I attended my first MACUL Conference in 2002 and have attended each year since. I went the first year as a participant only; I got the feel for MACUL and benefited greatly from what I experienced and learned. The following year, and each year thereafter, I have come to the conference as a presenter. I like sharing and helping others learn and grow, and having a "presenter mindset" keeps me always on the hunt for new ways of using technology for teaching and learning.
Some of the most important MACUL experiences that have shaped me professionally include:
- Purchasing a Snagit/Camtasia bundle from the vendor area in 2002. I began screencasting long before it became a fad. People still come up to me and tell me they recognize my voice from the CD I published back in 2003! I'm still using Camtasia (and Jing) on a regular basis.
- Receiving a MACUL grant in 2004 for a digital storytelling project. I presented at the MACUL conference with a teacher from my district to share what we did and how digital storytelling positively impacts student writing. I developed a website to go with it, and people from all over the world still visit and use the teaching materials, especially to show the student examples.
- Hearing about the power of blogging from Will Richardson and David Warlick at Macul 2005. I created my own blog, Yes Tech! in Nov 2006 and have found that it helps me to be a reflective practitioner.
- Attending a Steve Dembo "Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools" session in 2007 opened my eyes to many new tools: Twitter, Wikispaces, and Flickr, to name a few.
- Getting to know & networking with other like-minded educators at social events on Thursday nights! The face-to-face meetings have continued, thanks to MACUL Space.
What are your favorite MACUL memories?
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