Google Forms are used by educators the world over for formative assessments, quizzes, to collect information from parents, and much more. But how might we use a Google Form to build relationships? It’s all in the questions we ask and the consistency in which we ask them! Continue reading
What if I told you there is an easy strategy to incorporate more writing into your curriculum AND that it improves student engagement, accountability, and achievement? What’s that you say? You’ve heard it all before? And you don’t have time in your scope and sequence to add in writing assignments? Well… What if I told you this strategy takes LESS THAN 2 MINUTES to work its magic??? Now we’re talking! Continue reading
I had the honor and privilege of being selected and funded by Raise Your Hand Texas to attend The Art of Leadership at Harvard University Graduate School of Education earlier this summer. I learned more than I could possibly put into one blog post, but 3 things stood out to me about the training. These three practices are why I believe I came away with so many ideas I feel like I can really implement right away – and these three big ideas will shape how I approach future staff development that I attend. I hope sharing these three strategies with you will help you to make connections with content and get more out of your upcoming professional development opportunities.
Several years ago, while I was an Assistant Principal at Ault Elementary, my awesome partner AP, Julie Clements (@jclements01), and I lead an online book study together. We wanted to have all of our participants create a #BookSnap as evidence of their learning and as a way to process their reading. If you aren’t familiar with #BookSnaps, the original idea was to snap a picture of a page from a book and using the SnapChat app, add annotations, bitmoji’s, and stickers to elaborate, express your feelings, or connect with the quote. Continue reading
When I was a classroom teacher, I used to love to create games, incentives and interactive lessons using the Smart Notebook software because it gave me options to have students “Tap to Reveal” answers in different fun ways. Did you know this can be easily replicated in Google Slides??? Check it out – click on the balloon to reveal the answer: Continue reading
I truly cannot believe the school year is almost over! I personally love to take time to reflect at the end of each school year (here is the template I use to help me reflect on my year) and I believe we should provide opportunities for our students to reflect at the close of each year, as well. Continue reading
Several years ago, a group of elementary assistant principals that I was a part of got together to share ideas and learn from each other. One idea that stuck with me was shared by Katie Herrera at Pope Elementary. We were discussing how many of the behaviors we were trying to teach our students really boiled down to needing to improve their self-control. Continue reading
I believe that branding can have a HUGE impact on how parents and community members think and feel about what is going on in our schools and classrooms. Branding is why I pay $4 for a cup of coffee with a Starbucks logo on the side over $1 at a gas station. That brand has come to mean quality (and also yummy flavors) to me – and I believe it is worth it. Isn’t that how we want our communities to see what we are doing as educators? As quality. As worthwhile! Continue reading
I listen to podcasts to learn, be inspired, and get motivated almost every day. When I need to be inspired or get a fresh idea, I know I can pop in my earbuds and get what I need from other educators who are out there sharing through this media. Listening to podcasts is truly personalized professional development at it’s finest. Continue reading
You probably know about Chrome Extensions – those little apps that you can add to Google Chrome. You may not know that you can also customize Google Slides (and Docs, Sheets, and Forms for that matter) with similar little “apps” called Add-ons. Continue reading
