Hidden Gems

This post originated in May 2009, and was lost in the shuffle of life.  It is now seeing the light of day.

I love music, listening mostly, I can not play an instrument well to save my life, except for a few blues riffs on harmonica. Growing up in the vinyl era I loved listening to both sides of an LP and finding the songs that were great, but did not make the radio playlists. I found many songs far off the beaten path that I enjoyed more than the mainstream hits. I found one on a CD the other day driving to work, “Midwest Midnight”  on Right Back at Ya, a compilation CD from the Michael Stanley Band. I never listened to the CD beginning to end before, I do not know why either…The song is great, as is the CD.

Anyway, the episode reminded me of how we often find favorite things when we are not expecting to, or when we dig a little deeper beyond the shallow surface. This year has brought me many such experiences. As the Classrooms for the Future Coach for New Brighton I have been to many, many trainings and conferences. The goals of these events are similar, to facilitate the integration of technology efficiently into the classroom. What I picked up were many hidden gems along the way. My “Personal Learning Network” (PLN) has grown exponentially, they have supplied me with a vast amount of knowledge that will takes years to fully process. I have made many new friends and acquaintances through this network, which I hope will continue even when the funding for my position runs out.

These ideas that have been shared are making me a better teacher and hopefully making my students better learners.

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