EdTechTeam

Global Network of Educational Technologists

Blended Learning

Teacher Organization Hacks: Declutter your Digital Workspace

Raise your hand if your digital workspace could use a good declutter! You find yourself spending 25 minutes searching for that one Doc you need or you can’t even open your inbox because that unread number causes your stress and anxiety to shoot through the roof.

We’re here to help with some tips for managing multiple Google accounts, organizing bookmarks, and taking control of your inbox. Are you ready to go Marie Kondo on your digital workspace? Let’s dive right in!

All of the tips below include G Suite tools and demonstrated inside Google Chrome.

Tip #1: How to Manage Multiple Google Accounts

If you’re like us, then you have multiple Google accounts. You’re constantly signing in and out of your personal or work account, but things get messy this way. Something always gets created under the wrong account making it even harder to find what you’re searching for. Our solution…separate your digital houses. There are two ways to access your Google account: log into your account inside your preferred browser or create a separate Chrome profile for each account. Spoiler alert – option two is the one you want! In the video below, Amanda Taylor is showing you exactly what we mean by “separate your digital houses” and how to switch between your accounts with the click of a button to keep everything separated so you can always find what you’re looking for inside your account.

Tip #2: How to Organize Your Bookmarks

This might seem like a simple tip, but trust us when we say that it’s a game-changer! Go and look at your bookmarks. How many do you have? How often do you actually use what you have saved to your bookmarks? Now, what are those top 6-10 websites you visit every day? Are they bookmarked or do you find yourself typing out the websites in your search box again and again because somehow it just feels easier?

If you’re like the majority of people (even us!) you’re bookmarks are a little out of control. The thing about bookmarks is they can save us so much time if they are used correctly. We’re talking about saving icons to your bookmark bar to take up less space, utilizing folders, and organizing your bookmarks so you can quickly and easily access what you need and use the most. In the video below, Amanda is showing you how to do all of this step-by-step.

Tip #3: How to Take Control of Your Inbox

We’ve saved the best for last…taking control of your inbox. If we had a dime for every time someone said they were excited to open their inbox we would have about 2 dimes. Shocking we know, but most people dread opening their inbox. We want to change that! We want to help you manage your inbox and get you to the point where you maybe aren’t excited to open your inbox, but you don’t feel that overwhelming stress when you see that unread number.

We’re showing you how to remove old emails from your inbox (quickly!), create filters & labels so you can easily search and find what you’re looking for, and how to set up your inbox so it best works for you. Dive into Amanda’s top tips in the video below.

We’ll be tackling Google Drive, Calendar, and Chrome extensions in another post, but for now, we hope you found all of these tips helpful and you can start to declutter your digital workspace. Let us know in the comments below if you’ll be incorporating any of these tips into your daily workflow.

Looking for ways to tried and true techniques, customizable templates, proven protocols, and interactive support to create high-impact learning experiences in your classroom?

Check out our virtual conference – Untamed Learning and get access to 32 sessions to help you ignite your teaching practice in 2021! 

 

Rethinking Summative Assessment: Giving Students Voice and Choice

Think back to an assessment you took in your elementary years.  Do you have it in your mind? If not, that’s the problem that needs to be addressed! The assessments you took were not that memorable; you probably didn’t have a lasting connection and there was absolutely no impact on you as a learner whatsoever. But do you remember maybe a science fair project? A public speech that you made? A birdhouse or table that you made in shop class? A portfolio of photos that your art teacher let you create? Those are the culminating pieces that you remember! So why can’t we do that in a class that [only] allows for traditional assessments? That is what we are going to dive into today. 

Currently, we are in such an opportunistic time in education. It can be difficult with the adversity families, learners, teachers, districts and communities are facing.  Educators are adapting to different learning models – hybrid, remote, hyflex, and back to face-to-face; but with these different learning models, we cannot forget the learner’s voice, choice, and engagement with their learning. Right now, we may have learners that are still engaged and are attending class daily; but we definitely have some learners that are struggling to stay connected to their education due to circumstances that may be outside of their control.  As educators, it is our responsibility to see this disconnection and to do what we can to cultivate that relationship again and empower our learners. 

One way to do that is to ditch that paper-pencil test! Read that again, ditch that paper-pencil test. There are some skeptics to this idea because it contradicts everything they have done as a teacher, and in their time as a student. Just think of the monotony and repetition of learning a new topic, practice that topic, test, repeat. We are in a personalized digital era where learners are increasing their knowledge of technology at a rapid rate, definitely surpassing the teachers’ knowledge. Let’s embrace that!

How can we use technology and tap into our learners’ interests to make assessments more meaningful? How can we empower our learners and build community at the same time? If you’re ready to approach these questions, continue reading!

Tip #1: Ask yourself if you’re ready to give up control and make a change

6 questions to ask yourself to see if you’re ready to give up control to your learners:

  • How do I know what a learner knows when I give them a test or essay prompt?
  • What are the ways a learner has shown me their thinking?
  • What are some ways that a learner can show me their understanding that I haven’t tried yet?
  • What if I gave my students a choice on how they want to be assessed?
  • Will the learning objective change?
  • Is learning the variable and time the constant? Or is learning the constant, and time the variable?

These questions can be uncomfortable to dig into at first for many reasons. It’s natural for people to think of the barriers first.  Your district probably has common assessments that you have to give to your learners for accountability purposes. Those assessments are designed to capture what that learner knows at that very moment on the topic you just covered for the last couple of weeks.

Sometimes your content or district team might tweak the questions from one year to the next. The school district might be switching from a traditional grading system to a standards-based system, or even to a proficiency-based grading system. You have 35 weeks to complete 19 units, so your time is very tight.  These are all very real circumstances and barriers that have made change difficult or assessments inflexible. 

The next tip is going to help you transition from inflexibility to innovation. We will dig into questions that may arise when you consider the idea of giving up control to your learners, and making assessments more meaningful.

Tip #2: Build intentional time to ideate [with your learners]

Once you’ve answered the above questions honestly, your gears may start to turn. I remember when I first answered these questions, I had so many “what if,” “will you,” or “could I” kind of questions. But I realized that I need to involve my learners in these questions if I want to give them voice and choice in the matter.  

Will I provide the options on how I want to assess my learners? I had one or two ways in my mind of how a learner could demonstrate their understanding, I thought they could make a video showing me they could solve a series of math problems that were the toughest in the unit. They could make an infographic on a Google Slide detailing their research, calculations, and linear models on a particular healthy restaurant as a Public Service Announcement. I shared these ideas with my learners, and that’s when the ideas started flowing.

I created a prompt on Padlet, and they all posted their ideas.  Their excitement and awe that they had a choice in the matter was palpable. This is where the real community building and engagement started.  One student loves board games so much she ended up making a chutes and ladders dice game involving simplifying expressions; she glow-forged a piece of wood, produced a bag of game materials, and made the game objective rule sheet, along with other supporting materials. She then filmed herself playing it as a way to prove that she was able to not only create the game but do the math behind it as well. Another student created an iMovie by screencasting his iPad while he narrated a live lesson on solving square root and cube root equations on Notability. These two examples definitely have a math focus, but just think…how could you extend this to Science? Social studies? Art? Music? Literacy? 

7 ways you can assess your learner’s understanding beyond paper and pencil

  • iMovie (video tutorial)
  • Infographic or anchor chart
  • Slideshow lesson notes
  • Board game
  • Spoken Word performance
  • Quizlet
  • Mini-lesson to you or a small group of peers
  • Virtual Tour with Google Maps

Will I develop a rubric or checklist to assess their understanding?

I came from a district that shifted towards standards-based grading, and we had common assessments with a rubric at the top of each test. When we shifted towards proficiency-based, the language changed towards what a student is able to do at that particular grade level, and what are the next steps or supporting steps. So I sat down with my learners and asked them, “What have we covered so far in this unit? What was a struggle for you? What has challenged you? What have you conquered in this unit?” Those are the items that we put into a rubric that we developed together.  With this conversation, I not only asked their opinion, but I involved them in the decision making process. Their voice was heard, acknowledged, and implemented. We are building a community of learners, together! The parts that were on the original rubric of the test were on there, but in a completely different way: applicable and personalized.

How much time will I allow for this?

I wasn’t sure about this one. We were at the end of one unit, and I asked my two classes if they would be interested in doing an alternative summative project rather than a paper-pencil test. You’ll get the students who just want to take a test, and you’ll get the learners who are hesitant, and the kids who absolutely hate tests and will do anything but test. All three categories create wonderful opportunities to dig deeper. You could pose statements or ask questions such as, “tell me more,” “how do you know if you’ve never done it before,” “what’s been your experience with a test [or project]?” 

We decided that in the last week of the unit, we would start to allow class time and encourage time outside of class to start creating their project. At this point, some learners opted out and continued down the traditional path of reviewing and taking the paper-pencil test. However, some students opted in and started to develop their iMovie, board game, memory matching game, etc. Some students only needed 2-3 days, others needed 3 school days and the weekend to complete it. We would provide meeting times throughout the week to check the status of the project and give suggestions.  I can’t tell you how long it should take because every teacher, student, class, content area, school, and district is different.  You have to ask yourself, what’s more important- the test and its results or creating life-long learners who are now committing to their learning out of choice? 

What if this fails?

This is a relative question. How do you define failure? A student doesn’t complete the project on time, if at all? You can give them the test. (This was an agreement I made with the students beforehand.) What if the student doesn’t do well on this project? What a wonderful opportunity to confer with your learner to discuss their process! Teachers can be their own worst critic, but to know that you have tried and continue to try to involve learners in the assessment process, provide meaningful opportunities for them to share their voice and perspective, not to mention their creativity and identity! What if it’s a success because the aforementioned was a byproduct?

Tip #3: Reflect!

Whenever you try something new or add a new layer to your pedagogy, always reflect. If you’re challenging yourself to release control to your learners and make your assessment process more meaningful and applicable to your learners, then why not reflect with them?

  • What was something you appreciated the most about this project?
  • Given more time, what would you add to your project?
  • If you did this again, what would you change?
  • How is this different to you from a traditional test/essay?

You could ask these questions on a Google Form, a Padlet, Jamboard, or even on a virtual call with breakout spaces. You could ask this in a community circle style within your classroom. You could choose to have the learners who opted out of the alternative project to be a part of the discussion in hopes to pique their interest. The opportunities are endless!

When I first started offering alternative assessments, I started with one unit, in one class, with a small group of students who were interested. It then grew to a second class to more students that were interested. I wasn’t quite ready to dive in and release control to too many students. But once I did, I didn’t regret it. They were asking me if their ideas were acceptable, and asking to use their extra work time to work on their project.

When the projects were turned in I conferred with them using the rubric or gave them feedback on the rubric in Google Classroom. Some students really took advantage of this opportunity and blew me away with their creativity. A smaller group of students definitely under performed; this opened up the doors to a great discussion and making next steps. Whether the project was a success or a “failure,” I always counted it as a win because I let go of the control, I invited the learners to own the assessment process, and the intentional time for feedback and conferring was invaluable.

I’ll always remember the following words, time is the variable, and learning is the constant.  When my grad school professor stated those words, it shook me.  If we’re worried about Day 50’s lesson not going into Day 51, we are leaving kids behind.  If we have to give this test to this one kid on this day no matter what, we’re leaving that kid behind.  If you have a student that has a hard time writing their thinking and that’s the only way you’re assessing that student is through writing, you’re leaving that student behind.  Once you start to release control to the learners and what they want, you find yourself doing it more and more. The learning becomes the constant; the learning becomes more meaningful; the learning becomes fun.  The more we lead with this in mind, the deeper your connections and trust will be with your learners, and your learning community will be just that – a community of learners with a shared purpose and sense of responsibility for each other’s learning.

If you have any tips, suggestions, or want to share your experience, please comment below. 

 

Bryn Grosskopf is a secondary math teacher in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Bryn earned her Masters of Education at Carroll University focusing on Personalized Learning and Teacher Leadership. She has worked at the Waukesha STEM Academy for eight years, developing a community of empowered learners and pushing her colleagues to do the same.  Teacher leader, innovator, and a learner-centered educator are just a few ways to describe how Bryn pushes the envelope on implementing personalized learning strategies and creating life-long learners.

How to Create Digital Lessons in Google Slides

Creating lessons in a face-to-face learning environment is challenging enough, but trying to translate lessons to a digital format takes it to a whole new level. So, we’ve called on Emma Pass (the Hybrid Teacher Guru) to walk through a simple workflow you can use to create lessons quickly and easily inside Google Slides. Whether you’re teaching in a remote, blended/hybrid, or in-person learning environment, this lesson system will work for you! Below, Emma is walking you step-by-step through how to use this plug and play system so you can start putting it to use right away. Say goodbye to staying up until 2 a.m. creating lessons! Let’s dive in.

Tip #1: Best Practices for Creating Lessons in Google Slides

In the video below, Emma is showing you a couple of examples of what effective lessons look like in Google Slides. She’s also walking you through the main elements she always includes in a lesson and how to create a new slide deck.

Tip #2: How to Set up Your Slides

You’re probably thinking that there’s nothing new here, but there’s a shortcut in the video below that will save you a ton of time setting up your slides all while still looking nice.

Tip #3: Add in the Learning Target

You always want to make sure you add in the learning target at the very beginning of your lesson. In the video below, Emma shows you how to do this so that your students actually see it.

Tip #4: Always Add a Video (It’s Easier Than you Think!)

Emma always adds a video to all of her lessons to switch up the content and keep students engaged. This might seem intimidating or sound time consuming, but Emma is showing you a quick way to embed videos in your slide deck without leaving Google Slides.

Tip #5: Ask Your Students to Go Do Something

This is the section of the lesson where you can really give your students some voice and choice. Emma is showing you how you can create a choiceboard right in your slide deck and really make the lesson interactive.

Tip #6: Add a “You’re Done!” Slide

Emma always adds a “You’re Done” slide at the end of all her lessons for students to click and turn in their assignment. In the video below, Emma is showing you how she connects this to Google Classroom, but you can use whatever LMS works for you.

Tip #7: Grade Your Lesson in Google Classroom

If you’re using Google Classroom then this whole lesson design system is even easier for you. In the video below, Emma is walking you through how to create a copy of the lesson for each student, keep track of student progress, use rubrics and grade the lesson all in Classroom. Super easy and streamlined workflow to help you save a ton of time!

There you have it! A plug and play lesson design workflow you can use in any type of learning environment. We hope you found this blog post helpful and if you try out this system, leave a comment below and tell us what type of lesson you created.

Also, if you’re looking for more support on Google Classroom, check out our blog post here on how to get set up.

My Teaching Philosophy: A Mindset During Uncertainty

As everything changes all around me, I’ve had time to really reflect on what it means to be a teacher, what it means to me to be a teacher, and finally, what it means to me to be a teacher in the midst of a pandemic. Everything changes every 5 minutes, and you hardly have a chance to catch your breath in the hustle and bustle of trying to figure out how we are going to be able to keep everyone SAFE, let alone LEARNING, amidst a global PANDEMIC. But does that mean that my entire teaching philosophy needs to change to adapt to a new environment?

Being a Teacher

A teacher is… well, a teacher is everything. A teacher can be a friend, someone to talk to, someone who cares for you, someone you learn from, someone who motivates you, or even someone who you despise. A teacher has many definitions far beyond just “to teach”. We are innovators, communicators, hard-workers. We are resilient, we are strong, we are quirky, and we are human. We teach more than just the content, we teach how to become lifelong learners and human beings and productive members of society. We teach children how to be kind, understanding, and to stand up for themselves. We are there through the home-runs and the strike-outs. Most importantly, we care. In some cases, we may be the only ones who do. 

My Teaching Philosophy

At my core, I chose to be a teacher because I love to learn. I know that sounds odd, but think of the things that you learn as a teacher every day! The relationships you build with your students and the things they teach me are more valuable than gold in my eyes. I love my students, and I love to interact with them. They come by in the morning before school starts just to chat and ‘spill the tea’ which apparently means they just gossip and tell me about their lives for 10 minutes straight. I don’t know if they know how important that is to me, but hopefully, if they’re reading this they’ll understand. They teach me so much every day about culture, the world, and give me new perspectives on life. I don’t know how I truly lived before I developed these relationships. My world must have been so small. 

As such, I think that it’s important to me that the learning in my classroom is much more than just the absorbing and regurgitation of information, but a transference of ideas and knowledge that stem from something greater than just mathematics. I like to think that through my silly stories, conversations, and the examples that I set for them, students learn life skills too and more about how to be themselves. I think of myself as a role model for these students. So, I make mistakes – and I recognize and fix them. I do my very best to be balanced and principled, but am unapologetically myself in every instance. My high school math classroom involves so much more than math. Mastery of the course content, of course, is always at the center of every lesson, but there are unspoken principles that I find to be an integral part of the learning environment that I choose every day to put as my priority in the classroom. 

I base everything on these principles. I try to be true to my students and expect them to be true to me. I am HURT when students are dishonest academically, just as they would be if I purposefully taught them incorrect material. I tell them that. I push the necessity to organization and balance and give them the tools to help them remain organized.  I show them that it’s possible by staying organized myself. I don’t use a teacher’s desk, because I don’t like the implication. I simply chose a desk to sit in and engage with students rather than going back to my desk during independent work time. I also have the ‘mega desk’ as a reference to the office, which is just a bunch of extra empty desks that students can come up to if they’re struggling and I provide 1:1 or small group support for them. 

Being a Teacher Today

Things are changing, and fast. Our whole world is changing. In the matter of a week, we were told to figure out how to transfer everything to an online setting, and let’s be honest – we tried, but I know that my connections with students suffered during this time. As we look ahead, most schools are opting to partake in 3 weeks of remote learning, at minimum, at the start of the school year. Everyone is worried that this will affect their relationships with students. That things will change. I hear other instructors express their concerns that this intro will just be a do-over of a difficult end to last year. As they say these things – I implore them to consider – does your teaching philosophy need to change? 

Honestly, I don’t think so. I think you can still be all of the things that you want to be as an online teacher, you just need to take the time and consider what is important to you, and find the tools necessary to incorporate those things into your online classroom. 

  • Do you value communicating with your students and building relationships? Take the time to pre-record some of your lessons as videos that you can release at a later date and use that live zoom session to build those relationships with your students. Find an incredible icebreaker that can help you to get to know them as people. 
  • Do you enjoy movement in the classroom? Encourage students to find things around their house, incorporate scavenger hunts that they can do from home. Teach them extra movements that correspond to things that they are learning and host a chat where you can all participate and move together
  • Do you value student interaction? Incorporate more discussion forums in your online classroom. Most LMS’ have an integrated or built-in discussion platform that allows students to interact. Better yet – encourage group note-taking or collaboration on a group project via dynamic documents.

Note that none of your core principles needs to change. You don’t need to alter your beliefs in order to teach online. Just adapt. Reach out. Learn from others. Or turn on your notifications for this blog as I walk you through my new series – planning for a remote classroom. Until next time, what principles are most important to you in your classroom? Why did you begin to teach?

Kristin Usrey is an alternative certified math teacher working in Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD. Kristin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Technology Management from Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Tarleton State University. After working for SpaceX, she brings the ideals of corporate collaboration, real world connections to mathematics, and effective communication in the classroom. Unafraid of and instead inspired by failure – she loves all things technology, digital innovations, and incorporating new tools into her classroom.

How to use Google Classroom as an Instructional Coach

Google Classroom has become an increasingly popular platform for teachers and educators, especially in the midst of the transition to remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Google Classroom has – up to this point – been regarded as a tool for teachers to work with students, we are reinventing Google Classroom as a tool for instructional coaches. Google Classroom is an all-inclusive tool for coaches to communicate, connect and support their teachers as we continue on this remote learning journey. 

What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom can be thought of as a one-stop-shop for students and teachers. Google Classroom is an easy way to seamlessly integrate all of Google’s G Suite tools used for teaching and learning, especially in remote and asynchronous environments. Some teachers were initially interested in Google Classroom as an organizational system to rid their desks of paper clutter, but this program has proven to be significantly more robust than just being a virtual filing cabinet.

How do Teachers use Google Classroom?

Though teachers first began using Google Classroom as a means to go paperless, this learning tool has gained popularity because of its functionality and ease of use. Teachers most often use Google Classroom to streamline how they manage their classroom resources. From the syllabus to the final exam, teachers can store all their lesson content, assignments, and additional resources all in one place for students. Because Google Classroom integrates with other G Suite tools, there are several benefits to using this platform. For example, when assignments are posted in Google Classroom, the Calendar app recognizes the due date of that assignment and will automatically post the assignment to the calendar as a reminder for students to easily keep track of when their work is due.

Teachers also love the ability to digitally organize, distribute, and collect assignments or other course materials via Google Classroom. Teachers can easily post the same assignment to multiple classes at the same time, or assign something to individual students that require differentiation or additional support. Any assignment or material posted to Google Classroom can be reposted to future classes, which saves teachers from reinventing the wheel each year.

Google Classroom also allows teachers to communicate with students via announcements and discussion boards, which can help keep students organized and on track. Teachers can set various permissions that allow students to comment on announcements or simply view them depending on the needs of the class. Parents can also receive notifications from Google Classroom about what assignments have been posted and what assignments their student may be missing, which helps to support an open line of communication for all stakeholders.

How can Instructional Coaches use Google Classroom?

Tip #1: Organization

Though Google Classroom is typically considered a one-stop-shop for teachers and students, it can be a great resource for instructional coaches as well. When I first began coaching, I had resources all over the place and my solution to that was to print everything out and make a binder that I could share with the teachers I was coaching. While the binder was a great way to keep everything in one place, those resources were only accessible when the binder was in my possession. If I wanted to look up a resource at home or refer back to meeting notes, I was unable to do so without the binder. Another downside to the paper binder was that when things changed, as they always do in education, those resources became outdated and unusable.

As an instructional coach, Google Classroom can replace your paper-based organizational system, for a more complete resource hub. Google Classroom can house all the materials, announcements, videos, and resources you want to share with your teachers. You can make a different classroom for each teacher you are coaching, or one classroom for everyone which would allow teachers to collaborate with each other as well. Regardless of which method you choose, Google Classroom will help instructional coaches organize all of their coaching materials for teachers. Even better – these classrooms remain active and available for teachers long after the coaching cycle ends. Teachers do not need to fear that resources will go away once the cycle ends, and can refer back to their meeting notes, videos, or discussions at any point throughout the year.

Tip #2: Announcements & Communication

As an instructional coach, there are often times you find a cool new tool or think of new ways to implement instructional strategies, but you’ve already had your meetings with teachers for the week. Usually, I would send an email to the teacher with my findings, but if you’ve ever seen a teacher’s inbox, you know it is very likely that those emails go unread or get buried somewhere. Google Classroom would allow you as an instructional coach to post announcements for teachers that would draw attention to whatever resources you are sharing at that time. These announcements also help teachers keep coaching related materials together, instead of having a folder in their email in addition to a folder on their drive, and then some random papers printed out too.

Announcements would also be a good way for coaches to send reminders to teachers about when you are facilitating coaching meetings, campus training, and other professional development opportunities. Announcements, especially in collective classes, could be used to highlight and celebrate the awesome things teachers are doing in their classrooms as well.

Tip #3: Giving and Collecting Feedback

Similarly to the ways in which teachers provide and collect feedback from students, instructional coaches can use Google Classroom to provide and collect feedback from teachers. Maybe you want a teacher to try a new strategy in their classroom, Google Classroom would allow you to create an assignment for that teacher to remind them of the task that needs to be completed. You could ask teachers to reflect on a particular lesson or activity using discussion boards or even assign a coaching survey through Google Forms to collect data about the coaching cycle. Using assignments and discussions within Google Classroom allows the teacher to tangibly keep track of and complete tasks while also providing the coach with opportunities to provide feedback. Just Google Classroom allows teachers and students to communicate asynchronously, Google Classroom can provide the same opportunities to teachers and coaches.

Tip #4: Scheduling

Another benefit to using Google Classroom as a coaching tool is the integration of other G Suite products like Google Calendar. Coaches can create a collaborative calendar with the teachers they are supporting and schedule things like meeting reminders or tasks that need to be accomplished. Oftentimes coaches need teachers to answer some questions, reflect on their lesson or prepare a challenge to be discussed – all of which can be posted in the Classroom as ungraded assignments so they will show up on the teacher’s calendar as to-do items. This can help teachers keep track of their participation in coaching, as well as where they currently are in their coaching cycle.

Google Classroom has long proven itself to be an impactful tool for teachers to use in their classrooms, but now has an opportunity to serve instructional coaches as well. Google Classroom is an easily accessible, intuitive tool to facilitate continuous communication and support between instructional coaches and teachers despite challenges of time and physical space.

Megan Purcell is a Digital Learning Specialist and Certified Dynamic Learning Project coach in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD located in Carrollton, TX. She enjoys working with teachers to help them elevate their teaching through the use of impactful technology tools and strategies. Megan holds a masters degree in Educational Technology, which she earned overseas at the National University of Ireland in Galway, in addition to being a certified Microsoft Innovative Educator and Apple Teacher. She is a former high school English teacher who loves learning, technology, and helping make life easier for her teachers. She believes that every student should have access to current technology in order to develop 21st century skills necessary for participating in a global society.