Adventures in Education

      One of my goals for the summer is to become a Google Certified Educator.  After attending a Google in Education Summit, I knew that I wanted to get my certification.  I decided that it would be best to wait until summer so that I could focus on preparing and taking the tests.      At first, I felt the urge to put it all off because I was nervous about not passing.  Finally, I settled in and did the prep work by going through the lessons.  I used what I know about how I learn to help me prepare.  I put in the time, but I still had to talk myself into just getting started on the test.  I found a comfy spot, took a deep breath, and started.  I had to remind myself to do the things we always tell the kids: slow down, read carefully, don't worry about the time, answer those you know first, and then go back to those you need more time to answer.       I went through the test checking my work a few times.  Finally, I took a deep breath and submitted the test.  I was holding my

     I have spent the last month reflecting a lot as I worked on the parts of my Google Teacher Academy application.  It really forced me to think.  The question about how do I innovate in my classroom and in the educational community really was tough for me at first.  My first instinct is to say that I am not such an innovator because there is so much really great and cutting edge instruction happening.  Being a connected educator in the last year has opened my eyes to what is happening in education all around the world.      It occurred to me as I went through many rough drafts and storyboards that innovation can be very different depending on where you are.  For some innovation means you are moving in a direction that no one else is because you are already ahead of the curve.  For some of us it means that we are continuing the slow and steady movement toward improvement with reluctant learners.     Two years ago, I often felt lonely and isolated on my campus.  When you are the on