Friday, November 30, 2018
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Searching for a new path...
Hi Everyone
I apologize for my lack of blogging. My life turned upside down with the sudden death of my Mother in February 2018. All of my blogging was done on Facebook and Caring Bridge for the last year.
I wanted to take a second and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers through what was undoubtedly one of the most difficult times in my life!
Life is interesting, there are always so many twists and turns. I chose to share publicly versus go through everything in private. Some of my relatives didn't understand my need to share and hear from my "digital" friends. The funny thing is that my "digital" friends and family really helped me through everything. I believe that every little prayer and positive thought fueled our family. I would read the posts to my Mom and she would smile and take it all in, especially the stories, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My hopes and dreams for the last 2 years were completely wrapped up in my Mom, making memories, fighting the big "C" and surviving. Now she is gone and I am struggling. She was my best friend, my mentor, my cheerleader and my biggest fan. Every time I had a crisis of faith, or didn't think I was good enough, I would walk away from my Mom believing I could do anything!
I recently read the "Wisdom of Walt" by Jeffrey Barnes, and yes it was a book about Disney, but it was more taking life leadership lessons from everything Disney did and said. The one major piece I took away is that you need to share your ideas, no matter how big, no matter how small. Walt dreamed up the idea of Disneyland while sitting on a park bench, if he had never shared his dream, it would have died on the park bench. Where do your great ideas go? I know that personally, I have left some on the "park bench" somewhere. I need to rediscover my dreams. I need to figure out a new path to forge. I need to step out of my comfort zone. I am not exactly sure what that looks like right now, but I know it needs to happen. I need to feed my soul and I need to learn and experience new things. I need to learn to dream again.
I have given myself 3 goals to try and jumpstart my thinking.
1) I will blog and tweet more often. I will believe that someone is interested in what I have to say.
2) I will get back into the regular habit of reading blogs. Feel free to suggest some I should be following.
3) I will try not to "get lost" in my loss but use that energy to move forward. (This is probably the most difficult goal for me)
Today I will leave you with a #booksnap I created from the "Wisdom of Walt".
I apologize for my lack of blogging. My life turned upside down with the sudden death of my Mother in February 2018. All of my blogging was done on Facebook and Caring Bridge for the last year.
I wanted to take a second and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers through what was undoubtedly one of the most difficult times in my life!
My hopes and dreams for the last 2 years were completely wrapped up in my Mom, making memories, fighting the big "C" and surviving. Now she is gone and I am struggling. She was my best friend, my mentor, my cheerleader and my biggest fan. Every time I had a crisis of faith, or didn't think I was good enough, I would walk away from my Mom believing I could do anything!
I recently read the "Wisdom of Walt" by Jeffrey Barnes, and yes it was a book about Disney, but it was more taking life leadership lessons from everything Disney did and said. The one major piece I took away is that you need to share your ideas, no matter how big, no matter how small. Walt dreamed up the idea of Disneyland while sitting on a park bench, if he had never shared his dream, it would have died on the park bench. Where do your great ideas go? I know that personally, I have left some on the "park bench" somewhere. I need to rediscover my dreams. I need to figure out a new path to forge. I need to step out of my comfort zone. I am not exactly sure what that looks like right now, but I know it needs to happen. I need to feed my soul and I need to learn and experience new things. I need to learn to dream again.
I have given myself 3 goals to try and jumpstart my thinking.
1) I will blog and tweet more often. I will believe that someone is interested in what I have to say.
2) I will get back into the regular habit of reading blogs. Feel free to suggest some I should be following.
3) I will try not to "get lost" in my loss but use that energy to move forward. (This is probably the most difficult goal for me)
Today I will leave you with a #booksnap I created from the "Wisdom of Walt".
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Excellent Extensions - What are they, where do I find them and how do I install them?
I have really gotten excited about Chrome Extensions lately and wanted to share. Chrome Extensions are small micro-programs that enable your Chrome browser to do things that a web browser normally can't do. I LOVE extensions!
For me Extensions make working in a Chrome browser easier and a no-brainer. I am also a heavy Google user, so the Google Chrome browser just makes sense. I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite Extensions, where to find them and how to install them.
First of all, in order to find Chrome Extensions you must go to the Chrome Web Store. The easiest way to get there is to google "Chrome Web Store". Once in the store on the left hand side choose Extensions (not Apps). Search for an Extension and click on "Add to Chrome". Once installed the Extension appears in top of your window next to your Omnibar or URL address bar (where you type the websites in). Here is a quick video demonstrating how to install an extension.
For me Extensions make working in a Chrome browser easier and a no-brainer. I am also a heavy Google user, so the Google Chrome browser just makes sense. I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite Extensions, where to find them and how to install them.
First of all, in order to find Chrome Extensions you must go to the Chrome Web Store. The easiest way to get there is to google "Chrome Web Store". Once in the store on the left hand side choose Extensions (not Apps). Search for an Extension and click on "Add to Chrome". Once installed the Extension appears in top of your window next to your Omnibar or URL address bar (where you type the websites in). Here is a quick video demonstrating how to install an extension.
Some of my favorite teacher productivity Chrome Extensions are:
- Tab Snooze - Allows you to "snooze" tabs until you are ready to use them
- Goo.gl Shortener - Lets you shorten URL and it is the easiest way to create QR Codes ever!
- Extensity - A manager to allow you turn on and off extensions easily
- Screencastify - A VERY simple way to do screen recordings and save them to Google Drive
- CraftyText - Created by a teacher for teachers. Lets you enlarge the text of anything typed
- Clipboard History 2 - Save your entire clipboard history
If you have some favorites please share below, if you explore and "discover" some new ones, please share below. Together we all learn more!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Censorship...my first big girl blog post
Today I was the victim of censorship and I can't tell you how angry that made me. Maybe I am over reacting, maybe censorship is too strong a word, I don't know, but it is how I feel. I hemmed and hawed about posting this at all but through some strong FB support, I decided to take the plunge and share.
I joined a G+ community that will remain nameless that centered on Googley Stuff. I joined the community and was approved. I posted a question asking about Pear Deck.
For those who don't know, Pear Deck is an awesome presentation tool that works hand in hand with G Suite (new name for GAFE) , Chromebooks and is web based. You create within G Suite and all of your work is saved in G Suite. Here is my post:
My post went into moderation because I am a new member of this group, a practice which is perfectly within the bounds of the community manager and not something that I think is problematic. As a matter of fact I think it is smart, it is a good way to weed out the spammers.
We have had a few conversations, back and forth, the first response was "This community is about G Suite." I responded that I understood that and that Pear Deck is a tool utilized solely through G Suite and I apologized for going against the policy. This was the response:
"It's not about 'policy' -- it's about a post that isn't clear. I would bet most readers have no idea what Pear Deck is, or that it works with G Suite. Further, the post doesn't share or even ask anything with regards to G Suite -- it's wording seeks collaboration with other Pear Deck users -- clearly nothing to do with Googley Education Stuff
I was angered and confused and saddened by this response. Isn't Google in Education all about collaboration? Don't we, as a community, pride ourselves on sharing and helping each other out? My post is clearly not spreading spam or anything inappropriate. Shouldn't members of the community have the right to learn by asking if they don't know or just ignoring the post if they have nothing to contribute? I learn the most in communities when people post questions or ask how to do something that I clueless about. I then start searching for the answers and following the post to learn more. I am angered that this particular community has a leader that won't allow them the opportunity to learn simply because I don't fit into the boxes they created. They could have asked me to explain what Pear Deck is instead of censoring my question.
I truly hope that this community manager takes my response into consideration and allows my post to be public,
I have a lot to share and even more to learn but apparently I won't be doing it in this particular community, which makes me sad. There was a whole new set of people to meet and collaborate with but now that won't happen.
This experience makes me wonder, how often do we do this to students without meaning to? When students turn in their written work and it doesn't quite follow the assignment and we ask them to edit and try again, aren't we in fact censoring students from sharing their thoughts? I don't know how I feel about that after my experience.
I joined a G+ community that will remain nameless that centered on Googley Stuff. I joined the community and was approved. I posted a question asking about Pear Deck.
For those who don't know, Pear Deck is an awesome presentation tool that works hand in hand with G Suite (new name for GAFE) , Chromebooks and is web based. You create within G Suite and all of your work is saved in G Suite. Here is my post:
Working with a district on Pear Deck, I have limited experience. Does anyone have any decks they would be willing to share for the basics, training and or amazing samples ?
My post went into moderation because I am a new member of this group, a practice which is perfectly within the bounds of the community manager and not something that I think is problematic. As a matter of fact I think it is smart, it is a good way to weed out the spammers.
We have had a few conversations, back and forth, the first response was "This community is about G Suite." I responded that I understood that and that Pear Deck is a tool utilized solely through G Suite and I apologized for going against the policy. This was the response:
"It's not about 'policy' -- it's about a post that isn't clear. I would bet most readers have no idea what Pear Deck is, or that it works with G Suite. Further, the post doesn't share or even ask anything with regards to G Suite -- it's wording seeks collaboration with other Pear Deck users -- clearly nothing to do with Googley Education Stuff
I was angered and confused and saddened by this response. Isn't Google in Education all about collaboration? Don't we, as a community, pride ourselves on sharing and helping each other out? My post is clearly not spreading spam or anything inappropriate. Shouldn't members of the community have the right to learn by asking if they don't know or just ignoring the post if they have nothing to contribute? I learn the most in communities when people post questions or ask how to do something that I clueless about. I then start searching for the answers and following the post to learn more. I am angered that this particular community has a leader that won't allow them the opportunity to learn simply because I don't fit into the boxes they created. They could have asked me to explain what Pear Deck is instead of censoring my question.
I truly hope that this community manager takes my response into consideration and allows my post to be public,
I have a lot to share and even more to learn but apparently I won't be doing it in this particular community, which makes me sad. There was a whole new set of people to meet and collaborate with but now that won't happen.
This experience makes me wonder, how often do we do this to students without meaning to? When students turn in their written work and it doesn't quite follow the assignment and we ask them to edit and try again, aren't we in fact censoring students from sharing their thoughts? I don't know how I feel about that after my experience.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
People often ask me ”How do you keep up with all of the changes in technology?”. This is a great question. I had to really think about it. It comes down to a many things.
I am a geek. Tech isn’t just my job, it is also my hobby.
- Most of my network is related to tech in education
- Twitter
- Blogs
- Google+ Communities
- Facebook
- Glide
1) This is self explanatory. I am a geek. I love technology. I love trying new things. I explore and play as my hobby and my life.
2) I have purposely set up my network to be mostly focused on my professional life not my personal.
3) I joined Twitter in 2007 and it has become one of my top go-top resources. I am @atruger on Twitter, follow me and check out my friends list. Follow almost anyone on my list and you will get tons of resources on a daily bases. Twitter is my professional development drive thru. I jump online and scan for new resources. I can spend hours on Twitter and I always learn something new.
4) The idea of blogging has been around for a long time but it is still one of the best ways to stay in touch with what is happening in the “real” world of education and technology. Here is a list of my favorite blogs:
5) Google+ Communities are filled with people just like you who just want to keep up with the changes. Join the Communities that match your needs. There are many to choose from. Find an active community and join.
Google Apps for Education - another one
6) I was very conflicted in the beginning. I tried to keep Facebook just for personal and family use but very quickly I realized that FB was just as valuable a resource for me as Twitter! This was because it was a n easy place to connect for people who didn’t use Twitter. I belong to several extremely active groups on FB, some private and others public.
7) Glide is an ios and android app that allows you to video chat. Basically you leave messages back and forth. You can add images, videos, and URLs. I have belonged to the same Glide group for 2 years with some of the most amazing educators I have ever known, “The Glidiators”. Glide will only be as powerful as your glide groups. We have the most intense conversations and also the most silly. I always learn something new or gain a new way of thinking about things. 
Image from http://www.visualscribing.com/
I guess shortest answer I can give people about how I keep up with all the changes, is that I make it a priority to never stop learning and to surround myself with people who have the same priorities.
How do you keep up with all of the changes?
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Community Families
Let’s get down to business! School is in full swing now and I am starting to get into this regular writing idea. There are so many people that I draw inspiration from, my former Waukegan Lighthouse Lead Learners, my Discovery Education family, my ISTE friends, my Googley friends and of course my own amazing family. I am the educator that I am today due to all of these experiences, so I wanted to take a moment and tell you how to get involved with some of these incredible life changing groups.
- Discovery Education - If your school uses any Discovery Ed paid products then you ARE already a DEN member. Now if you jump through just a few hoops, you can become a DEN STAR! Once you become a DEN STAR a whole new world of professional learning opportunities become available for you to participate in, including the DEN Summer Institute. I could write a book on how much I learned during each institute! If your school is not a Discovery school there are still incredible learning opportunities like virtual field trips, new instructional strategies, and a variety of other resources under Teacher >> Free Resources . The DEN Community is like none other that I have been a part of. Thanks for the last 10 years Discovery Education!
- My Google community is huge! I was lucky enough to be in one the earlier Google Certified Teacher Academies Chicago 2008. These academies are now called Google Certified Innovator Academies. They open up randomly throughout the year and in all different locations. This is another great opportunity to below to an amazing group of educators. If the GCI doesn’t interest you, another group to connect with is the Google Certified Trainers. This is a group whose ranks I hope to join soon. Check out the brand “new” requirements to be a trainer. It is a great educational experience and I learned so much! Excellent resources and wonderful educators to connect and learn with!
My point is, that you are not alone! There are so many educator and educator communities out there for you to join and connect with! I hope some of my readers can add their favorites in the comments. Find a group, join and participate. You will be amazed at how much your professional and personal mindset will grow.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
My favorite teacher and why
At the start of every year, I like to think about what type of educator I want to be. When I think of the perfect teacher, I think of Char Manchen, my beautiful, rambunctious music teacher from 3rd-8th at Ascension in Oak Park. She was the first teacher to really make a difference in my life and show me the kind of teacher I wanted to be. She made me feel special, like I mattered, during a very difficult time in my life. I will never forget her frizzy red hair, her infectious smile and the wire rimmed glasses she would peer over when you earned her 'look". She was a sassy small bit of a woman who could knock the biggest bully down a peg. I loved this woman!
Are you the type of teacher that kids talk about (in a good way) when they leave your classroom? Do you stand up for the quiet, shy and insecure kids who just can’t stand up for themselves yet? I hope so. This is the type of teacher I always strive to be. This is the type of teacher I want for my own kids.
Ms. Manchen was crazy funny and never took herself too seriously. Her class was the one where you never knew what would happen next. Once when the “boys” were causing problems in the back of the room and not paying attention...she did a quick handstand on the floor. It happened so quickly that the boys who weren’t paying attention missed the whole thing. We were all sworn to secrecy and couldn’t tell. It was awesome!
What will you do to set yourself apart from everyone else? Several people are making videos, which is awesome, but what’s next? How do you keep the momentum going? I love the Fish Philosophy and think it fits really well in school.
- Be There
- Play
- Make their Day
- Choose your Attitude
I think by following these 4 rules, we can all be amazing teachers like Ms. Manchen was and I always strive to be. How can you “Be There” for your students? How will you “play” today? What can you say or do that will “make their day”? What “attitude” will you choose today?
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