Google Expeditions has consumed my work life in the last 2 months.  Our district was selected as a partner for the Google Expeditions AR program.  In all, they visited 7 of our schools.  At each visit students were awed by Augmented Reality technology. They saw volcanoes erupting, dinosaurs, tornadoes, and visited the Roman Coliseum. Along the way, students were empowered to provide feedback to Google about improving the app before it is released to the public.  Their ideas were creative, helpful, and awe inspiring.  It was powerful to witness our students excited to be apart of the process.

At the same time, I was preparing a Google Expeditions VR kit for checkout. This kit brings virtual field trips into district classrooms. It's exciting to see the positive reception from teachers around the district.  In only a week, the kit has already been booked for the next month and a half.  Visiting classrooms from 1st grade to 6th grade across the district.

Google has a fabulous set of lesson resources, that help teachers organize their lessons when using the kit.  You can view the lessons yourself, by visiting the TES site.

I did several workshops this month on Google Forms.  For one of my workshops I prepared a hyperdoc tutorial.  This format was borrowed from Lisa Guardino, she added a wonderful hyperdoc to the HyperDoc Website.

I have created a video for each level of the tutorial.  The video demonstrates how to do each activity.  It would be great to add on a form at the end for sharing created forms.  A Coach could even give out a nifty Black Belt in Google Forms Badge.

Download your copy here.

One way I keep up with the trendsI frequently am asked how I learn about all the things I cover in PD.  There are a couple of things I do on a regular basis, that help me continue my learning. The one activity that I do most frequently is listening to Podcasts.

It's amazing to listen to educators from around the world.  They inspire with stories of how they help their students and teachers learn everyday. I get ideas for ways to integrate technology in meaningful ways.

You may be asking yourself, what's a podcast?
A podcast is a pre-recorded audio file.  There are podcasts in many different forms.  Some are like radio shows where they have guests and interviews.  Some are the thoughts of one or two people shared with the world.  There are even dramatic podcasts, that remind me of the old-fashioned serial radio dramas.

How do I listen to a podcast?
There are apps that help you download and stay updated with the latest podcast episodes.  Ryan O'Donnell created an awesome infographic to help you get started.

I use the Podcast app on my iPhone to listen to Podcasts.  Most Podcasters post their podcasts in iTunes, so it is easy to search for my favorite shows.  There is also a great featured section, so I can see podcasts that other people love and new podcasts.

Ok, you convinced me, what should I start with?
Here are some Podcasts I listen to:
Check this Out
House of EdTech
TOSAs Talking Tech
Every Classroom Matters
Google Teacher Tribe Podcast

Google ChromeThe engineers behind the magic at Google have created some very useful features in Chrome. In order to use many of those features, it is important to understand signing into the Browser.

2 Ways to LoginThere are 2 different ways to login to Google.  One way is to login to the Browser.  The other way logs you in through a specific web page.
I advocate for logging into the browser. (Clicking on the name or the person in the far right top corner)

1.  Logging in syncs all of your bookmarks, extensions, history, and passwords.
2. It is easy to switch to multiple accounts.
3. It is much easier to make sure you are using the correct account, and keeping data separate. This is especially important when you are using a district provided account.

I run into these problems when I am logged into multiple accounts on a page. (Clicking on the user name or picture that is next to the waffle beneath the bookmarks bar.)

1. If you are logged into the browser with your district account, and you do login into your home account on the webpage, then your browsing history is recorded in your district account.  Theoretically, the district is now able to track what you were visiting during that internet session.
2. Chrome gets confused about which account to use for logging into services like Google Drive.  This is often how teachers find they are unable to access documents that have been shared to their district account.
3. You may think you are using your district account, but might create items accidentally in your personal account.  This would make it difficult to locate the items later.

Logging into the BrowserThe first time you start Chrome, it will ask you to sign in.  

If you ignored it, click on the person in the upper left corner of the window.

Then click "Sign in to Chrome."

Enter your district email address and Google Password.

The next screen will ask you about your data.  You want to "Link Data." This will connect your computer with the account information in the cloud.

For more tips and tricks in Chrome, check out this presentation I created.
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I was so excited to participate in CUE's Rockstar PD, TOSA, edition this weekend. I have had great experiences at big CUE conferences in Napa and Palm Springs, so I hoped that the smaller setting and longer sessions would result in an even better experience.  I was not disappointed!

My Key Take Aways

1. Better PD Structures One of the key inspirations I wanted was a better way to lead PD for my teachers.  My workshops follow a traditional listen and learn format.  I have been looking for more engaging ways to model best teaching practices.  

Think of it like a meal. Ryan O'Donnell suggested that you include these elements in every PD session.

• Cocktails first-during the first 5-10 minutes get your participants up and interacting in a quick and fun way.  Some suggestions included scavenger hunts, people bingo, and name on the back games. (I will be implementing some of these this year.)
• Appetizers-next up is something to share.  Get participants sharing what they do in their own practice.  I can use digital tools like a padlet or hyperdoc (or a hyperdoc linked to multiple padlets=mindblown!).
• Main Dish-Give them the content they came for.  It is key to remember good presentation design.  Don't over fill my slides with text, use graphics and videos to engage the audience. If I have notes or instructions, I can put that in the presenter sections.
• Dessert-Every good meal ends with something that leaves you happy. Give aways (hey why not collect all of the extra stickers at the end of the conference, teachers love to decorate their laptops!) and game shows make a fun and exciting way to leave teachers inspired.  

2. Tools All four of the sessions I attended had me walking away with ideas for making my life easier.  Some of them were tools I was already using with new ideas, others were totally new.

• Google Slides is a great way to create a newsletter.  I can move the newest week to the top, and everyone will still have easy access to old editions.  Thanks to Ryan's excellent advice, I'm going to add some fun into my newsletter through movie identification challenges and gifs.
• Google Forms I already use Google Forms for feedback.  My feedback is sparse, and not very helpful.  Ben Cogswell  gave me some great ideas for improving my feedback.  One thing I'm going to work on is publishing my feedback.  To start, I'm going to do quick surveys at the beginning of PD.  I will then quickly show the results and adjust the session based on participant needs.
• The Hub I have wanted to build a PD website since August.  I have made countless presentations, videos, and other resources.  I think one way to share those resources is through this blog.  A blog can be difficult to navigate.  I'm going to work on including my resources in a resource section of the website.  
• Innovator's Compass Ann Kozma  introduced the Innovator's Compass, a tool for guiding conversations that help us dig deep into issues.  I plan to introduce this tool to the coaches and leadership in my district.

3. Share my strengths At the last session, I had the opportunity to connect with several TOSAs that had recently started sketchnoting. Typically, I sit quietly in a corner taking my notes.  I'm embarassed when my neighbors look over and are impressed with my meager attempts at "art."  These ladies were excited to flip through my journal and get ideas for their own practice.  I take inspiration from others, I should pay it forward and share my work. So, I'm going to start putting my Bullet Journal spreads on social media, this way others can be inspired.