Earlier in the year I created a list of ten things HCPS teachers should do this year. I originally got the idea on twitter after seeing other districts with similar ideas. 

As educators, we must continually find ways to grow and develop. Not only because teaching can become monotonous if one allows it, but also because we are continually learning more about the learning process.

Even though it is February, we can easily incorporate the following in the few months left.

1. Connect with others: Twitter is my favorite way of connecting with other educators. Not only in my district but also across the globe. Consider participating in a Twitter chat to experience a different type of professional development.
2. Create a BYOD Plan: Whether devices are used every day or sporadically, every teacher should include BYOD management in their classroom rules. Without one, more classroom management issues can occur and students may miss out on important learning opportunities.
3. Give students a legacy: How will students share the work they do in your class with the world? Give students an audience. Whether it is online through a class website or wiki page, or at your school. Students need to feel that their work matters and sharing their knowledge with the world is one way for that to happen. 
4. Allow student-led discussions: Maybe this is the hardest thing for teachers to do. Yet, this is perhaps the most important of the top ten. Give up control. Let go. Empower your students to lead discussions in the classroom and watch the quality of the conversation increase.
5. It's okay to fail: Tried number four and it totally bombed? Tried a new tech tool and the Internet went out? That's okay. I have failed so many times, in front of my students and sometimes before the lesson even starts. It's how I reflect on that failure and move forward that matters. You can't have a breakthrough without having a breakdown. 
6. Foster Digital Citizenship: No matter what age students you teach, it's never too early to teach netiquette. Students have that down? Great, now help them become Digital Leaders. Let them create content to share with the world. Not only consume it. 
7. Skype in the Classroom: This trend is catching on through Mystery Skype. Consider Skyping with someone you do know as well. Live in Florida? Skype with a friend up north to show students snow. Or connect with another class in your school or district to discuss a class novel. 
8. Flipped Learning: Make easy tutorials to cover basic information and create a flipped environment with Office Mix. This will free up classroom time for practice and deeper understanding of the content.
9. Classroom Badges: Whether students are earning digital badges or paper ones on a bulletin board, let gaming increase motivation in your classroom! Badges can correlate to a specific skill, behavior, or anything you want. If students are earning paper badges consider how you will share their accomplishments with a wider audience. Perhaps placing earned badges on the outside door or a nearby bulletin board.
10. Go Paperless: Save the trees! Going paperless is easier than ever with OneNote and different online products. Not only will this save lugging papers back and forth, it increases turnaround time for grading, and holds students accountable through easy tracking.  

Questions? Contact me for more information on any of these ten steps or post comments below.

I often hear frustrated teachers ask, "how can we possibly do everything that's being asked of us?" I try my hardest to not scream TECHNOLOGY! 

Reflecting on my seven years in the classroom, I realize how much time I spent grading formative assessments and modifying lesson plans based on my student data. 

Tools like kahoot! and nearpod save hours of grading so I can more quickly modify the lesson plans to support my students. As a side benefit, students tend to be more engaged when technology is being used. This means less instructional time is lost on classroom management. 

Other tools like OneNote Class Notebook mean student work is now digital, creating an easy-to-reference portfolio that teachers can access from anywhere with an Internet connection. It increases student collaboration and decreases the time it takes to shuffle through papers. Most importantly, no more lugging notebooks home or papers with no name!

No matter the amount of access you or your students have to technology, many tools can be used with only one device. 

I hope this site encourages you to explore a new tech tool!