#CAMHOOBIZ - A Student Collaboration Project (and One of the Reasons Twitter is Kinda Awesome)

This school year,  I decided to fire up my Twitter account.  I was one of those people who joined Twitter back in '09 when it seemed like the only people who really used it were celebrities. I'd pop in every once in a while and tweet during a professional development session or field trip, but never consistently.  Until one day at the beginning of this school year, I noticed how many educators were on Twitter talking about best practices and instructional technology. More importantly, they were challenging each other as educators. I was floored. These people had it going on.  I knew I could no longer pretend this community didn't exist. I decided I would no longer miss out, so I joined the party.

I immediately connected with a group where I would fit right in:  the #BusEdu community.  And boy did I "meet" some cool people. I eventually branched out and connected with teachers, administrators, tech specialists, counselors, and business people from all backgrounds who challenged me with their ideas and experiences. That is EXACTLY what a PLN is supposed to do, so I am grateful.

One of those individuals is Jordan, a business teacher from Regina, Saskatchewan. He was one of the first people I made direct contact with on Twitter. I can't remember exactly how it happened (I'm sure it was Jordan's idea), but we decided it would be great to let our students collaborate. We Skyped a couple of times, planned, collaborated, and came up with an opportunity for our students to discuss their local economies, social media, and personal branding.

The students collaborated through Google Docs, blogging, and Twitter, and it was a pretty cool experience. Our students were able to discuss relevant issues with students miles away in a different country. There were times when differences were present, but more often, there were similarities. It was a great experience, and a great discussion from their perspective on social media and personal branding. I am glad to have "met" Jordan and his students, and look forward to future opportunities like these.

Campbell Biz image: Jordan McFarlen

Check out some of the discussions: #camhoobiz.

School's (Kinda) Out for Summer + Pics from NBEA 2014

Somehow between now and my last post, the school year ended. JUST LIKE THAT.  It always happens this way.

It was an incredible school year for many reasons. Nope, every day wasn't perfect, every lesson didn't work, nor was every kid an angel all the time. This was probably the most challenging school year to date for me, actually.

What made it incredible is that I slowed down and focused more on building relationships. I stopped and smelled the roses with my students. Sure, relationships and trust are naturally a part of my job, but something about this year and this group of students made me re-realize the importance. I was reminded that there will be students you will NOT reach until he or she knows that you are 100% in his or her corner. Some will know you are from day one, but a few may need a little more convincing.  In addition to teaching a new course this year, I had students who challenged my ability to REACH. I needed that. I am so grateful for this year's group.  It was a great year.

The students are home enjoying the sunny rainy summer days (what's up with this weather?),while I'm...TEACHING.  That's right, I'm teaching a credit advancement course this summer in another school system, and I'm really enjoying it.  I'm weird -- I enjoy summer school. I've taught it all but two summers of my whole teaching career. It's going great so far.  Summer school in this district is only for the month of June, so I'll get to spend July like a normal teacher. I've got a little bit of professional development opportunities for next month (excited about that -- more on it later)...but other than that, I'll be free to do whatever.

Speaking of PD, I still haven't blogged about the NBEA Annual Convention...

About a month before we got out of school, a few colleagues and I attended the National Business Education Association Annual Convention. This is something I always look forward to for many reasons. The location this year didn't hurt, either: Los Angeles.

I've said how valuable events like NBEA are to me, so I won't go into all of that. I'll just talk about what made this year's convention so cool.

I learned.
Of course. There are so many ways to reach students these days, and hearing from others always refreshes me and gets my brain pumping.  I've got a few things up my sleeve for next year.

I networked.
I always like meeting new people -- especially business teachers. :D

I met Twitter buddies.
I really started taking advantage of Twitter over the past school year, and I "met" some incredible business teachers in the process. It was so cool to run into some of them at NBEA this year.

Bill from IA

Shelly from NE

And Mickie made it possible for Bonnie (pictured) and me to meet.

I also ran into Ken. I met him in Boston at NBEA 2012, so it was cool seeing him again.

And Uche!  Though she and I'd never met before the convention, we found out that she and I both attended another seminar in Philly back it the fall. Small world.

And of course I had a great time with my own peeps.

I've been teaching with these rockstars the past eight years. I'm so lucky.

Another teacher in our metropolitan area attended the convention this year, so it was great to hang out with her, too.

Alabama Peeps

Then of course we got out and had a little fun in the evenings. The only time I'd been to LA was back in 2009 (or 10?), and we didn't go to Santa Monica Pier. It was a must for me this time.

View from the Ferris Wheel

My husband traveled with me this year. 

He enjoyed pool time, the Clippers, and the Dodgers while we were there. 

But there's one more thing that made this year's convention pretty special:

I co-presented! 

My friend and colleague, Madge, asked me to join her as she presented a session on recruiting. She wanted me to talk a little about branding, since it's a little project I started this year in our department. I was nervous (I'd never presented a session at a convention), but it went well. I'm so glad she offered me that opportunity. She has a history of nudging me out of my comfort zone, so I'm lucky to work with her.We're set to present again at our regional convention in Little Rock (October). 

Next year's NBEA Convention will be in Chicago. I haven't been to Chicago since 2007, so I'm looking forward to it.

Hope everyone had a great school year, and that you're getting some good rest and refreshment over the summer. I plan to teach, learn, play, and have fun over the summer. So far, so good!  Enjoy the summer, and thanks for stopping by.