Reflections from GTADC

Well, I took a super big gulp of the Google kool-aid on Wednesday during the Google Teacher Academy in Washington, D.C. Admittedly, when I first saw the agenda, I was curious as to how much there would be to it all. For example, Breakout #1 featured Google Docs, Sites, and Video. Having been closely working with teachers during our pilot rollout for the past 2 months, I'd probably be breezing through the presentations, right? Wrong. From the minute the "Lead Learners" (Google Certified Teacher alumni) began their sessions/presentations, it was a non-stop ride for nearly 12 hours. Some of the advice given to us prior to attending was to take a deep breath because our heads would be spinning with all of the new information. Again, I wondered how this could be since we were all the typical tech-savvy teacher types. Case in point: despite the overwhelming overload of information presented, nearly everyone was still multi-tasking either working on email, twittering, or managing their blog. Surely, we'd be able to keep up with the pace, right? Wrong, but in a good way. Unlike those conference presentations where you get a rapid showing of Web 2.0 tools that you're either already using or probably don't really need to use, most of the topics presented at GTA were immediately applicable. They made me want to fly home right away to begin developing curriculum ideas with our teachers.

Listening to other teachers talk so passionately about technology inspired, invigorated, and encouraged me to continue striving for the best that I can be. I did choose to take a few walks around the National Mall to decompress after the workshops. However, throughout most of the time on those walks, I could not help but think of teachers, and students, and how these tools can help many of our students regain an appreciation of learning that I fear has been lost somewhere along their educational path. I know that I can help instill some of my excitement and passion to not only teachers but also students. Thanks GTADC!

All of the presentations and resources are free and can be found here. You can essentially live through our workshop experience on this site. If you have questions or would like to network with me and possibly other GCT's, feel free to contact me.