If I could have two #1's, I would say Technology and People are at the same ranking! That may just be the extrovert in me talking though. 😜 The connections you make at conferences is awesome! You end up in a place where everyone has at least 2 things in common... education and the love of technology. I've always enjoyed talking to people in the exhibit halls, during sessions, and at social events held during the conference. Once I joined Twitter (now X) back in 2014, conferences changed forever! Social media has made conferences huge social networking and sharing events. I would post a picture or share an aha moment from a session using the event hashtag and realized that I'm sitting in the same room as someone that I follow - instant friends! Then you meet up with the same people from year to year like you've been friends forever. Now, I know "friends" is a strong word for someone you have just met, but the connections you make at these events are invaluable when it comes to being an educator and life long learner. Being an educator can be a lonely job, but that world is made so much smaller when you know exactly who to reach out to (thanks to social media) when you need ideas! Another perk is to meet the authors that inspire you to be a better educator!
​Below are all of the ones I've met over the years. Every one of them have made my life as an educator better in one way or another! 

When I go to a conference, I am always inspired to try new things and change my mindset in some way! Great speakers have an amazing talent that I often wish I had, to make you feel like you can do anything if you just try! Even though you probably have a few people in your life that can make you feel the same way, it's more powerful when they work in the same field as you. Educators who tell their stories can make other educators feel like what they do is worth it! We need to feel that way in our, often under appreciated, career choices.  
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My favorite conference is FETC, usually in Orlando, Florida. Besides being my hometown, it's an amazing place to go to in January! Usually it's pretty warm and they don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing. 😎​ Jimmy Buffet was right about "changing your latitude to change your attitude"!
Going to a conference may not be a "vacation" per say, but having a break from your normal routine can do wonders for your mindset for the rest of the school year.  If you are married with small kids, just getting a full nights rest can be the biggest game changer of all! Not to mention being with other educators so your spouse/significant other doesn't have to try to sympathize with your venting after work either. What ever your situation, you will find some benefits in getting away! 
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One of the longest lasting benefits of going to conferences would be changing your mindset! You might come back so inspired that you are ready to conquer the world (or your classroom), or your return with the validation you needed to continue what you were already starting to do in your classroom.  You might also have the tools and research you need to share with your administration so they can implement new things that teachers and students need. You may even return with the confidence you needed to be able to present what your learned to the staff in your building.  Whatever it may be, you will be better prepared to support your students (or teachers) for the duration of the school year!  

So if you've read this far and you are ready to go to a conference right now, check out the resources below to see if you can find a conference to attend! 
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That's when it started! The planning process started the next day through Google Meet (I'm super thankful for technology now more than ever).  We immediately started a Twitter message group with anyone who expressed interest and invited them to join the conversation.  Before we knew it, we were getting the ball rolling to start #EdcampRL (Remote Learning) through FlipGrid on 19 topics! It was a lot, but it worked out well for the first go-around (meaning, we will do this again)!  You can still access all the grids if you sign up here. You will get the password and the link to our Flipgrid in the Google Form response message.
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I was the moderator on the Google Tips and Tricks grid. In this grid alone, there are 32 responses, 42 replies, 2517 views, and 50.0 hours of shared learning! 
Here are a few ideas including videos from Pam Hubler (me), Greg Jung, Jared Johnson, and Alex Milton  

I know some of us are hesitant to record ourselves with a video platform for a lot of reasons. Maybe you are afraid of judgement from others, afraid of the reactions or comments from others, you don't feel like you are "camera ready" in that moment that you'd like to respond... the reasons go on and on.  As I reflect on the event, I  am reminded how important it is to share our ideas (no matter how small or simple it seams to you) in spite  of the fear we may feel.  We have to think like our kids sometimes, they don't think twice before picking up a device to record themselves sharing their ideas.  For this reason, I always use two hashtags in my social media posts and I really mean it!

I hope you'll do a few things after you read this.
1. Sign up for the #EdcampRL Flipgrid to at least check out the topics that catch your eye.
2. Add to a grid if the conversation reminds you of something that you find helpful.
3. Remember this quote... "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't."
​That means you always have something valuable to share!  

I'm excited to present at the South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education conference this weekend! My session resources can be found in this Wakelet Collection on Saturday, February 29th.  Presenting on a day that only happens every 4 years is pretty cool! If you have anything you'd like to add, please add a comment below and I can add it to my collection! 

I don't know about you, but I often forget all the great things that happen throughout the year. Luckily, I take pictures at almost all of the events I go to (expect family events... I need to get better at that)! So to start this post, I figured it would be easiest to make a video with all those photos so it would be easier to reflect on everything.  If you want to try this, I use the Quik app by GoPro on my phone.  It's super easy and FREE! You can find the mobile app on Google Play  or the Apple App Store .  This post is all about what was to accomplish this year, even if I didn't plan to.  So let's travel back in time and see how it went!  
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I can't say enough about this community!  My friend Teresa Gross created #PD4uandme and asked if Emily Francis and I wanted to help out, because keeping up with a weekly Twitter chat by yourself is not easy! We hold this chat every Saturday (occasional Saturdays off during holidays and such) from 8:30-9:00 am EST.  You can see the archives of all our chats in the Wakelet collection below.  It's like a #CoffeeEDU on Twitter, so join us this weekend if you want to check it out!