Google Innovator Round 2

Happy weekend, colleagues!

I blogged a year and a half ago about doing something scary and outside the box for me: I applied to become a Google Innovator. And I was rejected. I'm not going to lie, it was a blow to my ego. And it took me a year and a half to be ready to try it again. I mean, I basically had to slap myself in the face and say, "GET IT TOGETHER!"

So I did it again. I applied to be a Google Innovator.

I will say that I feel less confident this time than last because the questions they asked were very open-ended. To be honest, I don't feel like the questions were written in such a way that the people reading my application will know much about me. But it is what it is, right? I'm definitely prepared to not be accepted this time.

So what is the committee looking for? I think they want passionate, driven, and hard-working teachers, but it seems like they also want teachers that are outside the box, creative, open to change, and forward-thinking. I know that I fit that mold, but so do a lot of other teachers! Am I more innovative than other teachers? Yes, but there are plenty of other teachers that are more innovative than me. I just hope that my passion shines through!

My submission responses
Question 1. If your life had a theme song, what would it be? Up to 5 words, 50 characters
“Don’t Stop Believing”

Question 2. Explain (1) how you came up with an idea for change, (2) how you went about implementing the change, (3) how others responded to the change, and (4) how you measured outcomes. In looking back, what things would you do differently? Maximum of 500 characters.
1. I was inspired by my PLN to start a tech tips newsletter. 2. I didn’t ask for permission; I made the newsletter and posted it in the staff bathrooms. 3. My colleagues are resistant, so it hasn’t made a recognizable shift YET, but innovation is happening in small pockets. 4. I’m measuring success through teachers moving away from “sage on the stage” teaching to providing choice and voice. I wouldn't do anything different. I’m taking measured steps to move the staff towards innovation.

Question 3. Give 10 examples of things you would put in a box to give teachers around the world to transform education.
1. An iPad
2. A Chromebook
3. Green fabric (for a green screen)
4. Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
5. A Twitter account
6. A ticket to an EdCamp event
7. Motivational quotations
8. A blog
9. Pictures of non-traditional classrooms
10. A list of metacognition educational questions 

Question 4. Advocate: Link to a piece of content you've created that you think has inspired other educators. Show us a blog, a YouTube or webinar you've done, a poster or infographic, a presentation resource, or something you're really proud of online that you'd love to share. Include your link here!

https://sites.google.com/d49.org/historicalipad  

Question 5. Grow:  If you could choose any new talent to have, what would it be and why? Maximum of 500 characters. 

If I could choose a new talent, I would be more spontaneous. I can be spontaneous in my classroom, but most of the time, I am very deliberate and calculated. I am observant and well aware of my surroundings, but I feel like it would be nice not to worry so much. And when one is spontaneous, possibilities are endless. They don’t let anything pass them by, and they choose to live for each day. No moments pass them by, and they live surrounded by beauty and inspiration. It an exciting aspiration! 

Question 6. Brief description of a challenge that you’re facing. We are looking for big thinkers who are inspired and undaunted in tackling the most difficult challenges in education. Describe a challenge you’re currently facing and why it matters. Focus on the challenge and avoid posing any solutions at this point.  [Maximum of 250 characters]

An issue I've encountered is students’ lack of awareness of local, US, and world news. Students do not watch or read the news on a neutral platform, but instead, hear about news through hyperfocused social media (if that).  

Question 7. Focus on Your User: Who is affected by your challenge and how would addressing this challenge improve their experiences? [Maximum of 250 characters]

Students, teachers, and the greater community are affected by this problem. Addressing this issue improves student awareness of the local and global community. Students then discuss with their families to improve their awareness as well. 

Question 8. We are looking to have innovators who are tackling a variety of challenges across all seven elements of our transformation framework. Which element does your challenge most resonate with? Vision, Culture, Technology, Funding and sustainability, Community Engagement, Learning, or Professional Development.

Culture 

Question 9. Innovation Video: You have 90 seconds to creatively explain a difficult challenge in education, why it matters, who it affects, and why you are well-positioned to tackle the challenge in an impactful way. Please post a public YouTube link. This is also an opportunity to let your passion and personality shine. Don't forget to change the share settings so we can view your video.

Crossing my fingers! I'll see you next week! 

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Expectations vs. Reality

Good morning colleagues! Welcome back to the 2018-2019 school year! I still can't believe that I've been back in school for seven days (and have been reporting since July 27th). I feel like there's so much to talk about, but so little time to do so! So my focus for this week is expectations for you in your job. 

I started thinking about expectations sometime last week as I was preparing for the first (of three) iPad parent night. As I was putting everything together, I realized that some of the tasks were completed by someone else last year. I haven't heard anything from this teacher, and it was too last minute to ask for help. I chatted with my principal and said, "Is this now my job?" She said, "I think it is now, yes." 

I was STRESSED. This wasn't something that I was prepared for, but, knowing it was a non-negotiable item, I knew it had to be done by me. Did I get it put together? Yes. Did I do a good job? Of course because I have really high expectations for myself. I also know that having high expectations for myself leads to burn out.

Have you ever met a teacher that is really, really burned-out? Like they do everything but utterly despise their job? That was me a few years ago. I felt like there was an expectation that I must do a, b, and c. Later, I realized, I was putting that pressure on myself. There were no expectations placed on me. I've had to recognize that I am my own worst critic, I am often a perfectionist, and I set unnecessary stress on myself. 

Since identifying those behaviors, I've met with teachers to talk to them about their stresses and behaviors. I tell teachers that they need to decide what is integral to their job and their classroom and that they need to rank the importance. What is non-negotiable? What do you WANT but know you need more time? What is extra that you can look at later in the year? 

Giving others the same advice, I realized that I should make my own non-negotiables for my classroom and my job. Basically, I'm setting goals for myself for the school year. 

So I would ask you to ponder these questions... Are you putting a lot of pressure on yourself? Do you find yourself spending too much time at school or doing school work at home? Have you figured out what is most important so that you complete that first? 

If not... why not? 

Thanks for reading! I'll see you in two weeks (I'll be in New York City next weekend!) :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Grading Policies Evolved

Hello, colleagues! Are you guys tired? I know I am - it's the end of the year, and I just spent eight hours at our last track meet of the season yesterday. I'm also frustrated... we had students that couldn't compete in the competition because they were ineligible. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a teacher more than I'm a coach, so I've seen it all through my own classes. Students do fail assignments which cause them to fail classes. I've also had students fail my class and be ineligible. However, one thing I noticed this year is students failing a class due to strange grading practices.

Instead of blogging about what I think my colleagues are doing "wrong," I'm going to post about grading practices that I've changed over the years due to reflection and research.

1. No zeroes. A zero in the grade book implies that a student has LITERALLY DONE NOTHING. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Is that ever the case? Sometimes, sure. I've given kids zeroes on flipped learning because they never started it. Other than flipped learning, I did not give students a zero. If you look at a standard grading scale, an F is between a 0 - 59%. That is an enormous gap. If a student does not turn in an assignment, they still did work in class. Did they do 59% of the work? Usually, they did more, but just didn't turn in the assignment! A student should not fail a class because of one task. Give students a chance to be successful even if they didn't complete one project.

2. No late grades. Students have all sorts of reasons for turning in work late, stemming from them not wanting to do the task, to having a sibling get sick, or due to a family celebration. Should a student be penalized an arbitrary 10% because they turned an assignment in one day late? I don't think so! If students can prove that they know the information, and they meet the criteria of the rubric, then they deserve a better grade, even if it's overdue.

3. More formative assessments. Does this mean I should get rid of summative assessments? Absolutely not; they have a time and a place. Should a kid's grade suffer because of one test for an entire quarter? That's a tough one, but I would argue that it's also crucial that a teacher checks for understanding throughout the unit. Those checks should also be considered assessments, even if they are formative assessments. I would always know if a student would fail ahead of time because of all of the checkpoints that were done along the way. Also, if a student demonstrates quality understanding on a past formative assessment, then the grade should be changed. The student may have achieved proficiency at a later date, but they still exhibited mastery of the content.

4. No more "fluffy" grades. Students do not receive participation points. All students have to participate in my class whether it's by raising their hand or collaborating with a colleague. I also stopped grading assignments based on how they looked. My rubrics would have one category for "basic requirements" (like a specific minimum time or that it had the 10 pieces of criteria), but all of the other categories were based on research and content presented. Do I want a pretty project turned in? Sure, but I also want the students to show me and tell me what they know and what they learned.

5. Behavior does not equal achievement. Every day is a new day. Students act out for various reasons. There is no reason to "punish" a student by giving them a low grade. Grades should be reflective of student achievement, not student behavior. Yes, we want our students to be able to communicate, collaborate, be creative, and think critically. Human beings learn through practice, so if you want your students to learn to communicate, give them time to talk. Students don't need a grade to know if they can talk to other people.

The problem with sharing this information is that I definitely sound like an insufferable know-it-all. Do I have all of the answers? NO! I've evolved as an educator over the last twelve years (and will continue to grow as I teach). I just feel like these changes made a difference in my classroom. I want all students to have the capacity for success to have a promising future.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Work that matters to you.

Hello, colleagues! This week I've been thinking about my job change (prompted by my yearly teacher evaluation) and how I love my new job. I enjoy this position because I feel like I'm making a difference! Making a difference fits in with my personality (which I blogged about already). It's important to me to feel like I'm making a difference because it means that my work is meaningful. I can see the impact that my class is having on my students, the rest of the students in the building, and on the staff members. So, in this post, I want to talk about HOW to create meaningful work! Why is it so important?

Step 1. Work. Continue to work. Go to work every day.
I am lucky that I enjoy my job. I don't love waking up early, and I don't love going in to work every day, but I like it more than I don't. I am also lucky that I have a job that excites me and is a little bit different every day. I'm also passionate about making people better, so I throw myself into my career to make my students better people. I care about education, and I care about how to educate people, so I am continually learning new ideas to use in my classroom.

Step 2. As you work, what makes you excited?
I was also lucky in that, after six years of teaching, I was asked to be on a 1:1 iPad team. I threw myself into digital education and how it can be useful. I got excited about using technology in the classroom.

Step 3. Start to focus on what makes you excited. Focus on that excitement and research to learn more.
I decided that I wanted to become THE iPad teacher. I wanted to be 100% paperless, and 100% focused on the device. I wanted to become the teacher that everyone came to for advice on using tools seamlessly in the classroom.

Step 4. Dig into your excitement and pull out those pieces. Get specific. Find the meaning.
I realized, especially over the last two years, that using technology wasn't always the answer. Figuring this out shook me to the core. But I realized that I cared more about educating children than just using a device in class. So I focused on excellent strategies to use in the classroom, with technology or without. I focused on being a fabulous teacher that uses technology a lot.

Step 5. If your excitement wanes, try something new in your life. Get excited about it.
After five years of being on a 1:1 team, I was burning out. I was working TOO hard because of my passion for education. Sometimes it's hard to be a "black sheep" and an innovator. I paved a singletrack trail, seemingly by myself, and didn't have a support system. I knew I had to take a step back and be passionate about other things. I regularly went to yoga, I bought a new camera for my photography, I read more books more often (and not about education).

Step 6. If your excitement continues to wane, go back to your work. Then repeat steps 1-6.
Then I had the opportunity to move to a new position - one that is concrete and provides real-world skills for students and also allows me to share my passion for education with my colleagues.

I would like to think that every teacher wants to make a difference and wants their work to be meaningful. I also would like to believe that teachers want their students also to be creating significant work. I've talked in the past about student voice and choice. It's become an integral part of my educational philosophy. Giving the students an opportunity in how to speak their voice provides meaning to your class for your students. Realize that you can use these same six steps with your students!

Allow students to work on open-ended topics and/or essential questions in your class. Have them do lots of work in class. Keep them busy, but don't focus them too much on one thing. Start picking their brain - what do they find interesting or exciting? Have them dive deeper into those ideas. Would you rather have a student memorize dates or make connections to someone who escaped from slavery? Would you rather have a student know all grammatical rules or write a creative story that has a well-written character and descriptive language? As their interest wanes, and they feel that they've covered the topic, move on to another unit and repeat the steps.

For students to grow (as students) and become young adults, we don't want them to worry about whether or not they got an A. We want them to create good work and be prepared for the future. Students have to produce in order to be creative. Students have to work to see what is solid work. In order for students to grow, they have to find their passions. Give students some autonomy, make their work complex, and help them find connections between your content AND who they were in the past, who they are now, and who they want to be.
Autonomy (freedom from external control or influence; independence). Give students some flexibility (e.g., student voice and choice). That doesn't mean that students to get to do whatever they want, but they should have opportunities to make decisions. Let students pitch you different options. Let students redefine your rubric. Let students invest in content that is useful to them. Let students build relationships with each other and build trust with you.
Complexity (the state or quality of being intricate or complicated). Make your students think. Give them hard questions that make them wrestle mentally with themselves and others. Force your students to think "outside the box" and present outside the box. Give students time to dedicate themselves to these tasks and support them. Make your students stretch, in your class, to be the best citizen possible when they leave at the end of the year. Set ambitious goals and help them map a process to achieve them. Don't let your students sit idly by.
Make connections (a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else). Don't let your class only be about content, objectives, and standards. They are necessary, but they're not enough. We don't live our daily lives through content, goals, and standards. We crave connections and meaning. Make your classroom a place for making bonds, whether it's to a historical figure, a data point, another person in the room, to the school, or to themselves. Let your classroom be a tangible place for the students, so they walk away with some appreciation for life.

There are a lot of ideas in this post, but in the end, we want students to come to class, to care, and to create. Hopefully, something sits with you, and you make a change for Monday. Thanks for reading! I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

This is what Democracy looks like!

Good morning colleagues! It is a BEA-utiful Saturday morning in Colorado Springs! It is already 63 degrees out, so I'm just itching to go for a walk or hike. It's surprising that I even wanted to get out of bed after a very long day yesterday! But to tell the whole story, I have to go back to last Friday, April 20th.

I'd gone out to eat with friends as we were celebrating someone's birthday. While sitting at BJ's, eating a gluten-free pizookie and watching the Cubs just utterly destroy the Rockies, a friend received a text message - her district will be closed on April 27th for the Colorado educator rally. Recently I've been quite politically active, but this bit of news just flew over my head. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know about this rally as things are happening in the Colorado Legislature that will AFFECT ME as an educator. So as my friend fills us in on the march, and another friend and I look at each other and say, "You in? I'm in."

Monday morning rolls around, and I put in for a personal day on April 27th. I'm even lucky enough that my preferred sub picks up the job quickly! A colleague comes into my classroom to ask if I'm going to the rally on Friday and I smile and say yes. After that conversation, word about the rally spreads among the teachers in my school, and the "situation" begins to escalate. We get an e-mail later in the day asking for teachers to let admin know if they will be gone on Friday. I, of course, told admin that I will be gone and that I have a sub already lined up. The response I received back was not that nice, but I know also stemmed from frustration. It was evident that teachers were talking and were putting in for subs, and not all of the sub positions were getting picked up.

Then, on Tuesday, we get an e-mail from our superintendent. It was not well received. In fact, in an act of situational irony, the e-mail had the exact opposite effect and teachers started taking the day off in droves. It was all that anyone could talk about, and the teachers that I spoke to were irate. Luckily, the next day, the superintendent decided to change the school day to a professional development day for teachers. Across all schools, it would have been "all hands on deck." I heard that there would be classes held in the auditoriums and gyms because there weren't enough teachers, counselors, or administration left to cover. It would have been a waste of a day if there was school.

So yesterday morning my husband and I were able to sleep in (so luxurious!), run some errands, then pick up a friend to drive to Denver. We took the light rail from the south edge to downtown, then walked along 16th Street Mall to Civic Center Park. It was powerful to be on the train and see more and more teachers in red pile on. As we walked along 16th Street, there were teachers in red everywhere!

 The march, from Civic Center Park to the Capitol Hill, started at 1:00 pm. The march was short (too short) but was powerful. We shut down a busy street, but as we marched, many people in cars honked in support! We were near the front, so we ended up on the hill. As we looked back, people kept streaming towards the hill. It was pretty exciting! But around 1:30/1:45, the police reopened the busy street and cut the group of teachers in two. At 2:00, when the rally began, it was evident that the sound system was not up to par for the number of teachers in attendance. It was hard to hear. I found out later that Governor Hickenlooper spoke, but I have no idea when he spoke. I looked back down the hill after 10-15 minutes, and teachers started leaving. It was disappointing that the rally turned out that way, but it was still a powerful experience. As people left, we did move our way forward. We were near the front for the last 20 or so minutes, so we heard some great speakers, saw some hilarious signs, and chanted, clapped, and yelled with the remaining educators!

So why did I march and rally yesterday?

• Colorado schools are currently underfunded by $822 million and $2,700 below the national average in per pupil funding. Right now, Colorado's economy is #1 in the nation. Why is there such a disparity?
• Initiative 93: Great Schools Thriving Communities is a bill that will raise $1.6 billion annually in support of public education, while 92% of taxpayers will not see an increase in their taxes.
• SB 18-200's legislative intent is to improve PERA’s (our pension fund) funded status and lower its overall risk. It will phase-in a 3% increase from the current 8 percent to 11 percent of pay, starting in July 2018. As currently written, the bill would change the retirement eligibility age for all members who are age 46 or younger (i.e., me) as of January 1, 2020, by adding one year to full-service retirement eligibility for every four years less than age 46, not to exceed 65 years of age. At 34 years old, I would have to add three more years to my full-service retirement eligibility. 

Fascinating chart from @axios shows how inflation-adjusted public teacher salaries have gone down in the great majority of states. pic.twitter.com/h1vF8Q9I77

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) April 3, 2018

Right now, my husband and I are okay. We are living a comfortable life and have enough left over each month to put into savings and retirement (outside of PERA). BUT, the reason that we live a comfortable life is because of two things. 1) We were lucky enough to "win" a house through a HUD program called Good Neighbor Next Door. We were one of the last people to get a house, through this program, in Colorado Springs. We have a low mortgage rate and much more house than we could ever fill. We have been able to improve the property over the last seven years, and now, because of the housing boom along the Front Range, we will be able to walk away with a large amount of money when we sell. But we can't sell because we wouldn't be able to buy another house in town. The market is so hot that houses are selling, sight unseen, in less than 72 hours. We are really, REALLY lucky that we own a house. 2) We've made the conscious decision to not have children. We would be struggling if we did have children. 

Even though we lead this comfortable life, it could easily change by not having our salaries grow each year with the massive rise in the cost of living. It could easily change by our rise in rates for health coverage. It could easily change by having to contribute more to PERA each year, but have a chance that it will run out by the time I retire. 

As I saw on many signs yesterday, you can't put students first if you put teachers last. Thanks for reading... I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

The A-Z of Digital Learning Problems!

Good morning colleagues! The struggle is REAL! I had such a busy week, and I'm exhausted. Luckily, I stumbled across an article talking about the A-Z problems in a digital classroom. Even though the article was only a year old, I felt like there needed to be an update. So here are MY A-Z problems of digital learning!

Applications - as teachers, we have to wade through 2 million applications available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. That's A LOT of apps. 
Building rapport - Our students, when using digital devices, will put their head down and put their face close to the screen. It is imperative that we get them to look up every once in awhile, and maybe even have them talk to each other, and to you as a teacher.
Celebration of learning - when providing praise or feedback, we have to be intentional with sharing student success. It is a little more challenging with digital devices as we don't have a way to put work on a bulletin board in the hallway. As digital teachers, we must use Instagram, Twitter, and blogs to share those successes.
Distractions - "What did you say?" It is not challenging to end up down a rabbit hole when on a digital device. It is so important to make your curriculum engaging and relevant to keep kids present. It is also essential to help students learn HOW to stay present with a device. Be a good role model - be present YOURSELF.
Engagement - a digital device is JUST A TOOL! Make your content appealing and authentic. That will keep students engaged in your class and hopefully free of distractions. 
Feedback - it can be tough to provide timely feedback. What is a better use of your time... discussing feedback with your students in class (either in person or digitally) or handing back an assignment with feedback that they'll never look at? Google Forms is so easy for providing quick feedback, especially with Autocrat and Simply Send add-ons.
Group Work - group work can be a challenge when students are working digitally. G Suite has helped the digital classroom move forward, but we still have to be on guard. Apple Classroom has recently been a lifesaver because I can see what all students are doing. Every student needs to play a role, in group work, because that will also happen as students move into the workforce. 
High expectations - no longer should we be expecting DOK 1 level work... especially when students can just Google an answer. We should have high expectations, especially when it comes to the 4Cs (collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking). Our high expectations should also include students sharing their work with the general public.
Instant gratification - students just want everything to work, work right, and work right now. Life DOES NOT work that way, especially the internet! We have to help students move past needing everything done right now and slow them down. Patience is a virtue, and it's been learned young. 
Jargon - if we teach our students digitally, we need to understand and explain technological jargon. This also includes what's relevant to the students right now (gifs, memes, DMs, dog filter). If our students live on the internet, we have to keep up just a little.
Knowledge mastery - even though we should be moving beyond DOK level 1 activities, we still do want students to know and understand the content information. We must build exercises that use content knowledge for our students to master the topics. Memorization cannot be the only activity we use! Yes, I want my students to know what the Constitution says and means, but I also want them to understand how the Constitution affects their daily lives and how it will continue to influence them as they age!
Learning Management Systems - Which is better, Google Classroom or Schoology? Both options are fantastic depending on what type of classroom you have (or want to have) and what kind of students you have. My district pays for Schoology Enterprise, but we also pay for G Suite. I used Schoology religiously as a Social Studies teacher (for flipped learning), but now I find Google Classroom better suited for my broadcasting students. Find what works best, but know them both! Be an expert!
Managing time - I've come to realize over my 12 years of teaching that students DO NOT know how to handle their work! With digital devices, it has only gotten worse (due to so many distractions)! Helping students utilize calendars and find apps that quiet their devices can assist them in managing their time. Kids are busier today than we ever were! 
Networking - Emma Gonzalez was just another senior in high school until the school shooting at  Stoneman Douglas High School. Instead of staying quiet, she became an outspoken activist in the media. She has become a celebrity as people around the world know her name. She didn't continue to be quiet - she reached out to anyone that she could, to find her voice, and to find her purpose. Our students should be able to also network in that way, so we have to help them and support them through reaching out to strangers. This takes time but is a skill that is absolutely necessary today.
Objectives - technology can be fun and engaging, but you should also ensure that your curriculum has strong student objectives that align with state standards. Don't be a "fluffy" teacher! 
Plagiarism - two ways to prevent "piracy": 1) make your lessons un-Google-able and 2) teaching your students HOW to research. Students plagiarize when they are frustrated and have run out of time. We want students to explain their thinking, not someone else's.
Questions - Students. Have. A. Lot. Of. Questions. How can we provide help? Make video tutorials, write out explanations, make an FAQ for major projects... then put them all on a Google Site. Institute a policy - 1) ask a friend, 2) check the website, 3) ask me. Hopefully, this will help students become a bit more self-sufficient.
Rudeness - Students struggle with personal interactions with other humans. This is likely due to them staring at a screen for a majority of their day. Along with building relationships and rapport, we also need to teach students empathy and proper social interactions. Do not let students continue to be rude - model how people should be interacting with each other.
Scaffolded instruction - this is a problem that every teacher has, but technology should help support scaffolded instruction. Gone are the days where we just assign fewer problems to complete for homework. We want all of our students to understand the content, explain their thinking, and meet the same objectives. We need to, then, think of a variety of activities, using technology, that will meet their needs.
Troubleshooting - Even though we would love to assume our students are "digital natives," that myth is just not accurate. Yes, students, for the most part, know how to use digital devices, but they do not know how to use them for an educational purpose. We have to teach our students how to troubleshoot their way through a digital issue. We have to reinforce those troubleshooting techniques until our students know what to do. We cannot always fix the problem for the students!
Understanding failure - students have to be challenged to face frustration and, sometimes, defeat. Not everything in life comes easy, and students have to understand that before they are adults. We do not want our students to purposefully fail every time they try something, but they should be challenged so that tasks are challenging. We want students to be tested in a way that may cause them to fail so that they learn from their mistakes and move forward with a growth mindset. 
Video tutorials - Stop assigning homework! With the free time that you now have, design video tutorials over your top vital concepts. Put them on YouTube, or Schoology, or Google Classroom. Use Edpuzzle to build in comments and questions. Then, after this year, make another set of videos over your secondary key concepts. Start small to be productive!
Wifi - technology is not going to work at all times, so we have to be prepared for when it does not work. Does that mean we need to double plan? Maybe. Should we have the capability to think on our feet? Probably. 
Xenagogue - our students are not always prepared for living in a digital world, so we have to assume that they do not speak a digital native language. We have to believe that our students are "foreigners" to the internet and teach them as such. Never assume that the teacher before you has prepared your students for how YOU teach - educate the students that you have, right now, at this moment. 
Your students - you know your students best. Prepare them for a world not yet imagined, but also ensure that your students are getting a high-quality education. Not every great task requires technology, so sometimes you need to suck it up and use paper or provide a hands-on activity.
Zombie Syndrome - The internet is not the answer for everything. As a teacher, take a break. In your classroom, take a break. Go for a walk and enjoy nature. See what is around your school or even your community. The internet will be there when you get back. 

Thanks for reading... I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

#oneword2018

Welcome back, colleagues! How are we feeling after the first week back? Are you chugging coffee? Do you have a headache? Are you hoping for your first snow day of the year?

As I INHALE my coffee this morning, I'm reflecting on last year and setting goals for this year. Last year, my #oneword was self-care. I was really struggling with my then job. I was over-working myself, so I was not taking care of myself. I was having quite a go and found myself interviewing for jobs for three years. It made sense, then, that I needed to take care of myself. Thus I began blogging about self-care. It helped. It really helped that I got a new job (and desperately needed change), but I discovered how to relax and what I needed to do to take care of myself.

It was evident that my #oneword2017 was complete and I needed to pick a new word for the year. Which one did I come up with?

I've always been a pessimist, "negative Nancy." I am cynical. I look at a situation and scoff. I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable and make others laugh, at inappropriate times, when sitting in meetings. I'm the "bad" kid that people don't see coming. I know in this new position that I need to be better - I need to just, and I quote, "Look on the bright side of life." So how do I do this? How can I be more positive?

I can't promise that I will behave during meetings or when I'm uncomfortable. That's asking a lot of me.

But I need to find positives every day that can help me more optimistic and thankful for the good things that happen. I was inspired to do this when, of all things, I was trolling Buzzfeed. You know, sometimes, I just need to take another quiz to remind me that I AM a Gryffindor! Anyway, I was reading about new years resolutions and getting organized when I stumbled across a post about bullet journals. In my definition, a bullet journal is a way to quickly journal every day. You make it personal to you, whether you are tracking habits, food, health, or you need to vent or you want to doodle each day. It's keeping a diary but without a ton of writing each day. That's what makes a bullet journal something desirable to me... it doesn't take a lot of time or effort. I don't have time for that!

So I am committing myself to "journaling" once a day. Most of the time it will be me sketchnoting something positive that happened that day. It won't be much doodling as I love writing in different scripts with a variety of pen colors. It doesn't have to be anything significant - just something funny, cute, or happy that happened. The other day, for example, I was e-mailing a teacher back and forth about a student and parent. In the end, I e-mailed a rolling eye gif. That was the entire e-mail. How it became positive was when the teacher made a point to find me after school to tell me how funny she thought it was.








That's a positive!

Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website