The First Step is the Hardest

Excited, nervous, curious, inspired, energized...All of these words describe how I feel after attending an amazing three day technology conference.  At the end of the conference the speaker asked us, "What are your five takeaways from this conference? What will you share with your colleagues when you return to your school?"  This took quite a bit of thought because all the breakout sessions I attended were simply amazing.  

Here are my takeaways (in no particular order)-

1- Twitter is a beautiful thing, and I need to jump in with both feet.  Professional development can be accomplished with less than 140 characters. #NewToTwitter

2- Give my students time on the iPads for app exploration.  Students do not need to be taught how to use every app.  They are curious little creatures and can, quite often, figure out an app on their own.

3- Ask three before me.  I should encourage my students to ask three classmates for help before asking me. Obviously, this practice is not applicable in all situations.  Also, ask three before me should be adopted by the faculty.  If I'm having technology problems, I need to ask other faculty members before emailing IT.  I'm sure IT will appreciate this. 

4- I need to push my comfort level, hence this blog. 

5- Why try to reinvent the wheel.   Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and blogs are a great resource.  Use them, tweak them, make them my own.