I've always loved going to educational conferences - when I was a K-8 teacher, the Science Teacher conferences always seemed to fall in February or March - just when I needed a break and I always returned to my classroom re-energized for the remainder of the school year.
I pursued a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (focusing on Science Education) because I really wanted to make a difference in how we prepared future science teachers and how college courses were taught. K-12 seemed to have figured out a lot of what "works", but I wasn't seeing that in the college students I knew and worked with.
I wasn't sure what to expect from my first InstructureCon. It's been incredibly rewarding and invigorating to see so many higher-ed teachers, administrators, and tech folks so motivated to learn new ways to teach, to learn new ways to enhance their students' education. I've learned so much from so many incredibly innovative people who are amazingly generous with their knowledge, expertise, and time.
My brain feels a bit like this:
Except that I don't want to be excused from class! There's so much more to learn, so many more connections to make.
I'm going to sleep for about three days when I get back home, and then I think I'll need a week (or maybe two) to process everything I've learned.
I endured a canceled flight, lost luggage, altitude sickness, a horrendous head cold, and a serious lack of sleep....
....but I don't even care.
InstructureCon has been worth every single second. I can't wait to come back!
p.s. - If we connected anywhere this week, please feel free to connect with me in the Canvas Community or follow me on twitter (I'm Susan.M.Bastian there.)
