— Sheryl Sandberg
“If you are offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.”
This quote perfectly explains the journey I have begun. This summer, I was fortunate enough to be nominated by my principal to attend the Keystones Technology Innovators Summit. It was a most impactful experience. While there, I was able to connect with so many like-minded and inspiring teachers, and I sincerely believe that every teacher should be able to experience this on some level. I was able to make so many connections through this opportunity, both digitally and personally, and I am eager to share what I’ve learned with as wide an audience as possible. This summit has been my rocket ship.
I had used Twitter before as a peripheral classroom resource, but at KTI I learned how to integrate it into a much more vital part of my classroom culture. It has been especially transformative for me in terms of professional development. I have developed a professional learning network that has become invaluable. I am able to get ideas from fellow educators and experts. What I find even more valuable is the ability to ask a question and get useful answers and feedback. This is exactly how this blog began. This whole experience is helping me on my journey to share more of myself and to be authentic.
This entire experience made me reflect on my teaching practices and dig deeper into and explore my passion and inspiration. I was most profoundly inspired by the idea of student choice and how the students themselves can and should drive the curricular and content direction in the classroom. My goal this year is to introduce Genius Hour with my Statistics and Math Modeling (SAMM) students since the course framework is so conducive to developing project-based skills based on personal interest.
So there you have it. KTI was my rocket ship and Genius Hour is my seat. I’m buckled up and ready to see where this journey takes me!
Fanning the Flame 