Diary of a Digital Learning Coach

I have been loving spending time in classrooms this week with my buddy, Technology Ted, helping our learners start the year off on the right foot as digital citizens.  It has been awesome to have this time with educators and learners but I must admit, I am anxious to get into some deeper design work now that our Digital Literacy Overview and first logins are being completed.  I learn so much from the design process and to me, now is when the fun really begins! That being said, this week on Teach Me Something Tuesday, let's talk getting back in the swing of digital learning design by looking deeper into some things to consider when going back to SCHOOLogy. I LOVE that our district has made Schoology's learning management system available to elementary. It is an easy, one stop shop for our learners.  Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned user, here are some tips that could be helpful now that we are back to school! Tip #1:  Don't recreate the wheel... Loca...

Today on Teach Me Something Tuesday, we are celebrating all things beginning of the year!  Tis the season for new school supplies, getting to know you activities and TONS of email.  No, seriously.  Not only are we getting used to early alarm clocks and brand new personalities, but our inboxes are growing at record speeds.  Parent emails, procedure emails, compliance emails, OH MY!  How does anyone keep up with all of the THINGS? I wish I had an easy answer, but let's face it...if you've read this far, you get a gold star.  So without further ado, here are a few simple tips I have for organizing and keeping up with all the BOY stuff! Tip #1 - Bookmark and Sync Stuff in Chrome and/or DIIGO How often are you sent a link and then promptly lose it?  This was me ALL the time until I started logging into Google Chrome on all of my devices and syncing my data.  When you do, your bookmarks follow you .  FOR REALZ.   Click here to learn mor...

Did you ever wonder what exactly a DLC is?  Take a look below to learn more about what a DLC does! What We Do / What is a Digital Learning Coach?

Growing up, I was the kid in your class that wanted to do everything just right.  A 92 was not a high B, it was not quite good enough to be an A.  A reprimand made me want to hide under a rock.  I didn't even read the rest of the rubric - the only thing for me was the exceeds column. I wonder sometimes if that is why receiving feedback is hard for me.  Somewhere along the way, I taught myself that if a process or work was analyzed and questions arose, that it must be wrong or not a good idea.  It is hard for me to accept help in the form of feedback from others.  My sensitive heart paired with not wanting to be seen as not being smart enough or enough in general holds me back. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step. Last year, I tried to step out of my critical brain long enough to LISTEN to my critical friends. I tried to separate any attachment I had and just grow.  I watched and noted how others handle receiving feedback, ...

I may be late to the party, but I have recently discovered the beauty known as Amazon Prime Music.  For years, I have been a tried and true Pandora fan, but after several weeks listening to commercial free music on Amazon, I think it is safe to say I am a convert. Yes, you heard that right...NO COMMERCIALS. Amazon Music is a streaming service that comes with an Amazon Prime subscription.  In other words, if you are paying for Amazon Prime, you already have access to it. Not only are you able to stream music from Amazon's stations, playlists and albums, but you can save your own favorite stations and curate playlists too. Amazon Music would be great in the classroom because you can pick and choose your own favorite songs to go into different playlists.  This means musical transitions, reflection music and brain breaks can be designed the way YOU want.   I love that I can listen to my music on the web at  https://music.amazon.com  and through ...

I'm so excited to try something new on the blog this year!  Hoping to blog more frequently, I am going to try to start a weekly post that teaches something new.  It will be a new strategy, idea or tip that either I am learning about or something I think you might need to know! If you want to see something specifically addressed, feel free to comment because I take requests! To easily find these kind of posts on Tuesday or any other day you want to learn, simply search the blog for teachmetuesdays OR click the Teach Me Tuesday link at the top part of my blog. I'm looking forward to learning with you this year!