Getting Organized in the New Year: Paper vs. Digital

As the new year approaches, it is natural to want to reset and get organized for a fresh start. I pride myself on being pretty organized most of the time, but there are definitely some areas that need improvement. Now that I've been on break a few days, I've been thinking about some changes I want to make. I refuse to call them resolutions, because that word just sets people up for failure. Too much pressure! I saw on a Facebook group I belong to that some people choose a word that is their "theme" for the year, and they use that to keep them focused. When I read that, one word popped into my head-BALANCE. I tend to overbook and overload myself in all areas of my life. So, I am going to try and find balance this year.

I have used planners in the past, but I have a bit of ADD when it comes to planning. I love planners, but I tend to buy them and then bounce around from one to another without any direction. I think that might be because I need to use more than one, and I thought that I should be able to function with just one. This is also complicated by the fact that I'm a tech geek, and I use several tech tools to keep me organized. So, this got me thinking about the role that tech should play in our planning and organization.

I think this is a really personal choice. I don't think I could ever go totally digital. For one, I need the physical act of crossing things off a list to feel like I've accomplished something. Silly, I know, but it's the truth. So, I am going to set up a few different paper planners and assign them "jobs" in order to help me focus on specific areas of my life. I will discuss what I've got lined up, but first let's run down what IS digital in my life.

There are three digital tools that I would be completely lost without.
Cozi Family Calendar
I've written about this app/website before, but it's so great I'm going to mention it again! This is the main calendar that I share with my husband and teenage daughters. EVERYTHING goes on this calendar. We even have our two dogs on the calendar, because they have appointments too :) We are extremely busy people, and this helps us know where everyone is at all times. It updates in real time, so everyone can make appointments/plans without worrying about conflicts. There is also a shared list feature, but we don't tend to use it. One of the other features is a recipe and meal planning tool. I recently started using this, and I love it! I entered our favorite recipes, so I have them available on the go. There is also an Add to Cozi Meals add on for your desktop that allows you to add those recipes from Pinterest you're always pinning (and never going back to) right into the app! As much as I love this app, there is a new app I'm looking into that could possibly replace my Cozi obsession. Stay tuned! Check out Cozi at www.cozi.com

Google Keep
Most people have heard of Google Keep, but in case you haven't it is another great tool that can be shared with anyone. I usually use it as a board that keeps all of my lists. I use the app on my phone to add websites, books, websites, apps, hashtags, and ideas to running lists that I can go back to anytime I want. It is handy when you don't have time to get something down on paper. You can color code and tag the lists with key words. Check it out at keep.google.com

Google Drive
I'll be honest. Until last year, I really didn't use Google Drive. I was just so used to saving files to my thumb drive that I didn't make the switch. This year I've become an avid user! Again, most people are familiar with Google Drive, but if you aren't completely sure what it is, here's a quick rundown. It is cloud based, so there is no saving to a thumb drive or hard drive. The advantage to this setup is that files are accessible anywhere you have internet access. There is even a Google Drive app. Of course, the downfall is you need internet access so there's always the worry that when the internet goes down you're out of luck. This is another tool that is shareable and updates in real time. Always a plus when you're collaborating on a project. Check it out at www.google.com/drive

Those are my top 3 digital organization tools. Okay, on to my paper planners setup! I will wrap this up by sharing one of my new planners. I stumbled upon this one on Facebook. I clicked the link and was immediately intrigued! It is called the Commit 30 Planner. The idea behind it is that you create a goal or habit for the month and track how often you are implementing that habit. So, I thought I would give it a shot! I am currently setting up my planner for January. My goal for January is to "utilize my planners to manage my time and tasks" better. I am suppose to come up with a reward for myself if I reach my goal of 30 days. Here is a picture of my Monthly Goal page.

Just to be clear, this is not a paid review of the Commit30 planner. I am just sharing a product that I think will be useful. I will share my other planners and their "jobs" in other posts. Check out Commit30 at www.commit30.com

epic! Updates

I am excited to share with you that I was selected to be an epic! Master Teacher, and that means I will be bringing updates on the epic! app and website! If you haven't heard of epic! you need to check it out. It is an e-book library with over 25,000 titles for children 12 and under. It is free for educators and available for home use for $7.99 per month. It covers several genres and includes audio books and books that can be read aloud. They recently added educational videos which were a hit with my first graders! The students can earn badges as incentives, and teachers can access individual reading logs for students. Now, on to a new feature...

Teachers can now create collections of books and assign them to students! You can access this feature in the search tab. Once you find a book that you want to add to a collection click "Add to" and select collection. You can create a collection, add notes/directions to students and name it, or select an existing collection to add the book to. You can view your collections under the "My Library" tab. Click the name of the collection to assign to students. This has so many possibilities! You could name collections to correspond to guided reading groups, certain comprehension skills, or research projects!

Let me know how you might use this new feature! Follow epic! on Twitter @EpicKidsBooks or on the web at www.getepic.com. To read an article review about using picture e-books in K-6 I did for grad class, click here.

Bloomz: All in One Stop for Teachers and Parents

Here's another app that I just found this summer that is at the top of my list for next year! I need to play with it more, but it looks like it will eliminate the need for a lot of other apps. Some of the features include parent-to-teacher and parent-to-parent messaging, calendar, scheduling of parent-teacher conferences and volunteer opportunities, sign up for classroom donations, uploading pictures with parent ability to comment or "like", and uploading of PDF files (newsletters, permission slips, etc). Some new and exciting features that are coming soon include behavior tracking, video capabilities, and student portfolio features. I'm excited about using Bloomz to collaborate with students and families! Check them out on Twitter @BloomzApp or on the web www.bloomz.net. You can find an article review on the use of K-12 classroom websites I did for my grad class here.

How did I miss Seesaw last year!

This summer I stumbled upon the Seesaw app via Twitter, and I'm so bummed I didn't find it sooner! I would have loved to use it last year! If you're not familiar with Seesaw, it is a student electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) that students use to share their work with parents and their teacher. There are several format options and apps that Seesaw is compatible with, and there is a built-in teacher dashboard where all work goes for approval by the teacher before being available for parents to see. Over the last several years, I have used data binders with my students where they tracked their progress across several subjects, and then shared the binder with their parents periodically. I am going to try to eliminate those and incorporate them into the Seesaw app. What a great way for students to archive their work, and it provides their parents and myself the ability to see their growth (or lack of-yikes!) over an entire year. Once the school year gets started, I will post on our progress with Seesaw. If you're interested in learning more, check Seesaw out on Twitter @Seesaw or on the web at web.seesaw.me You can also check out a peer-reviewed article I reviewed on e-portfolios for my grad class here.

Winter Break App Share #2

Winter Break App Share #2 is here! Nearpod is probably my favorite app from the teacher perspective. We use Nearpod to review skills we are learning across all subjects. It is a completely interactive experience. The teacher controls the pace of the lesson from the teacher dashboard on the iPad or computer. As students submit their responses, only I can see them on my dashboard. This allows the students to answer without the fear of "being wrong," and it allows me to see who is still struggling with a concept. I have the ability to display answers without student names so we can discuss as a class why it is incorrect or why it is a good response. After the lesson, I can run a report of student responses and activity to refer to later. Students are 100% engaged, and I can use the data to inform my instruction. There are lessons for Pre-K through high school available. There are both free and paid lessons. I was fortunate that my district purchased Gold subscriptions for all of the teachers in the tech pilot. This made most of the lessons free for us which is great! Even better, Nearpod doesn't require student accounts. Students join lessons by entering a code into the Nearpod app. Nice and easy for my first graders! Learn more at www.nearpod.com. Happy Holidays!

Winter Break App Share-Day 1

I am going to kickoff my Winter Break App Share with an app we use everyday in the classroom, Epic! Epic! is an eBook library with over 10, 000 books for readers 12 and under. It covers all genres and interests. It is free for educators, but it does cost $4.99/month for families which includes up to 4 reader profiles per account. Students earn badges and incentives for reading, and their reading log is available for the teacher or parent to see what they've been reading. There are also several audio books that can be read to the students. My students love Epic! Students use this app during our reading intervention time and during Daily 5. They always have the option to read traditional books from my classroom library, but they enjoy Epic! so much I don't see them in my library very much. Learn more at www.getepic.com