Most of you know me for my fuzzy blue bunny slippers, love for everything tech, and a passion for studying 21st century education…
You may not know… in my free time I’m also a Zumba fitness instructor.  I’ve been teaching Zumba (a latin-inspired dance fitness class) for two and 1/2 years..  After class last night, I was mingling with some of my students, many of whom, coincidentally, are classroom teachers. 
We were sharing health and fitness tips and talking about staying awesome at work, in the classroom, and at home with families. 
Here …

True or False: Educators around the world are using social media for their own professional development.

And the answer is … True!

Social learning is in, and teachers and administrators everywhere are enhancing their own personal and professional development by harnessing the power of social media.
 
Please share how social media has impacted your professional life
with me down below in the comments. 

If you need help getting started, check out the following 10 ways to start using social media as a professional development tool…

Twitter

      1. Connect with like-minded learning professionals worldwide to …

Literature circles were one of my favorite things about English class. They gave me a chance to freely share my opinions with other and receive in-depth feedback about my ideas and perceptions.
If you’ve been looking for a new way to get your students collaborating in your classroom, Collaborize Classroom has exactly what you need to get started.
Check out these free downloads from Collaborize Classroom to guide literature circles in your classroom.

Literature Circle Template for 4 Roles
Literature Circle Template for 6 Roles

Literature circles …

During this American holiday of Thanksgiving… we wanted to take a moment and say “thank you” to all of the teachers around the world that…
- make a difference in a child’s life
- work tirelessly to improve the society
- inspire us to do great things
- lead by example
- remind us that life is a journey of learning
 -plant seeds that grow forever
- And dedicate their lives to enriching others
Here’s to you and all you do…with our sincerest gratitude…

Are you a 21st Century Principal?  Find out!  PLUS if you can help add to my list you may win a special prize for you and 5 of your teachers.  Keep reading to learn how…
1.  You know that PLN stands for Personal Learning Network…and you collaborate with yours daily.
2.  You use Twitter to find and share resources, engage in international conversation about education, connect with other educators, and make announcements to teachers, parents and students that follow you.
3.  You conduct virtual meetings with faculty and parents using the Google+ …

“3 apples that changed the world: the one that Eve ate, the one that fell on Newton’s head and the one that Steve built.”
I saw the above tweet about Steve Jobs yesterday on Twitter, and I loved it.  Undoubtedly you’ve seen similar statements and tributes to Steve all over the Internet. And it’s no wonder; our world has lost one of the greatest innovators that ever lived.
Steve Jobs was an amazing visionary leader who changed millions of lives by making technology easy-to-use, exciting and beautiful.  His creativity, courage and enthusiasm …

Lately, I’ve become sort of obsessed over TEDTalks.  I can’t help it… they’re phenomenal!  Perhaps the reason the speeches are so good is because each upcoming speaker is given a stone tablet, engraved with the ‘TED Commandments,” to help them prepare their TEDTalks.
These are great words of wisdom for ANY presentation, be it in your classroom, at a conference, or even during a webinar.  We can all benefit from the following 10 tips given to all TED conference speakers.
TED Commandments:

Dream big.
Strive to …