Getting ready for the new school year...

It's the beginning of a new year...where should you begin?

The 2017-2018 school year is upon us!  Whether you are new to the field of education, dipping your toes in the #edtech water, or you've been teaching for years, it's time to set some goals to grow your current teaching practice as well as fill your professional toolbox with some new goodies!  I get asked a lot, "where should I start?"  There's not one "right" answer to this question, but I would recommend the following:

Be active on Twitter:

I spend a lot of time on Twitter!  Not going to lie, this is where I get most of my professional development!  If you don't already have an account, go ahead and create one, and post your first Tweet!  I love that if I'm curious about a certain topic, let's say educational technology, elementary science, or STEM, that I can search for #edtech or #elementaryscience, or #stem and I am automatically connected to tons of educators all over the world that have shared this same interest. They may have posted articles, blogs, or other resources that match my interest.  It's a great place to start and I find myself getting sucked into the Twitter-verse for hours on end just searching and searching!  Following other educators allows me to see what they post in my Twitter stream so I never miss what they share.  Having access to other educators opens up my reach and source for resources to a global level!

Find an accountability partner:

I firmly believe that ALL educators should have an accountability partner.  This goes for new educators as well as seasoned educators!  An accountability partner gives you someone to check in with, someone to push you towards your educational goals, and someone to bounce ideas off of.  The field of education and instructional technology are filled with different certifications, degrees, and badges just waiting for you to gain!  Consider working on these with a fellow colleague.  Perhaps there's another educator that you know of that has what you are working towards.  Ask them to guide you and help you get to where they are!  Check in with them consistently by setting a standing calendar appointment that protects that time.  If you don't see yourself and your growth as important and protect that time, it will pass you by.  You also want to make sure that you set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goals with your accountability partner.  This will help to ensure that you meet the goals you set. Instead of saying, "I want to get my Google Trainer certification" or "I want to become a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert," make the goal a SMART goal so it's bound by time and relevancy!

Grow your professional learning network (PLN):

I definitely use Twitter as a part of my PLN.  In addition, I continue to make those connections with other educational technology leaders that I know I can learn from.  It's all about relationships!  As cliche as it is, I definitely consider myself to be a life long learner.  I have pursued my bachelors, masters, specialists, and am finishing up my doctorate.  I have a ton of #edtech badges and certifications.  I don't want to get too comfortable or complacent!  I remember sending my first email during my senior year of college in 1998 and thinking, "WOW....as soon as I hit enter, my mom is going to get this email!"  You have to continue to learn and grow from other educators and leaders so you stay informed, inspired, creative, and innovative!  It's always a great feeling to meet people in my PLN face to face after conversing with them online for years and years!  There are a lot of people that I follow on Twitter as well as blogs that I follow, and YouTube channels that I follow that I consider all to be a part of my network.  I am continuously learning from this group of people and this network is constantly growing, so I, too can grow!

Learn one new tool a week:

In order to stay relevant in this ever changing world, I would encourage you to learn one new tool a week.  I'm not saying to become an expert in that tool, but rather research and seek out a new tool and scratch the surface of it, how it can be used, as well as when you might be able to incorporate it into your practice.  There is sooooo much out there to learn!  Follow blogs, stay active on Twitter, talk to other educators and technology leaders to find out what they are using.  Pick and choose what you like and don't be afraid to try!  I guarantee you that your students will be willing to try and will probably help you figure out how to use whatever it is!

Don't try to become an expert in EVERYTHING:

This is a BIG one!  You can do anything, but you can't do EVERYTHING!  Don't even try it!!  Find you a couple of good apps, tools, or web 2.0 resources and become an EXPERT in those!  Once you have those down packed, add to your toolbox and master a few more!  This goes back to number 4...learning about what's out there will allow you to determine and discover when to pull what from your professional toolbox!  Trust me, you will 100% totally overwhelm yourself attempting to do it all!  There are educators and technology leaders that publish weekly tech tips that will give you ideas. I remember having a pair of educators that I was working with that had a notebook and they would write down the tools that I shared with them every week.  They would refer back to that notebook throughout the school year and pull different resources to try and utilize as they determined where it would fit into their lesson plans.

So, go forth and Tweet, identify that accountability parter that's going to push you towards your goals and dreams, grow your network, learn a new tool, and don't try to do everything!  You have the power to make this year your BEST year yet!  As the educational leader in your classroom, you drive the instruction and the way it's delivered!  I challenge you to become a "Technology Teacher Extraordinaire" this year and take your teaching practice to the next level through the integration of technology!