New and Upcoming
2020 was a crazy year. As a teacher and and a mom, I had to adjust to a great number of things, as did my family, my colleagues, my students, and on and on. We all had to adjust in some way. And for better or worse, some of the things we liked to do or at least were accustomed to will be forever gone or changed.
One of the things I found myself doing a lot more in 2020 was reflecting. How can I be a better mother? A better teacher? A better person? What could I do more of? What do I need to do less of? What do I really want out of life? Well, if 2020 was the year of reflection, I think that it is only logical to make 2021 the year of action.
I am announcing today that I will be launching THREE new (yet related) endeavors. I am still working out all the details (one blog or three, migrate to a curated website, frequency of postings, etc.), but I have the general concept of already. So, here it is....I am going to venture into making YouTube videos! My goal is not money. I do not intend to include affiliate links or pander for endorsements. All of these videos will be educational in nature and information is my purpose.
These videos will center on the following themes:
- Meme Misconceptions: What's Up With the Common Core (Math version)? - These videos will center on clarifying what the United States Mathematics Common Core (CC) is and is not by using viral internet memes of "common core" math problems that people do not understand. The goal is to explain the CC in general, to explain the memes that people have posted about the CC, to explain the standards related to the meme and then to clarify the "meme misconception".
- EdTech Talk (working title because I think this is already a thing) - 2020 brought us a pandemic and teachers had to quickly learn new tools and platforms in order to make teaching and learning work in a remote environment. However, most of the tools, systems, websites and applications we were asked to use or that we discovered on our own have existed for years. Although some of use might have been aware of their existence, we put off using them until it became a necessity. With this video series, I will highlight the tech I use in my classroom and how I made it work, as well as highlight what others have found helpful. You don't need to use all the tools in the toolbox at once. But understanding what is available to you and how it can benefit you when you are ready to try it is valuable. This video series will also highlight the importance of teaching and using digital citizenship, as well as exposing all children to the skills associated with computer science.
- Planner Journal (also a working title) - As tech savvy as I am, I am an analog planner and journalist. I have learned to combined the two in a system that helps me be more efficient and productive in every aspect of my life. There are thousands of planner videos out there and what I do is not novel. But it does offer a different perspective than what I usually see in the planner word and I think some of you out their meant enjoy seeing that perspective.
There are millions of YouTube videos out there and there are videos on the topics I have chosen to work on. But I have been feeling the tug lately that I have all this knowledge and information and experience that I have gathered over the years and if I don't do something, it will be lost. Rather than let it fade with time, I decided to share what I know and maybe it will help someone else and in turn make the world a little bit better than I found it.
When schedules become more clear, I will post more about the three as individuals. For now, I will maintain this blog for all three. Where it grows from here remains to be seen.
I am excited about these new endeavors and I hope you are too. I look forward to seeing your reactions when they come out. Until then peace, love and happiness always!
