NCCAT was an incredible week! I was a bit nervous as I drove up to Cullowhee since I didn’t know what to expect but I quickly became excited after the icebreakers. Of course, the Student Discover Team broke every other team’s record #winners !

The best part of the week was the rafting trip. It was a great experience and I was able to create connections with other teachers. Dayson, Kerrie and I even decided to make our own PLT this coming year, since Kerrie and I are teaching 8th grade science for the first time. Our boat was apparently known as the “drunk boat” because we had 7 people in our boat and the raft guide was having a difficult time keeping us going straight.  Then, about 3/4 of the way down the river, the guides stopped and created a “troll bridge” by tying three rafts together and allowing us to run over the bridge and jump into the freezing water. To be honest, I was NOT planning on jumping into the river but after seeing so many of the other Kenan fellows run and jump-off, I decided to take the plunge 🙂 Kerrie, Michelle, and I decided to do it together which proved to be a bit more difficult than we had originally  anticipated. We all took each other’s hands and began crossing the bridge. The first raft we were all together, then I lost contact with Michelle and she came after Kerrie and I. Then, as Kerrie and I reached the last raft, Michelle came bounding over and jumped on it, causing me to fall :p In the end, I was very proud of everyone for trying a new experience and having fun.

Now, to get back to what I actually will take back from NCCAT into my classroom , I thoroughly  enjoyed the break out sessions. I was most impressed with Trello since I try to incorporate PBL into my classroom weekly and at times it can be frustrating for both students and teachers to keep all of the project details organized. With 6th graders, project management and group-work can be a HUGE learning experience that sometimes has resulted in tears and anger. The biggest issues that I have found with having students manage projects, is the delegation of roles within the group and the organization who is doing what and completed by when. With Trello, the students will be able to take control of the requirements that I write and assign them to different group members. By having the visual aid, where the students can click and drag tasks into three columns: To-Do, Doing, Done will be helpful for both me as the facilitator of the project and the students.

THANK YOU NCCAT FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!