What's In My Ed Tech Bag?

     I have many friends in ed tech who make fun of this bag. They give me a hard time. They think it's the Mary Poppins Bag of Ed Tech. You know What? I don't mind it. In reality, I love the fact that I can pull almost whatever I need for almost every occasion out of it. Is some of it a bit to much? Probably, but I own my nerdiness, and it shows in this post. I thought a good way to close out this year would be to show you what's really in my tech bag.
     So to start, let me describe my bag. It's a Swiss Gear IBEX Notebook, which through an online search retails for about $75-$80. I really like the Swiss Gear Bags as this is my second one. They hold up pretty well, have lots of pockets, are comfortable to wear, and they look decent. My has a total of four main pockets, one smaller protected pocket, two side small pockets, and the mesh pockets typically used for water bottles. All in all it's a great bag for the space and for the price

The Outside Pockets

So lets start with my outside pockets, and the cast that is attached with a carabiner. They are all small, so I lump them in together.

• My Big Headphones (Located in Case Attached with Carabiner)-  I actually came by the headphones through a bit of luck as I got them for free. They are Sony-MDR-V700's, and they retail for about $138. They are noise canceling headphones with a good clear sound. They are also cheaper retail wise than a pair of Beats, and in my opinon a little better made. 
• Earbuds (Located in one of the Side Zipper Pockets)- I love having options, so I keep a couple of different earbud sets in my bag. One is a skull candy set, and two are Apple Ear Pods. The Apple EarPods come in handy when doing Google Hangouts.
• Writing Pens (Located in other Side Zipper Pocket) - You never know when you need a pen, so I keep a couple in my bag for those occasions. All my pens where actually freebies from ed tech companies like Touchcast, Edmodo, Nearpod, and Remind, and some of them can even double as a stylus
• Cleaning Gear (located in one of the mesh pockets usually for water bottles)- I do have several rags to clean screens, and I even have a tool to clean keyboards

The Front Pocket

     This pocket is not a big one, but it has lots of places to store smaller items. So heres a list of what you see in the picture

• Advil or Something to that effect- I do have headaches thanks to my contacts and neck issues, so I make sure that I have something to take care of them when needed
• Tech Company Business Cards- You never know when you want to get an answer or some help with an event, so I try to keep my favorite tech companies contact info 
• Flash Drives- It's amazing to me that these have gone out of style, but I do keep a couple just in case
• Catholic Rosary- I always carry one with me, to remind me what's most important
• Plickers Cards- Plickers is a great way for teachers to get quick assessments. I use these cards with teacher's as I am coaching in the classroom. Visit plickers.com for more information on the app
• My own Business Cards- I finally got some business cards, and I have a nice holder to keep them fresh for when people ask me for them at conferences
• Trail Mix- This is my snack of choice and I always keep some on hand to fight hunger

The Next Pocket Back

The next pocket back, is the real take care of anything pocket. This pocket holds a ton of stuff. I keep it organized by using two grids its, a pouch, and the pocket that is built in. So here's the list!

• Presentation Remote- I have tried to use Ipad to run conference presentations, and it always seems to get stuck. I now keep a presentation remote handy just in case
• Leap Motion- Leap motion is a very cool brick that you can use to add gesture control to your computer. I have not figured out the best way to use it yet, but I will.
• 2 VGA Cables- I do presentations where I want to connect multiple devices to the projector. In order to do so you have to have some extra VGA cables.
• 2 USB Extenders- These are the devices where you can pug them into 1 USB port and then plug in multiple USB devices. Both of these have 4 ports, and you never know when you will use them
• 1 Ethernet Cable- We all know Wifi can be spotty at times, so it's always good to have an Ethernet cable.
• 1 Audio Cable- You never know when you will need to plug in sound.
• VGA Switcher- This box is an awesome tool for presentations as it will let me switch back and forth from my computer to my Ipad with ease to demo apps
• External Hard Drive- This is my main file back up. Just something to have as an in case!
• Sphero Charger and the future home of the Myo charger- The pouch is where I keep my Sphero Charger, and when I get my Myo its charger will go there to. Because of the nature of the Sphero charger it does not work well with the Cocoon Grid it's

The Next Pocket

I don't keep much in the next pocket back because it really does not have much in the form of organizational places in the pockets. It does serve an important function though as it's where I keep my tablets. I do keep them in a case that I got from ISTe in 2011. So here's what I got

• Ipad 2- I have considered dropping this one from my bag, but I keep finding reasons to keep it. The newest being using it as a second display with Duet Display
• Ipad Mini- I am not sure what generation it is, but I got this Ipad Mini from my current job. I love it. I love the size of it, and that it's a 64GB when I have previously only had 16 GB Ipads.
• Power Strip- This always comes in handy because I never know when I will be at a conference or meeting where I will need it

The Protected Pocket

Between the third pocket and the main pocket there is a smaller protected pocket. It's protected through the extra padding in it, and I think the original intent is for it to be a pocket for something like an Ipod because you can weave headphones in to it. I use this pocket as a charge / special gadget pocket. So here is what is in it, and what's coming :)

• Mophie Battery Pack- I love, love , love, having an extra battery pack. This allows me to have juice all day. It's Great for conferences.
• Apple Cables- I have both the 30 pin cord and the lightning cord, as I have devices for both. I keep them in this pocket to give me easy access to the extra batteries
• Sphero- The little white org you see is Sphero. It's a robotic ball that is great for Maker Space and Stem projects. It's a great little gadget to have in the arsenal
• Myo- When this arrives, it will go in this pocket. It's a gesture control armband, and I can't wait for it!
• Limecell Battery Pack- I found a great deal for this $80 battery recently, and I know it's coming as a so-called Christmas present

The Main Pocket

The main pocket is where I keep the really good stuff. It's where the computers are! One is my personal, and one is my work computer. I would assume it's easy to tell which is which. So here's the list

• 13 inch Macbook Pro and Charger- This is my personal computer, and its obviously the one with ed tech stickers. This is my workhorse and presentation computer
• 13 inch Macbook Air and Charger- This is my work computer. I have grown to love it for it's weight, great battery life, and quick wake. It's a great computer for conferences and Tweet Deck
• 5 VGA Adapters- I have VGA adapters for everything. I have two lightning, two for Mac, and one 30 pin. These tend to wear out, so I always like having extras!
• Ipad and iPhone Power Bricks- I like having these with me just in case I have to plug in!