What is the Yule Blog Challenge? Over Winter Break, I'm going to attempt to blog 12 times, sharing reflections of 2020 and what I'm looking forward to in 2021. I would love for you to join in the blogging fun - read more about the challenge by clicking here!
A 2020 Success Story
This has been a rough year in so many ways, but in other ways, this has been a great year! We've learned new technologies, new ways to use existing technology, grown professionally and personally. We've learned new and more effective ways to do things, we've had so many innovations, and honestly, there are some things that happened because of the pandemic that will be fully embraced going forward. EdTech companies have tried new things, virtual conferences have become mainstream, and we've learned new ways to build relationships.
So in the midst of all the struggles, there have been a lot of successes.
But the one that truly stands out to me from this year is #MathTeachCollab
Like so many teachers, Spring Break was a turning point - we went from life as normal prior to March 13, 2020 to the midst of a pandemic. I was so naïve at that point, thinking that our 3 week extended spring break would be the end of it and we would be back to life as normal - little did I know...
Summer break started - we were still on restrictions and it was starting to set in that this was the new normal. Twitter conversations revolved around EdTech tools - we had 6 weeks of "Distance Learning" under our belts, but with no planning or preparation, it was a challenge. Summertime was spent in discussions on how we could improve, how we could design our classes intentionally for this model, book studies were done on Flipped Classroom Learning, and teachers shared their takeaways from the spring and their concerns for the fall.
As part of this conversation, many people mentioned how much they missed the conferences where they would see, interact, and learn with their #MTBoS peers, so Jessica (@algebrainiac1) and I ended up saying "Let's do it!" and organized #MathTeachCollab - well, really Jessica, I was just along for the ride! :)
Our first meet-up was on August 8 - right before many of us headed back to the classroom for this very unique year. We spent all day learning from and with the #MTBoS family - informal discussions that revolved around what people needed and wanted to talk about. This was truly a "for teachers, by teachers" event
Since then, we've kept going on the 2nd Saturday of every month for an hour long discussion and share-out and I'll admit, it is one of my favorite days of the month! In the craziness of this year, it's sometimes difficult to give up some of your downtime, but every time, I leave feeling so refreshed and so ready to tackle whatever life throws at me that week!
Here are the notes from our meet-ups so far this year:
Our next meet-up will be on January 9, 2021 at 10 am Central time and we'd love to have you join in! Please follow us on Twitter on hashtag #MathTeachCollab
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