What an amazing first day of our Fund for Teachers Professional Development trip we have had. The day started when everyone gathered at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport at 4:45 AM. Landing was a little rough and in true Southwest fashion they joked about how the flight was sponsored by a chiropractor. The adventure continued with navigating Midway Airport and the "L" to the downtown Loop. It was a beautiful day in Chicago which enabled us to explore the the loop area to get a lay of the land. We visited Millennium Park with Rachel playing in the Crown Fountain, everyone taking pictures of "The Bean"/Cloud Gate, practicing riding the rails, a quick (not so quick) visit to the Harold Washington Public Library, dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant, and research/discussion back at the hotel.
During our trip to the Harold Washington Public Library, we asked about the Innovation Lab which is set to open on Monday. We were fortunate to ask Mark Andersen, Division Chief of the Business, Science and Technology Division about the lab. The lab is already booked through July 21 so we could not take part in a class, but Mark took us to the lab and shared their reasons for creating, staffing, how the equipment works and answered any other questions we had. Thank you Mark for your time!
After a wonderful dinner, we gathering back at the hotel to research and discuss YouMedia which we will be touring tomorrow. Everyone worked to summarize parts of the toolkit, ask questions and discuss/share ideas in a common Google Docs document. The work lasted for 3 hours with great conversation and ideas already starting to flow. It is amazing what can be accomplished and planned when you are given the time. Thank you Fund for Teachers!
April, you all look like you are having a great time and learning so much! I am thrilled that you and our media specialists are taking advantage of such a wonderful opportunity.
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