Got a little note from my dear friend and chief-instigator of Teachapalooza, Al Tompkins. And another friend, Steve Fox, was a little quiet as we neared the end of an exhausting and exhilirating three days.

One of the coolest parts of Teachapalooza is when the attendees get to teach a little, demonstrating something they’re doing in their classrooms that the rest of us might adopt.

And sometimes we have folks from Google come in and teach us how to make 360 degree photos with our phones.

Sunday morning will start with a session on teaching hacks by my dear friend Katy Culver and me. By late Saturday night, we had a plan … and part of that plan was to actually use the hacks we know to not be so late in our planning.

The seventh annual Teachapalooza launched today, opening with David Farenthold of the Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work reporting on President Donald Trump’s charitable giving.

Lots of old friends and smart people, including Poynter’s Kristen Hare and Eastern Kentucky University’s AJ Randolph.

This is my seventh summer coming to St. Petersburg, Florida, to teach teachers at the Poynter Institute. I’ve developed a close friendship with several other professors, this year some of us decided to come in a day early and spend part of it on the beach.

It was a very good decision.

Summer is construction and detour season on campus.

At the end of day on campus, you sometimes find things left behind.

I have no idea why I still have a battery vent tube for a car I sold in 1994, but I do. Anyone need one?