Having a sister who is also a school librarian has lots of obvious perks. Every time we get together is like a mini professional development session as we talk books, technology, lesson ideas, and effective teaching practices. We get together a lot!
Another benefit is that she teaches in Rhode Island and belongs to Rhode Island Society of Technology Educators (RISTE). This summer they offered a 3-day Google Apps for Education Summit (#RIGAFE2016) that I was fortunate enough to attend with her. The school district where I work will be a Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom school district this year so I was very excited to start learning more.
This was by far one of the best professional developments I have ever attended. The instructors were educators who work in flipped classrooms. Twelve breakout sessions were offered each day that did not just gloss over a topic but showed how it worked and can be implemented in the classroom.
The challenge for me sitting in the breakout sessions, is that I knew exactly what teachers, what projects and what curriculum topics I would want to suggest flipping...but those were the elementary teachers I have worked with for almost two decades.
Working with two new staffs and entirely new curriculums will be an interesting learning experience that I am very much looking forward too as I get to work with my former students.
It is a very exciting time to be in education as more technology is implemented, allowing us to teach, guide, share, and collaborate. Ultimately, preparing our students for future educational and professional endeavors.
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