Welcome!

Hello and thanks for visiting! I’m not sure where to begin, so let’s just jump right in, shall we? First off, let me just say that I have intended to get this up and running since about August of 2016 (ok maybe sometime in 2014) but better late than never. Who has time? As educators, we are beyond busy and hardly have time to take care of ourselves, let alone our family, significant others, friends, pets, and of course, our professional learning, right? If I have learned anything over the years, it is that it’s imperative that we make time for our own professional growth– otherwise, we will burn out. I was very close to that point a few years ago, when I got a grant funded from Donors Choose for two iPads.

I reached out to our school’s tech contact at the time, the amazing Jill Thompson (@edu_thompson), and she started me on a path I have yet to look back on. She showed me a few easy tools to get started (Show Me for screen casting, Toontastic for creating stories) and the effect upon my students learning and enthusiasm was instantaneous. Suddenly, I was able to actually listen to a short presentation on perimeter to see if they truly understood the concept without sitting down and conferencing one on one, as they narrated their solution to a problem I set in the back of the room for them. During our literacy block they were collaborating on stories, rejecting the pre-made characters and settings on the app for their own creations. They couldn’t wait to show me what they had done. I saw back and watched this in awe– they were creating, they were collaborating, they were *gasp* reflecting; and most importantly, they were so excited to share what they were doing. This spurned me on to find other ways to enhance their learning and I discovered the world of Twitter Chats. Seriously, I was like a kid who had been given an all access pass to Toys R Us. My little laptop was suddenly a gateway to a whole lot of educators who were passionate, knowledgeable, supportive, wanted to do what was best for their kids and wanted to help others be successful as well. Over the years, my network has grown– it’s primarily focused on North Carolina, but my Professional Learning Network extends across the globe– how can I not want to be better at what I do when I can learn from so many amazing people from around the world? It was a renaissance I didn’t know I needed.

I have come a long way since then. My point to all this is that if we are going to be on the front lines and working with these kids every day, we have to keep learning. For me, that learning includes reflecting and sharing which is what I plan to use this space for. So again, thanks for stopping by! I’d love to know where you’re from and how you are involved in K-12 education, so please let me know if the comments! Also, followers = motivation so please subscribe!! Until next time…

M.