Expanding horizons

Today and was able to present at the Saranac Lake Google Summit. My sessions were very well attended and I KNOW that people left with lots of information that will transform their teaching. I have to say there is nothing I like more, actually that I love more. I am blessed to be in a job I love, working with people who love their job and who want to do what's best for those we serve and for their own professionalism. When you are surrounded need by people like that you feel and know you are doing amazing things. Expanding my skills and my horizons a little more every day.

Knee Deep in the Thick of it

It's my second year in this position and I am finally learning the ins and outs of new year starts. Boy, are they crazy! But that being said, there is nothing I like better than assisting people, getting them the resources they need when they need them. Crazy? Oh a bit, but that's okay. I like being busy. I like being busy.  I like being.... I like.... I.... busy!

Hodgepodge

so many things across my desk today, hence the post title of Hodgepodge. But my focus for the day was reading and exploring about Makerspaces and creating some resource materials for  Edshelf.

Now Makerspaces have been an interest of mine for awhile now, and for those of you that know me personally, you understand the tie-in from my old job (music teacher) to my new job (tech teacher). Anytime I can create a space that allows students to be creative, my heart starts to pump a little faster and my brain goes into superspeed.

Everything I read just points me towards wanting to explore the concept of hack spaces, tinker areas, fab labs with teachers as well as students. Isn't there someway we can create a space for teachers to play, to create, to explore without the fear of failure with students in the room? There must be teachers out there who are interested, vested even, to creating these places of safety for their own play?  I know as a musician and even as an artist, many times my mistakes became learning lessons, and sometimes my mistakes became better than my perceived project. How can I as a teacher trainer, create the perfect Makerspaces environ within my trainings so teachers will experiment, fail, reprototype and try again, perhaps even multiple times until they solve the problem? This must be a goal.no matter what!

A BIG and very public step...

I have made a very BIG decision and have finally published and linked  this blog  address to my twitter account. I guess that's one way to make me honest and keep me posting more regularly. It's time to take my voice a bit more "out there" whether I am comfortable with it or not. My email signature is; “To be outstanding – get comfortable with being uncomfortable” (Alvik Kondenburg) I guess it's time to REALLY live it!

Reflection on PBL 7/21/2016

I've spent my last three days in Albany, attending a Project Based Learning training, hosted at Tech Valley High School and hosted by the Buck Institute (bie.org). It literally was one of the most informative trainings I have ever attended. as a teacher and as a trainer. I have learned so many new training protocols that I will be able to embed in to my trainings with teachers. And, I had the opportunity to work with some of my peers from the Albany region who assisted in the creation and honing of my project. Those moments, of learning from others, are so very precious because they are sometimes so far apart. Whenever we have a chance to listen to a master, to glean from  others, to share in the Collective Wisdom of a room, I believe we are bettered, as humans, as educators.  I am so excited to bring these components back to teachers and into my trainings! Woo hoo!!

Diligent and Overwhelmed!

Day 2 of diligence and overwhelmed-ness! (I guess admitting you have a problem is really the first step right?)
Preparing for tomorrow's workshop on ways to use Chromebooks in the classroom. Striving to move up Bloom's Taxonomy towards creation with all that is in me. I may drag them kicking and screaming but at least they will leave with lots of resources and ideas.

Bloggin' from Google today! Well Google at Malone, where it is blistering HOTTTTT!

Provided PD today in Google. We started from the basics and worked our way up. Lots of hands-on time, lots of play time. Day 2 tomorrow to finish Classroom and Sites, Sheets and Forms and Apps and Extensions. I always feel like I am unprepared but in actuality I am ALWAYS over prepared. My poor participants, between the heat and the onslaught of information, i feel like I overwhelmed them. It's such a fine line between not enough and too much info. Oh the struggle is real.....

a refocusing....7/11/2016 A new leaf

I am going to do my best to start blogging again! At one point, I did well, posting at least twice a week. But I must do a better job! SO...... this is my public acknowledgment that I will be working to rectify this lack of communication.

What will I focus on? Use of technology within the classroom, new tools, my thoughts and struggles with technology. Here we go........