You know what the really great thing about a good conference is? The people. Learning, sharing, reflecting, and inspiring each other. It was all definitely in the air today at ASCD in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to learn from sessions including Google Apps for Schools, Providing Teacher Feedback for Improved Student Learning, Building Lasting School Change, and even help out in a session on Twitter to show people the value in connecting. A highlight was also hearing keynotes by Daniel Pink and Sir Ken Robinson.
The day came to a close as the sun went down with a Tiki Tweetup. Not only was my brain full of new things to think about, old things to reflect more on, and simmering ideas in development, my heart for learning was full, too. As Sir Ken Robinson said, we need to find what we love to do, and do it. Nothing fills us up more than that. It’s the way the world is meant to work. It is our obligation to the world as educators to uncover the greatness that lies within every single child. Dig deep, guide them to find their interests, and uncover their passions. The best way for us to do that? Teach, lead, and learn passionately. Every single day. The opportunity to see learning is all around us. We have to keep our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts wide open. And when we feel our passion running low, connect with others. The great thing about passion is it’s highly contagious.
Take a visual tour of the day through the ASCD InstaWalk. While I set out to capture the five scavenger hunt photos, I also found a lot more. The refreshing LA weather, new ideas, recharing devices, recharging our passions. And tomorrow? We get to do it all over again… five new scavenger hunt topics to search for, and I’m sure a whole lot more…
