Educational Technology at IU13

It's hard to believe that summer has already begun for many!  Summer means many different things to different people, but for me summer has always been a time to reflect on the last year and how I can make next year even better!  Reflective practice is so important in education today as we continually evaluate what worked well last year, what didn't work so well, and what can we do to improve teaching and learning for next year!  How will you model life long learning for your students this summer?  I read a few blog posts suggesting activities and practices that all teachers should do over the summer and as I have reflected on those practices, here is my list of 6 must do summer activities:

1. Reflect! Take time to reflect on the highlights from last year and target areas to make them even better for next year.
2. Reflect! Take time to reflect on what practices need changed from last year in order to make next year even better.
3. Learn from the experts in my field!  Some of the best professional development I receive is from attending EdTech conferences where I can hear from the experts on how they are leveraging technology to maximize learning.  We are so fortunate to have ISTE 2015 in our "backyard" this year offering some dynamic Keynotes and hundreds of exciting sessions to attend.  I decided on attending as many sessions as possible that focus on project-based, problem-based, challenged-based learning to see how other teachers all over the International community are focusing on these targeted areas with their students.  
4. Take a class! There are so many great EdTech classes available for educators who want to learn from one another and glean new insights on how to leverage technology to maximize student learning.  I am working through a class right now to continually add more "tools" and strategies to my toolbox!
5. Seek more online collaboration opportunities/connections!  I plan to increase my social media presence as I continually look for ways to connect with educators all over the world who are practicing Instructional Technology Specialists to build my professional learning community.  I want to grow my twitter and Google+ communities. In addition, I want to target Linkedin this summer to help connect to a world outside of education to gain insights from other professional best practices of leveraging technology.
6. Regroup and Refresh!  This means vacation time!  No matter who we are, we need time to refill our "cups" in order to get re-energized for the next year.  For me, that means taking time with family and going on vacation unplugging/disconnecting from the digital world so I can concentrate 100% on my children and my wife (Oh, how hard disconnecting is, but oh how important from time to time!) My focus is to enjoy every moment I have with my family to make and cherish life long memories.

What do you plan to do this summer?