When I tell people that I teach, they often say, "Oh, nice. Summers off!" I wonder if non-teachers have any idea how many new ideas are generated in the Summer; learning new skill sets, preparing for future courses and submitting conference proposals. We are never really "off'!
One of the joys of Summers for me is dreaming up proposals. I adore presenting. It is an opportunity to reflect on what is alive in my teaching practice and what I might share with colleagues near and far.
Preparing a conference proposal is its own practice. This Summer I have been crafting a new proposal to present at SxSw EDU in Austin in March, 2018. My co-presenter is my friend and colleague Denise Maduli Williams. We have so much fun swapping ideas and then giving form to what we can't wait to share. Denise is an imaginative, compassionate, resourceful teacher and our collaborations are their own form of professional development for me! I've been lucky enough to have presented twice with Denise, at #CaTesol2016 and #SxSwEdu2017. And today we just completed our newest proposal for #SxSwEdu2018, called "Deep Learning Collaborative: Giving Every Student a Voice".
Take a look at the video for our proposal. We welcome your comments below, and a "like" on youtube! And here is the video we submitted last year, called "Serious Fun: Building a Learning Community". Presentations are serious fun!
