New Year's Resolutions

Well it’s that time of year again when we all make our NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS!!!  This year I want to encourage teachers to set some technology goals for themselves and their classrooms.  To avoid using technology for the sake of using technology alone, try to consider how your tech use will increase student learning, communication, and collaboration.  Here are 10 resolutions to choose from that will directly impact your students.     

Resolution	Benefit to Students
Create a workflow in your Google Drive for your students.  Check out this Playlist for more information.	Students receive immediate feedback to experience increased collaboration and have access to their work anywhere, anytime.
Utilize a back channel for a class discussions like Twitter or Today’s Meet.	Now everyone has a voice during a discussion!  It also provides the opportunity to teach internet etiquette with students.
Use mobile devices like smart phones to give quick formative assessments by using Google forms, Socrative, or Nearpod	Immediate feedback and data to drive targeted instruction.
Engage in virtual fieldtrips with Google’s Connected Classrooms and Google Hangouts.	Increased global awareness for students, and increased diversity appreciation.
Create a blog for yourself as a teacher to keep your audience up to date on all the great things happening in your classroom. Edublogs and Blogger	Boost communication with parents, students, and the world.
Team teach with yourself!  Create video tutorials using Quicktime or YouTube capture to post to your YouTube channel.	Additional resources for your students for remediation, repeated watching, independent learning, and access for absent students.
Get yourself connected in a Google Community.  It is easy to search communities that are applicable to you.	Expanded knowledge and ideas always positively affect your teaching and outlook over all!
Get your students blogging!  Use kidblog.org to increase student writing.	Students who publish to a wider audience are inspired to produce higher quality work.
Read 1 of these blogs at least once a week!  Unless you already have a favorite online educational magazine or blog you can’t go wrong with these blogs!	Your own professional excellence is something you will treasure and your students will benefit from your continued growing knowledge!
Create Playlists in your YouTube Channel on the topics you teach. Use them throughout the year as supplemental or inspirational materials for your students.	Videos allow students to learn at their own pace by being able to rewind or watch only the part they haven’t mastered yet.

Written by: Jennifer Krzystowczyk
@jennykbps