One of the pure joys that I had this fall was working with my colleague, Sheryl Peterson, to create our K12 Online Conference presentation, STEAM: Creating A Maker Mindset. The K12 Online Conference is in its eighth year and this is the second time that I have had the pleasure of presenting.

This conference presentation is difficult to plan for. Unlike a face-to-face experience, as a presenter you are unable to “read” the audience to see if they are accepting of the ideas. Unlike a webinar, the asynchronous nature of this conference does not allow for any audience interaction like you would have, even via a text box. Instead, you create the presentation, post it, and pray that members of the online community find it and find it valuable and worthy.

I have received feedback from other educators, who I respect and trust, that it is a great presentation, filling the 20 minutes full of helpful insight and references. We are hoping that others are inspired as much as we have been in the creation of our space and curriculum during this year.