I am writing this post to introduce you to some educators I think you should meet. There are thousands of inspiring educators who blog about their work and tweet with one another to share ideas. I think that Urban Moms should meet them.
I had the honour and the pleasure of attending Unplug’d 2012. This retreat was organized by some phenomenal Ontario educators. They decided to create a place for educators who participate in virtual learning networks, using Twitter and other mediums, to gather and meet face to face. Here is a photo of the fantastic folks I met:
What a meeting it was.nbsp;I was overwhelmed with the goodness of these people. The kindness, passion, spirit and vision. Words cannot explain how inspiring soothing weekend was.
I met Karen Lirenman, whom I’ve been chatting with on Twitter. Check out her classroom blog and the blogs of her students. Yup. Grade one students blogging, it’s wonderful. She shared incredible stories of reluctant writers claiming their voices.
Kathy Cassidy, also a grade one teacher and a leader in education. Make sure you check out her classroom webpage and her students’ blogs.
Zoe Branigan-Pipe is the first unplug’d organizer I met face to face. I’ll just say that she is an incredible human being. Just read her blog to find out what kind of educator she is. She is also open, gentle, sharing, brilliant, humble and so many more adjectives that I can’t even list them all.
I was fortunate enough to meet Danika Barker face to face last summer. She is passionate, funny, carefree and a fantastic English teacher. I will let her work speak for her.
James Cowper is a passionate principal. A true leader in Ontario education. His Today’s Beliefs at School…192 of 192 will get, and keep, you thinking about what really matters.
I would write about and link to all of the forty friends at unplug’d 2012 if I could in one post. They are all amazing. All of them. And I don’t mean because they use technology really well. I mean because they love children and are passionate about education.
I will try to feature these incredible folks in future posts. I think it’s important for parents and the general public to hear about what is going on and to “meet” passionate educators. If you are on twitter follow the #unplugd12 hashtag, or other education related hashtags. To find lots more follow @dougpete and look at his lists.
I just want to say that most educators are in it for the right reasons. I encourage you to check out these blog posts about Unplug’d 2012, they explain some of the details I’ve left out. I also encourage you to read some of these blogs regularly. These are people who care about education, care about children, and care about society. Check them out, you won’t regret it and you might learn something valuable in the meantime.
I know I did.
The following link is a collection of posts written about unplug’d and What Matters Most in Education.
Here are visual notes of the weekend experience thanks to Giulia Forsythe:
Erin, wow, thanks for your kindness. I was as much overwhelmed by your sincerity and passion for learning. The talk we had about kids “loving school” will stick with me forever. Your honesty and dedication to students is energizing. I am thankful we met. For me Unplugd12 tapped into a spiritual instinct for learning through human connection. It lives on long after we leave the edge. Your post brought back a visceral feeling of belonging through the faces of such extraordinary innovators. It seemed we were all there in order to be. It seemed so simple didn’t it? Imagine an Unplugd “etc.” or UnplugdBONUS (maybe 5 days!). Thanks again and keep up the great work. Teachers like you help so many others step up so no student is left behind yearning for the joy only a cheerful school teacher can bring to our lives. (quoting my daughter Zoe-8)
Have an awesome start up…and to your little ones too!
James (Cowpernicus)