Today was a special day. I attended the South Carolina Midlands Technical Summit hosted by my school district. This is year four of the event that draws participants from all over the country, and I have to say, this one has been the best one I have experienced so far. I listened to some amazing people talk about cool things they are doing in their classrooms and their districts. I saw nifty gadgets that make me want to go beg my administration for money. Most of all, I was among passionate people. There were leaders in education such as George Couros who, in my opinion, inspires people every time he opens his mouth. There were experts in many kinds of technology eager to share their skills and insight. There were teachers using their own personal time to learn more about how to engage and motivate their students using technology. There were administrators using their time to learn about new technologies and tools for their teachers and schools to consider using in the future. What struck me most about all of these people is their deep passion for students. They came to learn and to share. Being passionate helps you be fearless. I saw people sign up for and use Twitter for the first time, encouraged by the passionate "techies" around them. Many were stepping out of their comfort zones; being fearless, maybe for the first time. I realized that passion drives fearlessness. Passionate teaching requires that we ask more of ourselves in order to meet the changing needs of our students, especially when it comes to technology. We have to meet that challenge with a "Yes, and..." mindset, as Shaelynn Farnsworth said in her design thinking session.
"There's no money...", Yes, and...
"It's hard!" Yes, and...
"I've never done it before!" Yes, and...
You see how negativity takes a back seat?
One other thing I learned today: there are an awful lot of us passionate people out there. So, be fearless and embrace something new in technology. You are not alone!
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