Aim to Be Awesome, Not Perfect

In my job, I am always looking for new ideas to share, whether it is a new activity or a new twist on an established one. Recently I got an email from Matt Miller at Ditch That Textbook with this idea -   an icon board for visual thinking.  I really got me thinking about how it could be used... and what other icon boards could be created. Since I am a former math teacher, that is where my mind heads - to math.  I started looking at the icons in the Insert Icons for Slides add-on, and sure enough, I found plenty that apply to math. So I started adding them, and thus creating my Math Icon Board My goal was to add icons that could be utilized in a variety of math and science classes. Obviously I do not have everything, partly because I couldn't find it or it didn't come to mind during my creation. When students use this, my suggestion is that they copy the icon (either by right-clicking and choosing copy OR hitting ctrl and C keys at the same time) and then...

Regular professional development does not always reach everyone. Sometimes it covers material the learner already knows; other times it goes to fast and is too advanced; and may not even be applicable in the learner's classroom. When this happens to you, how can you learn and grow as an educator on your own? Reading:  There are several books that can help teachers learn new engagement or management strategies.  Here is my Amazon book list .  Some of the books, like Shift This , have weekly chats on Twitter (sign up for the #ShiftThis Remind to get notifications about the chat) Podcasts:  There are lots of educational podcasts that are available, based on what you want to learn.  I suggest checking out Google Teacher Tribe , Sustainable Teaching , The 10 Minute Teacher , and Kids Deserve It .  Conference Handouts:  After conferences, a lot of presenters will share their work, either on their personal website or on the conference website. ...

In my current position, I take notes all day long on my phone. With most of them, I need to be able to access them on one of my work devices.  Luckily for me, I live in a GSuite district and I can use Google Keep, which is a note-taking service. Basically, it is digital sticky notes accessible on any device. It has become my lifesaver.    In episode 11  of of #GoogleTeacherTribe podcast, Kasey and Matt talked Kasey's blog post about personalizing your Google Keep.  They talked about using Canva to make pretty pictures to organize Google Keep.  I loved that idea - and used it the same day! I even have a Google Keep Note where I jot down things I want to try from the podcasts I listen to and another one for when I get inspired by more seasoned ITS in my district.     And all of this has even bled over into my personal life.  I use Google Keep to stay on top of my grocery list. I love the check boxes - I can check off each ...