As a coastal plains gal it is always fun to enjoy some topography when I head to the mountains. Since my project is all about electricity I was also super attentive to the fact that they have to get lines up and down all those mountains. #thinkaboutit
Anywho, Say hello to Dixie on her blog debut– she really missed me while I was at NCCAT. The humans did too, but I think she missed me most:
“I’m just gonna nap till mama comes home”~Dixie
NCCAT. Wow. Where to start? I learned so much, had so much fun, and met so many awesome people. It was like summer camp for grown ups. You know that feeling you have on the last day of vacation when you have to return to reality, and you aren’t all that happy about it? The drive home Friday was a lot of that mixed with excitement and anticipation of seeing my family again. During my time at NCCAT it was so refreshing to be presented with PD that was cutting edge– not something I’d already heard before– and be around people who are ‘in the trenches’ and dedicated to making their school, county, state, and world a better place to live, work, and learn.
To help focus my ramblings, this post will be divided into a few parts:
1. What did I learn?
#truth “Paddle…. people!!”
a. PBL— I’ll be doing much more research and asking fellows about it, and I *think* I do some of this already, I just want to formalize it and streamline procedure and products.
b. Gamification/augmented reality– I learned enough to see that these activities lead to students who are more engaged and active in their learning. Isn’t that what we’re all about?
c. EdCamp-– I REALLY want to bring EdCamp to eastern NC. So, if you happen to read this and want to work together to make this happen, let me know! I see so much potential for EdCamp ‘rules’ to transform PD and even staff meetings in our schools.
I learned SO MUCH MORE, and I’ll be sharing those resources/ideas individually on later posts as I work more with them and figure out where and how they fit with my curriculum and school.
2. What did I do? Other than the Professional development we did, we had a day out on Wednesday. It was actually a LONG DAY that started with a 6:30 am hike with my new friends before heading on a river excursion. I was terrified and thrilled all at the same time. I almost lost my hat in the rafting experience– the picture below was taken immediatly after we went over the Class III fall on the Nantahala River. I can’t recommend Nantahala Outdoor Center enough— excellent services, and our guide, Katy Dennis, was TOP NOTCH. I mean, look at all of us in the picture, scared to death, and she’s in the back smiling, looking cool, calm and collected. GO KATY! I ended the day by taking a group of my new friends to one of my FAVORITE PLACES ON THIS PLANET– Cataloochie Valley to see the elk! I was pleased that the elk were there and I had so much fun playing ‘tour guide’.
“I will not drown, I will not drown, I will not drown”~Me
The Cataloochie Crew!
3. Who did i meet? I met some of the best educators in NC. Seriously- there was so much brain power, heart, and dedication in the room during our PD sessions it was unreal and super humbling to even be there. New teachers, experienced teachers, high school teachers, elementary teachers, science teachers, art teachers and everyone in between. It was a unique experience– 90% of the PD I have done has been MS/HS science. WOW– I’ve been missing out on so much! I am so excited for our next time we get together– and I’m thankful for the ways we will keep in touch between now and then!
That’s a good looking group of educators, if I do say so myself!
4. Whats next?
Tomorrow I start my second week at the co-op and I am super excited. Monica and I will meet at the office at 7:00am to head out with the line crew. This week will hold many adventures and I am ready for each day. I also will be working on my project and updating my blog through out the week– look for reflections on my time with the line crew as well as a deeper look into the co-op’s history and solar power.
