Potty PD

Whether you call it Potty PD, Librarian in the Loo, Toilet Talks, etc. it’s a great way to share quick information while teachers and educators have 3 minutes to themselves a day in the faculty bathroom. I think it was Zinnia Bayardo who first introduced me to the idea and Deb Zeman (Z_Brarian), myself and Karina Quilantan Garza (@cuethelibrarian) ran with it. Each month we share ideas for potential #edtech tips to include in the slide we print and tape up in the faculty bathrooms around campus. See examples below.

My template copy here.

@Z_Brarian template copy here.

It’s a great quick and easy way to highlight new #edtech tools, apps, websites, etc. that teachers may not have the time to explore. I like to always include a QR code that they can scan and save when they have time to really look at it later. This isn’t anything new or particularly cutting edge, but it can start a conversation between you and a teacher you don’t normally collaborate with. It can also inspire some teachers to dive into an app they normally wouldn’t have. Here are some apps/websites I have highlighted over the last two years of me doing this with my staff:

• Loom

• Kami

• Wakelet

• EdPuzzle

• Mote

• Mentimeter

• Lumio

• Edulastic

• YouTube videos with no ads

• ChatGPT

• StickTogether

• The Achievery

• Quizizz

• Curipod

• Diffit

• Book Creator

• Screencastify

Podcasts for PD

In May my campus’s instructional coach, Kim Stroud, and I were talking about what our fall PD book study could be. She and I have been hosting book studies for four years together. We’ve uses titles such as Kids Deserve It by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome, Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess, The Wild Card by Wade and Hope King, Culturize by Jimmy Casas, Personal & Authentic by Thomas C. Murray, and Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth by Aaron Hogan. Teachers would read the book during a semester period and each week they would respond to question topics I created in Canvas/Google Classroom. They would give their own responses and then respond to a colleague to generate discussions. At the end of the book study we would meet in person and Kim would facilitate a discussion about the book, our takeaways, and goals moving forward. Teachers earn 9 hours of OCT (off contract time) of the 30 hours required each school year and get some great ideas through these books that deal with teacher issues, lesson planning, SEL, classroom management, etc. We’ve had great success with these books. In fact, after our first one (Kids Deserve It) the teachers who did the book study wanted to create a SPIRIT Committee for our campus to help generate more campus culture from the students to the staff. That committee is still active today and is run by Kim and myself. *If you’d like access to any of the book study questions or more information on titles and how we ran it, please message me!

However, in May when we were talking about the book studies, we worried they might be getting a bit stagnant. We weren’t finding books as easily, especially after a pandemic, that dealt with what teachers were experiencing in the classroom and beyond. Kim had the amazing idea to find podcast episodes instead of a book study. We liked the idea of podcasts because teachers can listen to them in car, while doing household chores, in their classrooms after school, etc. I posted a question box on my Instagram stories at the beginning of summer asking for podcast ideas that were about the education world or time management, SEL, mental health, etc. and my PLN delivered! I had a long list of podcasts to listen to and spent the summer going through various episodes and curating a playlist that covers a wide range of issues teachers might need advice about for 2022 such as social-emotional learning (SEL), mental health (their own and recognizing student issues), equity, creativity, inspirational, #edtech, how to reduce workload, student feedback, working with parents, self-pacing, goal setting and more. We wanted to provide a bit of everything and even have an option to choose two podcasts of their preference from The Mindful Kind so they have some choice in what they want to listen to.

How it’s going to work: Podcasts for PD will open in September. I have created this Google Form that teachers will fill out when they finish listening to a podcast. There are at least 21 on the list so they will do this 21 times after each one they listen to. They have until November 18 to listen to them all and provide feedback so they can take it at their own pace. Then on November 28 we will meet as a group after school for an hour to discuss takeaways, goals, etc. and Kim will run that session, as she’s way better at facilitating discussions than I am. At the end of the meeting all participants will receive 9 hours of OCT credit towards their goal of 30 for the year. We hope this is helpful and beneficial for our teachers in a multitude of ways: earning professional development credit, getting some tips and tricks to use in the classroom, and some goals for themselves and their students for the rest of the year. Book studies have been successful and we hope Podcasts for PD will be as well. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about our book studies/Podcasts for PD. Below is the current podcast playlist for our first semester. I’m sure it will change each semester as we get feedback and education changes. *If you have any suggestions for other podcasts, please share those as well!

This Teacher Life: Three Things You Have Permission To Do This Year 23 min, 3 Things We Should Do In Our Classrooms 18 min

The Creative Classroom with John Spencer: Creative Habits vs. Creative Momentum 20 min

Leading Equity: Equity vs. Equality 7 min

Self-Care for Educators: Squad Goals 7 min

The Mindful Kind: Pick 2 episodes to listen to that apply to where you are right now

Let’s K12 Better: Let’s Talk About Empowering Digital Leaders 46 min

Simon Sinek: The One With Brene Brown 53 min

Brene Brown: Masterpieces and Messes with Jason Reynolds 78 min *optional, Atlas of the Heart: A Sisters Book Club, Part 1 of 3 57 min 

Cult of Pedagogy: Goal Setting for Teachers 23 min, 6 EdTech Tools to Try in 2022 42 min

Truth for Teachers: Small Changes for Reduced Workload 20 min

Brave New Teaching: The Key to Classroom Management + 20 Favorite Strategies 41 min

The Shake Up Learning Show with Kasey Bell: Tips and Tools to Improve Parent-Teacher Communication 33 min

Easy EdTech Podcast with Monica Burns: Tech Savvy Teens 26 min

The Edugals Podcast: Descriptive Student Feedback 29 min

The House of #Edtech: The Canva Classroom, Increase Student Engagement 39 min 

Modern Classroom Project: Self Pacing in Secondary Education 58 min

522+ min total

Use: bit.ly/podcastsforpdform22 to complete after each podcast you listen to

I should get at least 21 reflection form submissions from teachers by November 18.

*Other podcasts to consider for the future: EduProtocols, Sharon Says So, EB Academics, Jen Hatmaker, SEL Five, Google Teacher Podcast, Sounds Good with Branden Harvey, Backhanded Optimism with Adam J. Kurtz, Happier by Gretchen Rubin, Daily Breath with Deepak Chopra, Dear Sugars, Good Life Project Podcast, The Daily, The Science of Happiness, Making Space with Hoda Kotb, That’s So Retrograde, Todd Nesloney.

Gamify Your Classroom with Classcraft

I attended TCEA in February 2017 and went to a session called Level Up Your Classroom with Classcraft. From then on I was hooked. I had just started working at the middle school I’m currently at and had student library aides for the first time. I wanted to make the experience fun for them, but also make sure they worked hard for me because I ALWAYS have work for them to do. To create a fun atmosphere and a teamwork camaraderie I implemented Classcraft for the last part of the year. At this point in the year they were becoming a bit disenchanted with work and had a tendency to complain about some of the tasks I had for them. After Classcraft began—that was no more.

Classcraft allows students to create avatars, earn pets and gear for their avatar and earn points for themselves and their team to level up. There are three jobs: Mage, Warrior and Healer. Each job has different powers they can earn by leveling up. You can design these powers to be whatever you want for your classroom. Some of the powers my students can earn are: earn candy, drink, get out of a bad Random Event, leave class a few minutes early, get out of work for 15 minutes, etc. They are customizable for your students and classroom. While I mostly use Classcraft for classroom management and teamwork, it can be tied to grades and connects with Google Classroom. When students get certain grades they can earn XP (experience points) or GP (gold pieces) that help with leveling up and earning gear/pets. My students and I both love using it and it gets them excited to be at “work” everyday.

Classcraft is really great about supporting teachers throughout their journey with the app/website. They have webinars on their website and host online trainings constantly. It might be intimidating at first if you’re not a gamer (I am not), but honestly I let the kids play for a week or so before we actually started and that helped us learn the ins and outs of the platform and what students could or couldn’t do. There is a free version that you can play and it might be all you need for you and your students. However, I use the Premium version which is $120 a year (totally worth it). Check out the difference in pricing here. Here is the presentation I used for my district’s Academy last year. *Some items might be a bit outdated because Classcraft updates all the time, but main concept is still the same. If you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to contact me or visit www.classcraft.com.

Summer of Learning

Distance learning began for my district at the end of March. We had one week after Spring Break to get everything to together and then hit the ground running shortly after that. We had 4 hours to go up to school and get items we needed to teach from home, probably for the rest of the year. It was crazy, unprecedented, and the fear of the unknown was high. Librarians spent their time providing resources for teachers and students, sharing our ebook and audiobook collections and for me, I attended more PD from March-July than I probably ever have. The silver lining for COVID-19 was that it gave me more time and energy to attend virtual conferences and outside professional development to make me the best librarian I can be for campus and district. It’s important in this profession to stay current on trends, best practices and what ALA and TLA (Texas Library Association) are saying so we can best apply it to our libraries. I have spent the time learning about MESH (media literacy, ethics, sociology and history education), the #BLM movement, #edtech resources and badging, virtual conferences on diverse literature, graphic novels, how to open libraries safely, middle grade books and much more.

This is a great article on the importance of badging in education. I’m quoted as saying, “I love being able to show my teachers that I’m an expert in a multitude of platforms if they need help with anything.” When teachers and educators see my email signature or business card they know I am proficient in various educational apps and websites so they know they can come to me with any issues, questions, concerns. It helps me move the librarian job into the 21st century and show that we are more than books, which I also love, don’t get me wrong. My love for educational technology meshes well with the library media specialist position I’m in and I hope that together librarians can be seen as the forefront of best practices from books to technology to presenting to teaching and beyond.

If you’re interested in learning more this summer for your library position in the fall, however that looks for you in your district due to COVID-19, I suggest becoming an ALA member or a member of your state’s librarian association or in Texas we have education regions that also offer great trainings. Publishers are having amazing free webinars right now and conferences. In April I added Middle Grade Magic and learned a lot about upcoming middle grade releases. Follow educators/librarians who post on social media about trainings, webinars and conferences such as Rachelle Dene Poth, Shannon McClintock Miller, Kristina Uihlein Holzweiss, The Lispy Librarian, Cue the Librarian and more. They offer free trainings themselves or links to sign up for webinars and more. Growing your PLN can also help you grow as a learner. All the apps and websites I’m an ambassador or member of offer constant trainings so I can keep up with the changes happening. It’s always a good idea to get Google or Microsoft or Apple certified, depending on what your district uses. Now is a good time to learn, grow and brush up on skills we don’t always have time for during the school year. I’m having a blast learning more about all the ways I can use educational technology and learning sessions in the fall with my staff and students!