The City of Brotherly Love

They say that Philly is the city of brotherly love. I have to say that during these last few days it was much more than that. I am not always the best at being well spoken so I will do my best to tell about the love I saw and felt in Philly. As I ride home on the train I am trying to restrain from crying because I have never seen so many amazing people do so many amazing things. 

The week started off for me on Tuesday morning where the day was kicked off by a quick shower, a short nap, and a trip to Rosa's Fresh Pizza with our main man Mason pictured below. 

Our main man Mason

Edcamp Organizers

If you haven't been to or heard of Rosa's Fresh Pizza I will let you in on a little secret...they are amazing! Mason has done a great thing by starting a pay it forward program to help those in need and by offering his slices for only $1. Some friends and I decided a few months back that we wanted the conference experience to be different and Mason helped us achieve our goal. We wanted to give back to a community that is used to conference goers devouring their beautiful city. We decided to visit Rosa's Fresh Pizza (mostly because I was hungry) and  used the hastag #sliceofISTE to share with others our love of Mason, pizza, and giving back. We decided that going and donating at Rosa's was going to be a great way to give back to the community. The best part was that there were so many teachers showing up and as of today, we ended up giving back 1,650 meals! My great friend Scott wrote any amazing blog giving some more details about the logistics of the event. It was an amazing experience and I went back each day. You can also purchase t-shirts, sweatshirts, and more from their website if you are interested in helping out Mason and the rest of Philly. 

Another phenomenal part of the conference that showcases some brotherly love was the Edcamp Session as well as Meet up put on by the Edcamp Foundation. After wrapping up an awesome Edcamp Session in Edcamp style of course, we walked over to  the String Theory School on Vine Street in Philly which is a beautiful school to be in. We had a ton of people that had either attended an Edcamp or was an organizer. It was so amazing to see so many educators from all over the WORLD join us for some cheese steaks and pizza. It was also amazing to be in the city where Edcamps had first started. It was so great to connect with other Edcamp Organizers who were able to talk me through my hopes and worries of our next Edcamp Vegas. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to hang out with for the rest of the night! 

My time at ISTE was better than I could have ever imagined. I am so glad that I got to see friends from far and wide. It was a unique experience that I can't wait to go to again. Thank you to everyone for the great conversations,  ridiculously fun nights, delicious food, and for just being awesome. Thank you Philly. 

Until next time,