Leadership + Google = Awesome

The number of districts purchasing chromebooks grows daily. Teacher training is just as important as administrator and central office training. In order for the transition to Google to be a good one the modeling should trickle from the top down. Just as students notice when teachers words and actions don’t align, the same happens with teachers. When setting the stage and expectations, dive in and get familiar with the tools. Here are simple ways to move your school digital:

Ditch the Paper

Meeting Agendas, calendars, and any other frequently copied documents should be shared. Prior to faculty/staff meetings, agendas can be placed in a shared folder so that all participants are aware of the topics that need to be discussed. This also gives everyone a platform to share notes collaboratively.

Take Lesson Plans to the Drive

Lesson plans can be shared with administration via Google Drive. Teachers and admins can have dialogue about the lesson right there in the document. Giving specific feedback with comments is best when helping teachers improve or acknowledging that they’ve done a great job. This saves time and saves the trees.

Flip Professional Development

Instead of having faculty/staff sit in a meeting that’s followed by specific tasks, make the information available prior to the meeting. By allowing teachers to access the information before the meeting takes place, the actual meeting time can be more productive. The time spent in the meeting can be used to do activities, model strategies, or work collaboratively.

These are just a few simple ways to get your feet wet and light the torch for your team. Unleash Google's collaborative power and take your team digital!

Travel with Google

Google's Geo Tools tend to be a forgotten resource. There's emphasis placed on virtual field trips and the various viewers, but there's more. When teaching, it's important to access prior knowledge and help students "see" the content. For those that may not have the funds for Google's VRs, other options are available. Check out these tools:

Google Maps

Google maps can be created and modified for any location. This is a great way to help students visualize content. Teachers in all content areas can benefit from creating a map to teach concepts. Videos and text can be added to enhance maps for students.

Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture  is an online exhibit. Some of the exhibits are historical while others are directly related to art. There are cool groupings from decades and specific topics in history. A simple and free resource that all can use.

Google Lit Trips

Google Lit Trips are collections based on texts. A large number of titles are housed here and enhanced with maps already created for teacher use. The literature trips are free, but must be requested from the site.

Each one of these is free, go ahead and take them on a trip.

Do You ToonDoo?

Authentic assessment is a requirement in today’s classroom. Learning must extend beyond multiple choice questions and students must be able to apply what they have learned to real life situations. What better way to stretch students learning and creativity than to  create a cartoon. ToonDoo allows teachers and students to create quality looking comics. ToonDoo is a free resource that gives students a number of different options to create comic strips.

Students can create dialog between characters surrounding content. This is a creative writing activity that your students will thoroughly enjoy. Having students consider characters, setting, and plot extends any subject area while incorporating writing. If you’re looking for a way to engage your class, try your hand at ToonDoo.

Catching More Flies & Other Old Adages: Simple Wisdom for Leadership

Catching More Flies & Other Old Adages: Simple Wisdom for Leadership

There are a few things my grandmother used to say, it’s as if she there were certain phrases she set to auto response. Growing up with your grandparents and great grandparents in walking distance is a blessing coupled with constant reinforcement of manners. The old cliche “ You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar”, has always resonated within. About 7 years ago during my first few years, a successful assistant principal brought these words to my remembrance. When it comes to leadership, treating people well sometimes gets lost in a laundry list of things to do. The little tidbits our grandparents and parents gave us still count. Look others in the eye and offer undivided attention when communicating. Here are a few others that can be applied to leadership:

A Good Beginning Makes a Good Ending

Start the way you want to end up. It’s important to spend time building relationships with those we lead just like our students. Simple things such as remembering to ask about an ill parent or spouse go a long way. The more effort you put into building a solid relationship, the more you set the stage for a positive work climate.

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand - Abraham Lincoln

From the famous House Divided speech of 1858 one of our country’s leaders proclaimed that a house divided against itself cannot stand. It is impossible to move any organization forward if members of that organization are all on different pages. It is crucial to create shared vision and goals with your staff. Allow employees to participate and work closely with them to develop policies and procedures. In addition to including those that have a hand in making the vision come to pass, be prepared to be consistent and follow through. For example, if the staff develops a disciplinary procedure all staff (from the leader to every department) must be consistent. Inconsistency leads to division.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Your employees need to see you doing everything you’re requiring. If you’re communicating that there is a culture of respect, they need to see you being respectful. The same principle goes along with other requests such as time and effort.

Bad News Travels Fast

Choose words carefully and be mindful of the actions that are displayed. Be careful, strategic, and cognizant of what is being said. Resist the temptation to be negative and condescending. Once it starts, everyone will know. When disciplining an employee be sure to stay focused and not let personal preferences creep in, once they do everyone will know. Your reputation often precedes you so keep this in mind.

The list of cliches goes on and on. Almost all of them offer positive words that speak to the challenges of leadership. When interacting with others, keep these in mind. Remember you can catch more flies with honey.

Discipline in the 1:1 Environment

Adding devices to the classroom creates new concerns and increased anxiety for most teachers. Technology is and it’s abrupt changes are enough to manage, but as more districts adopt 1:1 programs teachers must rethink classroom management. Before you pull your hair out, here are few tips:

Keep the Procedures

The same students have rules regarding when pencils are up are down, the same applies to a device. There may be times in the class period when students need to close their chromebooks or turn their ipads over. Students don’t need the screen available all the time. Regardless of whether or not your district has adopted a monitoring program, there will still be times that their attention will be on you. Simple signals such as turning off the lights, is a great way to let students know it’s time to remove ear buds and nix the screens (ipad screen, chromebook screen, or phone screen).

The Basics Still Apply

Good old school strategies still apply to this new school generation. Eye contact, proximity, and moving around are tried and true. Every teacher has their own version of “the eye”, use it. If students know that you’re constantly moving versus standing or sitting in the same place, they are less likely to access something inappropriate.

Automate Repetitive Tasks

There are some tasks that have to be done such as attendance, communicating lesson objectives, and the daily agenda. Attendance can be done by a free application called Plickers, simply scan the students’ plicker cards while they are lining up to come in or as they enter the classroom. All lesson materials can be shared using a Google Slide, Google Classroom, or class website. This also helps reinforce technology as a learning tool for kids.

Keep Instruction as the Focus

Teaching with technology doesn’t differ that greatly from traditional pedagogy. Good teaching is just that, with or without technology. Continue to think about what makes a lesson engaging and integrate those same strategies in with technology.

These are just a few ways to avoid P.A.T.D. (Panic About Technology Disorder). Any change is challenging just take it one day at a time.