I think one of my favorite more recent developments in education is the fact that professional development doesn't have to be expensive. I recently discovered OTIS for Educators--an online professional development platform with hundreds of EdTech PD courses that can earn you PD credits to put towards your licensure renewal or district requirements. The best … Continue reading Quick Tips in Elementary EdTech
In the summer of 2017, I started my Teachers Pay Teachers seller account. Fun fact about me--I minored in graphic design in college. And while my first few resources may not fully reflect that, I enjoyed creating resources for my own classroom. I had nothing to lose with a free TPT account, and my goal … Continue reading Teachers Pay Teachers 101: Selling on the Side
I think a lot of you out there can feel me when I say this past year was the year of frantically searching for (hopefully free) digital resources for both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Naturally I discovered my absolute favorite free resource in May. Allow me to hook you real quick: I discovered a free … Continue reading Elevating Instruction with Lumio by SMART
Overworking ourselves has become normalized, but it is not needed. As a first year teacher, I heard the whispers about teachers who walked in and walked out at contract time. I saw teachers stroll out the doors with tote bags full of ungraded papers. Today, I see teachers framed as martyrs on television as they … Continue reading Implementing Self-Care and Boundaries as a Teacher
When most people think of virtual learning, it's not uncommon for images of boredom to come to mind. As educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, we're being thrust into the world of e-learning headfirst. It's a daunting world that may seem so different than in-person instruction for a lot of us, but I promise quality connections … Continue reading Building Relationships in the Virtual Classroom
Distance learning throws us a million curveballs a day, but having to find new resources shouldn't be one of them. Did you know you can use WORKSHEETS you already have? Making a PDF into an editable Google file is extremely easy. Step 1: Go to a free PDF converter. I like using this one (it's … Continue reading HOW TO: Make Any PDF an Editable Google Classroom Assessment
I wrote about the beginning Smilelove process here and my first impressions through Week 1. If you want details on the impression process, check out that blog. But Y'ALL, I am completely done with my invisible aligner process, and I think the before and after photos speak for themselves. I'm here to detail my honest … Continue reading My Complete Smilelove Journey
