Digital Schoolhouse Conference - Forsyth County

The best thing about the conference was meeting such wonderful people! Yes, I do love technology, but I always come away from conferences like this one thinking about the interactions I had with other educators. I attended three sessions where I enjoyed sharing and learning with other teachers that were in the room, but most of all, I was excited to be able to present my "Technological Tsunami" ideas to a group of discerning and interested colleagues. It was wonderful to watch the thoughtful expressions on their faces as they journeyed with me through the future paths beginning to appear on the landscape of educational technology. One of the participants, a personal friend and an inspiring teacher, reminded me how important our role as human beings would continue to be as we learn to adapt to technology that isn't always reliable. I have always believed that education is more about people than anything else, and I now realize that it will still take skilled people like us to guide, support and encourage young learners as they wade through the waves of technological floods that are rising daily around them. They still need teachers to sit beside them and act as their global tour guides in a world that is fast becoming a virtual ride into the unfamiliar, unpredictable future. I salute the thousands of educators who continue to strive for what's best for their students in a world that has often left teachers behind. We may not have the money, the respect or the power, but we do have the ability to shape the future - everyone's future!