
Sure, the weather sucked. No prob-- we're from New York. March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. We can handle it.
And, ok, there's little time to do anything but rush from session to session. And, yes, a lot of the sessions were totally unsexy and unfun. Fine. We get it: we're teachers. Fun is not easy.
Yet, it was a terrific time. So many cool people, so many great connections, so much beer, so many tacos... what's to complain about? Nothing. SXSWedu, we love you. We want more.
When it comes to EdTech and teachers, we've learned that there are a lot of shared goals. We all want products that work. We all want teachers to be happily using products. We all know that positive student outcomes grow straight out of the environments that kick ass teachers build. Innovations that work are ones that have teachers who love them.
Where do we go from here?
1. We put online the best of the best of Kleba's talk. It generated a lot of buzz and resonated with a lot of people. Teachers and entrepreneurs alike found something in it. We are going to give you the greatest hits.
2. Teachernomics is going to start working on hub connections. We know that EdTech and teachers want to get together. It's a bit like a middle school dance: the girls are on one side and the boys are on the other. Everybody wants to dance but few know how to get it started. We want to get it started.
3. We're going to write. And connect. And listen. SXSWedu 2014 taught us many things, but one lesson in particular: people are ready for teachers (like us) to lean in, listen to developers, talk to developers, and make things better.
The glass isn't just half full: it's begging for water. And we've got a garden hose full of ideas and energy. We're ready to talk to teachers and EdTech.
We're ready to talk to you.
Get ready, America. The teaching profession is about to be the sexiest profession of them all. The way it should be.