Technology in Education: Notes from the Closet

  Originally written for ISTE 's official blog , November 2023.  Over the course of my career, I’ve looked for new opportunities to reflect on my practice and learn from other like-minded individuals. I’ve led study groups, conducted action research and obtained (and renewed) National Board Certification. I’ve sought professional development with the same rigor as those experiences. The  ISTE Certification  program was the answer I was looking for. ISTE Certification is an internationally recognized credential in which those in education show mastery of the ISTE Standards for Educators. The devices and tools you use aren’t the center of this professional development; pedagogy is. The rigorous program will deepen reflection on your practice and have you analyzing how (or if) technology fits in. Now that I am officially an  ISTE Certified Educator , here are seven tips that helped me maximize my learning while enrolled in the program. 1. Check your schedule. ...

As the world grows ever more digital there are increasingly spaces we have data that needs to be cared for. Back in 2017 I created a list of digital places I have materials. I try to manage this content by tackling one task a month. See my document below. https://bit.ly/TechCheck2022

This post has been featured on Big Deal Media's blog and led to a follow up for ISTE's blog . I recently got a cactus .  As I sat here looking at it I thought to myself "how am I going to remember to water this thing?"  Luckily it doesn't need water often in the fall/winter months... I decided that I will water it the first new day of each month- making it easy to remember that I had something to do after I flipped the calendar.  That got me thinking- what else should I be doing monthly? I'm good about backing up my MacBook to an external hard drive since I get lovely little reminders (thank you, MacBook). Other tasks I get to when I think about it.  This cactus watering dilemma caused me to put together a schedule of all the things I "get around to" but should do more consistently.  Below is my calendar. Underneath is a bit of an explanation for each activity. What else am I missing? Here's a link to a Google Doc with the content belo...