In 2015, I attended TCEA in Austin and reflected on it here. Plus, I attended TCEA Tots & Tech in Galveston and reflected on it here. This year I am thrilled TCEA Tots & Tech is in Arlington, which is very close by! Many teachers and librarians from our district are attending, which makes for great collaboration and deeper learning opportunities. Plus, it is a great time to continue to build relationships.
Some of the GCISD Educators at Tots |
One of my favorite things about attending a conference is making connections with others. I've been in touch with another educator in the area for a while as she is looking to find the best next steps in her journey as an educator. We had the opportunity to meet face to face and chat today. It was great to meet the person I've been talking to on the phone and via text and email. One of the sessions today was called 'Birds of a Feather' which provided a room for same area educators to gather, connect, and collaborate. So, all first-grade teachers met in a room, etc. My group consisted of five instructional coaches. We were given questions to discuss then tweet, like a Twitter Chat. It was so nice to have time to meet others in a structured, yet flexible environment. We shared ideas, got connected on Twitter, and discussed challenges and celebrations from our year.
Our Birds of a Feather Group |
Me getting interviewed |
As silly as it sounds, another fun feature I enjoyed was TCEA provided good food and time to enjoy it with peers. By having food available, we didn't have to leave and waste time going somewhere else, plus we got to visit and enjoy time with people - building relationships and sharing ideas. In my role, I work with staff district-wide so it is wonderful to have time with others to get to know them and share ideas. Plus, it is nice to gain new ideas while hearing new ways to use tools we already love.
Be sure to check out #TCEA to see what kind of professional learning opportunities meet your needs and goals. In what ways do you enjoy learning and connecting as an educator?
I love reading educators' reflections on conferences, whether I attended the conference or not. One reason I like to do this is because I like having my thoughts about conference validated. You said that "as silly as it sounds, another fun feature I enjoyed was TCEA provided good food and time to enjoy it with peers." I don't think that's silly at all. One of my favorite conferences to attend in Missouri is MOREnet. It's out of town at the Lake of the Ozarks, a fairly isolated town and it forces me and other educators to get together for lunch or dinner and get to know new people, make connections, and talk about our work. I find this to be some of the most valuable learning I do all year because I am able to talk and exchange ideas in an informal setting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts, Erin!
When I think about how I started my teaching career this is such a wonderful journey we are on, we meet our kindred spirits *before* we actually meet them. Teacher conferences in the golden age of social media are so much more powerful and are a chance to further a relationship with someone you have not met face-to-face YET. We are so fortunate!
ReplyDeleteI agree with JP, I love hearing this validated. I am not alone, there are others out there like me. Thank you for this post.