Aim to Be Awesome, Not Perfect

So way back in August, I started a post on my goals for the new school year. My goals: blog once a week better website skills  So how am I doing with these?  (insert laughter here) Well, if you follow this blog, or follow me on Twitter, you know that I haven't blogged hardly at all since the school year began.. so we know where I am in that goal.  My goal of better website skills ... well.. that became a different goal - the goal of communication. And it sharpened into 2 goals - better communication with the staff at my school and with our community.  My first goal stemmed from some complaints that information was hard to find, since it could be housed in a variety of places, based on who created it or its content. Also, there were a lot of files on our school server, but those are not reachable when you are at home and you can't open them if someone else is editing them.  One of my assistant principals floated the idea of a staff Google Site. I loved the

I was searching through my Drive recently and I found a file that mentioned emojis.  Students love emojis and from what I have seen, including them definitely can up the engagement factor.  So I did more digging in my Google Drive to see what else I had saved from amazing educators and below is what I found.  I haven't had the chance to try any of them, but I included some thoughts below where they might work... MATH - Multiple Step Emoji  by Lindsay Foster   This would be great for any problem solving in a math class, especially when practicing operations with whole numbers.  You could modify it with integer chips for integers or algebra tiles. I have this for algebra tiles - I unfortunately can't find who created it. Emoji Texting Template  by Nadine Gilkison   This texting template could be great for discussing almost anything! From theme in English class to vocabulary in History to scientific observations! Students could even collaborate to deepen their understandin

It's been such a long time since I blogged! It was my goal to start blogging more at the beginning of the school year, but we have started a lot of new initiatives on my campus and time got away from me. Here's what I have learned over the last 3 months. - One of my goals this year was to increase efficient communication. With the help of the assistant principals, we created a staff-only website. Before, there were lots of places where documents were housed, and for many documents, you had to email someone to request it, and then wait for them to reply. Now it is all housed in one spot. While it still a work in progress, and staff is still learning to check there first prior to email, it is an overall win for our team.  - Change can be hard.  - When you believe in something, sometimes you have to give more than you planned in order to make it succeed.  - It doesn't always pay off to be first. All the middle schools in my district received a 'broadcast' set

I attended my first ISTE conference this year and I wrote a few blog posts about it.  Check them out! Day 1 Day 2 Days 3/4 It's about the context, not the tool

While at ISTE last week, I heard this quite a few times - ‘they use Microsoft Office in business, so that’s what we should be using in schools’. On the airplane home, multiple people around me are working on their laptops, and most working in PowerPoint. After a few minutes of watching them, and thinking about what I heard at ISTE, here is my two cents.... I prefer Google products - which is obvious based on my Google certifications. But if tomorrow we switched to Office 365, would I be unable to do my job? Would I still be able to support teachers and demonstrate how to use technology in the classroom? The answer is yes. It doesn’t matter which is used - Microsoft Office or GSuite Apps - the skills are interchangeable. If we switched, I would still use Slides/PowerPoint to create my weekly Tech Tips newsletter. Students can still create fake Instagram posts or BookSnaps in Powerpoint, just like they do in Slides. Case in point - let’s say I teach a statistics class and my stu

Full disclosure: I am dictating this into my Google Keep app and was pasted in Blogger later. Day 3: I'm already better. I feel more focused - figured out what to do with down time. I w ent to the Google EDU Playground, learned about becoming an innovator, and signed up for a webinar/newsletter.I don't know if I will actually ever do it - but I want information. I also learned about Geo Tools - Street View app especially - and have decided to learn more. I already have the app on my phone but I forgot about that until I looked for it yesterday. Learning from yesterday, I got in line early for a panel I wanted to attend. I used that time to finish the previous blog, peruse Twitter, and start this blog post. (Definitely something I need to remember moving forward). The panel I attended was pretty awesome - we used the #ditchpanel hashtag on Twitter as a backchannel. I highly recommend checking it out. Big ideas for me - use Flipgrid with teachers about what they wa

My first session with Eric Curts was awesome! I knew about a couple of his ideas for Google slides, but I definitely learned some new things in his session. I’m convinced I’m going to teach Pear Deck to my teachers in the fall - I think they will really like it. ISTE note - find the sessions with early registration (free) and go to those first. You will feel like you have accomplished something with your day.  Bathroom lines are long. Coffee lines are longer. I wandered the expo for a hot minute and decided that’s not my scene. I don’t want to waste my time (or the vendors) on products I am not authorized to buy.  I tried to get into a Google session about PD…but that didn’t happen - 15 minutes prior the line was already super long for the session that started in 45 minutes. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow. ( Looking back - my self-diagnosed ADD was kicking in - I was losing focus ).  I sat in a session about Google tips and tricks. I did learn a few new tricks -

Full disclosure: I am dictating this into my Google Keep app and was pasted in Blogger later. So here I am, my first time at ISTE 2018. I’m a little overwhelmed. There are a lot of people and a lot of things to do. I’ve already taken at least four sessions off my agenda (due to lines) and stood in line for 45 minutes to be the last person allowed into a session. I’m currently sitting in a session, waiting for it to start. I literally picked it because the door was open and they were still letting people in when I walked by. I have also heard of one of the presenters, so that made it easier to walk in.   Later that day: so the second session was totally worth it- ‘Let’s Make a Deal’! It was fun and engaging and I won a free book! I learned about some fun Maker options (including some I hadn’t heard of) and I can’t wait to dive into all the resources they shared with us.  The third session of the day I got to see my friend Melissa from Magnolia ISD. Even though it was di

I am getting ready for my first ISTE conference. I have my packing list (layers, tennis shoes, battery charger, etc) and I already hit HEB for the important things (travel hair spray, contact solution, and little half-and-half cups for my morning coffee).  But the important part - the sessions - I am having a little trouble with. I can't quite decide what my focus should be - more coaching related or more classroom related - and I am struggling with the schedule. I like a visual schedule and I prefer to put it in Google Sheets.  With ISTE, it is a little harder. The sessions don't start at the same time, exporting my schedule is difficult, and the poster sessions are all listed separately. I understand there is an agenda in the ISTE app, but that doesn't help me see what sessions are offered when, to help me decide where to go. And when I put in all the poster sessions I want to check out - those times are now really full in their agenda. There are definite sessions

One of my bosses, Ryan Smith, recently blogged about the clarity of a personal user manual . As I thought more and more about his post, I thought about how it might help me in my role as an ITS. Something like this might be useful, considering a large part of being successful at my job requires building and maintaining positive relationships with my staff. So here is my personal user manual: I'm a pretty positive person and I tend to smile a lot. Sometimes I worry that others will think my smile is fake or looks fake because I do it so much. But I promise it’s not… I can’t really fake a smile. One of my biggest strengths is that I am willing to say yes to new projects and innovative ideas. One of my biggest weaknesses is that I have a hard time saying no. So if I say no to an idea/project, it is not because I don't want to be involved, it is because I feel that I cannot give it the time that it deserves. I hate looking incompetent. I prefer to be "in th

I have been thinking about the reading I want to do this summer. I found a couple lists, one by Matt Miller, and another by Education Closet , that definitely had some good suggestions. Here is what I want to read: Ditch That Textbook: Free Your Teaching and Revolutionize Your Classroom - I am planning a PD that pulls some of the ideas, so I should probably actually read the book, not just the blog. The EduProtocol Field Guide: 16 Student-Centered Lesson Frames for Infinite Learning PossibilitiesDitch That Textbook: Free Your Teaching and Revolutionize Your Classroom - the title, especially referencing student centered lesson frames, intrigues me. Preparing Educators for Arts Integration: Placing Creativity at the Center of Learning  - my campus is an AVID campus and we are moving towards an AI/AVID campus, so I want to learn more about arts integration. Social LEADia - bought it at the beginning of the school year and NEED to read it. My recommendations for others: S

Recently, the amazing librarian at my campus shared an idea with me - one that the 7th grade ELA teachers had agreed to try.  The students had recently finished " The Outsiders " and were beginning to analyze the plot elements.  Our librarian said she had seen this idea (but she wasn't sure where) of a plot diagram involving the Ozobots.  So we tried it out. Students collaborated in groups about the style, elements, and illustrations of their plot diagram.  It could take any shape they wanted, and we encouraged them to create a shape that connected to the novel and was easy for the robot to travel.  Students created illustrations for each of the plot elements and th ey used the Ozobots to demonstrate the elements by incorporating Ozobot movements that they connected to the parts of the story.  Overall I think it was successful. Students were highly engaged discussing the plot points of the novel and what drawings and movements should be included in their diagrams. The

When I am looking for resources and inspiration, Kasey Bell at  shakeuplearning.com  is definitely I place I go!  I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of Kasey's Book Launch team, so I got a chance to read the  Shake Up Learning Book  early!  My digital draft is highlighted on almost every page and I have tweeted a bunch of my favorite quotes. I even posted some booksnaps on twitter and wrote an Amazon review . I wonder ...what more could I say? Well, I guess there's a few things… The first thing is that I really love this book. It aligns with my philosophy that technology is not out to replace good pedagogy, it's there to enhance it and take it to a new level. Sometimes tech is not the answer. Student engagement, i.e. dynamic learning, should always be at the forefront. If technology helps with that, then that's great.  If not, that's fine too. As my role as an instructional technology specialist, I am charged with finding and curating the strateg

I joke that I am addicted to Twitter.  And I might be... I check it multiple times a day and spend at least 5 minutes scrolling, reading, bookmarking each time I open the app.  I check Facebook daily, even though most days I get upset over something posted.  I have Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest accounts, but they aren't so important that my notifications aren't even turned on. Recently I read an article on scarymommy.com called " This Is What Social Media (And The Selfie Generation) Did To My Teenage Daughter ".  And it got me thinking... what is the purpose of social media? Or rather, what is my purpose with social media? Do I need it if I am not using it for my intended purpose? With Twitter, I feel that I am definitely using it for my intended purpose - my purpose is to learn. There are so many educators who share their ideas, lessons, and observations on Twitter - and I want to soak up each one.  I have learned about Flipgrid and Desmos, found more ways

This week I got the opportunity to present whole-group professional development to the teachers on my campus. I know that we have a lot of different levels of technology savvy, so I wanted to differentiate. My focus was on student creation (since we are working toward becoming a Fine Arts Academy) and my goal was for everyone to learn at least one new assessment idea for their class. In order to reach everyone, and give them something they could reference,  I created a Google Site.  For the beginners, I created a Google basics section. This group had their own space. It had stations with checklists for some of the basic productivity skills in Google Calendar, Drive, Gmail and Docs. Teachers would go to whichever station they felt they needed help with. There were instructional videos and step-by-step instructions, all of which was also included on the site. I was very fortunate that two of our campus instructional coaches offered to be the facilitators for those stations. I heard th