Tag Archives: technology

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Generative AI in Education: An Overview

by Julie Willcott

AI (artifical intelligence) is here – well, everywhere actually.

With the launch of ChatGPT just under a year ago, AI made its presence more known in classrooms. ChatGPT is not the only AI in town, but it currently it is one of the better known generative AI applications. 

ChatGPT, a project of OpenAI,  is financed by Microsoft. Google Bard is a competitor – financed by, you guessed it, Google.  

New applications – including many based on OpenAPI – are being released daily.

What is generative AI anyway?

Generative AI is not taking information “in its entirety” and giving it to you the way Siri or Alexa would.  It is generating, or creating, the content it gives you. This content can include text but it can also include visual works such as images.

Generative AI is based on a large language model (LLM) – meaning it is based on large amounts of text data, mostly taken from the Internet in mid-2020. This text has been scrubbed – in other words, cleaned up to remove irrelevant and inappropriate content. The LLM has also been tested and trained to provide accurate, coherent, and contextually appropriate responses.

ChatGPT as well as Google Bard and other generative AI applications are chatbots – meaning you ask questions and it answers. In other words, it is conversational.

What are important things to consider with generative AI?

With chatbots, it is important how and what you ask in your question – or prompt. The art of writing good prompts, prompts that give you accurate, coherent, and contextually appropriate responses is known as prompt engineering. Prompt engineering is a skill that must be learned and taught to our students.

Even with well-trained LLMs and good prompts, generative AI can create content that is wrong.  These are referred to as hallucinations. Unless the persons creating content with AI has an understanding of the content, these hallucinations can go undetected – or worse, be considered to be “the truth”.

With the release of ChatGPT, red flags immediately went up in the education world about the use of generative AI to complete classroom assignments. Cheating, is, of course, possible.  However, how well a student can use generative AI includes how well they can write prompts and how well they review the content that is created. It is also impacted by the specific assignment given. A number of products have been released that claim they can detect whether or not text was written by AI. But they don’t always work. They can fail to recognize AI output, especially if it is edited, and they can misidentify human-written text as AI-generated.

How can generative AI help you?

Generative AI can be used to save you as an educator time, particularly for grading  and creating instructional materials.

A good source of information about this is “Using AI Chatbots to Enhance Planning and Instruction (Quick Reference Guide)” by Monica Burns.

What do you do next?

Learn more

  • I found “The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education (The Hitchhiker’s Guide for Educators Series)” by Dan Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, and Brad Weinstein to be a great source of information
  • The challenge here can be to learn more without being consumed by the vast amount of information out there.

Test it out yourself

  • Get an account – there are free accounts available for both ChatGPT (openai.com/chatgpt) and Google Bard (bard.google.com)
  • Ask questions, even (and maybe especially) ones you know the answer to

Set goals and expectations

  • Set goals for how you will learn about and use generative AI
  • Set expectations for how your students can – and can not – use generative AI

Prepare for all this to change – fast!

  • Just last month, it was announced that Google Bard can interact with real time flight and hotel information and be enabled to interact with information from your gmail, google docs and google drive.
  • What’s next?



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Making It Into The Tool Kit

Advice For Adding New Tech This Year

Shhhhhh…don’t say it! 

No, no, no, no…

Yes.

Sorry, summer is coming to an end. Many of us will be returning back to school in days or weeks.

It’s ok. We’ve had time to catch our breath, restore our energy levels, and possibly learn about some new tools this summer. Maybe some fun tech tools?

I know that I have run across some pretty cool tech this summer that gave me pause to wonder if and how to integrate the tech into my 8th grade science class. I asked myself, “Is it worth putting this new tool into my edtech tool kit?” Being in education for over 25 years, I have a nice tool kit developed that I love using with students. Some tools are technology based, and some are not. Each tool has a purpose in helping me guide my students in a journey of science education.

Deciding on technology to use in the classroom can be overwhelming at times. There is so much out there! It can be confusing. Technology is always being recommended by various people online, and they are very knowledgeable people. What to use? It can get complicated sometimes, too. Who is involved in deciding tech use in the classroom? Is it a solo adventure? A team decision? Are administrators and tech coordinators and coaches involved? 

Wow! So much to think about!

That all being said…how do we select the tech tools to use in the classroom?

I have some answers!

Whenever I look at new tech, I begin with a series of three questions:

Does it fit you? 

Does it fit your students? 

And, does it fit your budget? ...Click Here to Read More...

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WEP 215: 3DU: 3D Printing in Every Classroom, An Interview with Keven Rinaman

An Interview with Keven Rinaman

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Keven Rinaman about his new book, 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom published by Wired Educator.

Keven is an educator, administrator, podcaster, blogger, author and an important voice in education.

You’re going to love this episode.

Click here to listen to my interview with Keven Rinaman. 

Keven Rinaman is an educator and author. 

He has taught history, math, and technology at middle and high school grades, and has served as the technology director and Dean of Students for his district. Keven has coached numerous sports including: wrestling, golf, baseball and esports. He is a graduate of Heidelberg University and Western Governors University, earning both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Tiffin University. 

Keven is the author of 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom, the host of an educational podcast titled, Magic Potion EDU, and blogs at TeachersTechToolbox.com. Keven has spoken at numerous national and regional conferences including FETC and OETC. 

Keven lives with his wife Katie, and son, Cooper in Tiffin, Ohio. 

“Layer by layer, Keven Rinaman’s 3DU walks you through everything an educator could ever need in learning the practical, creative possibilities that await our classrooms thanks to the power of 3D printing. Far beyond mere trinkets and disposable doodads, 3DU is loaded with inspiring stories of how this powerful next-generation technology is quite literally helping our students build a better world. From scale replicas of famous attractions to practical solutions that run the gamut from prosthetics to Parkinson’s research, this is the kind of book that goes beyond a ho-hum “how to” and challenges us to learn the why, too. It’s a joy to imagine what incredible things might come from seeing the lessons from this book put into play.”

John Meehan, Teacher, author, and cofounder of EMC2 Learning

Mentioned in this episode: 

Keven’s book: 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom

Keven’s podcast: Magic Potion EDU

Keven’s blog: www.TeachersTechToolbox.com

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Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here. Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.  Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with 215 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leaderand Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

 

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WEP 154: Balance Like a Pirate and Lead with Faith, an Interview with Sarah Johnson

An Interview with Sarah Johnson

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I share my amazing interview with Sarah Johnson. Sarah is the author of two incredible books, Balance Like a Pirate:Going Beyond Work-Life Balance to Ignite Passion and Thrive as an Educator (which she co-authored with Jessica Cabeen and Jessica Johnson) and Sarah just published a new book titled,  Lead with FAITH: Building a Strong Foundation So You Can Rise Up, Slay Fear, and Serve Well. Sarah hosts the weekly In AWE Podcast where she is proud to amplify women’s stories every week. This is a GREAT episode.

Sarah Johnson is a former teacher and school principal, turned author, speaker, and podcaster. She is passionate about assisting others in seeking greater satisfaction in all areas of their full lives by helping them go beyond work-life balance as well as develop strong leadership foundations. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education, Master of Science in Educational Administration, and a Certificate for Women in Leadership from Cornell University. She hosts the weekly In AWE Podcast where she is proud to amplify women’s stories every week.  Sarah is co-author of Balance Like a Pirate: Going Beyond Work-Life Balance to Ignite Passion and Thrive as an Educator and author of Lead with FAITH: Building a Strong Foundation So You Can Rise Up, Slay Fear, and Serve Well

Sarah lives the balance message in her life by pursuing passions such as running, writing, focusing on her family with her two daughters and teacher husband, while also honing her leadership skills through networking, teaching, and learning.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Sarah’s book: Balance Like a Pirate: Going Beyond Work-Life Balance to Ignite Passion and Thrive as an Educator (which she co-authored with Jessica Cabeen and Jessica Johnson)

Sarah’s new book: Lead with FAITH: Building a Strong Foundation So You Can Rise Up, Slay Fear, and Serve Well

Sarah’s podcast: The In AWE Podcast.

Sarah’s choice for an influential book: Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting with Those We Teach, Lead, and Love by Dr. Jody Carrington

OETC Conference: I am so proud to share that I will be a featured speaker at the OETC Conference in Columbus, Ohio on February 12, 2020.

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here. Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 150 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram  

 

 

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WEP 143: Improving Your School’s Culture, An Interview with Dawn Sayre

An Interview with Dawn Sayre from Focus 3

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast I interview Dawn Sayre about Improving School Culture. Learn about E+R=O, putting people first, BCD, Discipline over Default, and the 10/80/10 rule. Dawn emphasizes that we should create positive events for others. Learn how to improve your school’s culture.

Before joining Focus 3, a team that helps organizations achieve their goals by building dynamic cultures, in July 2019,  Dawn spent 23 years in public education. She is an experienced school administrator, a former teacher, middle school principal, high school principal and curriculum director who has implemented the Focus 3 systems at an elite level with her staff, students and school community.

Dawn is a proud graduate of Otterbein (College) University where she was a member of the Women’s Basketball Team. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. She then went on to earn her Masters in Educational Leadership and Superintendent License from the University of Dayton.

Through her education and athletic experience, Dawn shares a unique perspective on Focus 3’s system. With passion, she conveys the value of culture as a critical component to achieving the elite academic results that we strive for in our school systems.  Dawn will guide your journey to align your culture to your values.

Mentioned in this Episode: 

Focus 3: www.Focus3.com

Acorns App: Invest your spare change. Get $5 using this link and another $10 if you subscribe to Disney+. (affiliate Link)

Dawn’s choice for most influential book: Lead with Heart by Tom Gartland

Kasey’ Bell’s book: Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic

Kasey Bell’s Online Courses: Click here to access Kasey’s courses! You can get trained for Google Level 1, Level 2, and so much more! (affiliate link)

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 142 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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WEP 131: Daily STEM, an Interview with Chris Woods

STEM for Every Student, Every Classroom, Everyday

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, I interview an expert in all things STEM, Chris Woods.  Chris is the host of the Daily STEM Podcast and I love following him on Twitter. He is an amazing resource. He finds STEM everywhere!

Chris started the idea of dailySTEM to help educators and parents find STEM in the real world and share STEM with the kids they know.  Why?  Because STEM is all around us…in the backyard, at the store, in our homes, on TV and movies, in the news…everywhere!

Chris has been a High School Math teacher (Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Hands-on Geometry) since 1999 in Calumet, Michigan. He wrote his own Algebra 1 iBook (Part 1 and Part 2) for students, complete with short video examples and practice questions for every lesson (all of the videos are available on YouTube as well.)

Chris lives in a woods in a house he built himself with his wife and three children.

Chris’s work in education has be recognized as the 2013 Teacher of the Year, Calumet Public Schools, and he was a recipient of the 2017-2018 Michigan Teacher Leadership Advisory Council.

Chris and I talk of all things STEM and how it fits into any grade, in any content area. We talk maker spaces, making, science, math, technology, engineering, creating and, so much more.
Mentioned in this podcast: 
This episode’s sponsor: www.zappycode.com
Breaking News: A NEW Wired Educator Logo will be coming to you very soon. Stay tuned!
Chris recommends the book: The Simple Faith for Mr. Rodgers
Twitter: dailystem
Instagram: dailystem
Website: dailystem.com

 

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 130 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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Six Reasons The iPad Dominates Over the Chromebook in Education

Six Reasons The iPad Dominates Over the Chromebook in Education: 

  1. Accessibility: The iPad is loaded with accessibility features that no other device has, and these features can help ALL students such as: Captioning and Audio Descriptions, VoiceOver, Display Customization, Guided Access, Speech and so much more! I use Speech to have my emails read to me and I love Magnifier and LiveListen. All students can benefit from accessibility features. Too many teachers think these features are for a particular group of student. You can learn more about iOS Accessibility Features here. 
  2. Durability & Longevity: The iPad wins this one outright. The iPad is made of stronger materials and has less physical features to fail than other devices. Sure the screen can be of a concern but that I don’t think you would want to drop either device, and in a drop test I’ll take the iPad. Battery life on an iPad is superior from my use. The screen looks better on an iPad, the sound, sounds better on an iPad, and the overall experience of operation is awesome.
  3. Portability: Hands down, the iPad is by far a more portable device. The front and rear-facing camera, and the ability to use the iPad in any flexible seating situation makes it perfect for education. Combine this with the long battery life and its super-slim footprint, the iPad can go anywhere. Changing the brightness of the iPad’s screen also makes it great for portability; allowing the student to use it in a theatre and other situations without disturbing others. Watch how students awkwardly try to use Chromebooks: to shoot video, in flexible seating, in labs, while standing.
  4. Reading Device: The iPad as a tablet is an incredible reading device storing thousands of books. There are a variety of reading apps available including: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and so many more. It’s a light reading device that is much more pleasurable to read with than a traditional Chromebook laptop. This makes the iPad the best Chromebook for reading. More books and a better format.
  5. Apps: There are far more apps, and educational apps and creation apps available for the iPad than the Chromebook. It’s insane how many awesome apps there are for teachers and students to use to amazing things! No other device has access to this library of GREAT tools to teach and make a difference.
  6. Apple’s Apps for Education: Apple’s apps designed especially for education, only to be found on the iPad: iTunes U, Schoolwork, and Classroom. iTunes University is only available on the iPad and I believe this is the game-changer for education. Giving teachers and students the ability to create interactive textbooks and creating online courses with embedded discussions is the future of education for all levels of education. iTunes University is being used from primary grades all the way through post secondary with incredible gains and impact. For this reason, you can see why the iPad would be the Chromebook of choice for teachers and schools. These apps are free.
  7. Everyone Can Create: Apple has created a dedicated curriculum on using the iPad to create in the classroom, and it’s called Everyone Can Create. You can learn more here. It’s free.
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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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Can Fortnite Make You a Better Teacher? Squad up!

A lot of people are playing Fortnite, and it’s not all bad. In a recent article by FastCompany, I learned there are 200 million users on Fortnite, with about 8 million of those on at one time, with the average user spending over 10 hours a week playing the game. It is now emerging as one of the biggest social media platforms, and generated over 3.5 billion in revenue from this ‘free’ game.

Love it or hate it, Fortnite is not going away, and I aim to show that learning just a little bit about the game will make you a better teacher, and help make your classroom a better learning environment. I’m not suggesting you spend hours playing the game, but I do suggest you read this post and crack the code of Fortnite’s popularity, and find ways to bring its addictiveness to your instruction. Learn what makes students love Fornite and apply it to your class.

  1. Students want to sky dive into learning: Make the start of your class exciting. At the beginning of the game, Fortnite, everyone is literally on a “battle bus.” The players parachute down to an island. It’s exciting. Hook your students in with something close to a 13,000 foot freefall. Parachuters get about 60 seconds of free fall. What can you do that is exciting, quick and relevant to the lesson?
  2. Students want to choose their destination. Let students make choices about their learning. As the players are parachuting they are gliding down and choosing which part of the island to land and explore. Students in your classroom want to make choices, too. It’s fun. Give them options or let them choose. What can you let your students choose tomorrow? Do it.
  3. Students want a sense of urgency and a quick paced session. When the players land in Fortnite, the players are racing to stay away from a surround storm that is tightening. Players must keep moving, encountering new adventures, and face challenges. Your class needs to keep moving forward with new challenges. Students get bored with one activity that goes on and on.
  4. Students want an environment to explore. In the game, players explore an island looking for tools, prizes and surprises. Get students out of their seat and have them exploring your class and halls. Put task cards on the walls, use BreakOut EDU boxes, and find other ways to make your class a hands-on exploration.
  5. Students want to make stuff. In Fortnite, players must build forts. They can get pretty creative. The forts have a purpose and making stuff is fun. I’ve seen my daughters watch videos of people making stuff for long periods of time. What can you have your students build and make that is relevant and fun in your class?
  6. Students like to compete. I know. I know. We hear it so many times, “Competition in school is bad.” But students seem to love it. Can’t some competition be good? Can we find ways to game in class to have fun and hook students? I say, yes! Fortnite keeps track of your wins and players celebrate this.
  7. Students want to collaborate. In Fortnite, players can work together to achieve wins. Let’s give them opportunities for collaborative learning in class. I don’t mean group projects, I mean learning with a partner and tackling the obstacles of learning together.
  8. Students want to communicate with classmates.  The headset is popular in Fortnite. Players like to talk with each other and bark commands and summarize plans. Give students opportunities to speak their learning strategies and communicate about learning with classmates. Find more creative ways to do this.
  9. Fortnite is fun! It’s full of crazy costumes, colors, music, and themes. They are constantly updating the game with seasons and new stuff. How about your class? Do students ever walk in and say, “Wow! What did you do? What’s all this?” They should. Surprise them. Switch it up.

I think Fortnite can be a ridiculous time-suck for most players. I really do. I also think a little bit of it is a lot of fun. Mostly though, I look at things like this and try to figure out what I can learn from it to connect with students. I hope you do too.

Squad up! Go teach those students.

Written by Kelly Croy (With the help of my daughter, Jaclyn.)

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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Resolutions I Want Every Educator to Make in 2019

Educators are my favorite species. They not only work incredibly hard all hours of the day to make an impact in the lives of those they teach, they are also constantly working to improve themselves as well.

Each year I taught, I wanted to make my classroom, lessons, and engagement better. I was always trying to level-up. I still am. I made resolutions each school year and again at the start of the new year. I love those imaginary reset buttons! I shared my resolutions each year with my students and hung them on the classroom wall. Why? Because I knew my students would hold me accountable. And boy did they! I didn’t hit them all, but I hit more than I would have if I didn’t share them.

Which of the following resolutions are you nailing? Scared of? Challenged by?

Here are 19 resolutions I believe every educator should make:

  1. Help to Build a Positive School Culture: Your words and actions contribute to the culture of your building and school district. You are a leader and influencer even if you don’t think you are. You are. Are your words and actions improving the culture of your school district? Are you waiting for someone else to fix the problems? Are you better at pointing out the problems or leading solutions?
  2. Make Your Class Open 24 Hours a Day from Anywhere in the World: Turn your class in to a 7-Eleven. Use Google Classroom or other Learning Management Systems to help students who are absent, traveling, or need to see things for a second or third time. Kids can learn anytime from anywhere. They can even do work on snow days.
  3. Build a New Community in Your School: Look at the students in your school. Which groups of students don’t have a place to share their talents and feel like a contributor? Find them and build that community. You don’t need to be the expert. Just identify what is missing, talk to your administrator, throw a poster on the wall, make an announcement and get going. Maybe it is a group of video gamers, lego builders, robot drivers, or a book or food club. Ask your students and help them feel a contributor to their school.
  4. Add a Portion of Challenge Based Learning to Your Year: Call it what you want, Project Based Learning, SOLE, Problem Based Learning or CBL, but add a little to your school year. Students need to be making and thinking and collaborating and solving. Check out startSOLE or Apple’s Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide. You don’t need to change everything, just add a little. It goes a long way. You will love it, and it is the future.
  5. Collaborate with Your Colleagues to Build Dynamic Lessons and Units: Work with the other teachers in your building to collaborate on lesson plans to increase engagement and design interdisciplinary thematic units. It’s fun for you and the students. The most memorable lessons I ever experienced were working with my colleagues. You can even plan remotely using PlanBook.com, Apple Numbers or Google Sheets.
  6. Take Less Home: Living in constant overwhelm and frustration is not normal nor admirable. Everyone is busy. Teaching is fun and noble. It’s time to get efficient, take less home, and have more pride and joy being a teacher. Design a curriculum plan for your class and change just a small percentage each year rather than constantly trying to redo everything. Take less work home. Really. What are you taking home anyway? What are you trying to assess and measure?Try to do more in class with the students in the form of labs, workshops, presentations and SOLE projects and less 19th century grading of tests and quizzes.
  7. Rethink Homework: “But students need the practice!” Really? I’m not telling you not to give homework, but I am asking you to rethink what you are sending home. Check out the book Ditch That Homework by Alice Keeler and Matt Miller for ideas. Talk with fellow teachers and admins. Rethink homework. Please.
  8. Transform the Use of Technology in Your Classroom: Technology does not need to be used the majority of the time. What a misconception, but when it is used, it should be sued to create content, and only briefly to consume. Examine how you are using tech in your classroom. Offer your students amazing ways to create and publish what they know. Create digital textbooks, videos, presentations, animations, and more! Get going. If your students are mostly on websites clicking answers, well… you’re using it poorly. Try the book 50 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom.
  9. Share Your Story: Take all of the great things you and your students are doing and share them with the world on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, a blog, YouTube or write a book. Everyone benefits. Start this, this year!
  10. Attend a Conference: It is always awesome to get out of your classroom and learn something new, get inspired, and apply it. I recommend returning and giving a presentation to your building and maybe even your board. If you don’t return and apply it, then maybe you should let someone else go in your place. Apply.
  11. Apply to Speak at a Conference: Share what you know! Don’t have anything special enough to share? Then it’s time to level-up and get after it. I’m serious.
  12. Nominate a Colleague: Yes, find someone in your district you admire and nominate them for some recognition. Why? Because they deserve it, and when one educator is looked upon positively, all educators are looked upon positively.
  13. Collaborate with a Colleague: Open the door to your classroom both figuratively and literally and find ways to collaborate with other teachers. I suggest creating an interdisciplinary thematic unit with a culminating activity with other teachers at your grade level. It’s fun, memorable, and good for students.
  14. Lead: Rather than complain about something you don’t like, create a solution and begin implementing it. That’s called leading. We are all educational leaders. Need help? Read my book Along Came a Leader, or one of my favorites, Start. Right. Now.
  15. Start a YouTube Channel for Your Classroom: Hey, it’s all about video. I found myself watching someone cook a fish dinner the other day on Facebook. I watched the whole thing. I don’t like to cook, and I hate fish. My point is… video done well can be engaging, and your class could be open to students 24/7. Do this now.
  16. Get Connected with Other Educators: Build Your Personal Learning Network (PLN) either online by using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or reach out to educators in your building, district, or state. Share what you know. Learn from them. Show other educators how to do this.
  17. Publish Student Work: Find unique and powerful ways to share and publish the work your students do in your classroom. Give them authentic audiences and genuine purposes to create. Build a website, start a podcast, host a “fair”, publish them on a blog, YouTube, or SeeSaw. Have them create digital books as published authors using Book Creator or Apple’s Pages. Publish their work.
  18. Contact Every Family You Teach: Seriously, forget the email. Pick up the phone or send a postcard home to every family you teach. Find something positive to say about every student and offer them a personal challenge in your class. Let them know you care about them. When you do have to contact home for something less than positive it will be easier because you have already talked with them about something positive.
  19. Read an Educational Book: There are so many great educational books out there that will change your career. Grab one and see what a difference it makes. Looking for suggestions? Try Teach Like a Pirate, Lead Like a Pirate, or Empower. Also check out my podcast for links to fantastic educational books. How about my book, Along Came a Leader? It will challenge you in many ways.

Bonus: Subscribe and listen to an educational podcast. Here is a great list from Monica Burns the creator of Class Tech Tips. >>> Click here for Monica’s list. <<<

What did I miss? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram