Back in 2010, I started the 12 Days of EdTech Cheer as a way of sharing resources with teachers in my district (as well as everyone else). I shared these tools with the thought in mind that they could be helpful in introducing different tools to students for project use or even for teachers for instructional use, collaboration, or productivity. I decided to do my own little twist on "The 12 Days of Christmas" and share one tool a day for 12 days. I received some great feedback from teachers in my district about how they learned about some new tools that they could use in their classroom.
In 2011, I wanted to continue the "12 Days of EdTech Cheer" because of the response I received from teachers. To change things up a little, I decided to provide more ways of integrating technology as well as my ideas for integrating more project-based learning concepts into instruction. I think that for many, it was information-overload with the amount of resources I shared in addition to the many other classroom activities that were also taking place.
So, this year I decided to continue my "12 Days of EdTech Cheer," but once again, change up the format a little. As one of my goals this year is to help teachers in establishing a web presence and increasing communication, I wanted to provide some resources and activities that could be used for doing so. Teachers spend so much time scouring the Internet looking for activities, tools, and resources to supplement their curriculum so they don't have to reinvent the wheel. I really want to encourage teachers to take a moment and share all of the cool things they are doing so that they can help increase communication among parents, colleagues, administrators, and also hopefully help someone else save time in their classroom through helpful ideas, tips, and resources. The ideas and resources I am sharing this year are meant to be jump-starters for those who may be new to posting things online or are unsure of what kinds of things to post online about their classroom happenings. You can start the challenge at any time!
I will be following along with activities planned out for this year. I am not a classroom teacher, so I may do some improvising with my little four-year-old at home :) I encourage you to take a minute, look though the activities, try something new, and then share what you learned. We have so much we can learn from one another!
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