I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Texas Computer Educators Association (TCEA) for the past four years. TCEA is the statewide gathering of teachers, principals, educational technicians, and instructional technology specialists. We attend keynote presentations and break out sessions facilitated by classroom teachers and specialists. These sessions introduce new ideas in the world of instructional technology. There is a lot of “geeking out” and even more networking that goes on in every corner of the Austin Convention Center. I even had the chance to meet several Twitter “rock stars” and made potentially revolutionary connections with individuals from all over the state!
Every year I walk away with exciting ideas, tips, and tricks to share with teachers. This year was no exception. I had the chance to attend Apple Academy, an all day workshop put on by the Educational Support Representatives from Apple.
We learned about management of iDevices, great apps for every subject area, and even how to rotate apps in and out of devices so nothing gets stale! iDevices in the classroom has been around for some time, but it is a fluid movement. Resources and tools evolve daily and I’m thrilled Austin Elementary is a part of the iRevolution!
My mind was sufficiently blown within the first 15 minutes of the workshop. The rest of the day didn’t disappoint either! In fact, I started my first professional blog during a break because I was so excited about all I was learning. I invite you to follow my blog as I highlight specific apps on our campus, as well as ideas for implementing apps to coincide with the instructional vision of grade-level curriculum.
Sarah Daugherty is an Instructional Technology Specialist for Austin and Mockingbird Elementary. She has been in CISD for 10 years and served on the iTeam for four of those years. If she was not in education, Sarah would work for E! News, taking at least one of Ryan Seacrest’s jobs.
Sarah, here is your Techie coffee mug for being featured on our blog.
The mug was lovely and all, but I was really hoping for the Tshirt.
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