Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Individualized Observation 2.0

Individualized observation is a hot topic these days, and because I love tech so much I found a tech tool to get it done. Swivl is an amazing tool in my classroom! I already have all the tech I need to use it, and can position it anywhere in my classroom. It is truly a unique system to help educators grow.

Before I tell you how I use it, here's what you need: A Swivl Pro+ account and any iOS or Android device. You can use up to 5 devices at once.

The first way I used Swivl Pro+ was to help a new educator grow. One of the staff members at my school came and asked me how we could record her student teacher practicing with the students, so immediately I thought of Swivl. We set up the devices and recording about 4 different class periods. Not only can the student teacher use the video to evaluate herself, but we also sent the video to her professor to evaluate her teaching.

The second way I used Swivl Pro+ was to record my training session with teachers. I set the devices up before the training session and then recorded the training. It helped me to see how the material I was delivering was being received by my audience. By using Swivl, I can become a better trainer.

If you haven’t tried Swivl already, please give it a go. You will be amazed at the endless possibilities on how you can utilize this tool.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Lifetime of Learning

If one thing is certain about being a teacher, it's that I will never stop learning. No matter how good we are at what we do, there is always room for improvement. This year, my goal has been to get certifications to improve my knowledge of certain technologies. So far, out of my 4 part goal, I have completed the first step. Now that I have my Google Certified Educator Level 1, it's time to tackle Level 2. 

The hard thing about technology is that there is so much of it out there. How do you possibly decide which ones are the most important? I think the key is to choose the things you use the most. For me, that is G Suite for Education and Microsoft One Note right now. Of course, over time those things change. 

If you are a teacher, my advise to you is to embrace your lifetime of learning. There's a satisfaction that comes with each new milestone you hit, so enjoy it.