The RCET Conference

Melissa and I traveled to Springfield, MO for the RCET (Regional Consortium for Educational Technology) confernece. During our time at the MORENet conference in Columbia, MO, we were invited to present at RCET. We took the opportunity. Whenever some expresses an interest in 20% Time, we make an effort to champion it.

Experiencing the ice and snow of an early March day in Springfield was not as fun as we had hoped. The conference, however, was very good. We first took in a couple of sessions about Google Apps and MORENet resources. While watching the presentations, we thought of dozens of ways to use these new tools in our classes.

The following day, it was our turn to present. Overnight the ice and snow came into the region. The keynote presentation was done by video rather than live because the presenters could not make it to the conference. Many breakout sessions were cancelled and ours was scheduled to be in the afternoon. We didn't know if anyone would still be at the conference to attend. When our session began, our room was half-full (a victory) and, as our hour progressed, the teachers in the audience became more curious about the theory behind the program and the process we use throughout the year. There was a lot of give-and-take and even a request to connect a couple of our elementary school teachers who are toying with the idea of 20% Time with a couple of teachers who were in the audience. Making connections and sharing is a huge part of what we do so this made our day.

Needless to say, the conference was a rewarding experience for us. We made a few new connections and got to talk with a lot of dedicated teachers about how to do 20% Time in their classrooms. We left the conference pumped up and ready to return to our kiddos.