We started out the day with a lecture on why we need technology in the classroom and then the group was culled. Educators spent the day playing with products and IT spent the day learning how to implement the products.

I was shuffled off to a small room to learn about podcasts. I was the only teacher in the class – everyone else was a director or curriculum head. We started with the basics – what was a podcast. My heart sank to my stomach. This wasn’t what I had expected at all! Granted, I did get to play with Garageband, but even though I saw a few cool features, I didn’t see what all the hype was about. I did get an idea for how to integrate a geography lesson, though. I had read on the internet a few months back that Apple was considering selling a PC version of GarageBand. I found that suspicious, so I asked the presenter if she had heard of that. She quickly assured me that it wasn’t so, and told me that for the PC, “there is a program called AU-DA-CIT-TEEE. That’s what YOU will use instead of GARAGEBAND.” I grit my teeth, and suffered through the rest of the presentation sales pitch. I don’t think of myself as a quitter, and besides, I had to stay for the whole event if I wanted to get my parking validated.

The rest of the day was a blur. I got to learn about blogs and wikis <sarcasm>very insightful, I might add</sarcasm> and eat lunch. The most exciting part of the whole day was when the fire alarm went off and the presenter kept right on talking! “Just ignore the loud blaring alarm and flashing lights – the hotel assured us that there is no fire.” Gee, thanks.

At least my parking was validated.