Be Present: Creating a Digital Presence in an Online or Hybrid Classroom

Be present in the moment. If the pandemic and stay-at-home orders have taught us all one lesson, being present has to be it. My family remains on high alert to protect my son, who was born with Cystic Fibrosis. As a result, we will be one of the last families to return to normal. While to some people, our choices may seem overly cautious - I remind people that my son was hospitalized because of a stomach bug and put on antibiotics because of a cold. The few times he has been sick in his life have necessitated immediate medical attention. To avoid an unscheduled trek to Lutheran General Hospital, being six feet apart and avoiding large crowds have become standard practice during the flu season. This season of illness, which started in February of last year, has just been a little longer than most. 

Despite our necessary and logical reasons for being cautious, we have not been antisocial. Team Sukow spent this summer baking cookies and leaving gifts for friends and family we love. My family found ways to express our love and gratitude for the people in our lives who understand why we have stayed away and supported us through some tough decisions. Globally, we are all still enduring the effects of this pandemic, and while our experiences have similarities, we are facing unique battles. 

As the calendar has turned to September and school is back in session, I am reminded that being present in the moment remains as essential as ever. While school may not look like what we considered normal for several months to come, what our students need from us the most is for us to be present. They need our attention, our guidance, and our love - especially while they, too, are attempting to navigate a world of uncertainties and no guarantees. 

We are tasked with the challenge of creating digital spaces for our students to navigate and establish a sense of normalcy in them. While some teachers have taken to the technology more naturally than others, we can all work to create a digital presence that gives our students the social and emotional support they need to achieve academic success during this season. Establishing a strong and welcoming online presence brings consistency, comfort, and increases accessibility for our students. 

Keep the organization as clear as possible. 

The best place to start when establishing an online presence is to consider the organization. When students are remote, it is easy for them to become lost or feel uncertain about accessing school through digital means. We cannot stand over their shoulder to guide them, and their classmates are not a desk away to subtly show them where to click during a class activity. As such, consider creating a single and clear pathway to get to the course learning. Rechunking and redesigning material may be necessary to support students who may be afraid to ask for support during in-person learning and now have the added barrier of the mute button on Zoom. 

To help students even further, breaking material down by week and by date can add clarity and direction for any student. Using announcements, calendars, and frequent communication to support students can also provide additional support and make the course easier to navigate. Once navigation and layout have been established, keep that consistent organization to create routines. 

Be yourself. 

Once the organizational design has been created, we cannot forget to find ways to interject ourselves into the course. Practicing self-disclosure allows us to foster relationships. Those relationships lead to more substantial participation and student engagement. Whether it be as subtle as creating a color scheme for buttons and tiles on a learning management system homepage or including a personalized video message, interjecting personal quips, sayings, and ideas encourages students to keep coming back to class. It invites them to begin to share more about themselves in the process, too. Find a way to communicate who you are to your students, whether it be through jokes shared during synchronous sessions or Bitmojis dancing in banners. Be yourself. 

Learn together.

When we attended college teacher preparation courses a decade ago or even as many as three decades ago, we were not taught to build online platforms. We were trained in love and logic, classroom management strategies, and in-person questioning styles. Currently, we are all navigating a relatively new frontier. While there have been online schools and programs for the last decade, these programs are not the norm for K-12 education. 

If a teacher is not traditionally a tech wizard, it is okay. Try to find small ways to learn with the students. Do not be afraid to fail. As teachers, I know we want to be perfectly put together and have everything figured out before class begins. But as Jessica Lahey states in her book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, "Perfection is not what holds [a classroom] family together. Bond forged through shared struggle is what endures over the long haul." We know that students learn from their mistakes; we can learn this way, too. Our mistakes can teach us far more than being perfectly put together every moment ever could. 

Use Video

No matter how one has approached the last six months of the year, human interaction and contact has been limited. We are all craving connection. The best way to create a sense of connection is to capture yourself on film. Use programs like Screencastify, WeVideo, or even recordings on your phone to talk to your students. Modeling digital communication will only invite them into the online classroom more and encourage them to reciprocate. During quarantine in the spring, I stopped worrying about looking perfect and wearing makeup in every video. I was at my house, and I was wearing running clothes and spirit wear most of the time. Being myself and showing how I was balancing motherhood, teaching, and a pandemic was just another way to self-disclose and be vulnerable with my students. Sharing my voice allowed them to be vulnerable with me, too. 

Have them respond back. 

Whether it be through Google Forms surveys, personal reflection, or private Flipgrid videos, students need to use their voice, and students need to feel heard. Challenge students to respond back and find ways to allow them to share what is working in the course and what can be improved upon. Collecting student feedback and providing opportunities for them to communicate with you how they are doing creates a sense of trust and can allow teachers to enhance the online learning environment. Again, when students feel connected to the classroom and have a rapport with their teachers, they are far more likely to engage, and they will feel so much more comfortable seeking help. Students need an outlet; even though they would not have admitted it in the fall of 2019, school is a safe place where they want to be. 

While this school year's future will remain uncertain, we know that we can still be present for our students. We are all fighting different battles and facing healthy and normal fears for our health, safety, and future. Remember that being present for our students in the here and now provides a great sense of normalcy for them. We can still be their safe space; we need to adjust, adapt, and embrace our vulnerabilities. 

Bell Ringers with Intention

My eldest daughter started kindergarten this week. She is learning to navigate Seesaw, how to interact on a Zoom call, and is developing critical literacy skills. I have been amazed to watch her navigate this new digital platform and school altogether and have been so encouraged by her teacher who seems to handle the wilds of kindergarten with students new to the school environment with grace and patience. Remote teaching is so challenging, especially for elementary students, and her teacher persevering through it.

I teach seniors - the opposite end of the spectrum. While we have far fewer technology issues, students are still relatively new to this experience. My school district has recently adopted a new LMS, which several students have used before in one or two classes, but it is still yet another change to which students must adapt. After facing so much uncertainty for the last six months, my students still find themselves walking into numerous unknowns. As a result, building community and challenging students to use their communication skills has been a priority - especially because I teach speech. Communicating is what we do.

As the first bell rings and the first Zoom call commences in the morning, students admit to rolling out of bed and logging onto the call. They are tired, not fully ready to engage, and locked behind screens, which makes speaking slightly more nerve-wracking than normal. Starting my periods with intentionality has been a focus of my first two weeks of remote learning this fall. To begin each session together, I have students participate in a small group warm-up or bell ringer activity designed to break the ice and make students actively think, reflect on their lives, and apply the communicative skill being addressed that week. By tasking students to use their communication skills to connect with others at the beginning of class has led to more energy in the room and fostered an increased sense of community.

The expectation is that students unmute, share, and record what they have discussed in their breakout rooms. Everyone is active, and I am frantically popping from room to room to say good morning, check-in, and welcome them to the start of another school day (Note: I only teach three classes because of my instructional coach position. All of my classes are AM classes). Groups are randomized to make them feel like they know more people in the room and are less inhibited by our current classroom environment. This routine has become a natural part of the cadence of my classroom, and students recognize the importance of being ready to share and collaborate with others. 

So, Steph… what do those bell-ringers look like?

Ironically, I have found my bell-ringers that feel elementary. We created classroom rules for Zoom. We’ve done a counting game, and we even did show-and-tell. While these topics seem simple and more expected in a kindergarten classroom, they took on new meaning, allowed us to be intentional with our conversations and getting to know one another, and made students laugh. Normally, I would not explicitly create classroom norms with students, but we are in a new normal and that conversation opened up to reflect on all of our parts. I created a 360 view of my classroom using Google Maps. To make them feel like they were “in” my space, I challenged them to explore my new workspace and search for all of the inspirational quotes that I have used to make my classroom feel more reflective of my typical classroom environment. And show-and-tell challenged students to get out of their seats, find an object that was meaningful to them, and practice storytelling. Powerful speakers are strong storytellers, and what they shared was inspiring and opened them up to express vulnerability with one another.

I plan to continue to have students participate in these icebreakers because now more than ever, we have the cold feeling of a computer screen that needs cracking each day to help us feel more united. The encouraging news is that once it is dethawed at the beginning of the period, students are ready to dive into their learning.

How can we all infuse digital bell-ringers into our classrooms?


In these activities, it is important to be mindful of the time. They should be short and energy-giving - not draining. Students also need to be held accountable for their conversations. By creating a Google Doc, Jamboard, or a Padlet on which they can take notes or make their conversations visual, they have more purpose and direction to the activity. They are also more likely to stay on task. Since I cannot be in seven breakout rooms at the same time, I have appreciated this type of documentation because it allows me to hear their stories and remember important details about my students' passions, interests, and backgrounds. The key to the document that the teacher makes to hold students accountable is that it must be shareable, editable, and on one page.

Keeping the content to one page has allowed me to monitor student progress with ease. If I notice that a group hasn’t written anything after a few minutes, I can immediately jump into that breakout room and support students. I have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I have jumped into rooms that were so excited to talk to each other or were sharing such detailed stories that they forgot to record their thoughts. I have also used these documents as a formative assessment, qualitatively measuring student engagement and participation. These insights have already allowed me to target a few students who needed additional support navigating the platform. 

How do we bring a stronger sense of community back to our classrooms?

Through bell-ringers, we have the opportunity to allow our personalities to shine. I am a self-professed nerd who loves inspirational quotes. I am energetic in the morning - too much at times, and I value my students' passions. I share a story with them each time I set up a bell-ringer activity. I model vulnerability and excitement for the day. When they see that it’s possible to feel connected, they will make an effort back. While it may take time to defrost a few students’ apprehensive tendencies toward Zoom calls, we can achieve a greater level of comfortability. Remember, relationships matter more than any mathematical formula, grammar rule, or historical fact. When we reinforce heart before head, their heads are far more open to acquiring new skills or cramming new content. 

While my kindergartener sings back to a screen, I know she already feels loved by her teacher. Do I wish that she was face-to-face with her peers, learning and growing in person? Of course, but that is not the world we live in right now. We will get back there, and when we do, we will have learned so much more about the power of communication and connecting than we ever imagined.

Getting Them Talking (Digitally Speaking)

Will they show up to the Zoom? Will the link work? Or will this be the moment that the internet decides to come to a screeching halt? These are the questions and anxieties that fill me on the first day of school in 2020. Instead of worrying about going to the wrong classroom at the wrong time or forgetting students' names, I am more preoccupied with the connectivity of my technology tools than anything else. I fear the spinning icon that indicates that my device is attempting to connect to the internet. This temporary reality has teachers across the country feeling like first-year teachers again as we are being challenged to rethink and retool our student engagement strategies. 

Take it slow with technology. 

We are teaching in an entirely new format. While we had preliminary experience in the spring with remote learning, we are still relatively new to this environment. This year, there are entirely new standards for delivering content, and the bar has been raised for both students and teachers. We are no longer crisis teaching; we are normalizing distance learning. As such, no matter your comfort level with technology, take it slow. We aren’t required to use ten different web applications and customized breakout rooms on day one. Instead, we should focus on building relationships and getting to know our students. It is okay to talk and challenge students to talk, too. Focusing on familiarizing ourselves with the digital classroom environment can alleviate the pressure of having to know every formative assessment tool. It is okay to walk before we run with technology tools and strategies. Remember, we do not need to implement every new feature in Zoom during the first week. It can provide us with the emotional and mental space to do what we do best - love kids. 

We need to establish Zoom norms and netiquette with students. 

Just like we would establish rules in a physical classroom environment, we need to talk about expectations and etiquette in a digital environment. In a face-to-face setting, I rarely spoke to my seniors about behavioral rules, although I make daily quips about being a good human and making good choices as they walk out the door (physical and digital). Now, I am finding myself opening a dialogue with them about netiquette and behavior on Zoom. This environment is new to them, and it's new to me. Reminding students to mute their mics when they are not talking and leave their video running are essential parts of this new communication model. Nonverbal communication still matters; they have to be intentional. Teaching students to use the emojis on Zoom is also a great way to do formative assessments and check-ins with students seamlessly. Students also need to know how to "raise their hands" and use the chat feature for questions or quick comments. Providing students with opportunities to practice these features and discuss how/why these features matter will make the classroom more interactive. By working together to set standards and create norms, students will feel more comfortable engaging with each other and with me. They will have more confidence in knowing that they are in a safe environment and that their voices matter. 

Establish norms in how you deliver instruction and how to demonstrate mastery, too. Reviewing and sharing the screen is a critical part of delivering content, and it takes longer on a screen. I am continually reminding myself to slow down. Demonstrate, model, and then give them time to access the material. Taking our time at first will pay off later in the semester. When I have used breakout rooms with students in Zoom, I have explained how I want my students to take notes so that I can be in on their conversation even when I am in a different breakout room. Using the same procedure for these notes shaves down on the demonstration time; after a few experiences, it will become second nature. While I am not advocating for using the same tools and procedures every class period, I am noting that there is comfort in routines. Routines set expectations in students' minds and bring a familiarity to the course that allows them to open up, engage, and become more active participants in the class. 

Breaking students into small groups helps. 

Unfortunately, this week, my district learned that preset breakout rooms in Zoom do not work on a Chrome operating system (Teachers are all on Chromebooks). That being said, the breakout rooms still function in manually created groups. Small groups are incredible places for students to learn to be more comfortable talking on screen. When they do not feel like they are under a microscope in a class of 30, they will unmute, relax, and be themselves. Pushing students into breakout rooms, even informally discussing a quick idea or concept, gets them talking. They miss face-to-face interactions and connections as much as we do. By being able to speak with their peers in an informal, smaller setting, they will begin to feel more comfortable. Allowing a few minutes to discuss a prompt also creates a sense of camaraderie that comes from shared experiences. I have started my lessons here and see myself starting my lessons each day with this practice, and even in the first week, I see a positive impact. 

We need to be ourselves.

Starting a Zoom call is still uncomfortable for me. The constant chiming of students logging into the Zoom call and my nerves surrounding a technical glitch ruminate in my mind. Instead of being poised, I try to laugh at myself, make jokes, and say every student's name as they enter the room. Slightly awkward elf-depreciation and embracing my vulnerabilities are part of my personality. Allowing that piece of me to come out on-screen shows students that it is okay to embrace your personality or laugh at the obstacles caused by low connectivity. We do not have to have it all together at every moment, and we might not love the world we are currently living in, but we still can show how we enjoy every moment we share with our students despite the present situation. Talking openly about our feelings, but modeling how to find the positives allows us to forge connections deeper than we realize. While they might be quiet in the full class Zoom conversations, they are watching, and they are getting to know us. They will open up - perhaps today or maybe tomorrow. When we show students our passions, interests, and personalities, they will respond. We can let our love of learning and all things "nerdy" shine.  

As John Green states, "Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to LOVE stuff, like, jump-up-and-down-in-your-chair-can't-control-yourself LOVE it." And you know what, John Green, when I see my students on Zoom or receive an email from them, metaphorically jump-up-and-down on screen I will because I love my students, and I am here to listen whenever they are ready to talk. 

Be the Teacher Students Need Today

Be the teacher your students need today. 

As I repeat that mantra in my mind, it seems so simple and empowering, and yet, as I turn on the news or read social media feeds, it feels like the idea of what our students need today is planted on shifting sand. Our country and the world are full of so much uncertainty and political unrest that it is easy to lose sight of what our schools need to stay safe and begin again. I am scared - many of us are. Unfortunately, I am most afraid of adults who have stopped taking thorough precautions and adhering to CDC guidelines, but I digress. 

Coping with and attempting to quell these fears, I take a page from Disney's Frozen 2 and focus on doing the next right thing. This summer, I have spent a significant amount of time reflecting on how to support teachers. They will inevitably be thrown into an impossible situation of teaching in a hybrid setting with a looming threat of becoming sick or exposing others to COVID-19. Ultimately, teachers need to be ready to be everything and anything for their students at a moment's notice. The schedules, general classroom practices, and expectations will shift drastically from week to week. So I return to the question that weighs on teachers' hearts right now: How do we prepare to be the teacher our students need? 

We have to prepare for the worst but be ready for the best. 

As I help teachers in my district and those in neighboring districts this summer, my advice has been to plan mentally for a semester of full remote learning. While I think we will oscillate in between hybrid and remote learning for much of the fall, preparing for remote learning will make every face-to-face encounter a bonus. Adjusting lesson plans from remote to face-to-face is much easier than the other way around. Also, even if we are in the classroom, typical practices such as sharing Chromebooks, grouping and rotating seats, helping students over their shoulders, and circulating the room have to change. 

Now more than ever, it is more important and appropriate to stop a lesson or change a plan to address social-emotional learning. Our students have learned more about life in the last few months than any of us realize. While they need to get caught up on skills and content, they have grown and changed. They need guidance and support, and they need opportunities to process the collective experience that we have encountered. Providing them with that outlet will allow them to make room in their minds for the course content that we hope to share with them this year. We can and need to help them become ready to learn. The best way we can be the teachers our students need today is to remind ourselves that we don't have stress about content. We can permit ourselves to change course! 

Every synchronous moment counts. 

When planning for this upcoming semester, consider what absolutely needs to be synchronous and what can be adapted and taught remotely or asynchronously. Prioritize direct instruction lessons and more challenging content. Again, it is okay to alter previous lesson plans from the years we had the opportunity to teach face-to-face every day. This year is different; we are in a new normal. Front-loading an entire unit with direct instruction may ensure that students receive critical skills that they will need to be successful for several weeks. When we teach that meaningful content, though, don't forget to stop for social-emotional learning again. What we think is essential is often more expendable than we realize. 

Again, do not shy away from social-emotional learning and community building. 

While we are all in the same boat in navigating a global pandemic, we are fighting drastically different battles. Some people live in fear of preexisting conditions; some have struggled with unemployment or loss of income. Others face depression, anxiety, or other social-emotional related difficulties. Personally, our household has been under extreme lockdown because we have a child with Cystic Fibrosis, a lung disease that also impacts all vital organs and his digestion. My son has remained relatively healthy to this point in his life, but his disease classifies him as terminally ill. While I have all the faith in the world that he will live a full and meaningful life, my family has to be incredibly cautious because when he contracts even a mild cold, he will most likely become very ill. A common cold or stomach bug results in a round of antibiotics and even hospitalization. We've been there; I don't want to be back anytime soon. My solution to keep him safe is to move out of my house, and I am fortunate enough to have several options of places to go and that my son can remain at home with my husband. This situation is my battle, and I fully acknowledge that we all have different struggles related to this impossible situation. We need to remember to recognize our students' feelings and empathize with each other. Regardless of the subjects we teach, we should make room for teaching empathy and giving our students space to cope with the storms they face. Even older students look to us to guide them through difficult situations. How we handle our struggles and our fears can help them process their own feelings and cope. 

Try something new every week. 

As we mentor, coach, guide, and teach students in person, online, and everything in between, we may find that traditional instructional practices are not as effective as they have been in the past. This coming school year, we mustn't be afraid to try something new. We may need to extend out of our comfort zones and incorporate new tech tools or strategies. Now is the time to get creative, and if a lesson fails, it is okay! We can permit ourselves to learn with the students as we use new tools or assign new projects to our students. With all the stress and challenges that are sure to come this fall, we do not need to reinvent the wheel entirely, but we can try one new strategy a week. We may find new instructional practices that make our classrooms better in any situation. 

Give yourself grace. 

Even if you weren't the perfect hybrid, remote, pandemic teacher this past spring, remember that you still made a difference in someone's life. You were still there for your students, and your efforts mattered. The personal videos, supportive emails, and cards that you delivered to your students meant something to them, even if they were not able to verbalize their gratitude. Thank you for what you have done for your students and for what you will continue to do. No matter what happens as we return to so much uncertainty, we will continue to love our students, teach them essential content, and inspire them to be their best selves. Give yourself grace as we all muddle through each day. Remind yourself to be the teacher your students need today. While it might look different tomorrow, what you do makes a significant difference and will make our world a better place. 

Asynchronous PDs: If there's a topic that catches your eye, click through it! I'm sharing these optional PD experiences as an a la carte menu to help teachers feel ready for back-to-school. Anything to help!

• App Smashing with Pear Deck
• Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Learning
• Blended Learning Principles and Strategies
• Collaborate, Create, and Celebrate: Using WeVideo to Amplify Student Voice
• Enhancing Student Learning with Padlet
• Flipgrid and Remote Learning 
• Making Small Groups Work
• Putting the Pieces Together with EdPuzzle

EdPuzzle: Using Tech To Solve an Instructional Problem

7:30 in the morning is not an easy time for many people, especially teenagers. One year, my students were more averse to alarm clocks than any group who came before them (or after them). I had up to eight students a day (out of 28) coming to class with tardy passes - a number and frequency I have never seen since. As a result, students would miss the few minutes of direct instructional time that I would deliver to students. This group would come in halfway through a grammar lesson, writing exercise, or reading discussion, thus missing the meat of the material and often great discussions, questions, and ideas shared by their peers. To solve this problem and find a way to provide that instruction to students who would walk in half-awake still frazzled from the frenzy of the morning, I turned to tech tools. Surely a tech tool or instructional practice had to exist that would allow me to supplement the missed time and provide the same (or as close to the same) experience as possible. 

That semester was the semester in which I started flipping writing and grammar instruction for all students, typically short mini-lessons that involved active practice and application immediately after learning the lesson. Students would start the period as they hustled into their seats, watching a quick video lesson while I circulated providing support, greeting students, and checking in with any latecomers. I realized that creating videos allowed me to double my presence in the classroom. I could be teaching and completing social-emotional check-ins at the same time. If a student was absent, they always could watch the video, or if they needed additional support, they could rewatch the video at their own time and pace. 

What tools are essential to a flipped style lesson or video delivery? 

A screencasting tool and a video editing platform are two essential tools for creating original video content for students. My two favorite tools for this process are Screencastify and WeVideo, which allows me to edit and refine the video. WeVideo has so many special effects, music, and transitions to include in the creation process. Making videos can be time-consuming but can be reused and reshared over again. I house my videos on YouTube solely for the ease of sharing and create playlists to keep them organized by course, year, or instructional purpose.  

My instruction was consistent for all students, but now they had access to me whenever, wherever, and however, they needed me. This on-demand playlist of writing instruction allowed me to be more present in the room, directing my attention to students in academic and emotional needs. As I explored video creation more, I realized that I needed another tool to make my lessons more personalized and engaging. EdPuzzle was the solution. 

How does EdPuzzle work? 

EdPuzzle was (and still is) one of my favorite tools for providing instruction to students in any format. Making videos interactive and engaging, EdPuzzle encourages students to take an active role in their learning. Instead of passively watching a video or not watching altogether, this tool tracks student viewership. EdPuzzle also allows teachers to insert voice comments, written comments or links, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended questions during the video. This type of interactive structure keeps students actively listening and demonstrating their comprehension along the way. Teachers can craft entire lessons using a video from YouTube or any other video platform. They can access a library of already created videos and lessons or make their own from scratch. This webtool is user-friendly both on the teacher and student end. Teachers can share lessons with other teachers or find inspirational ideas from the EdPuzzle library. 

With EdPuzzle, I now had more flexibility to provide face-to-face feedback, incorporate individualized and small group work, and use station-rotation to create an active learning experience for my students. The use of a few tech tools not only solved my students' alarm clock problem helped me revolutionize the effectiveness of my writing lessons while creating more time for classroom activities. 

Aside from the traditional way of assigning a video to each student, how else can EdPuzzle be used? 

EdPuzzle is traditionally pushed out to students to complete independently, but the more I used it, the more I began to experiment with a small group and whole class lessons. I used Librivox recordings of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew to create videos for whole-class activities. I inserted voice comments and open-ended questions to facilitate discussion while we listened to and processed through the play. The video would stop playing at crucial moments that necessitated further discussion. While the video played, I walked the room with my script and helped students follow along. I could read facial expressions and mentally gauge their comprehension, thus allowing me to provide immediate clarify or feedback to a particular line or scene. I also liked how knowing the length of the video gave me a better estimate of the pacing. If a student was absent, they did not miss out on the same experience as everyone else. They simply need the link, which can be shared with an entire class through a learning management system or assigned directly to an individual student. 

EdPuzzle can also be used for small group inquiry. If students are researching a project, they can watch and complete the EdPuzzle together. They can answer open-ended questions, find evidence through external resources or readings, and can engage in dialogue with one another throughout the process. This use for EdPuzzle works well with a station rotation classroom model. The answers students provide can serve as a useful formative assessment for a teacher to review later if that teacher is working or teaching in another station. 

Note that the free version allows teachers to store up to 20 videos, but the paid version allows for unlimited videos. The paid version also allows institutions to create a school library, making it even easier to collaborate and share. If you are looking for professional development, EdPuzzle has an entire library full of different topics, including Google Tools, Project-Based Learning, Diversity and Inclusion, 21st Century Learning, and more. These professional development experiences are free and can be completed at one's own pace. For people looking to prepare for whatever the fall might bring, this resource would be a great place to start!  

No matter what problem we are trying to solve, the intentional use of technology can allow us to create new experiences that may save time, provide more feedback, or enhance the student experience. I did not realize what EdPuzzle could do for my classroom before I started using it, and it even solved a problem or two I didn't realize I had. Find the tool that can solve your problem or maybe even wake up your classroom in ways you never imagined.