Impactful Integration With Amy

This issue of Power PD includes some creative ways to increase student engagement.   You can check out the slidedeck with all the links here. 1. Try Wakelet Check out this post by TCEA to see more creative ways to use wakelet. Have you had a chance to try out Wakelet yet?   Ditch that Textbook recently put together a great post about using Wakelet.  Y ou can read more about it here .  Wakelet is a tool that can be used to organize or curate your information.  Students can use it to show what they know or to respond to others.  It can be individual or collaborative.  There is so much possibility with using this tool. Check out this wakelet about using wakelet created by Holly Clark. 2. Choice Boards I recently used Choice Boards in my Capstone Research Project lesson series. Giving students choice is a great way to build engagement.  I love using choice boards with my lessons.  If you have never used choice boards, I would suggest s...

  This issue of Power PD includes some creative ways to increase productivity, build your PLN and jazz up your slides presentations.   You can check out the slidedeck with all the links here. Productivity:   I think each of us is thinking about how we can be more productive and eliminate unnecessary stress in our lives.  I had a chance to listen to the Truth for Teachers Podcast recently as they discussed 5 ways to improve productivity.  I highly recommend you tune in to the episode to hear the host really delve into each of the 5 tips.  I thought I'd take a few minutes here to reflect on how I plan to use those tips in my life: 1. E liminating unintentional breaks and making intentional breaks. For me this is a big one, sometimes I find myself jumping around from task to task and I have found that a daily to do list keeps me grounded.  Since the pandemic I started using an iPad and the GoodNotes app to organize my thinking and planning.  One...

This issue of Power PD includes some creative ways to engage students and to keep your momentum going as we fall back into the routine of school.   It's time for Power PD issue #2!  We are back in the campuses with students here in my area.  I'm looking forward to all the opportunities to collaborate with my staff to make this year amazing.  I recently had a chance to present in our district technology conference and I was able to listen to over one thousand educators as they shared their word for 2021 using an EduProtocols strategy called Thin Slides.  The overwhelming majority of educators in my district are excited, but nervous as we approach a new school year in a pandemic.  I'm right there with them.  I admire their persistence and optimism moving forward, and I look forward to all the potential this year holds for each of us.   Let's Collaborate- Please reach out and let's collaborate on your next project.  I'm so excited to h...

Looking to brush up on your Canva skills?  Interested in trying out the new features?  I have just the thing for you!  I put together this Canva PD choice board that you can use to explore the features you are interested in.  You can work the tasks in any order you choose and at you own pace.  The most important thing is to choose what you feel you need to learn about and just have fun!   This post is part of a training session I held for our district back to school technology professional development.  You can find my presentation linked on the choice board.  Don't forget to download your badges and share them with me @SoTxLibrarian and @LibrarianLugo I'd love to hear what you think of this choice board. Please tell me in the comments below.  

When you are creating in Canva, there are so many amazing items build right in that you can add to your graphic designs.   Elements in Canva has updated and now you can find photos, shapes, graphics, videos, animations and more all together in one tab.  This is an amazing feature when it comes to searching because everything is in one place  However, sometimes it can almost be overwhelming trying to decide what to include from the elements tab.  That is where Keywords come into the pictures.  I am putting together a series of mini tutorials walking you through how to use these features in your classroom.  Today's topic is how to make your graphics look amazing with Canva keywords. How to Remove Backgrounds in Canva 1.  Go to Canva and login to your account.   2.  Create your presentation or choose a presentation/ project you have already made.  This works for any size project.  It doesn't have to just be a slideshow/ prese...

Did you know that Canva has a screencasting feature embedded right inside?  You can record your screen right inside Canva!  I am putting together a series of mini tutorials walking you through how to use these features in your classroom.  Today's topic is how to present and record on Canva. How to Present and Record in Canva 1.  Go to Canva and login to your account.   2.  Create your presentation or choose a presentation/ project you have already made.  This works for any size project.  It doesn't have to just be a slideshow/ presentation. 3.  Go to the top right hand corner and select the three dots.  Choose present and record . 4.  Choose go to recording studio. 5.  Set up your microphone and camera.  6.  Click start recording. 7.  Once you finish click end recording.   8.  Then click done. 9.  Download video or share the link out.

Hey, fellow educator!  Did you know that Canva has been adding some amazing updates just for educators like us?!  I am putting together a series of mini tutorials walking you through how to use these features in your classroom.  Today's topic is how to present live on Canva. How to Present Live in Canva 1.  Go to Canva and login to your account.   2.  Create your presentation or choose a presentation/ project you have already made.  This works for any size project.  It doesn't have to just be a slideshow/ presentation. 3.  Go to the top right hand corner and select the three dots.  Choose present. 4.  Choose standard.  Once you are in presentation mode look at the bottom right hand side and turn on live. It looks like of like this ((.)) 5.  With Live turned on you will see "start session."  Turn this on. 6.  Share your link and code with your participants. 7.  Click on any questions or comments you...

I'm so excited to finally be sharing my 2021-2022 Power PD newsletter.  I was inspired by many other educators who have been doing #PottyPD or #CopierPD and I wanted to try this out but put my own spin on the name.  Each issue with have a short message from me and 5 ideas teachers can use to "recharge" their teaching.  Ready to check it out?  Here we go! Welcome back to the 2021-2022 school year!  Thank you for taking the time to check out my Power PD newsletter and this blog.  The purpose of this blog is to share my educational journey with you!  On here you will find additional information about the items in the Power PD flyer you saw.   I will be posting all Power PD newsletters in one Google Slides deck.  You can see it below.  Please check back often for the latest newsletters. 1.  Classroom Screen - this is an awesome tool you can use to help you manage your classroom.  Check out Pocketful of Primary's video tutoria...