I thoroughly enjoyed my week at NCCAT. I appreciated all the presenters for exposing me to new technologies that I can incorporate into my classroom and the opportunity to expand my professional network and build friendships simultaneously.  I absolutely loved the setting.  The North Carolina mountains provided the perfect backdrop for a retreat meant to be both reflective and renewing.

With regard to professional reflection, I found the juxtaposition of our Tuesday experience and our Wednesday experience to be the most thought provoking of the week for me.  We spent Tuesday immersed in new technology.  We wrestled with the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I know many fellow Kenans shared my mix of feelings at the end of the day on Tuesday.  There were times when I felt overwhelmed and inadequate and other times when I felt inspired and energized.   By the end of the PD sessions for that day I felt absolutely exhausted.

We spent Wednesday on the river.  Oddly enough I experienced all of these feelings all over again.  There were times when I felt overwhelmed and inadequate by the power of the river.  I felt inspired by the natural beauty of the gorge.  I felt energized each and every time we approached a rapid or a surge of freezing water hit me in the face.  Reflecting on these two very different, yet strangely similar, experiences helped me to process the information overload I experienced on Tuesday.  As  educators we have to be balanced.  I think that this is particularly important when it comes to the incorporation of technology into our instruction.  Using new and innovative technology in the classroom is now an expectation, but this can be taken to a fault.  The incorporation of technology can lend itself to more hands-on experiences and authentic learning for students.  The incorporation of too much technology also runs the risk of removing humanity from the classroom.  Debriefing with my friend and now colleague Emily Jolley on the way home, she shared with me her observations of the effect on her high schoolers of being constantly connected.  I see glimmers of this with my second graders.  It takes a lot to capture their attention.  I’m not sure they’d be as mesmerized by the natural wonder of the Nantahala and the gorge as we all were.

Balance is the key.  Peter taught us that a unique chemical balance is what keeps the Nantahala gorge beautiful and diverse.  We want to foster balance in children.  While new technology engages them, I personally don’t want my students (and eventually my own children) to require new technology to engage in their environment.