Principal Connections

I've decided to attempt becoming Google Certified Educator Level 1. It's not like I'm not busy enough, right? I'll admit that part of me feels a bit out of the loop now that I've made the jump from teaching to administration. If I was still in the classroom, I would have done this long ago. I figure that I never turn away a good opportunity for more meaningful professional learning. My certification may give me even more credibility to be able to contribute on a system-wide level. I've already been providing some PD for my colleagues on ways in which administrators can leverage GAFE on a daily basis. I think I'll be better able to support teachers. I'll admit, that while I will always continue to "put myself out there' when it comes to being a sort in-house support for teachers, teachers have a hard time regarding me as a teacher, which is what I am after all. I actually gave a moment's pause to how this certification might be perceived by...

This I decided that three of my portfolios would become totally paperless: managing the master calendar, field trips and excursions and staff meetings. With the whole of our system converting to GAFE I thought there was no reason why this couldn't work. I've also been pretty patient in the last few years that I've been at my school to really go gang busters with technology so I thought I'd seize the opportunity. So far, not too bad! The calendar has been shared with everyone and many have commented that they appreciate the access as it allows them to plan more than just a week at a time. I still prepare a weekly, informing staff of the comings and goings around the school, but as people get even better at keeping me in the loop, I see that as a thing of the past very soon. Using Google Calendar has allowed me to provide even more information: specific times and locations, notes about which staff is going out on a given day and when its provided, I can copy and paste a l...