New Adventures

The NCTIES conference theme was discoverying new adventures. They provided speakers, sessions, and vendors that shared many ways and ideas to help teachers and students develop and extend their 21st century skills.

As part of my experience, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the North Carolina Special Interest Groups (NCSIGS) booth where people with similar educational interests and issues could Get Connected! to share resources, best practices, and collaborate on new technologies. There are 17 groups available on the Ning with more to come as the interests unfold. You can join as many of the groups as you have an interest in and join throughout the year. I look forward to being a part of this initiative and sharing the resources.

Over 80 vendors and sponsors were available to discuss ways of integrating technology into the curriculum with their latest resources. I wasn’t lucky enough to win one of the document cameras, iPods, or periodical subscriptions, but it wasn’t because I didn’t try.

Ron Clark was our luncheon speaker – what adventures in life he has had and created. Started teaching in rural North Carolina, taught in Harlem, honored by the President for his accomplishments, wrote a best seller, and started The Ron Clark Academy just to mention a few. He is very inspirational and makes you want to hang onto every word to hear what he might say next. The hardest part is keeping up with him – there are no limits on his energy.

Notes from the sessions I attended are on our NCTIES 2010 wiki. Hope you enjoy and maybe discover an adventure or two for you and your classroom.