Have you heard of Meet Up? I love this website because it gives you the opportunity to find various Meet Up groups in the city where you live. There are various groups for runners, educators, writers, hikers, etc. I've been to a few Ed Tech Meet Ups in San Francisco and all of them have been fantastic. I attended an event last night that put engineers, entrepreneurs and educators in the same room to discuss issues in education.
Last night's Meet Up was sponsored by Ed Surge and the event was held at the Google campus in San Francisco. If you're not familiar with Ed Surge, head on over to their website to learn more. Weekly newsletters and a frequently updated website keep educators, developers and entrepreneurs up to date on the "latest innovations in education technology."
San Francisco really is a small city! I was able to reconnect with a teacher I taught summer school with a few years ago. She just started a San Francisco group for the CUE (Computer Using Educators) corporation. Is anyone out there a member of CUE?
I was also able to spend some time speaking with a representative from Motion Math. Motion Math apps are "fun math games that turn screen time into learning time." I'm always looking for apps to recommend to parents. Some of the games I saw demonstrated last night were perfect for my 2nd grade students. I can't wait to hear their reviews of the app!
I loved the wall we could write on at last night's event. Ed Surge representatives posed the following question: What challenges in education do you want to solve? Anyone could grab a dry erase marker and start writing. Here are a few of my favorites and ones I would have written if they weren't already on the wall!
What I admire most about Ed Surge is how hard they are working to bridge the gap between engineers, entrepreneurs and educators. Thank you Ed Surge! You have a happy educator who will keep coming back to your Meet Ups. What a great night of networking and discussing ways to solve problems in the educational system. We're all working together to close the achievement gap and I couldn't be more excited to be part of the conversation.
The view from the Google office isn't too shabby. I just love this City by the Bay! For those of you who live far away, you can check out a live stream of the Bay Lights here. The lights are on from dusk - 2am Pacific Time. I must say, though, the view is much better in person.
Heather
