I hit the road once again with my social studies teammie, Mrs. Sittig, to the New York State Council of Social Studies (NYSCSS) annual conference in Albany. We had applied to present with another FMS colleague, Mrs. Cahill, and were so excited to find out our proposal was accepted. I was even more excited to find out we were presenting on Friday, April 1. Why you might ask? Have you ever been in a middle school on April Fools Day? #dodgedabullet
Our presentation was on using Google Apps, Chromebooks, and interdisciplinary work. We had the tiniest room imaginable. It seated about twenty people, but we managed to fit a few more since some in our audience were willing to sit on the floor. No pressure.
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| You can't see them but there are three wonderful ladies sitting on the floor on the left side of the room. |
We used this Google Slides presentation as we spoke for an hour and a half. We talked about our favorite apps, extensions, projects and even shared student work. While we hadn't rehearsed our talk, I thought it was pretty seamless as we took turns speaking off of various slides. I was so impressed with my partners who were presenting to fellow social studies teachers on their approach to content in ways that incorporate technology in cool and interesting ways. The responses we got both throughout the presentation and after confirmed that we are doing work with students that is both innovative and exciting.
I want to take a moment to thank Mrs. Sittig and Mrs. Cahill for inviting me along. They certainly didn't need me! It was a reminder how important it is to make time for collaboration and sharing of your craft as a teacher. I know most of us constantly feel unsure of ourselves and are waiting for someone to call us out on having no clue what we are doing. Presenting for other educators, while we do it each day with our students, should be a necessary part of our pedagogy. It allows us to be critical of our teaching and, at the same time, celebrate what we do.
This past April Fools Day was no joke for me. I'm already looking into where we can present next!
