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May 18, 2018

It might be the last day to hit SUBMIT on the Google Certified Innovator application, but thanks to all of the encouragement from family, friends, and my PLN I decided to take the leap and apply. This past year has renewed my spirit and transformed me as an educator thanks to all of the doors God has opened and the inspiration from others. I'm committed to continue as a life-long learner and hope to continue to serve as an innovator, leader, and change agent for educators.

The idea of the Google Certified Innovator program is to build a community of passionate educators that identify a challenge in education and design creative solutions to impact other educators. Through transformation, growth, advocacy, and mentorship innovators continue to focus on their project and serve as ambassadors for change.

My innovation project idea is offering support to district and school leaders by educating them first when implementing tech integration or 1:1 initiatives. Often they miss the training because we target teachers, and then leaders don't understand the VALUE and POTENTIAL of how these new devices and tech tools can leverage learning. I believe when this happens, admins will encourage their faculty to complete this imperative professional development, which will only empower ALL stakeholders moving forward. Not only a culture of change or "buy-in" will positively be adopted, but learning will be transformed due to improved climate, increased student engagement, and less behavior issues. Check out my #LAX18 #GoogleEI application video on YouTube. (Please excuse my speed talking. I had a 90 sec time limit.)

I am proud I took the challenge and pushed myself to apply. This is an elite program with only approximately 1500 innovators across the globe. It is usually very selective and many do not get accepted the first time. I am prepared for this reality, and have the mindset to only grow through the process. I will continue to be a GOAL digger. Praying for good news and keeping my fingers crossed that an exciting announcement will be revealed in the next couple of weeks. Best of luck to everyone moving forward in their Google certification journey!

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May 7, 2018

Many of you may already know my story or at least read the first blog post that described the past year in a little more detail. Well, I am proud to say that today is the beginning of a new start and a new position. I am honored to serve as the College of Education's Instructional Services Coordinator for Georgia Southern University Savannah campus.  WHOSE HOUSE? OUR HOUSE! is a chant we yell at sporting events. Now I can say GSU is MY HOUSE every day. Yes, making the switch to higher ed is a little scary because it is completely different than what I have done in the past. However, I honestly think that it is a beautiful thing when a career and passion come together. I have the opportunity to create an Instructional Resource Center for the College of Ed students and faculty to utilize, provide professional development as well as support our K-12 local partners through outreach. Get ready...I will start documenting the progress of this adventure in the coming months.
I will always have a very special place for Georgia Southern University in my heart, as I am a #TrueBlue #DoubleEagleAlumni that tries to stay actively involved as much as possible. Now I have the privilege to show my love for my alma mater each and every day. I'm the luckiest girl! #GoEagles #HailSouthern

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April 23, 2018

EdCamp Georgia Southern is a wrap! What an amazing day of professional development by teachers for teachers! If you are not familiar with the EdCamp model, let me explain. It is an "unconference" style of professional learning as a predetermined schedule is not established, but rather built as attendees arrive with their suggestions. Facilitators then volunteer to keep the discussion moving during sessions. Participants are encouraged to get the most out of the day by attending the sessions that meet their needs, even if it means walking out of a session to find another. EdCamp should feel extremely laid back and not very structured, but I have to say that EdCampGSU is very organized behind the scenes.
I have the honor to serve on the planning team with several faculty members from GSU's College of Education. We begin prepping for EdCampGSU as soon as the previous one ends. A dedicated committee pulls together all of the necessary details to make it the best experience possible for local educators. This year we managed to have over 120 door prizes or raffle items donated. Volunteers committed to ensuring that breakfast items and snacks were served, picture stations were available, and the registration process was smooth. I am encouraged when the team members and volunteers collaboratively work together to provide an awesome FREE day of PD for teachers in our area. Each year we reflect on how we can make the experience better and start planning.
I can't wait for next year! Save the date for EdCampGSU on April 27, 2019.

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Trying to Focus on the Process over Perfection

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Trying to Focus on the Process over Perfection

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April 2, 2018

I am attempting once again to participate in the Sketch 50 challenge this year. Hopefully, I will get further than Day 7. Basically, Sketch 50 is a 50-day challenge of EDUdoodlers sketchnoting through creative drawings. If you are not familiar with Sketch 50, visit https://sketch50.org/ for more information. The focus this year is Process Over Pretty: Embrace the Imperfections. I believe this is why I was not successful at completing this challenge last year because I took so much time each day trying to focus on creating the "perfect" drawing. This year the idea is to set a timer for 5 minutes and draw what you can to convey the day's topic. Even though sticking with a 5-minute time limit is still a challenge for me, I am learning through this challenge and other aspects in my life that sometimes we need to focus on the process, rather than spending the time to make it perfect.

One reason, I kept putting off writing my blog was because I thought it had to be perfect before people could read it. I always pour way too much time into building my training tutorials for professional development because I want them to be engaging and full of resources, but as you know G Suite is constantly making updates, so as soon as I create a training guide it needs to be changed. This past weekend my mother attempted to cook a ham for Easter, but the cooking time did not specify a difference for a convection oven, so when we returned from church the ham was burned to a crisp. As we were all laughing and trying to salvage the inside of the ham, my husband made the comment, "Nobody ever remembers the meals that are perfect." This is so true! Sometimes the most memorable learning experiences are during the process, not necessarily from the finished product. In our ever-changing world of technology, nothing stays the same. Updates to apps, websites, tech tools, and devices are necessary to make the process for the consumer a better experience. This is how we should look at our teaching practices. If we are teaching the same lesson from ten years ago because it is beautiful or because we put a lot of time into each detail, we need to stop and ask ourselves these questions:
-Is it outdated?
-How could you use a dynamic approach to redeliver the lesson?
-How can you engage students through the process?

Sketch 50's theme this year is Lean into Your Growth Mindset. I am challenging all of you to step out of your comfort zone before the school year ends and try something new like integrating an ed tech tool, such as Flipgrid. Think of ways to transform your classroom instead of just "keeping the peace" for the last few weeks. Remember, to focus on the process. It doesn't have to be perfect. Matter of fact, it is a great teachable moment for your students to witness you building a unit and make adjustments throughout each lesson. You might even surprise yourself with your confidence when attempting a new skill like sketchnoting, or ignite your passion for education as you encourage your students through the process.

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March 22, 2018

Yesterday, was my "Google-versary" or one year since I was accepted as a Google for Education Certified Trainer. Reflecting back on that day, I remember feeling over the moon excited because accomplishing a goal, that I was intrinsically motivated to achieve, was exactly the encouragement I needed at that point in my career as an educator. As a request from my principal, I decided to pursue my Google certifications to serve as support for our staff. To my surprise, after jumping in, I realized how much these tools provided engagement for students and workflow efficiency for teachers. I could not wait to share each and every trick I learned.  Just when I was thinking of finding a way out of education, my passion to educate others and my desire to learn was renewed.

Due to many unforeseen circumstances, (which I do not have the time to explain all of these 'long stories") surprisingly I do not have a position as a K-12 educator this school year. Yes, you heard me. I was on fire and ecstatic to be in a school system, but God obviously had different plans in mind. This year I devoted to continue my learning experiences and share my love for engaging technology integration with as many people I could possibly come in contact with even though I am not in a traditional classroom setting.

I started reaching out have had the opportunity to learn so much from inspiring mentors, like Dr. Lisa Burkhalter, who is the Director of Technology for our regional educational system. She serves over 18 districts in southeast Georgia and has willingly let me "tag along" while providing training on Google for Education, creating online courses for teachers, and planning collaborative professional development events. I have also presented at many local and state conferences, getting involved with EdCamps, as well as presenting at Google Summits across the United States. I even ventured out of the K-12 realm and started working with our Georgia Southern University College of Education faculty to provide training for the MAT Middle and Secondary Education program students.

When I am not on the road or virtually training, I invest time in fostering my relationships with amazing educators and authors I have connected with on social media, like Twitter. I never understood the importance of establishing a PLN, or Professional Learning Network. But I have learned more from some of their 280 character tweets highlighting a quick tech tip or introducing a new tool than I do sitting in an hour long PD session. Even better, I've had the opportunity to actually put a physical face with a name and met some of my virtual PLN friends at conferences or Google Summits.

I sit here in amazement one year later thinking that I was just another Media Specialist seeking just another Media Specialist position, but this year God has opened doors and surrounded me with people that "fan my flames", as recently stated by Will Smith in this YouTube video. These are the people that nourish and inspire me. So, I ask you, who fans your flames? Who encourages you?

This year I have had time to immerse myself in inspirational books, blogs, and podcasts that have repeatedly encouraged me to take the chance and dive into starting my first blog. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared or hesitant. Even previewing Kasey Bell's Shake Up Learning Book, I learned that she was just as nervous as I have been. (I think we are very similar in that we both want it to be perfect before the world reads it.)  Recently I listened to Don Wettrick's podcast StartEdUp and learned that "Anxiety and excitement are essentially the same, but it's how you frame the situation. It's okay to recognize the butterflies, but learn to let go of the fear. Choose to be YOU in that moment." That was the final push I needed to actually get started writing. It might not be perfect or even what people want to read, but it is my journey and reflection can be powerful.  I count my blessings each day as I continue learning from my tribe and for opportunities to empower other educators. I am committing to writing my blog as I enter the next chapter of my life, but ultimately I'm just grateful I don't have to make this stuff up as I go because God is the author of my story.