Monday, December 3, 2012

Where Have I Been?

My goodness! How time flies. I had 4 trips in 6 weeks, and my blogging simply got away from me. Fortunately, during that time, I had the opportunity to work with educators from around the country. 

My travels started out with a few days in Washington state at Microsoft headquarters attending the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Master Trainer Conference. The MIE Master Trainers are an amazing group of educators from around the country, who applied to be part of the program. After being selected by Microsoft, we spent 3 days learning together. We had the great fortune to meet Anthony Salcito, Microsoft VP of Worldwide Education. Now, he has a philosophy about educational technology that fits with mine. Thanks to Microsoft for including me.

That was followed by a statewide professional learning opportunity for Pennsylvania educators in State College, PA. We looked at the Before/During/After cycle of coaching in relation to using technology with literacy strategies. It was also rewarding to share with them an online course I've been developing for the PA Institute for Instructional Coaching (PIIC) -- Making Connections: Instructional Coaching, Digital Tools, and Literacy.

In mid-November, I traveled to New York City to co-teach a 2 day Microsoft Innovative Educator training. Despite the then-recent effects of Hurricane Sandy on the region, we had a full house. Educators joined us from NYC, Tampa, and Chicago. It was a pleasure learning with them. If you have not used OneNote yet, try it out. The full version is available with Office 2010. The web app is free on SkyDrive and Office 365. Also, take a moment to join the Partners in Learning network.

Finally, it was back to State College, PA to work with the marvelous PIIC Mentors. We were provided with the chance to do some instructional design work and brainstorm on future topics for upcoming statewide conferences. I am always amazed at the wisdom that is in the room, when this group of Mentors gets together.

Now...back to my blog.

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