So what do you do?

When people ask me what I do for a living, I don't always know what to say.

I can give the easy answer: "I'm a teacher."

But since stepping out of the classroom almost two years ago, I'm not the same kind of teacher that I was for the 14 years before. I don't have a classroom of students, I don't grade papers, I don't give homework.

I can also give the more complicated answer: "I'm an Instructional Technology Coach."

And then there are crickets and then the inevitable question, "So uhhh... what's a Technology Coach?"

Haha! Not so easy to define! It's a relatively new idea in schools, and different schools and districts have vastly different definitions of the position. 

My ultimate purpose is to support teachers and students with ways to use technology to enhance teaching and learning.

On any given day, I can wear one of a thousand hats. 

Some days, I deliver formal professional development workshops to large or small groups of teachers. Some days I work in classrooms, modeling or co-teaching lessons that infuse technology into learning. Some days, I make screencasts to share new ideas or walk people through their problems. Some days, I deliver ink for printers.

Some days, I take digital pictures with Kindergarteners. 

Some days, I help Middle School students create websites in order to publish and share their research and learning. 

Some days I help principals bring their pesky administrative tasks into the current century. 

Some days, I have coffee dates and lunch dates, just to chat and build relationships with teachers. The more I know about the teachers, the better I can understand where they are at, and therefore, what their needs are. 

Some days, I go to meetings. I meet with district leadership to discuss where we are and where we need to go. I attend meetings at local county offices to keep informed and updated about funding, resources, and testing. I also meet with other Tech Coaches to network and share ideas and best practices. 

Some days, I travel. I attend conferences, probably more than the average teacher. In this position, it's important to keep yourself informed and relevant. And for the same purpose, some days I just stay in my office and peruse Twitter. I read articles and blogs and research new web based tools. And I absolutely love that I have administrators who understand and value the power of social media as my own professional development. 

So what do I do for a living? Day to day, it can be a bit of a challenge to define. But one thing is for certain; each and every day, I strive to improve education.

Eeek! First Public Screencast: Creating an Assignment in Google Classrom

In my role as a district Instructional Technology Coach, earlier this year I started making screencasts to share as a part of my weekly "Tech Tuesday Tech Tips" for our 120ish teachers.

I usually send them out via email, just within our district. I'm taking a bold step today though, and publishing this publicly!!!

I've always hesitated sharing before; I question if I am thorough enough, if I sound like an airhead, or if what I have to say would be useful outside of my tiny little bubble. Also, there have been times when I've found myself recording and re-recording and re-recording, just being hypercritical of myself.

I'm letting all of that go though!

So, here it is: I’ve made a short video that reviews the steps of how to create an assignment in Google Classroom.

If you haven't tried it yet, Google Classroom is a great way to “package” your electronic resources and share them with your students. Also, it’s a useful way to organize and collect paperless student work.