Then and Now as an ADE

Flickr CC photo by John Biehler

I'm headed to Arizona to participate in the 2011 Apple Distinguished Educator Institute, hosted at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  I'm excited, but the experience is completely different from merely two years ago.  Then, I was really nervous about how I would "stack up".  I was so self-conscious at first that I'm not sure I took full advantage of the program.

Now,  I realize this is more about relationships and community.  Regardless of how wonderful the workshops and presentations may be, the collaborations and sharing are likely to be more sustaining.  Being an ADE allows me to stay close to creativity and innovation.

This year's focus appears to on producing educational resources for iTunesU.  I'm choosing a direction where I probably have more to take than to give-- school administration.  In terms of production values, some of us fall a little short of what our Apple mentors may be seeking.  This time, I'm not too concerned.  I'll learn more about education, professional development, and leadership regardless of what we whip up.

So I think I am prepared to get more out of the experience this time.  Nevertheless, it will be impossible to recapture the excitement of a first time.  I also became fascinated by CBL in 2009.  This led to an extraordinary two-year journey.  I doubt I'll catch that kind of lightning in the bottle, again.  But who knows.  One thing I'm sure of-- a blog post or two will be inspired by my week with Apple!