Get Your Hour Back

Daylight Savings time is quickly approaching. We already have too much to do in a day to lose an entire hour.  This week, we hope to help you save time and give you back your hour, in your planning.

Every week I have teachers asking for specific resources and apps to use with their students. They often don't have the time, to put in the research it takes, to find quality resources to use with students. That is part of my job and what I love to do.  Even for me, there comes a time when I realize I have to be more efficient when looking for and storing these resources.  Kevin and I have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to finding tech integration resources but how do we share it without it being overwhelming?

I started looking at my browser tabs, then my bookmarks, and realized I needed to do a better job of organizing all this "knowledge" so I could easily share it with teachers.  I was tired of having to sort through tabs, websites, iTunes, Twitter post, email, etc...to find where I last read about the latest resource for....

Then we started TLC training.  This Technology Leadership Certification was a way we could be more accountable for what we are learning and how we are sharing it with teachers.  One of the first resources that caught my attention was Symbaloo.  Symbaloo is not a new resource.  Actually, our good friend Jim worked off his Symbaloo daily, but we never took to it, until now.

There really is no way of knowing how much time we spend looking for resources because that's what we do, but I will say these two are enormous time savers. With the time change and the lack of time, hopefully these resources will give you back time.

Symbaloo is a web 2.0 tool that allows you to save, organize, and share your websites, resources, and tools.  It's literally an interactive visual bookmarking tool.  You can set it as your homepage and all your resources are organized in a one-stop location. You can create as many webmixes as you need, share them with your colleagues, and even take it to the next level and use it with your students. Symbaloo offers a valuable search feature to get you started as well as video tutorials.

As we are working on advancing into the digital age with the guidance of our ISTE standards, it's important to reference the why behind a tool such as Symbaloo.  ISTE Standards For Teachers state that teachers must "demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations" (retrieved from www.iste.org).  While saving you time, it is also "contributing to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession" (ISTE, 2016). We must continually collaborate with others in our profession to stay fresh with all that is at our fingertips; because our students have everything they need at theirs.

Check out another free resource!

Edshelf is another time saving resource when looking for digital curriculum.  If I need a resource that has proven effectiveness, with peer reviews, and a quick overview, I check out edshelf. I can create, maintain, and share a "shelf" of resources.  I can build as many shelves as I need, and I can even curate from other shelves that have already been developed.   I can follow fellow educator's shelves to see what they are currently using with their students or in their own professional learning.  Edshelf is a great starting point when I need a resource. I combine both tools by putting edshelf on my tech integration Symbaloo. With just a few clicks, I can save time and have a valuable resource waiting for my students.

We hope that you find one of these resources helpful in your daily planning.  As always, if you would like help getting started or have any questions regarding these resources, please contact our RCS Office of eLearning.

Kevin Schamel
Twitter: @schamelearning

Kirsten Phillips
Twitter: @kear734

#RCSeLearn

www.werrichmond.com/elearning