A Journey to Tech Town

Every year, thousands of techie educators gather at the TCEA Convention in Austin, TX. This year's prevailing theme was "Fusion" and the stage was set to show educators how to blend their tech toys into the non-tech environment (think classrooms).  Some of the sessions were good, some were not so good. It's hard to decipher which you will end up with and the truth of the matter is: when choosing sessions to attend, it's really the luck of the draw.

If you're not able to go because TCEA charges an arm and a leg, and your district just didn't have the money, I feel for you. It's so nice to spend a few days with other professionals who are focused on honing their professional tools. I can understand why a district wouldn't have money to send a large group, but it's such a shame more teachers cannot attend.

TCEA 2013 Keynote Address

Some highlights:

• Edubloggercon-Super nerds...ASSEMBLE!! The all-day gathering of techno-geeks is a breeding ground for great ideas. In fact, meeting up in an informal "want to know" session turned out to be the best experience I had at this year's TCEA convention. We met in an open area equipped with sound system, two projectors and several tables & arm chairs.  So many of us showed, we had to sit on the stair case and around the room on the floor.
  The format is simple: go around the room with a microphone and ask people what they WANT to know. Topics are organized, a leader emerges from the crowd and offers to teach the session, and an unconference is born. Want to know more about using Twitter for PD? Carrie Ross (@MsRossEnglish) volunteered and rocked out an impromptu session. Want to find out how others are using their iPads with elementary kids? Jon Samuelson (@iPadSammy) inspired the masses with a great little mini-workshop.  How can your school bridge the great divide between Gmail and other (lesser) providers? Ask Amy Mayer (@friEdTechnology) to give you a run-down.
  
  Seriously, Edubloggercon was amazing. Quite possibly the most valuable experience I was able to have all week.
• #TxEd tweetup-this gathering of like-minded individuals was a playground for all Tweeps like myself.  Sharing handles, sharing resources and eating ice cream all spell having FUN! I think I gained more than 20 new followers simply from tweeting at this event.  What a breath of fresh air it was being able to connect with other professionals like us.
• The Austin Convention Center-it's beautiful, it's convenient, and it's saturated with plugs for our little energy-deficient devices. Plus, either ACC or TCEA provided extremely well-placed water jugs, free for you and me. It was lovely.

Some not so bright moments:

• Google Academy-This year, we paid extra and stood in line for the highly sought after Google Academy. We were told it was a must-do for progressive instructional technologists. What we didn't know is that the sessions were going to be very, very basic.  We also didn't know some of the presenters would not be gifted Googlers.  I sat in on a session where the presenter used IE to demo some "secrets" of Google Docs. Except they didn't all work because he was in IE. Go figure. Also, the Academy's keynote speaker and organizing professional both used Microsoft Power Point when addressing the whole group.....can anyone tell me what's wrong with that picture? Maybe there was an overarching reason they didn't go Google, but we'll never know and we're all left with the same question: WTH?
• The War of the Wireless Networks-I had high hopes for the network this year. There were WAPS stationed all over the ballroom, in the session rooms, and throughout the center; however, having drawn from past experiences, many people brought their own hotspots. All the Mi-Fi devices kept creating black-holes through which our connection went and never returned. It was so frustrating...especially during Edubloggercon.  Nothing is more amazing than losing connection in the middle of a cool session.

I would say, regardless of any minor negative experiences I may have had this week at TCEA, every teacher should have the opportunity to attend. Not just the technology apps or instructional technology professional...I mean the English teacher, the Texas History teacher, the Math Models instructor. Using technology is no longer the responsibility of one designated teacher, it is now EVERYONE'S charge to bring useful, effective tech use into our classrooms. What better way to learn the good stuff than where the best people are?