Category: Technology

  • The Four Cs and the Need for EdTech

    This post matches content that I wrote and posted for a conference that is happening this summer. You can see the original post on the Lake Michigan Tech Conference website here.  The world is rapidly evolving. Our economy is changing. We are preparing our students for jobs that do not yet exist. As educators, we…

  • MACUL Reflection!

    Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the 41st Annual Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning Conference held at Cobo Hall in Downtown Detroit. The conference has been a staple of my professional development since I entered the teaching profession. It is the conference that re-energizes, sparks, and guides me through the “Ides…

  • PSEL (2015) – Meaningful Family and Community Engagement – Family Code Night

    Meaningful Engagement of Families and Communities is an essential piece of any school success to be had. Having a transparent and open environment with stakeholders is an important piece to build the relations that need to be in place for a school to be successful. This reaches much deeper than a traditional community outreach event,…

  • My Tips for Technology Integration – Leave the Giant Steps to the Astronauts

    Technology integration can be frustrating. It is difficult to change the way that people have done things for years. The introduction of a shiny device will not bring everyone onboard with your vision as an Edtech Coach. Besides focusing on basics like relationship and time, it is essential that you also keep these three things…

  • Reflection on Professional Learning – Design in Five Workshop

    Two days last week, I had the opportunity to go to the county regional education service agency to partake in some professional development based on assessment. My role was to seek ways to bring this back to our staff, most likely in a summer institute. The two days were riveting, as the ideas around assessment…

  • My First, Humble Attempt at a Hyperdoc

    Hyperdocs are gaining some popularity in education circles. It is my understanding that a group of teachers in California popularized the Hyperdoc in their classrooms and through the use of social media, it has spread. I have looked at many examples, but never seen one in practice in a K-12 room. When a teacher approached…

  • A Google Slides Project with Sample Slides

    Recently, I was asked to come in and work with a teacher going over Google Slides techniques with the students. Her goal was for the students to start building something that they will be able to edit and add to as they move through her class, working in a digital portfolio sort of way, but…

  • #ETCoaches Blog Challenge #5 – More Often but Relaxing

    First, I truly enjoyed the thought provoking Ed Tech Coaches Blog Challenge. Not only did it require me to look within and think about the purpose of the blog that was struggling to stay relevant and on topic, it also helped build my PLN and create a reading list for me. I truly appreciated the…

  • Framing Conversations with Colleagues: TPACK & SAMR

    As someone that is new to a district, it has been essential that I begin the school year by building relationships and finding those that what to be coached when using technology. I have only now begun to start to have the pedagogical conversations that I need to have to help change mindsets to those…

  • #ETCoaches Blog Challenge #3 – Tools and Tricks

    I love my job. It is challenging but rewarding. It is different every day. It is something that continues to evolve. I really love my job. There are things that I use and do to make some aspects of my job more manageable. For starters, I have recently started using MailChimp to email out weekly…