Edscape, Edcamp BMore, and Other Stuff

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged, mostly because I am rarely in front of a computer anymore, save for putting grades into Edline. So, when I saw Blogger had an app, I realized it was time to bite the bullet and get back into it. I'm always on my phone for almost all interactions, so it just feels right!

What I've been up to: 

I attended Edscape October 19th in New Jersey at New Milford High School. Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal) hosts a fantastic conference with great break-out sessions, including a short tutorial to iBooks Author (which I was desperate for - I have been dreading sitting through hours of video to watch how to use it). The highlight for me though was listening to George Couros (@gcouros) speak - it made it so evident how desperate I have been to have true inspirational leaders in my educational experience. Eric and George spoke during the #satchat session about the challenges of giving autonomy to teachers who might not have the buy-in to the changes they implement in their school - listening to their answers and reading their blogs/tweets...well, I want to be that inspiring to my students and colleagues. 

A few weeks later, Edcamp BMore was on tap. I joined the Edcamp BMore (Baltimore) Planning Committee (@edcampbaltimore) this summer - it was AWESOME to be with such a great group of women who are passionate about teacher growth. I learned so much from Shannon (@montysays), Chris (@ccshriver), Margaret (@teachingdaisy), Jenna (@teachbaltshaw), and Molly (@historyfriend), particularly how exciting it is to plan an event that ultimately runs itself due to participant-driven break-out sessions. 

We planned a lot and for many months in advance, but nothing is better than watching what all the educators who attend bring to the "unconference."  One of my favorite moments was the session on building relationships to foster school change facilitated by an assistant principal at Edgewood High School, Brad Spence (@therealbspence) https://docs.google.com/a/gfs.org/document/d/1e3kZRpXgpv2Osu8JmlEv2LZWTk0xQoq9yeOyzzkJEK4/edit?pli=1

I was so excited about the info I learned here that I immediately shared it with our Advisory Planning Staff at Pikesville High School. We've been struggling to know the best way to build relationships between staff and students, and among the student population as well. The videos Brad showed that his school put together were so inspiring and really energized our Advisory Leaders. We hope we will get permission to implement them in our school. 

Other Fun Facts: 

The last few weeks I've been absorbed with the PHS Boys Soccer Team - they're in the MD 1A State Championship Game this Thursday, so many of my students are pumped for that. I love my students and hope that they know it - they're awesome and each individually unique. I have had the privilege of teaching some of them for the third year of their high school experiences - it's been a true blessing to be able to see them mature before my eyes. 

Ok - blogging is back!! Let's hope I can stick with it!

Happy Fall!!