TCEA 2014 Presentation

This blog was born at TCEA 2013.  For those of you who don't live in Texas, TCEA is the Technology Computer Education Agency and once a year they do a huge conference and expo in Austin.  There are thousands of educators there, all excited about learning how technology can benefit their classrooms.  This past year was the first time I have had the opportunity to attend and it was such an amazing experience, I was very excited when I was chosen as one of our district team members for the 2014 conference.  I don't consider myself a tech guru by any means but I do love to write so I use a lot of social media to talk about education.  I've been blogging for about 6 years but it was only while I was at TCEA that I realized that an educational blog would be a great benefit to other teachers in my district, and really anyone who is looking for additional resources to improve their knowledge of best practice in teaching. So, while I was at TCEA, I started this blog, and, so far, I've been very happy with the response I've gotten from other teachers in my district and elsewhere. I've had a lot of support from my building principal, former assistant principal, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in our district, and lots of other district staff and fellow teachers.  I know that people are benefiting from what I have to say, that it is improving instruction and making a difference in how they feel about coming to work each day. While there are lots of topics I haven't talked about yet, this blog has definitely given me the opportunity to have my voice heard and help influence others in a positive way.
In order to attend TCEA 2014, we were required to propose a session to present.  I put a lot of thought in to what I wanted to propose. Having only attended TCEA once before, I really didn't expect to be selected to present.  I wasn't even sure if my topic was something people wanted to know about.  I proposed a session titled, "Bloggers Lead the Way!"  It's about how to use a blog format to influence instructional practices on your campus.  I am a firm believer that leadership is not a position and that anyone can be a positive change agent, even in small ways, if they have great ideas and they are willing to accept that challenge.  Blogging is a great platform for sharing ideas, opinions, what works for you, what doesn't.  Some times it is difficult for others to admit they need help or they have questions but one can peruse a blog in complete anonymity. The goal of the session I proposed is to teach other instructional leaders and aspiring leaders how to use blogging to influence others and provide necessary information to help improve instructional practices.  I don't recall seeing any similar sessions last year, though there were several about blogging in general.  I wasn't sure if it was a good thing that I was proposing something different or if I would just be supplying the review committee members a good chuckle.
I was extremely excited when I received the email yesterday that my proposal had been accepted! It is a great honor to be selected to present at TCEA.  Even though I know that there are thousands of other people who will also be presenting, I know that these are extremely talented, dedicated educational leaders and to have the opportunity to join them is both humbling and exhilarating.  Of course, it's also a little nerve-racking and I'm happy that I have about six months to get everything together.
Over the course of the next few months, as I begin to prepare my materials, I would really appreciate your positive feedback.  What is it about this blog that makes you continue to read?  What types of posts are the most interesting to you? What do you wish was different? If you were going to start a blog, regardless of the topic you were going to cover, what information would be beneficial to you before you started? If you are willing and able to leave comments that will be of benefit to me, I greatly appreciate your help.
I am really looking forward to TCEA 2014.  If you are going to be there, please check out my session and if you are presenting, let me know so I  can attend!  It's sure to be an amazing experience!