Get UP Teacher...You Matter!

It’s a Wednesday in February. The alarm rings at 5:30 am. It’s 34 degrees outside, raining, and pitch black. Your body is warm and doesn’t want to wake from its slumber. As you force yourself into consciousness, your mind begins to race. It says things like, “Just 10 more minutes of sleep”, “I’m not sure if I can handle those kids today”, “Do I have the energy to do this?” Yet, you force your feet onto the cold floor, wipe the gunk from your eyes, and head to the bathroom to prepare for another day. Sound familiar?

Some days, it is hard to get out of bed, especially when it is cold, dark, and you have been doing the job with the same kids for half-the school year. It can feel like the same thing day in and day out. The truly great thing about teaching though is we have the opportunity each day to change the ordinary into the extraordinary! We are never stuck if we choose not to be and can make a kid’s day bright, sunny and exciting.

Hopefully what gets you out of bed isn’t the thought of one more day getting through the grind; it is knowing that if you choose to today, you CAN and WILL make a positive impact on a child's life. We need YOU teacher more than ever to get-up and be there for our kids as role models and leaders. In a society where so much negativity dominates the news and social media, we can be that spark that inspires greatness in someone. Never forget the power of your actions and words.

So I challenge you, when you aren’t feeling the most motivated and things are getting stale, it may be time to hit that recharge button. We all need it from time to time. Follow these tips to get yourself back on track to being an AWESOME educator! Your students deserve your best everyday.

1. Keep a folder of positive emails, notes, and cards from students. When you need a reminder of why you do this job, look there first.
2. Listen to educational podcasts or TED Talks on the way to work. Terrific for inspiration and new idea generation. Simple and easy to find.
3. Engage once a week in an educational Twitter chat. Build your PLN and learn from other innovators in your content area.
4. Ask a colleague whom you respect to eat lunch together one day and collaborate on ideas.
5. Read a new book that challenges your thinking.
6. Keep an idea journal. Write in it a few times a week when a great idea pops into your head! Also good for mental health and growth.
7. If feasible, find a conference to attend that interests you. I find going to conferences allows me to re-tool and add to my bag of tricks.
8. LAUGH! It reduces stress, burns calories, and makes you more enjoyable to be around.

*Check out my Donatelli EdZone YouTube Channel for teacher tech and classroom tips to get you ready for each week!

Students Think They Know Tech, But Do They?

It has been my experience from teaching classes that require students to use technology frequently, that they think they know how to do everything with technology, but have a limited skill set. It is our job as educators, no matter what subject we teach, to demonstrate and practice these necessary 21st century skills with students as much as possible when applicable. Having these skills are just as important as being able to solve an algebraic equation in today's workforce.

1. Email: During the first week of school, I show students how to set-up and use their email. Many have never used it before because they communicate via text for almost everything. In the business world, email is still the most preferred way of communication. Students need to understand the importance of giving a subject line, how to compose a professional email and attach documents. I have them during the first week send me an email about their short and long term goals. The email has to be perfectly spelled with an appropriate subject line and attachment. They need to understand that spelling mistakes in an email can be seen by anyone who shares it and can cost them a job!

2. Digital note-taking: Some students really enjoy taking notes by hand, while others if given the opportunity would utilize a program such as Evernote to organize and collect thoughts from a lecture. Showing students the apps and programs that are available for them to take notes through allows them to be exposed to how college students and adults take notes when at a conference or meeting. Taking notes digitally is much easier to organize and save in a safe and secure place! 

3. Organizing digital files and documents: It amazes me when students go to save a document for the first time A: don't know how to save it, B: Where to save it to, and C: What to name it. We use the Cloud (Skydrive) to store all of our files now and students need to be taught where to save them, how to create folders for classes, and what to name them. I had a student last year name all his files by his name. When he went to find his resume, it took forever. The old saying goes" It is better to do it right the first time than waste time doing it again."

4. How to search effectively: Search engines can be complicated if one has never been taught search operators, how to look out for ads and narrow search content. To many students when asked to find something, type the whole sentence into the search box! There is a lot of great info on the web but also a lot of junk. Teaching students how to effectively search is a huge time saver and skill to have.

5. Google Docs: I use Google Docs for almost every team project we do in my classes. Reason: There is no better tool in my opinion to communicate and collaborate with when working on a group assignment. Students love working on a report or presentation where they can see each other doing the work. It is extremely powerful. Not only can students work together at the same time, they can create and share documents that can be accessed from anywhere. No more excuses why the paper didn't get completed! Not to mention it makes my life a lot easier when grading. I love giving comments in Google Docs and allowing them to see and fix them immediately!

Essentially, teaching these skills in our classes will not only better prepare students for the professional working world, it will save you time in your classroom this year. Feel free to comment and add any that I missed. Thanks!

-Rob Donatelli