Summer Learning - Growing as a Teacher and a Learner

You work hard all year. You do great things for your students. You deserve to escape your schedule and make the choice of how, when, and where you grow and learn this summer. You also have permission to completely unplug and take a break from learning. I would just recommend not waiting until August to turn it back on. 

How will you recharge this summer, but still find the time to grow as a teacher and leader? This post has some tips and resources to support educators as lifelong learners this summer.

Favorite G Suite EDU Blogs Connected to Teaching and Learning

4 weeks ago I started my G Suite for Education refresh with 3 free Google training resources to educators and students in this post. 3 weeks ago I revisited some great resources focused on Chromebooks in this post. 2 weeks ago I shared some awesome premium Google training resources in this post. Last week I shared some of our favorite books connected to Google for Education. Today I wanted to share some of our favorite blogs connected to G Suite EDU.

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Eric Curts - Control Alt Achieve

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Matt Miller - Ditch That Textbook

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Google EDU - The Keyword

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Tony Vincent - Learning in Hand

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Kasey Bell - Shake Up Learning

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If you are looking for more great posts connected to Google for Education, be sure to explore the #GSuiteEDU hashtag on Twitter. 

Up next week will be some of the Google resources and posts we've created for our teachers and students connected to the awesome that is the G Suite. 

Tips and Recommendations to Help Plan Your #ISTE19 Schedule - Sessions, Playgrounds, & Posters

Bold Educators Activate Change

Philadelphia

June 23 - 26, 2019#ISTE19

This post is my third connected to my ISTE 2019 Planning Experience. My first post was ISTE 2019 - 10 Conference Tips for the Engaged Educator and my second was The #ISTE19 Experience - Exploring The Expo & Connecting with Exhibitors. This post is all about planning your sessions using the conference program. 

Planning your schedule for ISTE can be a daunting challenge. There are many incredible educators sharing so many incredible things and it can be hard to even know where to start. The first part of this post will connect you to ISTE's that can help with planning. I will then wrap it up with some of the speakers and sessions I am excited about.

Chrome Music Labs and Creatability - Let's Get Creative in All Classrooms

I am always looking for unique ways to bring creativity and critical thinking into my classroom. If you have followed my blog you know that I teach Environmental Science so you might be a bit surprised that I am sharing two sites connected to music?

Sometimes my students and I need to take a break from our content. I try to use what I like to call "Reboot the Noggin" HyperDocs several times a year to engage my students in skills not directly connected to my content. One of my favorite HyperDocs is all about curiosity.

Reboot the Noggin - Curiosity

Today I wanted to share two resources that I think could bring some creativity and critical thinking into any classroom, regardless of age level or content area.

Have you ever explored Chrome Music Labs or Creditability? I've put this post together to give everyone a brief introduction to these two incredible resources.

Growing With Google Part 4 - Favorite Books Connected to G Suite EDU

3 weeks ago I started my G Suite for Education refresh with 3 free Google training resources to educators and students in this post. 2 weeks ago I revisited some great resources focused on Chromebooks in this post. Last week I shared some awesome premium Google training resources in this post.  Today I wanted to share some of our favorite G Suite Education books written by educators for educators.

The #ISTE19 Experience - Exploring The Expo & Connecting with Exhibitors

Bold Educators Activate Change

Philadelphia

June 23 - 26, 2019

#ISTE19

The ISTE Conference Expo Center will bring together more than 1000 incredible educational companies in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia this year.

The ISTE 2019 Expo opens Monday, June 24, 2019

• Monday, June 24, 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
  Continental breakfast in the expo 9:45–10:15 a.m. 
• Tuesday, June 25, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
  Continental breakfast in the expo 9:45–10:15 a.m. 
• Wednesday, June 26, 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
  Expo snack break 11–11:30 a.m.

The ISTE presenters and sessions are awesome, but connecting with exhibitors and exploring the Expo Center is a great way to add a little something extra to your ISTE learning experience. You can also find some great "swag" and other valuable resources at the exhibitor booths. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your time in the Expo Center.

End of Year Ideas to Inspire and Motivate Learners and Educators

It's hard to talk to teachers or students at this time of year without hearing about how "done" everyone is with school and learning at this time of year. There are even quite a few memes that are all about the end of year blues.
I wish I could tell you that I don't hear the same thing from my students, but I can't. I teach mostly seniors and many of them firmly believe that "senioritis" is part of the required curriculum. Many of them let me know daily that I shouldn't expect much from them.

I could complain about this, but I prefer to think of the end of the year as a challenge to overcome.

What Inspires You to be Curious? Interesting Site - 5 Deep

I am always looking for images, videos, articles, or websites that inspire me to be curious, ask questions, and explore something new. This frequently leads me down the rabbit hole of exploration/distraction when I least expect it. For me, this can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing when I get to explore something new and a curse when I really have other stuff that I should be getting done.

The other day I was doing a quick check of my Twitter feed and 5 minutes turned into an hour after I discovered a short video by @FiveDeeps The video showed a manned submersible touching down on the bottom of one of the deepest places on Planet Earth. It was a place no human had ever been, yet there was evidence of our impact on this untouched place. This led me to the expedition website which inspired me to explore more about some of the deepest places on our planet. 

Growing With Google Part 3 - Premium Training Resources

2 weeks ago I started my G Suite for Education refresh with 3 free Google training resources to educators and students in this post. Last week I revisited some great resources focused on Chromebooks in this post. Today I wanted to share some of our favorite paid resources to support teacher's using technology in the classroom.

G Suite - Your EDU Account → Your Stuff → Take It With You

Your School Account → Your Stuff → Take It With You

It is getting close to the time of year where teachers and students are getting ready to leave for the summer. Many students are graduating and teachers may be moving to a new district or job. It is easy to remember to take your physical stuff with you, but we often forget our digital baggage. This can be a problem if you need any of your digital stuff in the future. Educational G Suite accounts are typically closed when students are no longer enrolled or when a staff member leaves the district. This means you could lose access to your digital stuff if you don't take it with you.

Fortunately, Google makes it pretty easy to transfer or download your Google files before you leave.

We've created this guide to connect everyone to the resources to help transfer or download all the files connected to a G Suite Account.

Google Take It With You Guide

Additional Resources

• Reommended Flash Drives and External Drives
• Updated Sharing Features in Google Drive

The More Your Share The More You Learn - Blogs for Teachers and Learners

Image created using Adobe Spark Graphics

One of my favorite Saturday morning chats is #PD4uandme. I don't always have a chance to be part of the live chat, but I always find some time on the weekend to explore the hashtag. I am always impressed by the educators who are active on this chat. I also love that there are no questions, just conversations. There is no race for everyone to answer questions. Each chat starts with a topic and then the conversation is on.

ISTE 2019 - 10 Conference Tips for the Engaged Educator

Bold Educators Activate Change

Philadelphia

June 23 - 26, 2019

#ISTE19

The best conferences are more than just a list of presenters and sessions. I have been fortunate to attend quite a few conferences as both an attendee and presenter and I am writing this post to share some of my tips about making the most of the ISTE Conference experience. Take it from me, you don't want to be the teacher sitting in the back of the room in a session and miss out on making the most of your learning experience.

I know there is a lot in this post, so my advice is to explore one tip at a time and not try to run through this whole post in one sitting. You’ve got some time. I know I am not even coming close to sharing everything that ISTE is, but I hope there is something here that can help everyone make the most of their ISTE experience.

Growing With Google Part 2 - My Favorite Free Chromebook Training Resources

Last week I started my G Suite for Education exploration with 3 free Google training resources to educators and students in this post. Today I wanted to share some of our favorite resources to support Chromebooks. I have a Pixelbook and I love it. It does everything I need and I no longer have a PC laptop or PC desktop at home.

Essential Picture Books for Teachers, Parents, and Learners

Picture books can be a great way to engage students in lessons connected to essential skills that all students need today and tomorrow.  

I use two picture books as part of my Environmental Science curriculum. I love the connections we make in class to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. My high school seniors are also mesmerized when I pull out the book and read it to them.

Growing With Google Part 1 - My Favorite Free Google Training Resources

I know that great teachers and sound pedagogy will always trump the power of EdTech, but I also know that the right tool at the right time can enhance the learning experience for both teachers and students.  

Google has become my partner in almost everything I do that is connected to my teaching and learning experience. The foundation of my teaching and learning philosophy is built on the 4 Cs of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creating. Google has done more than any digital resource I've ever worked with in my 25 years of teaching to support the development of these essential skills connected to my content. 
Recently I was inspired to revisit some of the resources we've explored in the past connected to G Suite for Education. As I explore and reflect, I am going to share my learning in a series of blog posts connected to Google for Education.  My main purpose in this new series of Wednesday Google Posts will be to share my recent explorations connected to G Suite for Education. 

Today am start from the beginning with several free web resources that can help anyone explore the power of G Suite connected to teaching and learning.