I am currently participating in a book study on The New Pillars of Modern Teaching by Gayle Allen facilitated by Kathryn Laster @kklaster of Region 10. The book challenges educators to provide learners with choice in the time, place, medium, and socialness of their learning. Kathryn and her team have done an outstanding job of giving book study participants like me power over their learning in each of these areas throughout the book study. Continue reading
This week I was in a training for a specific online tool and the trainer shared that we could zoom out to see the box we needed to click by pressing the control and minus key. I was so excited about this keyboard shortcut, I showed at least 5 people that same day when I returned to my campus! Why? I love any ANYTHING that will save me time and help me to be more efficient and the right keyboard shortcuts can do JUST THAT! Continue reading
I love creating and sending quick notes of encouragement to teachers and friends. My favorite go-to for creating these was an eCard type app (it was called Red Stamp), but it is no longer available in the app store, and it stopped working (boo). I haven’t found any other ecard app that compares and have been looking for creative ways to pass on positivity and praise. Whether you are experiencing the same sadness over this particular app, or you just want some fresh ideas for sharing feedback, read on for 5 ways to quickly and easily provide positive feedback. Continue reading
Gamification of learning is an exciting trend in education. I’ve heard of many different schools and districts that are using ideas started in the classroom to gamify Professional Development by offering learn-on-your-own modules that teachers can complete to earn points or badges. I have been interested in this idea and have even started developing ideas for setting up a choice menu and badges for a summer professional development offering for my staff (more details to come 😉 ), but this morning, after listening to a couple of episodes of the Well PlayED Podcast on my morning run, I was inspired to gamify EVEN FURTHER! Continue reading
We are offering a new kind of PD this spring at Ault Elementary inspired by an idea shared by Tricia Reilly @PrincipalReilly at EdCamp Cy-Fair. Instead of a standard “sit and get” we are encouraging staff to get up and move as they listen to an educational podcast of their choice – taking care of their minds and bodies during this stressful time of year! Continue reading
The past few years we have enjoyed playing Super Bowl Squares with our staff. If you don’t know about this game, you can check out the full rules here and get some helpful templates. On our campus, we don’t sell the squares, instead, teachers earn them by completing tasks or being caught implementing a specific initiative. Here’s the basic overview of how we’ve adapted for our staff: Continue reading
Lately, I’ve started using voxer to send voice messages of praise and appreciation to students, staff, and parents. If you aren’t using Voxer, it is a walkie-talkie app that you use to send voice recordings. If your intended recipient has the app, you can send your voice message of encouragement directly to them through the app, but even if they don’t have the app, you can record your voice and then email the recording to them. I have seen these messages have a HUGE impact – at times, bringing others to tears as they hear the honesty and sincerity in my voice that sometimes does not come across in writing. Continue reading
We are all in this education business for kids. That’s why we come to work each day. And even though for all of us the overriding goal is to do what’s best for our students, sometimes we disagree on what’s best in our state, our district, our school, on our team, or in our classrooms.
Sometimes educators (teachers, and administrators alike) can get into the rut of doing it “the way it’s always been done.” But trying something new can not only make the lesson more engaging for the students but taking a risk and trying something new in a lesson can often rejuvenate the instructor as well.
As a school administrator or teacher leader on a campus, here are 6 easy and effective steps you can take to promote a culture of risk-taking on your campus: Continue reading
I love Google Keep! It is such a FANTASTIC way to keep all your thoughts, jots, and ideas in one spot. I use Google Keep daily to make digital sticky notes – and my favorite feature is that I can search those notes to find all my ideas quickly. Continue reading
Meredith Akers 