New Semester - New Challenge

It has been quite a while since I posted here, which means I failed miserable at my goal for 2014. This is not to say I did not have some great topics to post about. While I was out running my mind would be full of great ideas and I could practically write a whole post in my head, the same thing would happen when I'd wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. Unfortunately, in the light of day those ideas would never make it into print. I have not given up, I am going to try harder and plan at least one specific time each week to post.

I love what I do as a Technology Facilitator, and in the past year I have learned and shared so much with my colleagues. Each time I work with a teacher I always walk away feeling that I have learned more than I taught. I also have found that for every new technology I discover, there are 3-4 more that I need to explore. I love how quickly the field of education is evolving with new technology, and learning from colleagues both locally and virtually is exciting and fun for me. The challenge I face every week is how to bring all these great ideas to life in the classrooms. A few months ago I came across this graphic 21 Things Every 21st Century Teacher Should do this Year, it was created by Sean Junkins, and based on an article by Carl Hooker at HookED on INNOVATION.

Looking at my calendar today I realized I have 21 weeks until the end of the school year, (including Spring Break), perfect for challenging myself to completing all the activities on the list. Some of them I know will be easier than others, but my goal is to make a true effort to attempt all 21 activities. Since I do not have my own classroom, I may have to modify some activities to work for me, but I plan to do the majority of them in classrooms of my colleagues. The best part of this challenge is that, as I grow and try new things, the teachers I work with will be growing and trying new things with my support and encouragement, which is what I want to do everyday.

As I review the list I know some activities will be much easier for me to complete than others, and some will take me way out of my comfort zone. The article by Carl Hooker includes great ideas for each activity and I will be referring back to it often. Most of the activities and technologies I am familiar with, and some I have been wanting to try, so this will push me to actually do it.

I know that as excited as I am to get started on this challenge, I will inevitably start procrastinating, and get caught up in deciding where I should start. For me the first step is always the hardest. So I have printed out the list to post on my desk, tape to the front of my agenda book, and post at home near my calendar, I may even make it the lock screen on my iPad. With all the constant reminders, I hope I can stay focused and meet my goal by June 11th. In addition my adventures should give me plenty of new ideas and topics to post about.