Am I learning a new language? Have I been typing with my hands in the wrong position on the keyboard?

Neither.

These were tools that my DEN Star colleagues were discussing as we were riding from the airport to Discovery Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. I wanted to believe that the confusion about the terms was only due to the fact that I had left for the airport at 5:00 a.m. Who was I kidding? I had no clue what they were talking about.

I was headed to the Discovery Educators’ Network Institute for STAR Educators for a week long session and I was already lost. Not cool.

And…I was rooming with someone I’ve never met. What did I get myself into?