Diary of a Digital Learning Coach

When I was a kid, nothing was more fun than trick or treating at this time of year.  We knew which neighbors had the best candy, which ones to hit up twice and how to trade when we got the dreaded boxes of Good and Plenty. Learning from a PLN is a lot like trick or treating.  I love that you read this blog and all its "treats" showcasing what I am learning and reflecting on, but if you only read mine, how will you ever know what other delicious bites you might find at the other DLC blogs?   After all, the only person who owns the teaching or learning in your growth journey is you . Which is why this week, we are going blog trick or treating to see what some of my DLC buddies are sharing.   Will you stop by Trisha's blog for a BYTE of learning on Explain Everything? http://bytesineducation.blogspot.com Will you visit Megan's Learn Together post on Schoology, including her "quick wins" for using Completion Rules? https://megankozar.weebly.co...

Hello Blog Readers! Remember me?  If it seems I have been a bit AWOL, well, consider this: It's been an exciting start to the school year, but I am happy to begin getting back to my campuses.  Partnering, mentoring and designing with educators is my jam and let's face it, the kids are pretty awesome too! Over the summer, my blog got an extreme makeover.  I'm excited to reintroduce those who consistently read as well as welcome those that are new to this diary of my learning as a digital learning coach.  That said, here are a couple of FAQs to help you get the most from it! Why do you blog, Alli? I love to learn.  I believe that learning shouldn't stop with one person and it is my passion to pass along what I learn.  I crave learning from others and blogging helps me to connect.  We are better together.   This post from the archives can help you to learn more about why connecting as a coach is so important to me.  Bl...

If you have been following my Twitter feed lately, you've seen me use #gratitude a lot. It is because my team has challenged ourselves to spend 21 days of gratitude. I'm finding it is helping me see my world using a lens of positivity and growth. Speaking of gratitude, we’ve now entered November, and what better time for our learners to celebrate our gratitude than the month of Thanksgiving? "Attitude of Gratitude" Wall in Stephanie Shannon's 2nd grade space at RJL My teammate, Sam Neal , has created a FlipGrid just for that purpose. We are inviting you all to share your own gratitude and to use this is a reflection space for your learners! There are 21 Days of Gratitude sentence stems on the FlipGrid if anyone would like to use that as inspiration or to help the learners express what they’re grateful for. Feel free to use this resource or ignore it completely! A neat feature you might also explore with your learners is the ability to resp...

A blank page with a dark blinking cursor sits mocking me tonight.   The truth is, I wrote a whole post already and stocked it in my drafts for another time, another day.  It is a reflective post and I will publish it soon.  But today is Teach Me Something Tuesday and my brain is flooded with other ideas...which one to pick?  The cursor blinks... It's also true that even a blogger gets writer's block. Blogger's block, if you will.  It reminds me of why we should all say thanks for the special individuals that teach 4th grade writing. EEK. Image created at imageflip.com So in lieu of amazing written insight tonight, I give you 3 digital strategies that could help when your learners  (or you) have writer's block. Writer's Block Remedy #1:  Map it out. Sometimes thinking needs to be visible before it is coherent.  Why not draw or map out ideas using  Popplet or Ideament app?  Learners who thrive when working toget...