Last week I had the opportunity to attend the NETA Conference. I spent an amazing day with other teachers who are using technology in their classrooms. I heard an inspirational keynote presentation by Dean Shareski about joy. Dean reminded us to have fun with our students. Sometimes, in the midst of assessments and keeping up with the curriculum, fun gets forgotten. It was a great reminder to enjoy each day and laugh often!
The rest of the day was spent in back-to-back sessions with very little time for breaks! I even ate my lunch in the hallway, standing in line for a presentation. The sessions were packed with great ideas for using iPads and technology in the classroom. I learned about virtual field trips that are available for elementary classrooms where students are able to "visit" places around the world. In one jam-packed session, the presenters told us about 50 apps to use in our classrooms! Some I use already but many were new to me. I came away with many pages of notes of things I want to learn more about and possibly use in the classroom.
Even better than the great ideas, however were the connections I made with other teachers. Through discussions in the sessions and on Twitter throughout the day, I connected with many people who are on the same journey with technology. I am excited to collaborate with new people and "old" friends as we move forward with technology in our second grade classroom.
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