MassCUE: One Year Later

Sitting here at my second MassCUE conference, I can't help but think back to a year ago when I was walking the halls of the Sturbridge absorbing as much new information as is humanly possible in just two short days. Now, a year later I'm thinking about all that's changed for me professionally.

Since the '08 MassCUE conference, I've:

• become a regular user of Twitter.


• created a valuable PLN of educators from all over the world.


• used Skype to link my classroom to other classrooms across the country.


• become a regular (for the most part) blogger.


• created a classroom blog that is predominately driven by student content.


• set up all of my students on blogs.


• begun to manage and assess more than 50% of my students work virtually.


• created movies and have posted them online.


• allowed students to use cell phones in class.


• provided students opportunities to collaborate online to create new content for Wikipedia.


• done a lot more than I can think of right now...

My first pass at the '09 MassCUE program guide left me feeling like there wasn't much new that I didn't already know about or that I hadn't already explored to some extent. At first I felt pretty proud of myself and my colleagues. Relative to the rest of the education world, we're ahead of the technological curve. But, then I realized that just because I know about something doesn't mean that I've fully explored how to use it -- especially in the classroom.

So, for the past 36 hours, I've spent this conference attending sessions hosted by really smart people and picking their brains -- asking questions about how to use all these new tools more efficiently. While last year I felt overwhelmed by everything new, this year I feel focused and even more determined to make technology a seamless part of my classroom.

More Than Words

I did something I don't normally do yesterday - something so simple, yet something that often eludes me in my regular business of teaching and interacting with kids. Something so light and casual, but yet something that carries so much weight and seriousness.

I told a student, "Good job."

I know, right? Me? The one who has adopted the motto, "Fail. Try again. Fail better." The one who will not accept a writing unless it's nearly perfect and will return it over and over again until it is. The one who goes out of his way NOT to give a student a high five or a fist bump in the hallway. Me?

I continued. "I love reading everything that you write. Keep up the good work."

It was brief and to the point. A quick exchange as she came into class from the hallway. I caught her a little off guard, and I think she thought she might have been in trouble. And then, a funny thing happened. Something that I imagined might happen, but perhaps wasn't entirely prepared for.

She smiled.

And, as she walked away, I thought that maybe I had caught myself a little off guard, too. Like when the Grinch hears singing rising up from the valley below, I was suddenly surprised at how important it is to actually compliment a student face to face. How their efforts need to be acknowledged by more than a note at the bottom of the page or an exclamation point after a grade at the top.

Later, the student stopped by my room at the end of the day. "Thanks for the compliment. That was really nice. It made my day."