Future Ready Conference in Bedford NH

Recap of the day.  It's alway's great to visit Bedford, NH and attend their Future Ready Conference (even on a day off).  I am impressed by the number of teacher and guest presenting at Bedford High School.  I am glad we presented at Medfield's Digital Day of Learning over the last several years and it's great to see Bedford making their own mark on their in-school PD day. I am excited for our keynote and PD Day in March!   This year Bedford had John Spencer has their keynote. I love the connection behind the story.  Craig and I read the Launch Book when we delivered our FSU class and modeled it after participating in an online book club with Tina Zita a few years back.  Craig then ran a book club on "Empower" and engaged a number of teachers in his district.

Keynote: John Spencer @spencerideas used his story from the Launch book to present and connect to the audience.  Although I read the book and did a Google Hangout with John a few years ago it was very inspiring to hear his story and connection to his "History Project" which really seem like a genius hour model, before it was identified as that term.  John's teacher encouraged him using Project Based Learning (PBL) and empowered him by giving him a voice when presenting his project.  It made such an impression on him, it has impacted his learning and teaching models.  I enjoyed sitting in on several presentations and connecting with John, Craig, and friends in Bedford.

We kicked off the day with a conversation and picture with John Spencer and colleagues. Craig (tweeted the pic) and did a great blog post on Empowering Teachers and Students.  It was great to see the book spread and the enthusiasm throughout the Bedford School District.   There were many great sessions, but more importantly, I enjoyed watching this district move forward in embracing and using technology thanks to Craig's leadership! I am so impressed with his dedication and leadership in his district.

At the conferences, I presented on using Adobe Spark Page link and curated the learning throughout the day by using a spark page.  I was extremely proud of my colleague Taryn Grigas who joined me on her day off to spread the word about Design Thinking and using the extraordinaires design studio to allow teachers to experience the design thinking process.

We will then present at the EdTech Teachers Summit in Boston, the next day.



Thought of the day... Keep learning and connecting with others!  It's so inspiring!