We all know that great teachers are lifelong learners. They try to instill this into their students every day. As parents we want our own kids to seek out learning and embrace and learn from change. But sometimes as teachers and administrators, we can get buried in the day to day of work. This is not a bad thing, but sometimes we need to do some professional development to better ourselves, challenge our minds, and create the excitement again for learning.
A great way to do this is through certifications in your favorite apps and technology systems. There are many programs where you can become an expert and become an ambassador, trainer, or just a certified user. They take time and you have to schedule that time or it will never happen. The payoff is immeasurable in your own feeling of efficacy and achievement. One bonus is that some of these programs come with some freebies and badges which will enable you to branch out into training and presenting your ideas to a broader audience.
If you are Google Apps for Education school I highly recommend doing the Level 1 and Level 2 Certification classes and exams as a teacher. There are great pedagogy concepts and you will improve your use of those tools for learning in your classroom. The exams are inexpensive and if you ask your school admin or district tech admin, I would bet they might pay for it too!
So put yourself into the learner role and get certified and then apply to present at a conference to give back to your fellow teachers, it will be empowering.
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