TNTc Conference Reflection

After attending the TNT Conference, I was impressed by the number of attendees but more so with the varieties of technology topics being discussed at the conference.  The levels of attendees included K-12 teachers and it was great to see everyone so willing to learn about using technology in the classroom.  As a presenter I found the attendees very involved and interested in the topics.  I also learned a lot about the challenges that the teachers are facing in their classroom.  It seems they must overcome difficulties with having resources readily available.  Also, doing more with less, especially with schools decreasing their budgets.

The teachers must become very creative within the classroom but they also have to deal with more ‘district-wide’ issues and problems as well.  They other hot topic was the lack of time.  Even though some of the teachers would really like to try something, they don’t have the time.  I was so impressed by the keynote speaker Kevin Honeycutt, he was so impressive that I still remember his name.  I am now following on Twitter.  Well, after the conference I was so happy to see that everyone was in the agreement that technology is important.  After listening to the keynote speaker, he definitely solidified some of my ideas that at times I would think were ridiculous or even impossible.   I have always thought to myself that we cannot continue to teach today’s students the same way they were taught in the past.  It is not ok, that students become disengaged in a lesson simply due to delivery methods.  There are TOO MANY resources readily available at our disposal to ignore.  Now there are free software games, interactive mediums where we can engage those students that might not normally be interested in a static method of learning. 

All in all, I thought the conference was excellent.  I will definitely try to attend next year as well.  It was great to see, learn and hear about their different experiences in their individual schools and classrooms.  However, I was most impressed with the time they were willing to take to learn about new products, methodologies, etc.  It was such a great and positive experience!