Voxer Update

I'm still...if not more...in love with Voxer than I was before.

I've started using Voxer for personal and professional uses.

Personal: It's much easier than texting.  I can talk into the "walkie talkie" piece instead of texting.  Which comes in handy when I want to have a brief conversation with my friend as we swap pregnancy stories full of tmi questions.  It's so much easier to share those awkward questions when you know your friend can hear the embarrassment in your voice or you don't have the word to explain what is happening.

It's also very handy for my friends with kids and in different time zones.  Messages can be shared, questions can be asked, and/or stories can be told when you think of it (because clearly that's important for me at the moment - because I can't remember anything past 2 minutes).  Then the Vox that was left can be listened to when the kids go to bed or the next morning and they can be responded to at everyone's convenience.  Often the responses are longer and more personal than the emoji we have time to text.

Professional: Now the professional benefits are really the same.  My partner teacher has kids so when it's bedtime and I have a question about tomorrow's lessons, I can Vox her and I know she'll get back to me as soon as she can.  Another colleague has high school athletes and she is often attending games.  She can't be on the phone during the games, but we can brain storm conference planning or tech night or compare notes on the days events with short voxes back and forth.  It's been an incredible tool when connecting with "strangers" who have become friends from a #TLAP chat who all had an interest in blogging.  We came together to challenge and support each other.  That started last summer and it's still going....but now we push each other in so much more than blogging.  We share ideas to use for conferences, in the classrooms, in extra curriculars, etc.  I'm also part of the #edumatch Voxer group.  This is an incredibly active group and I love listening to the light hearted and the intense conversations about education.  There are constantly questions about podcasts and content and more!  There's so much to gain from this group!!  My final group is the Catholic Ed Chatish group.  As a Catholic school teacher, it's a wonderful little group that shares my unique situation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment here or reach out and Vox me!  

                     
                      via GIPHY

Time...

is one of those things we never have enough of.  I don't care who you are or what you do, there's never enough time to get everything you want accomplished AND still have time to breathe and appreciate all of life's blessings.

My one word this year was breathe.  I need to breathe in order to stay sane and not freak out about the fact that I don't have enough time.  And I'm talking time today and time over the months and time over the year.  Yes, because I'm a BIIIIIIIG picture planner.


My professional life has always been a huge priority for me.  When I stumbled by accident into the ed tech world, it changed education for me.  When I worked closely with an instructional coach or 2, it changed education for me.  Both of these things showed me a professional path that I am exceedingly passionate about.  My ultimate goal in my professional life is to be in a position of influence where I can inspire teachers, get them excited about teaching and their students, understand how to use, and the many benefits of technology in their classroom.  I'm excited just writing that sentence.

GOALS

1. I thought I had found the perfect job at OSU.  I was getting to work with select high school teachers around the state of Ohio and do exactly what I described.  It was perfect!  But it was a grant and short lived.
2. I found myself back in a classroom but working with the teachers at my school to build some technology integration excitement.  I knew that I wanted more though.
3. I want to BE someone in the world of educational technology.  I so admire Tony Vincent, Matt Miller, Alice Keeler, Travis Allen and the iSchool Initiative, Jesse Lubinsky, Todd Nesloney, and Dave Burgess just to name a few!  Now I never want to on their level...but I want to be on my own level...enough to inspire teachers out in the world.  To do that I try to cultivate a presence online...Twitter, Instagram, blogging, etc.

Enterprise Architecture - SDSU Spring '18

4. I thought a great first step is to learn to be more than a coach but to be a true leader at a school.  So I decided to enroll in an MA program for Educational Leadership with a focus on Educational Technology.  Perfect FIT!
5. This year I ended up transitioning from the technology teacher position to a 4th grade teacher position.  I couldn't love it anymore.  However, it does involve a lot of planning and time and energy.  Couple that with the MA program that I'm enrolled in (see #4), and I'm overwhelmed but juggling.

Inspirational Ed Tech Goal + MA student + 4th grade teacher

I love my life.  I don't have time for everything but I surely juggle the best I can.

INSERT SURPRISE

My first week as a 4th grade teacher I found out I was pregnant!  It was definitely a struggle those first weeks figuring out everything I needed to do, working on homework, and being completely exhausted.  However, I have an incredible partner teacher who supported me the entire time (and still is) and an exceptional husband who picked up the slack at home so I could get work done, eat, and sleep...not always in that order.

We are over the moon with this wonderful blessing.  But for me, that means I literally cannot continue to do everything I've been working on.  Clearly, I cannot stop working.  I won't stop my program...I'm almost DONE - August!  But I can't, now or when the baby comes, focus so much of my time on my goal of being someone in Ed Tech.  I will still be on Twitter, I will still engage with my PLN on Voxer, I will still blog.  These things all bring joy to my heart in a professional capacity, but they can't be a priority.

Being a mother has to trump all of these things and more.

I'm writing this post, for me...because 99% of the time my posts are for my own peace to get my own thoughts out of my head and "down" somewhere.  It's therapeutic for me.  However, I'm also writing this post to point out, because while not the exact same circumstances, there are teachers all over the world, struggling to balance everything.

Goldfish Division

To them, I want to say, don't...it will all be there tomorrow.  What is your priority?  What is the most important thing to you?  Focus on that.  Then add the other things but don't burn yourself out trying to do and be everything.  We are only humans, we can't.  If what speaks to your heart is your biggest priority, you will find happiness, even while juggling.

The ISTE Aftermath

*LONG POST*

ISTE 2016 ended last week and my team flew back on Thursday.  With the weekend being the 4th of July AND a long weekend, it's been a bit of a whirlwind.  I haven't had a ton of time to sit back and reflect.  So that's what I'm going to do here.

1) Geek Out Control: I met a couple of ed techs that I follow on Twitter.  Rather than freaking out (memories of Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC come to mind), I thought it was important to articulate why I have and why I will continue to reach out to them.  Who doesn't appreciate a little bit of recognition?  Someone coming up to you and explaining that your content is helpful and appreciated? Well, so that's what I did.  I met Alice Keeler and Matt Miller and just explained that I was changing my position and would be reaching out for their expertise.  I appreciated their willingness to chat and their willingness to connect.  However, and this is a fantastic thing about social media and educators, they are willing to do that for everyone.  I'm not special...but I am a fellow educator.  They'd do it for anyone.  Find someone you can learn from and follow them.

*side note: I wasn't able to get a picture with Matt Miller so I settled for a stalker version lol*

2) New Friends: I tend to stay with my group of friends/people/coworkers.  I get a little uncomfortable meeting new people on my own...really even when I'm with people I know.  However, at ISTE it's part of the experience to meet new people!
Disclaimer: You don't have to meet new people, but it sure feels good to talk and connect with someone in my opinion.
I attended one (sadly - only) #CoffeeEdu chat at a coffee shop at 6am.  It was put on by Alice Keeler and Amazon.  It was really interesting!  There was one lady from Louisiana who was very upbeat and outgoing.  She got the conversation started - I so admire that personality type.  Then we had a couple of participants that weren't educators but more on the Central Office/Sales side of things.  They were asking so many questions about teachers' opinions, buy in, what's important, etc.  It was nice to hear what other educators - teachers or administrators - had to say AND be able to voice ("voice" since I had lost my voice) my own thoughts.

What really touched me was despite the fact that we all had different roles and different experiences that overall we all were able to affirm each other's ideas or add suggestions without being defensive. It was a true learning experience.

I also went to a session about making EdTech Stick.  I sat with a teacher who, like myself, was making a transition into a new role.  She was also a little nervous.  I don't know how it all happened but we ended up chatting and giving each other a bit of advice.  I gave her some advice on how to approach her new role with tech integration and she gave me some overall life advice with my nerves on changing my job and going back into the classroom.  I don't know about her, but it made me feel REALLY valuable and knowledgable and plain ol' good that I could help someone that I had never met before.  I hope she knows that I will remember her and how she was so kind and helpful to me.

3) Old Friends: I came to Denver with my team from OSU and some of the high school teachers that I have worked with over the last 2 years.  I see my team everyday.  We go out and do trivia.  They were invited to my wedding.  We are friends.  The teachers I work with...well...it's a little different.  I don't see them on a daily basis.  We don't socialize outside of work.  It's always been a pretty professional relationship.  ISTE and all the outside activities really helped change that.  I learned a lot about those teachers!  I now feel like I know things about them other than the fact that they are stellar teachers!  I know that one of them loves Biggie to the point where there is one of his songs in the teacher's wedding.  I know that another had a date with royalty from another country...but talked about skiing with the body guard all night. Another one is REALLY picky about her spaghetti - she either has to do it herself or it's probably a pizza night. Another one has the same taste in music that I do...remember the N*SYNC reference...despite the 10 year age difference.  I'm fully envious of the travel that another teacher has planned for this summer. And there is so much more!!  We talked and laughed and had SO MUCH FUN!  I feel like I have so many new friends...but they were always right there.
It was also really good to see some of the presenters that came to OSU.  I was able to catch up with Tony Vincent and chatted with him on his Periscope channel.  Granted, I was still voice less so it was a little embarrassing, but it was good to see him and chat!  Another rock star that I will continue to follow and go to for advice.  I also saw Alan November but he was so deep in conversation that he didn't focus on who was waving to him.  LOL It was kind of funny.

4) Don't Forget: I think this one is pretty self explanatory.  When you're at ISTE it can be overwhelming.  But don't forget that excitement.  Don't forget some of the ideas that you loved and why you loved them.  Don't forget to reach out and ask for ideas or help.  Don't forget the reason you came to ISTE and that it's all about the kids.