MY GAETC RECAP....THE RISE OF @BIGGUYINABOWTIE

     My favorite conference ever....period. GAETC 14 was the best conference experiance I have had. I had 4 presentations that all came off great. I got to talk to many of my friends who I only see on Twitter. I got to see great national speakers, and a few select local ones who I know are good. Finally, Hoke and the crew always take care of us. Really, there is no conference better at making the conference experiance something everyone will enjoy.
     I am sure you are asking where the title came from. I can thank the Tech Triplets for kicking me in the rear to change my twitter tag, but really it comes down to wanting to expand. I need a schtik according to Heather Cox, and that's where big guy in a bow tie comes in. Big Guy in a bow tie is my new brand. My hope is that I can build on the great success from GAETC, and maybe just maybe I can turn this into more. I want to be on the same level as @thenerdyteacher, and hopefully this little bit of rebrand will help me achieve that goal. Now enough about me

The Best Sessions I Saw
1. Leslie Fisher's Augmented Reality- Leslie never disappoints and I had never seen her augmented reality session. This was a great session for me to go to so I could get a sense of the wild west out there that is Augmented Reality. It's something I want to explore more of
2. Brian (Bobby) Lewis' Sphero Programming for ESOL- This is one for my own personal benefit. I won a Sphero at EdCamp Atlanta, and I wanted to know more about the types of projects you could do with it in schools. Bobby gave me more than I could ask for
3. Tammy's Tips and Tricks- Ms Worcester's tips and tricks always amaze me. What she does with Google Drive and Google Drive templates is always something I need to hear
4. Nicholas Provenzano 20 Time - I have wanted to see Nick Present for a while, and I really enjoyed this session. I think 20 time is a great idea with the right person, and I love the fact that Nick lets kids create
5. The Tech Triplets App Smashing- I do have the advantage that I actually work with these ladies. I really liked their app smashing presentation as a great way to combine tools for student outcomes. These ladies are a rising force in the ed tech community of GA


The Things I Missed that I Wish I Could Have Seen
1. Chris Craft- I know Chris is great,but it just worked out where I missed him. I had planned on seeing his Google Cert session, but with a presentation right after his I did not want to take up a seat in full presentation when I need to leave quick. He is an absolute must see whenever we are in the same place again
2. The Student Showcase- I am going to schedule some time hear next year