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This year started out with the possibility of participating in two fantastic professional development activities. I applied to join both the CETPA Chief Technology Office Mentor Program and the Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2009. As with all programs that require applications, a limited number of people were selected to participate. Unfortunately, I was not able to make the case that I should be included in either group.
Beyond the obvious disappointment, there are a few ways to react to this news. One of the ways is to keep in mind (to paraphrase Randy Pausch) that,
“Brick walls are there for several reasons: to see how much you want it; to keep others out; to show your determination.”
To that end, I was very interested to read a tweet from Dan Rezac
. He too was not selected to be part of the ADE Class of 2009. However, he has started a Twitter group and move forward. I was particularly impressed to read the mission of the Twitter group, “This group is for the unofficial Apple Distinguished Educators Starship Troopers movie full
. Why should we wait two years for another chance to be part of a group that loves to teach and loves what Apple products offer the classroom? Let’s support each other as a cohort to get to 2011 as the best educators we can be. And let’s keep using Macs!” I’ve never been part of a Twitter group, so I’m looking forward to this experience. (I guess to participate, I add #appteach to the tweets that should be posted to the Twitter Group.)
I would like to finish this post with a comment about the differences between my non-selection to both of these programs. In my letter from CETPA, I was informed of some areas of weakness in my application. This was very helpful because it gives me some things to work on before I apply to the program again. Unfortunately, the ADE letter informed that individual feedback was impossible. It strikes me as odd that a group dedicated to education, where feedback is how learners improve, could not provide me with information on how I can improve my chances for future ADE applications.
Image: Brick Wall by ortizmj12
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2 users responded in this post
Sorry to hear you were not selected to be an ADE. I know that the competition was fierce and spots were severely limited.
Thanks for the feedback on this post. I’m sorry that I missed your presentations at the CUE Conference. I would have enjoyed the chance to meet you.
I hope that this post does not come across as a “why was I not selected” type of rant. I know several of the teachers who were selected for the Class of 2009 and they are very deserving of the distinction. I just would like some guidance to improve my chances of joining you and them in the future.
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