Brain overload....but in a good way :)

Sitting in the Marriott in Boston chatting with new friends from Penrhos College (Perth, Western Australia) as we are here for the Building Learning Communities (BLC) conference. IT educators from all over the world are here to network and explore new ways of integrating technology into their schools and programs.

Today (pre-conference) I visited a Big Picture School in Providence, Rhode Island. Their motto "one student at a time" definitely is evident with their individualized learning and physical structure of the campus. There are a total of 7 buildings on a large campus. 1 is a media and visual arts, health & wellness centre, and sports complex - all students share these buildings. The other 4 buildings were 4 separate schools. Each had a principal and approximately 8 advisors (which were the teachers). Each school had approximately 150 students that ranged from Gr. 9 - Gr. 12. Visit the website to learn more about these programs

Yesterday was my only free day and I visited Salem Massachusetts. The ferry ride from Boston harbour was about 45 minutes on a beautiful day. We stopped at our first "tourist" attraction (and I have to say our ONLY tourist attraction) the Witch's Museum. I guess my technology background ruined any possible "WOW" factor as the store mannequins and audio presentation just didn't cut it for me.

Off to a great lunch of lobster sitting and enjoying a sit in the sun - it is winter in NZ right now. Then enjoyed a great walk around Salem. I love the style of architecture that is around Salem. The homes have the most amazing doors and doorways.

Tah for now....will post links and updates of this week.