ISTE 2014: Thank-You for Valuing Teachers!

I am a blogger that blogs when I am excited about things.  After 5 days in Atlanta for ISTE 2014, my head is full of blogs that I can’t wait to write. However, I also have 2 young ones that haven’t seen their mom in a while.

Though I would love to spend all day composing my thoughts while they are fresh, the reality is, I need to transform from the EdTech Cheerleader to Mom. Ideally, I am going to try and take a few moments out of each day to work on my blog posts, but I also know the holiday weekend is here, which also means family time and fun! So here is my first ISTE 2014 blog post with hopefully more to follow.

One of the greatest things about ISTE is meeting the founders of the apps and digital tools we use in the classroom. When I meet them, I can’t wait to talk to them and let them know how they have impacted my classroom. They are like celebrities to me, as I am so impressed with their innovation, risk-taking, and impact on education. I would like to take this time to highlight a few of them that impacted my ISTE 2014 experience.

Write About This:

One of my great EdTech friends that I met years ago at EdCamp Detroit is the creator of Write About This and Tell About This, Brad Wilson.  If you haven’t checked it out, it is one of my favorite tools to use in my third grade classroom.  Not only can children respond to tons of high quality prompts, but students and teachers can also create their own prompts.  This has been great to use when writing reflections, taking notes during science experiments, and responding to our reading. It is EASY to use and my kids love it!

2 of my students wanted my iPad while we were waiting to be called into the Michigan State Board of Education meeting.  Instead of playing a game, they chose to use Write About This! 

Remind:

Another Michigan connection, as he graduated from MSU, is Brett Kopf , co-founder of Remind (formerly Remind 101).  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him at my first ISTE, which was in 2012 in San Diego. After that I got to know both Brett and his product manager, Christine Garland very well while visiting conferences! They were, and continue to be, so great at grassroots marketing, and in reflection...one of the best I have witnessed!  Smiles can be found on their faces wherever they are, and I am so proud of their growth as a company.  They have expanded their team, and I have enjoyed getting to know the wonderful staff members they have added.  This ISTE I was able to get to know Clara Galan better over a coffee meet-up with others, which was a treat! If you see the Remind team out and about, definitely take the time to say hi.  They are a welcoming crew and truly have great minds and caring hearts!

Plickers: 

In March I came across Plickers, and I was soooo excited about it, I jumped on my computer to write a post about it right after school! (Click here to read it and learn about Plickers.) In Atlanta, I saw some people walking on the streets with Plicker shirts, and I was going to approach them, but I was also running late, so I decided to wait.  After the EdTech Karaoke party, I ran into a young man with the shirt on.  When I asked him, “Are you the Plickers guy?” He said, "Yes," and I squealed with delight, as I love, love, love the tool and the quality technology that it includes.   In short, you can print off ½ sheet QR codes that are numbered for your students.  Each side of the code as an A, B, C, or D. When you ask a question, students make sure the side that is the answer they want points up. Using the camera on your device, you can scan the class and the results will be recorded and even graphed instantly...while you are still viewing your kids through the screen!  It is AWESOME! Plickers only has to be on 1 device, so if you are a teacher with no wifi, but have a smartphone or a teacher that lacks a 1-to-1 environment...this is the tool for you!

I was so excited when I first used it, I ran and got my wonderful co-worker, Jennifer Bonkowski, to have her demo it!  

Nolan Amy is the founder of Plickers, and he was just as excited to meet me...something I had not encountered before.  Then I was able to meet Jenn Kim, another team member of Plickers. They were awesome!  I used Plickers in my Digital Tools for Formative Assessment session at EdCamp Detroit, and Plickers was a hit.  I am a true fan, and I can’t wait to see them grow in the educational world in the near future! The icing on the cake was we figured out that we were in the same hotel...and right next door to each other!  ISTE Neighbors! What are the odds?

Padlet: 

It was surprising to me that founders of apps and websites are equally excited to meet teachers.  In fact, sometimes even shy and intimidated to approach.  That is crazy to me, as I would think it would be the other way around.  Hanging out in the Blogger’s Cafe prior to the closing keynote, Nitesh Goel, the founder of Padlet (formerly Wallwisher) introduced himself. Again, when I found out he was the creator of Padlet, I was honored to be in the presence of such an amazing app developer.  Not only that, but I had no clue he created Wallwisher as a college project!  Wow! What an impact he was able to make at such a young age! (I found this interview which tells his story.) I shared the ways Padlet has been used in my class...and even during Vacation Bible School at my church! He was so excited to meet me, which again, was crazy! I am not a teacher that has thousands and thousands of followers on Twitter.  Having the last name of Bond, as you can imagine, is a fun conversational piece. On my daughter's birth announcement DVD, I even joked that she liked her bottles "Shaken not stirred." However, I had never really taken a Bond photo until I met Nitesh.

Meeting the people behind the digital awesomeness of these companies is one of the things I love about educational technology.  Their stories are amazing, their impact in education is inspirational, and they also have something in common...modesty.  Though they may not be giants in the educational world, they have made a great impact in my life, and they are well on their way to growing by leaps and bounds.

In April of 2010, I was an early adopter of a digital learning platform that changed the culture of my classroom.  I shared my love for it at conferences all over, including my very first ISTE!  4 years later, I am still one of their biggest fans!  Edmodo had my heart when they were just a toddler in this EdTech world, and through the years they have grown into a huge company impacting millions of educators and students around the world.  Despite their growth, I have remained connected and truly feel part of the Edmodo family.  I feel valued and appreciated...something that I don’t always feel in my normal life as a teacher in this educational world.

Edmodo Cheer at my first ISTE! Notice the handmade bow complete with puffy painted icons! 

So thank-you Write About This, Remind, Plickers, Padlet, and Edmodo...thank-you for making me feel like I matter!  It means a lot! For those of you who have opportunities to meet the faces behind EdTech tools...go for it!  They can be a wonderful member of your PLN!

ISTE 2014...Let the Fun Begin!

It's hard to believe that three years ago I was a newbie to ISTE. I had always wanted to attend, and I thought San Diego would be a great place to travel to. Knowing that it would be a hard sell to my husband to just go to San Diego as an attendee, I thought I would jump in a give presenting a try to justify the trip. I was thrilled to be accepted as a presenter, in which I did a BYOD session on Edmodo. What a wonderful experience I had! Thankfully I had fellow Michigan educators that were my security blanket for that first ISTE experience. From a fellow Walled Lake teacher, Mark Lada, who worked at the TechSmith booth to my fellow EdCamp Detroit organizers, Erin Klein and Nick Provenzano, it was nice to have a bit of home amongst a gigantic conference! One of the highlights was being selected by Texas Instruments to ask a question to Mayim Bialik during her session on the TI-Nspire, which led to a fun roof-top reception.

Now three years later, I though I still have my #MichEd security blankets, I also have the security in knowing that no matter where I go at ISTE, I am sure to find awesome educators from around the world. Educators that I have connected with face-to-face over several conferences and events, educators that I chat with each week on Twitter, educators that I have collaborated with on Edmodo, and my newest tech tool, educators that I have connected with on Voxer. Last year my ISTE blog post focused on my ISTE connections feeling like an #EduFamily, and I am so excited to be back at ISTE strengthening our family bonds and impacting the educational world together! Cheers to ISTE 2014...let the fun begin!

(ISTE 2014 with Erin Klein and Todd Nesloney)

Getting Appy with Edmodo

Edmodo is near and dear to my heart, as I have been using it since Steve Dembo (@teach42) mentioned it in one of his presentations at MACUL in March of 2010, and I have been using it ever since.  I have been honored as a Distinguished Edmodo Mentor, as well as recently, a Certified Edmodo Trainer. There are so many great features of Edmodo, and if you have not checked them out, you can get a glimpse here at some of the powerful learning tools Edmodo can provide.  I love promoting Edmodo, and I have enjoyed seeing the evolution of this wonderful social learning platform!

One of the ever changing features of Edmodo is the Edmodo App Store.  It is full of wonderful apps from a variety of different developers.  From Vocabulary Spelling City to Moby Max and Go Animate to PowToon, there are many apps that are familiar to educators.  However, there are also some apps that are less known, yet effective.  Many of the apps come at a cost, but there are also plenty of free apps. Below are some of the apps you can find for free!

If you are an Edmodo user, and you haven't checked out the Edmodo App Store, I highly encourage you to take some time over the holiday break to check it out!  You can even create a wishlist with some of the apps that stand out to you.  Maybe your class families could sponsor an app for your class, maybe your principal will award you funds for app credit, or...maybe you will be like most educators and open up your own wallet for the good of the classroom.  I created a short presentation with some of the apps I have evaluated.  You are welcome to view it here! 

Have a great time getting appy with Edmodo! Cheers! 

#MichEd-modoCon Party!

I have been a huge Edmodo fan from the beginning, as I have been using it in my third grade classroom since April of 2010.  I was introduced to it by Steve Dembo at MACUL 2010, and I have been an active user ever since.  I was fortunate enough to be a presenter at the very first EdmodoCon in 2011 and presented how Edmodo could be used in elementary. It was my first web presentation, and I quickly realized that I prefer live, face to face presentations!  It was difficult to just keep plugging away at the presentation without seeing head nods, expressions on faces, and the typical questions that pop up throughout live presentations. If you are interested in watching it, here is a link.  One of the highlights to the whole experience was having the ability to be part of a live television interview on Channel 7!

Throughout the years I have gotten to know the Edmodo team well.  I have enjoyed working with them and watching Edmodo expand and improve through the years. I have presented Edmodo at several conferences around Michigan and even at ISTE 2012 for a BYOD session and at ISTE 2013 at the Edmodo booth!  Being the EdTech Cheerleader, I even created a custom Edmodo bow for my hair! It's fair to say...I love Edmodo!

I would love share my Edmodo spirit and invite #MichEd and #LivEd (Michigan Educators and Livingston County Educators) to my EdmodoCon Party! If you are interested in coming to Brighton, MI for the day on Wednesday, August 7 from 9:30-5:15, I am hosting a party!  I have a pool, so if the weather cooperates, we could have a great summer party and have fun learning more about Edmodo! Below is a form that you can submit to get an official invite/RSVP! I hope to see you there!

The Growth and Impact of Edmodo

In the spring of 2010, I was getting ready to share technology tools that I had learned at the MACUL Conference, the Michigan Association of Computers Users in Learning Conference, for my staff in an after school lab session.  I went through my notes that I had written to see which web tools would be the best.  When I looked over my notes from a Steve Dembo session, I came across, “Edmodo…future for school’s websites.”  Edmodo had not been demonstrated, but Steve was talking about how static web pages would be replaced by interactive websites where parents could share resources and information on a school’s page. When I checked out edmodo, I immediately signed up and signed up my students.  When my students and I used it, edmodo was in its infancy.  We could post notes, links, embed videos, and post a poll.  Edmodo in 2012 is quite different, as the company has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. In fact, check out the rap that was written and posted on the edmodo blog. (Click here!)

                I attended the second annual EdmodoCon, which was held on August 8 as a global web conference.  11,000 participants from all 50 states and 117 countries attended.   I was excited to find out that Edmodo will continue its growth this fall with some new features for students and educators!  I tuned into the keynote of EdmodoCon, led by Nic Borg, one of the co-founders.  He gave the participants a sneak peek of what we can look forward to seeing coming soon to Edmodo.  Some of the features that I am most looking forward to are the expanded grade book options,  the topic pages, and the apps. 

                The grade book will be updated to allow multiple scoring methods.  Currently, the scoring can only show points and percentages.  Soon, the grade book can be used for progress monitoring.  Being a third grade teacher, I do not work in percentages often, so I am excited to be able to use the grade book now in edmodo.  Topic pages will now be able to be created and searched for.  The topic pages will includes lessons and videos that teachers have posted and allow them to be searched for.  Currently you can post videos and files for other teachers to add to their library, but you have to add them as you scroll through the communities or with your connections. I imagine this is going to open up a whole new world of opportunity to build our libraries with content that will benefit our students!  Finally, I am excited to see how the app store will grow.  I was lucky enough to have access to the beta version of the app store this spring.  My students were able to use the premium version of VocabularySpellingCity.  I have been a user of the free version for years, but I have to say…I am hooked on the premium version and can’t imagine going back to the free version.  I am excited to see what other educational sites will be added as the year goes on, as I also love the ease of having only one login for the kids to use and remember. 

                If you would like to watch any of the EdmodoCon sessions, they have posted them to: www.edmodocon.com

                Last week my district had our annual Spice It Up Technology Conference.  We used edmodo to post resources for each session, as well as to have backchannel conversations.  (We use twitter too, but not many teachers from our district are using it.)  Overall, it led more people to edmodo , which hopefully will lead them to using  it with their  students. I also hope that teachers continue to post to the groups they joined and continue to share resources.  We have a large school district with 12 elementaries, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools, so edmodo can be a powerful tool to connect all of us together!  

              I know my classroom has been impacted over the years by edmodo, and I look forward to introducing it to a new group of third graders in a few short days and excited for the new tools coming this fall!  Happy Back to School (for those in Michigan) and Happy Edmodo-ing! (If you would like to get started using edmodo, go to www.help.edmodo.com!  The Rollout Resources will guide you all the way!)

Here I am sporting the edmodo shirt from ISTE this year!  FYI...it is a great  to wear in  public areas, as  I have had many people thank me!  

               

Vacation Inspiration for a Blended Learning Environment

A family road trip from Michigan to Maine reminds me that as much as technology is an important tool, human connections and communications still can be the most effective tool to trust!

                My family spent 9 days traveling in our minivan from Michigan to New England a couple weeks ago.  We ventured out with only one set plan…to be in Hopkinton, MA by dinner on Thursday, as that was our final destination to celebrate our friend’s 40^th birthday!  Prior to departing, I had spent time online trying to get an idea what was available, as far as tourist destinations.  I also stopped at my local AAA office to get the Tour Books, as I still love the have hard copies to refer to.  In addition to the Tour Books, they also gave me some maps.  In addition, I created an Evernote page that housed the links to the Google Maps I created, the webpages of tourist destination sites, and any other notes that I thought would come in handy.  I did enjoy having all of the information saved on one page, and I do think I will create other Evernote pages for future vacations, as it was easy to access on any of my devices! 

                Our first night was spent in Hornell, NY, as a quick overnighter off the highway.  At this point we were still not sure where we were headed.  As we drove that day, I looked ahead at possible routes, on the map. (The real map…I am still a visual learner that likes to see the big picture instead of scrolling around a small screen.)  I found Lake Winnepausaukee, New Hampshire as a possible next stop.  We figured out that we could get for dinner, and I actually thought we would be able to enjoy a morning and lunch near the lake before traveling again.  Once we settled on the destination, it was time to bring out the technology devices to find a hotel. We settled on Fireside Inn and Suites in Gilford, NH.  As we drove through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, I enjoyed driving through small towns with a long history (many settled in the 1700’s) and enjoying the picturesque views of the White Mountains.   Although I had the route on my iPad and phone, we got a bit jumbled up close to the hotel and needed to refer to the hard copy map.  We checked into the hotel and got a great recommendation for dinner by the front desk attendant.  We went to a pub that had Live Trivia, something I had never been exposed to.  Essentially a DJ runs the questions and teams compete. When the host handed out trivia pages, I assumed everyone would get out their smartphones, but as I looked around, people were truly engaging in conversations about the answers to the questions.  I was so proud of the honor system that night, and reminded about Daniel Pink's book Drive, as people love to challenge themselves and are motivated to showcase their intellectual side.  

                When I asked my kids, ages 5 and 7, what they wanted to do on the vacation, my son said he wanted to go to an amusement park, and my daughter said that she wanted to go to a water park.  I found a place that had both in Saco, ME…Funtown Splashtown USA  Prior to heading into the park, we stopped at a small diner.  While we were finishing our meals we got into a conversation with some local folks about good beaches to travel to.  They suggested that we go to Wells Beach, ME.  I had through we would be going to Old Orchard Beach, as that looked like a great place to stop with kids, however, that was not even on their list.  Before entering the park, I went on a Googling adventure to check out Wells Beach and found a hotel…The Lafayette Beach Resort which was right on the Atlantic Ocean!  It was a wonderful resort that had dated charm in a great location!  Again, we looked to the front desk to recommend a nice place to eat with kids…and we were pointed in the right direction! 

                We settled on Mainiax restaurant and were seated close to a grandmother, father, and son that were enjoying a fresh lobster meal.  I was eager to get a lobster, yet unsure of how to really break it open and enjoy it the correct.  I was thankful for the family sitting close to us, as I was coached along the way by veteran lobster consumers!  The coaching led into conversations.  The father was a secondary teacher, and the grandmother was married to a retired teacher.  So we chatted about schools, but then we also chatted about what there was to do around town.  We had to go to the Scoop Deck to get ice cream, as they had 72 different flavors to choose from,  and we were told about a putt putt golf center that would be perfect for our kids. 

         The following day I had a Google Hang Out with the Brighton Area Schools Technology Committee and Dr. Yong Zhao.  Although the hotel had wifi, it timed out every 20 minutes, so I was thankful that my phone and the Foxfi app worked and allowed me to connect the entire time!  (Blog post coming soon about this topic!)  While I was on the video chat, my husband took my kids to breakfast and to the ocean.  After that, we went on a journey to check out the putt putt and ice cream.  We were thrilled to know that there was a public trolley system that ran through several coastal towns.  For $3 you could ride unlimited all day…and kids were free!  We were able to take the trolley everywhere that day…putt putt, ice cream, and dinner.  It was lovely to be in the open air trolley and get a better picture of the area around Wells Beach.  

          The next morning I woke up early, so I took the book I have been reading, World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students by Yong Zhao, to the lobby.  I did read a few of the pages, but then I got into a conversation with 2 men from the front desk.  I inquired where we should head for on our way to Hopkinton.  I had researched it the night before and found Gloucester, MA and Salem, MA as potential day trips with a boat tour.  I thought the kids would love to see Salem, but I also saw reviews that the witch museum was a bit scary through the dungeons.  When I asked the men, they said I should go to either Kennebunkport or Ogunquit, which were the towns on either side of Wells. They also told me about the Finestkind, a boat that leaves out of Perkins Cove.  Since all of the advice we had received had worked out best for us, we decided to continue to trust the locals, and we headed to Perkins Cove.

                I used twitter to get a feel of what was happening at Perkins Cove and saw great photos of people that were already there.  While I was at it, I checked into other local tweets.  There were a few from Carson Kressly, who was in town for a musical, as well as tweets about people seeing that the Bush’s were in town.  I love using twitter to get another real feel for what is happening in towns, yet that was the first I had used it for that purpose on the trip.  We enjoyed a wonderful and affordable lobstering adventure on the Finestkind. 

 I wore my edmodo t-shirt from ISTE that reads, “I’m a Teacher,” which is a neat shirt to wear in public spaces.  Upon boarding the boat, a man said, “Good for you, Mam.”  I later talked with him to find out he was a retired professor from a local college.  Captain Tom also mentioned he was a teacher when my son wanted to get a closer look at the lobster when the trip was over.  Captain Tom teaches high school, and he suggested that I take my kids on the lobstering boat when I do the crayfish unit for my third graders.  I told him that I lived in Michigan, so unless the boat had wifi, I would have to pass.  He was intrigued and actually pondered the idea.  He said that we just may be able to work something out, as he always tries to teach his high schoolers that it is important to reach out and help others outside of the classroom.  I left the boat with a great smile in the random connections and possibilities that come about through conversations!  I look forward to connecting his students with mine at some point during this school year for a virtual lobstering experience. 

Therefore, throughout the entire trip, I was actively using my devices to help plot our points on our New England Adventure, but the connections and conversations with the people we met along the way were the true guideposts on our journey.  Like it is said over and over again, technology will never replace the power of human connections.  Both are needed to get the fullest potential out of life! So, I encourage you to take a random road trip and see where the road takes you!  It was an awesome journey, and a great way to end my summer vacation! In addition, I encourage you to remember this in your learning environment.  Technology is an awesome tool, but so is your voice, your eye contact, your wisdom, and your heart!  Make sure to create a blend in your classroom each day! 

Behind the Scenes of Summer Vacation for Passionate Teachers

I waved goodbye to the busses on June 12.  I packed up my room each day through June 15. I prepared for the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference the week of June 18-22. I attended ISTE from June 23-25, and was saturated in educational conversations every waking moment. I spent hours reflecting on my ISTE experience, following up with connections, continuing the conversations via twitter and edmodo, and sharing my experiences with others ever since.  I have spent 1 ½ days with the staff from Brighton Area Schools to help develop a vision for technology in Brighton, to put bond funds to use in the best possible way.  Taking a break from education?  Not the case here!

          My summer is not unique.  Based on the educators that I follow on twitter and communicate with in edmodo and Facebook, educators are not taking a break this summer from improving their practice, collaborating with others, and creating new content to share with next year’s students.   On any given night, you can check in on twitter and follow a chat.  This week I tuned into #edchat, in which we discussed, “How do we teach Collection of information, Collaboration, Communication, & Creation in setting of today's ed system?”  Through the hour long chat, I had wonderful conversations back and forth with groups of teachers.  Some of the teachers I had met at ISTE this year, but many that I have never come in contact with.  We talked about our roles in education, ways to encourage collaboration and data collection, and the journey of learning for both our students and ourselves. 

      Being in a twitter chat is like being in a room full of teachers and having many conversations to jump back and forth from.  High speed professional development!  Many teachers participate in several chats throughout the week to connect with teachers from around the world.  These chats take place all year long regardless if school is in session or not. You can find an extensive list of the chats on Cybrary Man's webpage, along with any thing else that you ever wanted or needed to know about education.  He is a wonderful resource!

Brighton Staff members tour Maker Works.

          Speaking of collaborating, I have enjoyed working with the Brighton Area Schools Tech Committee.  Earlier in the spring, I helped with Yes for BAS, a group of parents and community members who were in support of the 88 million dollar bond to improve the schools.  The bond passed in May, and there was a need for parents to be part of the committees that will make decisions on how the bond money will be spent.  Having passion for technology, the tech committee was a natural fit for me.  I have to give the Brighton Technology Director praise for the leadership he is providing for this committee.  Elson Liu has created a Summer Vision Series, with the hopes to first create a vision for Brighton Area Schools, which will lead to the purchasing of the technology and piloting the vision. The Vision Series so far has taken us to Ann Arbor to visit The Brandon Center, a modern learning space for media and technology, at the University of Michigan’s College of Education, as well as Maker Works, a shared workspace that has a craft lab, woodshop, metal shop, and circuit lab. 

The Brandon Center at U of M

We have also attended a session on 21^st Century Education with representatives from Apple, and communicated with Leigh Graves Wolf, the director of the MSU Educational Technology Program via a Google+ Hang Out.  We have several other sessions planned throughout the summer as well.  Each of the sessions I have attended have had around 15 members, combining media specialists, teachers, and even administrators.  I am very pleased to see the dedication of these educators…using their summer vacation to enhance our local schools. (To access my notes and photos from the series, click here.)

          I know that there are teachers out there that celebrate the summer and turn off the teaching light in their minds, but for many teachers around the world, it is a light that burns 24/7.  Teaching is more than a job, it is a lifestyle packed with passion and dedication, and I feel blessed to be amongst the teachers day in and day out that connect via twitter, edmodo, blog posts, Facebook, etc. and continue improving the educational world, one connection at a time! 

EdCamp Detroit Connections at ISTE



Erin Klein and I killing time at the Marriot before our red eye flights back home.



      As much as I love learning about new technology integrations, new devices, and what the future holds for technology in education, I love connecting with other like-minded individuals even more!  I am a social butterfly by nature, and ISTE allowed me to take flight in San Diego.  Prior to ISTE, I had helped with EdCamp Detroit .  This allowed me to get to know some of the innovative leaders of Michigan and be able to connect with them at ISTE. 



      One of them happened to be Erin Klein, an education blogger extraordinaire, pictured above.  What an asset she is to education!  I enjoyed hanging out with her and her husband and having wonderful conversations about being a teacher! She introduced me to so many amazing people!  She is a networking pro!  I think I have found a blogging mentor and a fellow passionate teacher/crazed mom of young children friend.

I attended a reception with Mayim and encouraged her to pay tribute to the Edubros.

       I attended the EduBros party on Sunday night after the keynote.  Nick Provenzano, one of the EduBros, is the founder of EdCamp Detroit, so I had connections with him previously.  I told Nick that I would be meeting Mayim on Monday, and he said it would be awesome to get Mayim to do a fingerstache.  So, at the VIP reception for Texas Instruments, I asked her if she would be up for it.  By the looks of the picture, I am sure she felt a little silly, but hey...it was all in fun!  She was signing posters, in which I had one made out to my sister, Meredith, who is huge fan of Mayim's.  After the fingerstache photo, I asked her if she could make one for Nick...and draw a stache on her photo.  She agreed and actually took her time to draw a nice mustache on herself. I was impressed!  Actually, each time I talked with her, both in the morning at her session and at the reception, she never seemed to be in a hurry.  We had real conversations, and I think she could be a great asset in the world of educational advocacy. 

      I attended EdCamp Detroit for the first time 2 years ago.  Prior to going, I had tweeted something about what I would like to present.  I remember being on my couch and getting a direct message from @EngagingEd about EdCamp.  We chatted back and forth.  I wasn't quite sure who I was talking with, as @EngagingEd uses a logo instead of a photo.  I never was able to meet up with him at EdCamp, but we continued to chat via twitter about education throughout the year.  I attended TEDx Detroit this year in the fall, and while I was eating lunch, I saw a guy walk by with the Engaging Educator logo.  I met up with Ben, and it was great to put a face to the twitter back and forth conversations and the leadership he provides to the education world.  In prepping for ISTE, we exchanged tweets, and he asked me to be a guest on his Blog Talk Radio Show to share my ISTE experiences. 

Listen to internet radio with Engaging Educators on Blog Talk Radio

      First of all, I didn't even know there was such a thing like Blog Talk Radio...and I plan on using it in my classroom next year!  Secondly, I was so honored that he would think of me and include me in such a cool thing!  The radio show was easy and fun to participate in, as I was walking through the convention center and standing in line for Yong Zhao's keynote!  I spoke about my presentation on edmodo, as well as being a newbie at ISTE! Later that morning, I had purchased a hot pretzel and pop, and I needed to sit down to eat it.  I stumbled upon a presentation on the Common Core that Ben was doing at the Blogger's Cafe.  He did a great job showcasing resources out there, much of which Engaging Educators had assembled.  Again, just another way my local EdCamp Detroit connections made ISTE feel a bit like home!