2019 In Review!I don't know about you, but I often forget all the great things that happen throughout the year. Luckily, I take pictures at almost all of the events I go to (expect family events... I need to get better at that)! So to start this post, I figured it would be easiest to make a video with all those photos so it would be easier to reflect on everything. If you want to try this, I use the Quik app by GoPro on my phone. It's super easy and FREE! You can find the mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store . This post is all about what was to accomplish this year, even if I didn't plan to. So let's travel back in time and see how it went! 1. 2019 Kick Off! #FETCI'm really sad that I won't be going to FETC2020, but I'll make up for it by going to the conference hosted by Dave Burgess & friends, #dbcPIRATEcon in June (check it out here). It will be EPIC! I've been in education for 23 years, and I've probably gone to FETC at least 15 of those years. It's still the best conference I've been to! Not only is it amazing, they treat their presenters SO well, even paying for their conference tuition. That goes a long way in an industry that doesn't usually have a big budget professional development opportunities! The best part of going to this conference has been the connections I've made over the years. Check out this blog post to find some EDURockStars to follow! 2. #TriCountyCoffeeEDUMy friend Pam Inabinett hosts a monthly CoffeeEDU here in Charleston on a Saturday morning to gather educators from the tri-county area in one place. It's a great opportunity to get to know others in our local area to add some personal value to our #TeachSC chat that Jed Dearybury hosts on Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm EST every week. I'm thankful for Pam's friendship and commitment to help others connect! 3. #BCSDCoachesDeepLearningBerkeley County School District hosts monthly professional development sessions for coaches, including part of the day for Coach Cohorts. I love our time together as a group to learn from each other, but I have especially enjoyed our cohort time together. A small group of coaches from different areas of the county can really help to strengthen our coaching tool kit as well as build relationships. It's so nice to have a group of educators to go to when you need support! 4. Books!I haven't written a book...yet, but I did get to appear in two in the last year! I know it's not much, but I was honored to be included in Tech Request by Emily Davis and Brad Currie (#satchat) and Connect to Lead by my friend Jacie Maslyk (also pictured in the video above at FETC). I couldn't imagine ever having anything to contribute to a book before becoming a connected educator. Now, my goal is to write one myself! As far as reading books, I have to give DBCInc. crediThanks for most of my inspriation! I seriously love their books! Here's a link to all of my book blog posts if you need some ideas for your professional reading list. 5. All Things Shake Up Learning! Kasey Bell and her Shake Up Learning community have been a big part of my life in the last couple of years, but this year was huge! I'm one of the Community Managers for Kasey's Facebook groups, including for her online book studies. If you are reading the book Shake Up Learning, you need to check it out! It's a great way to read the book and connect with others for ideas. You can join the Facebook book study that starts in February 13th and runs through March 19th today! I also had my school bring Kasey to our school for her Dynamic Learning Workshop last October. It was great to have her in town and get the chance to hang out as well! The final treat of the year was getting to be on her podcast to talk about how I use #PottyPD. Here's the post and podcast if you want to check it out. I'm inspired by all that Kasey does for educators and value her friendship! If you aren't already connected with her, don't wait any longer! 6. Presentations!This was one of my goals for 2019...present more! Besides holding Google trainings at my school, I got to present at quite a few conferences (local and national). It's my favorite thing to do in education! My long-term goal is to provide professional development to teachers full time!  7. EdCamp #EDUCoachSCThis was an amazing experience I got to be a part of with my friends Allison Walker and Jen Shuffler! EdCamps can be an amazing PD opportunity and it's FREE! If you want to find an EdCamp by you, check out the organization site. You can also check out our site for our last event, and I'll let y'all know when we hold our next one! We hope you'll connect with us on Twitter. 8. #PD4uandme Twitter ChatsI can't say enough about this community! My friend Teresa Gross created #PD4uandme and asked if Emily Francis and I wanted to help out, because keeping up with a weekly Twitter chat by yourself is not easy! We hold this chat every Saturday (occasional Saturdays off during holidays and such) from 8:30-9:00 am EST. You can see the archives of all our chats in the Wakelet collection below. It's like a #CoffeeEDU on Twitter, so join us this weekend if you want to check it out! Welcome 2020! I apologize for such a long post, but this is what motivates me to do more each year (I hope it inspired someone out there too)! As a classroom teacher for a long time, I never thought this would be what a year would look like. I would love to hear what your stellar year looked like! Connect with me today on Twitter or comment below to keep the conversation going!
~Pam @specialtechie
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Updated Post! Summer 2019 Edition!
What Does It Mean to Be a Google Certified Educator?
Even though you don't need a certificate to use Google tools, it's nice to be recognized for your expertise. Becoming a Google certified educator gives you that "proof" that you know your stuff when it comes to GSuite tools in education! Why would I recommend taking the time to do this?
My Top 3 Reasons for Becoming A Google Certified Educator?
There are lots of reasons to become a Google certified educator. I personally am a "life-long learning geek" when it comes to implementing new tech tools with teachers and students. A bonus, is the certificate and badge you get upon completion of each level of certification. I'm not sure why a badge is so exciting, but I love them (especially as a part of my email signature)!
That being said, here are my main reasons for encouraging others to become certified.
⓵ Learn the most up-to-date information about GSuite tools for educators.
⓶ Professional development at your own pace in your own place. ⓷ Find a network of like minded educators to connect with, and learn from across the globe. What Types of Certifications Are Available?
I'm Convinced! Where Do I Start?
This is where Kasey Bell from Shake Up Learning, comes in! She has the most amazing courses created to help educators prepare for each level of certification. I truly believe, she's the reason why I made it as a Certified Trainer the first time I applied. The courses just opened and enrollment is open until June 4,2019 (Do it now...it only opens twice a year)! Watch below for more information, then click on the Wakelet collection below when you are ready to register!
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I know any of these courses would help you with your goals! Please, connect with me today if you have any questions or concerns about Google Certifications. I'd be happy to help!
~Pam @specialtechie
~Pam @specialtechie
Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Shake Up Learning courses. This means if you sign up for a course through the links above, I will get a small commission for referring you. That’s Kasey’s way of thanking me for letting you know about the courses! She's awesome like that!
Author
I'm an Innovative Learning Coordinator in Berkeley County South Carolina and a Google Certified Trainer.
I have 25 years of experience teaching K-8 special ed., General Ed., and instructional & technology coaching.
Since I enjoy technology more than some, I started this blog for educators who love it too. Thanks for visiting!
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