Who are you cheering for?

PETE&C 2016 was filled with cheering. 

Educators were cheering for keynote speakers, presenters, and also for one another. People were sharing ideas and were genuinely interested in what they could learn from the people in the room. 
George Corous led an activity that had everyone cheering for each other in a matter of minutes. 

All of this made me think how great it
would it be to have this type of energy and cheering going on in our schools.

We want ALL students to be successful and experience the best possible learning environment, but in order for this to happen we need to view our colleagues as part of our team. We need to cheer when the teacher next door is successful and we need to offer support when it is needed. We want our students to seek out resources, but are we? Are we using each other to ensure our students have the best possible experience?  

 Our students are too important and our time with them is too valuable to let our egos get in the way. We need to continue to cheer for our students, but we also need to cheer for each other. 

Digital Learning Day

Digital Learning Day is on February 17th. 

Educators and students around the world will be celebrating how instruction can be enhanced through the use of technology. On Digital Learning Day and every other day, it is important to remember that the learning comes first. We must first understand what it is that we want our students to be able to do. Then we can think about ways to add creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking to our learning. What will you try on the 17th? It can be a day to try something for the first time. A day to share out the incredible things going on in your classroom. A day to make connections with new people. 

If we want our students to take risks and think outside the box, we must be willing to do this ourselves. 

Please share what is going on in your classroom using the hashtags #DLDay and #Bermbuzz. 

Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• Pair up with another class and show them a new tool you have been using
• Sign up for Twitter
• Create a podcast or movie 
• Spark curiosity using Wonderopolis or Curiousity.com
• Start a grade-wide Kahoot game
• Share a project you have been working on
• Use Glogster to create a multimedia poster
• Connect with one new person on Twitter
• Start a class blog
• Skype with another class or a field expert or play Mystery Skype
• Create a Padlet wall to share learning and collaborate with other students
• Explore the world playing GeoGuesser