Sometimes, we need to pause and check in with where we currently are. This past week was my Spring Break and it gave me a chance to do just that. I took a break from business and put on my "mom hat." I spent this past week taking my youngest daughter on several college tours. We visited 3 colleges earlier in the week and one on Friday. These were all new experiences for my daughter and definitely pushed her out of her comfort zone- but it also pushed me too. She is the youngest of our four children and thinking about her taking the next step in her life was a paradigm shift for me too. But sometimes that push is just what we need- we can get complacent and stuck in our everyday and forget that we need to continue to grow and evolve to become the person that we were destined to be.
Reviewing what are the ABCs of Transforming Learning are-
Two weeks ago, I shared a blog post called O = Organize Family Engagement Events. A lot of times, when we plan such events, it can get overwhelming. We want to create the perfect event and make sure that we think of everything. Family engagement has been a huge focus for me this year and as I have embarked on this journey, I have found some amazing family engagement events that can help any school get started with the fun,
This week, we will focus on P = Push Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone. Just like my daughter and I needed to push ourselves out of our comfort zone this past week, so do we as educators. Yes, this can sound scary, but it doesn't have to be. This week, we will focus on some ways that you can choose that perfect next step to push yourself. Maybe it will be just the nudge you or I need,
P = Push Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone
A few years ago, I came to a new realization based on an episode of a Teach Better Talk podcast featuring Jen Manly. "If you don't ask, the answer is always no." These words captured how I pushed myself during my #oneword2020 #challenge year. I began to notice as I challenge myself, I would surprise myself with what I could accomplish. During that year, I presented over 20 times virtually, began writing my book, and put myself out there in new ways. By the end of 2020, these challenges had begun to transform the way I now live my life. As Lindsay Titus often shares, I had embraced fear as a sign of leveling up or work towards the future version of myself.
How can you level up as an educator?
As educators, we often look at a PD day as another thing on our plates. It may not apply to our role or be a one size fits all model. You might hear grumbles about it being a waste of time, or maybe you are even thinking that, That is not the type of leveling up I am talking about- I am talking about when you make the choice as an educator to level up a part of your practice based on your goals and interests. There are many ways to do this and this week's blog posts shares a couple of ways to do so.
Learn a new Tech Tool (or Dig Deeper into One You Already Use)
So you might look at this and think this is easier said than done- it takes time and that is a commodity that most of us don't have. So we have to be really intentional to do this and remember that you don't need to do it alone.
For my elementary folks, check out a FREE 30 min Wixie webinar.
I am doing one this coming Wednesday at 7 PM EST on how to use Wixie to amplify thinking routines and create artifacts of learning.
Maybe that's more than you are looking for right now, check out their other Wixie webinars. I have done several of them as you can see.
2. Check out one of my Tech Tools in 20 presentations on my YouTube channel!
Last year, I got the opportunity to do some Tech Tools in 20 min presentations as part of the virtual OETC 2022 conference. I have added them into the Tech Tools in Twenty playlist to the right. Here are the programs that are highlighted in this playlist.
Wow, Wixie Can Do That!
Discovering The Power of Desmos!
Powering Up Your Lessons using Pear Deck!
Read a book or listen to an audio book that interests you
Currently, I am "reading" two books- one as an educator and listening to one as an "edupreneur."
The educator book I am reading is Evolving Learner by Lainie Rowell, Kristy Andre and Lauren Steinmann. This book talks about shifting our view from professional development to professional learning from our kids, our peers and the world. As a tech coach, I want to continue to grow in this area and reading 15-20 min a day is helping me to learn and reflect.
The edupreneur book I am listening is called Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi. This book is helping me to examine the content I share in my newsletters and blog posts. I want to best meet the needs of the educators I serve and this book is helping me to examine that.
Right now, there are so many amazing educational books out there. I am so honored to have written one of them: TRANSFORM- Techy Notes to Make Learning Sticky and contributed to a few books including Amplifying Instructional Design. There are no shortages of books- find one that meets your needs.
Check out a podcast that challenges you or adds to your toolbox
There are no shortage of amazing podcasts either.
I have recently added ValentinaESL's Lifting Language podcast after listening to an episode about multilingual family engagement events, I decided to listen to her prior episodes that focused on math with multilingual learners and technology with multilingual learners. I want to be better able to serve the students and families in my school and this is a great way to get started.
Some other amazing options include podcasts such as The BigED Idea, Shut Up and Teach, Aspire to Lead, Define YoUniversity, Small BItes, Teaching Champions, PowerEDUp, Evolving with Gratitude, and Leaning into Leadership, just to name a bunch.
Consider conducting a quarter year audit
In my newsletter last week, I shared how I recently took some time to reflect on the first quarter of my #oneword #develop year. I selected four main areas to develop in this year- family relationships, TannenbaumTech LLC, coaching capacity and a healthier lifestyle. I was perfectly transparent and shared my struggles with developing a healthier lifestyle. This is an area that I know I need to push myself more in. I need to push myself more to take better care of myself. I am making great progress in the other areas, but I know that I can do better in this area. What are you excelling in? What areas can you further develop?
Start small and reach out if you need to-
The pursuit of leveling up is made of thousands and millions of small steps and it is not done alone. Find someone to join you as you push yourself out of your comfort zone and work together to support each other. Need a buddy along the way? Reach out and I would love to help you. After all, we are all #bettertogether as we become the future versions of ourselves.
