cottentechcoach

March Madness PD

As someone who engages in a lot of Professional Development (PD) activities – delivering and receiving, one of the overarching gripes I hear is that no one wants to be “talked at”. And, I have to say, I agree. In the hopes of combatting this, I have delivered PD that mimicked how a student wouldContinue reading “March Madness PD”

One Tool That Gets Me Through It All

Nearpod. Flipgrid. Jamboard. Canva. I hear so many tech tools being touted as the “best” tool for my classroom. Most of us have identified our go-to tool and we even get slightly offended if others disagree or believe there’s another one better out there. Every tool serves a purpose and we, as instructional designers forContinue reading “One Tool That Gets Me Through It All”

Add Borders to Your Google Docs

The Google Suite – Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. – has been a life-saver throughout my pandemic teaching. Along with Google being my go-to, there are still some features it is lacking. One such feature is the ability to add a border around my Google Doc. While I know I can already do this in MicrosoftContinue reading “Add Borders to Your Google Docs”

Slides Users Rejoice! Record to Slides had an Update

Through our year of pandemic teaching, I found the Record to Slides Chrome extension the most usable extension/tool/feature. Created by ClayCodes, this FREE extension is perfect for those of us who rely on Google Slides for the majority of our presentations, lessons, activities, and anything else you find helpful when using Slides. If you areContinue reading “Slides Users Rejoice! Record to Slides had an Update”

5 Chrome Extensions You Need Right Now

Many of us love using Chrome and Google Workspace products but are always wishing it could do “this” or it could do “that”. Let me introduce you to 5 Chrome Extensions you need right now. I could always use my Chrome browser without my extensions, but, let’s be honest, it would not be as funContinue reading “5 Chrome Extensions You Need Right Now”

Ideas for Using Word Cloud Generators in the Classroom

Word Cloud generators have been around for a long time. I remember in my early years teaching I would use a word cloud generator (the name eludes me now) where I had to type in all of my students’ words/phrases to come up with a generically shaped cloud of words. Word Cloud generators have comeContinue reading “Ideas for Using Word Cloud Generators in the Classroom”

Relationships Built by Fire

This post is week 1 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators. The prompt for Week 1 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge is to “describe relationships with those you taught this year.” As an Instructional Technology Coach, my teaching is done with teachers and it is imperative that I continuallyContinue reading “Relationships Built by Fire”

Look at All We’ve Gained During the Pandemic

Learning loss. Learning gaps. Students are failing. Missing assignments. Summer school. Double-up curriculum and instruction next year. Do any of these phrases sound familiar? As educators, we are being bombarded with bold statements about the negative consequences the pandemic has handed us; and worse, people are turning to us as if we didn’t do enoughContinue reading “Look at All We’ve Gained During the Pandemic”

Wheel of Names

Wheel of Names is not a new website but it is one that has been extremely useful the past year throughout the pandemic. I love this site because I can quickly create a wheel that includes my students’ names to use as a random name picker. When I have groups or partner work happening inContinue reading “Wheel of Names”