’09 TAGT: Educator Perspective by Laila Sanguras

Comments from Laila Sanguras at Coppell Middle School West

I thought Dr. Davidson’s keynote was really inspiring, and I think it would be really interesting to visit the Davidson Institute for Talent Development; it’s absolutely amazing what young people can accomplish when they are in a thriving environment.
One of the sessions I attended was “Blogs, Wikis, and Lit Trips” presented by Marie Riley and Melanie Ringman, teachers at CMSE. They offered many ideas for websites and applications to use with students. They stressed the importance of challenging students to use technology they already are familiar with, but in an academic way. It was both interesting and informative.
I presented this year as well, in a session titled “Challenging Gifted Readers to Critical and Creative Responses to Literature.” It was quite an experience being on the other side of the podium! I had no idea I would be so nervous until the room began to fill; apparently I am much more comfortable talking to groups of teenagers than teachers. I did receive some positive feedback and am hopeful that everyone left with at least one new idea to implement in their classrooms.
As always, I found the TAGT conference a valuable experience and am so appreciative that I had the opportunity to attend.