For the last several days I was at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in Los Angeles, CA. This was my second year going and I had a great time. The conference consisted of long days running from workshop to workshop trying to squeeze in as many things as I could. It lasted four days and by the time it was done I was exhausted and extremely happy that I went.
Tammy Orilio and Adeena Teres having fun at the 2017 National Science Teachers Association conference in LA.
My favorite part of the conference was getting a chance to learn about raspberry pi. When I first heard the words, raspberry pi I thought "Why are we talking about pie? And does it come with ice cream?" Raspberry pi is actually a little computer that can be used in electronic projects and can be used to teach coding. After learning about this technology, I started thinking how I could apply it to my classroom. It can be used to make a weather station which is something that I would love to do with my classes. I need to look up more information on how to build a weather station and I know other teachers who use this technology and would be willing to teach me all about it.
It is humbling to remember that I am not always the teacher but sometimes I am also the student. The best thing about going to these conferences is getting the opportunity to learn new things. It is very important to me to grow as a teacher and a scientist. I feel like an entirely new world has opened up to me. My brain is flooded with ideas and now all I need is time to think about what I am going to do with the new knowledge I acquired.
What is work with no fun? I had a chance to play while I was in LA and I was able to meet and talk to some of the alumni from PolarTREC. I also got to see George one of my fellow PolarTREC teachers from this year's cadre. At night I had a chance to do some exploring around town. I visited the Staples Center and found an amazing bookstore called The Last Bookstore. From the outside the bookstore doesn't look like much but once I stepped in I was amazed. The place is not just a bookstore but it is also an art gallery. I wandered around in there for over half an hour. It was wonderful! Another treat was finding Red Mango, a frozen yogurt store, and discovering the best chocolate frozen yogurt ever! Red Mango was on my way to and from the conference. I stopped there every afternoon to get some frozen yogurt. After a hard day of work, I deserved a treat!
A piece of art work at The Last Book Store in downtown LA.
Adeena Teres is reading a book at the Last Book Store.
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