Happy Sunday, friends! I’m entering the third week of my summer vacation, and my daughters are already starting to argue, whine, and complain that we haven’t done anything “fun.” We’ve been to see the new Aladdin (two thumbs WAY WAY up!), been to the park, our hometown fair, won three goldfish (one is still living!), been to the library, and made multiple trips to Panera. We’re doing all sorts of fun this summer! We’ll be making a trip to Branson soon and to Philadelphia for ISTE at the end of the month – will I see you there?! Speaking of summer fun – let me tell you about the Illuminate Summer Learning Series – a fun way to spend your days this summer!

I got the idea for the Illuminate Summer Learning Series a few months ago, honestly probably in January of this year. As I present at conferences and schools around the country, I’ve had teachers ask if I have any online courses or webinars. My response has always been, “I don’t, but that’s a great idea!”

Now that I’ve had a second or two to myself (I’m not exaggerating, friends!) I’ve decided to launch a series of mini-courses that teachers can complete “on-demand.” While we all know that teachers don’t really get the summers off, it is nicer, at least in my experience, to be able to “go” at a slower pace than I do during the school year. Here’s how the courses work:

1. You register (and pay) for a course
2. I send you a code for our Google Classroom section
3. I post instructional videos, learning tasks, and opportunities for reflection/collaboration on Sunday for you to complete by Saturday of that week
4. You spend as much time or as little time as you want on the modules each day during that week
5. You get a certificate of completion at the end of the course

That’s it! My first round of classes starts on June 9! I’m so excited to work with teachers around the US as we discuss the awesome features of Nearpod, Top Tech Tools for the Classroom, and the amazing tool that is Google Chrome.

Are you interested in joining the fun? Registration closed on May 31, but I’m re-opening the form through June 6 at 11:59 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity! Click here to learn more about the courses I’m offering!

I hope to work with you this summer!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Happy Wednesday, friends! I’m writing to you today from the comfort of my desk chair in my basement office at HOME! That’s right – we’re out! My last day was last Friday and I’ve been sleeping late, taking naps, wearing shorts, and hanging out with my daughters. I’m also drinking coffee, but that’s no different than any other day of the year 😉 We’re getting ready to head to the library now, but before we do I wanted to celebrate something with you — the birthday of Illuminate!

Yes! Today is the one year anniversary of the launching of my first book, Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning. Notice how I said “first book?” More on that later 😀 I cannot believe that it’s been an entire year since my book was released! I’ve loved participating in book studies, Twitter chats, and meeting so many of you who have read Illuminate – it’s been such a great year!

To celebrate the birthday of Illuminate, I would LOVE to see pictures of you with your copy of Illuminate, your reviews on Goodreads or Amazon, or tagging a friend in a post to let them know they need a copy!

Do any of these things today, tag me in your post, and I’ll send you some swag!

Thanks again for your support of my blog and my book! You’re awesome!

Hey, all! Happy Friday to you and happy first day of Easter Break to me! I am READY for a break – I’m sure you know exactly how I feel. It’s the end of the year, teachers and students alike seem to be hitting a brick wall and motivation can be lacking. Do you need something to light a fire in you to end the year with enthusiasm and energy? Illuminate is the book for you! Here are my top three reasons that teachers should read Illuminate before the end of the school year:

1. Motivation (XP, Take What You Need)
Oh yes, motivation. That thing that helps people push forward toward a goal – I remember that! It’s no secret that motivation can wane quite a bit toward the end of a semester, especially when we’re nearing the end of the second semester of a school year. Summer is getting closer and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter! A few years ago, I learned about the concept of gamification of learning at a conference and immediately thought, “this seems like a lot of extra work.” I fell into the same motivation slump that my students were experiencing – teacher facepalm moment. When I finally jumped into the gamification pool, the results were awesome! Students love earning XP for completing assignments, “bonus missions,” and winning games. During 4th quarter, I find myself “throwing XP around like confetti” to help give my students that extra boost of encouragement. Check out Chapter 8 of Illuminate for a guide to getting started with XP and gamification!

2. Virtual Field Trips (Google Earth, Nearpod)
My students LOVE going on virtual field trips. Heck, I LOVE going on virtual field trips! Really, though … who doesn’t?! It’s fun, educational, and super engaging for students at all grade levels. As a high school Social Studies teacher, we use virtual field trips almost daily to connect with places, people, and concepts we’re learning about. Are you discussing the branches of government? Check out the White House, Supreme Court building, and the Capitol building! Learning about French monarchies? Tour the Palace of Versailles! The possibilities are endless and the result is an engaging component to your lesson, using technology. Interested in learning more about taking your students on virtual tours, but also helping them create their own virtual reality? You’ll love Chapter 2 of Illuminate!

3. Demonstrate Learning with Memes (IMG Flip, Google Drawings)
Memes … they’re EVERYWHERE! We see them, and so do our students. When we can connect pop culture with class content, student engagement can go through the roof! As a year-end activity, my Government students create memes that describe concepts they’ve learned in class. I preface the activity with this: “pretend that you’ve just met someone who only speaks ‘meme’ and you must explain the concept of ________ to them using a meme.” The products that my students create are fantastic! Definitely check out Chapter 3 of Illuminate for more tips on using memes in your classroom, but also how to encourage your students to create representations of what they’ve learned!

Have you read Illuminate, yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading 🙂