that we spent at ISTE.
 
Needless to say that with introduction to new tech tools, dozens of ideas I’d heard, and connections I’d made with other like-minded teachers - I was completely amped up. I had a million and one thoughts about how all of this could benefit our students back home. Look out LMS teachers, Marcia has been at a conference and she’s coming for you!
 
Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

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My husband had flown to Denver with me, and as our oldest child is in graduate school about an hour from Denver, we chose to spend several days visiting her after I’d finished up at the Digital Summit and ISTE. It was the best thing I could have done.
 
Sitting around a fire pit in the back yard talking and catching up, walking the new puppy to the dog park, and spending two days hiking in the mountains was the absolute perfect way to follow my weekend of techno-fabulousness. Unplugging myself from the digital world, focusing my attention on those whom I hold precious, and spending hours wondering in awe at the majesty of Rocky Mountain National Park (thank you Theodore Roosevelt) helped me slow my roll and calm down from the frenzy of learning in which I’d been immersed.
 
I am now able to look at my notes, pictures, and conference materials with fresh eyes. Fully rested, I am better able to make the connections from presentation to practice.
 

• Who will benefit most from which information?
• What takeaways do I need to share with my administrators?
• What tools/ideas do I need to work with over the summer to better my teaching practices?

 
Just as excited, but less frenzied I can plan how to integrate my learning into my classroom. I can share with others in a way that is a little more thoughtful and a little less “you need to try this now!” Perhaps I’ll even persuade them to come along on the journey.

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