Welcome to K12EduBuzz.com. I am Jean Tower and I appreciate your visit to my blog. I encourage comments and look forward to online conversations with my readers.

The Best Instructional Technology Specialists Say ‘Yes!’

Instructional technology specialists/coaches play an important role in schools today. We ask a great deal of them. To be proficient they have to coach, model, collaborate and co-teach. They act as catalysts for change, leading, communicating and promoting best practices. They support teachers with professional development, resources and opportunities to grow their own professional learning […]

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Power Stance

Not only is our body language communicating things about ourselves to others, but it can influence how we feel about ourselves. Amy Cuddy, in her 2012 TED talk, explains that taking just a couple of minutes striking a “power pose” when you aren’t feeling all that confident, can help boost your confidence, and can change […]

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The F Word – Fear

Schools have a bit of a lull from now until we return after Thanksgiving. During this period I will be reposting blog posts from the past. I will pick posts that I think are still relevant or entertain in some way. Enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving break! Why is it that so many educators have yet […]

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Strategic or Tactical

Schools have a bit of a lull from now until we return after Thanksgiving. During this period I will be reposting blog posts from the past. I will pick posts that I think are still relevant or entertain in some way. Enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving break!   Do you spend more time visioning and planning […]

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NaNoWriMo

Have you heard about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month? With NaNoWriMo encouragement and support, thousands of people around the world will be endeavoring to write a complete novel this November. The goal for these writers is to produce a novel of 50,000 words or more in just 30 days. Just 12 days to go, writers […]

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Raising the Erate Cap

In the second phase of the moderinization of erate, Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the FCC, is expected to propose an increase in the annual cap on spending. It is being reported that he will request raising the cap by 1.5 billion dollars to 3.9 billion. These details come from a spokesperson at the FCC. I […]

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Takeaways from Today’s Reading

The 5 Recent Google Drive Updates Teachers Should Know About LINK It is so great that Google is constantly evolving and improving their GAFE product.   Crash Course on You Tube – VERY COOL LINK It would be a great curriculum idea to have students create a 2-3 minute “crash course” in something.   Explain […]

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What Matters Most

“Sounds simple enough, right? The tricky part is actually defining what matters.” – Rob Hatch   I subscribe to Rob Hatch’s newsletter, aimed primarily at entrepreneurs, but still often take away nuggets that apply to my work in education. Today’s email urges owners to plan for success by defining it explicitly and measuring what will […]

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Role of the Instructional Technology Specialist

In Maggie Hos-McGrane’s blog, Tech Transformation, she has a post from 2013 delineating the roles of the Instructional Technology Specialist. I recommend you read the post in its entirety – her descriptions of the roles are drawn from many years of experience and her accumulated wisdom. 2013 List of Competencies Collaborate, Find and share resources, […]

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Plan Versus Strategy

In this slidedeck (by Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg with Alan Eagle) the authors describe Google’s philosophy – how Google works. It is an engaging presentation and they share a few tenets, some of which are immediately transferable to the education environment. What really resonated with me is the idea of having a foundational strategy […]

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