The Beginning...

I never in a million years imagined that my job title would be "Technology Integration Specialist" or "Technology TOSA/Coach".  I have literally referred to myself as "not that techy" or "technology illiterate" more times than I can count.  But here I am, as a "specialist"  trying my best to equip myself to live up to that title by preparing to take the Google Certified Educator Level 1 Exam.

Before I get into the minutiae of what I'm doing to prepare for this test, let me give you a rundown of how I got to where I am today...

I have always considered myself a life-long learner, so when I entered into this role, I felt like it was more appropriate to say that I'm an "emerging" EdTech Specialist because I'm still learning all the things I need to know to be able to help other teachers integrate technology into learning experiences for students in ways that I haven't even gotten to experience myself.  Technology is ever-evolving, so I've come to the conclusion that I will never know "all the things" I need to know about technology.  But, I'm willing to LEARN as much as I possibly can and pursue opportunities for professional growth so that no matter if I'm in or out of the classroom, I'm capable of providing meaningful learning experiences for those that I'm teaching, whether it be students or my fellow educators.🌺

So, for the 11 years that I was in the classroom as an English teacher in both Florida and California schools, my students had limited access to technology via computer labs or shared laptop carts. 💻 I never worked in a one:one environment until I worked in SouthCentral, LA.  The students had iPads (although this was during the initial rollout and there were all kinds of problems with the rollout) and I had a laptop cart in my classroom the 2014-2015 school year which happened to be the same (and only) year that I taught on a block schedule.

This was probably my favorite year of teaching because not only did my students have access to technology, my class sizes were smaller and due to the block schedule, I truly got to know my students and we had such strong relationships; I saw great academic progress with my students this particular year.  I also had a very supportive administrator and an instructional coach who helped me grow professionally.  Specifically, I recall that my coach helped me plan for and increase student academic discussion opportunities.  And finally, I had a partner teacher that I literally collaborated with almost daily and we shared ideas to build engaging instructional units (Jackie Villaseñor, I miss you so much!).  Although sometimes student behaviors were tough, this was such a great year for me as a teacher, and I genuinely loved my job. 💗

But then, as the story goes, my teacher partner moved out of state, my supportive administrator got moved to another school, my coach got moved back to the classroom fulltime, my classroom moved (so no more working laptop cart), and I became pregnant with my 3rd child.  Because of the lack of administrative presence, weak school leadership, and the high turnover of teachers and long term subs, the student misbehaviors such as theft, vandalism, violent fights, etc. increased and consequences for the students decreased. 👎 Just as a few examples of the chaotic campus environment, here are some incidents that occurred that year...

• I was inadvertently assaulted twice during my pregnancy in the midst of violent student altercations that were ignited by racial tensions between the African American and Hispanic gangs on campus.  
• I saw student desks (with chairs attached) be hurled off a second-story balcony into a crowd of students standing around below who were inches from being hit.  
• I was shocked and devastated when I learned that one of my 8th-grade students got arrested for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in order to be a part of a gang initiation.  

That's just a glimpse into the school culture that I was working in that year.  2015-2016 was a rough year of teaching for me and ultimately, I decided to leave that school for two reasons:  

1. I found myself experiencing compassion fatigue (which at the time, I didn't even know was a thing) because I was so exhausted from giving everything I had emotionally during my workday, that I had nothing left to give my own family when I got home. 😢
2. I genuinely began to feel unsafe on this campus. 😨

So, at the end of the year, although saddened that was leaving the SouthCentral, LA youth whom I felt deserved so much more than they were being given, I transferred to a school that was closer to my home and had a better reputation for being a safe school with a strong administrative leadership team. 🙌

After the insanity of the previous year, 2016-2017 was kind of a reinvigorating year of teaching for me.  I wasn't dealing with the challenges that I had been dealing with the year before, and although I didn't have a collaborative partner teacher, I had a solid curriculum and 10 years of teaching experience that made lesson planning less time-consuming than in years' past.  I learned how to manage my time more efficiently so I was bringing less work home with me in the evenings and on weekends.  And I wasn't so emotionally drained that I couldn't give my family the attention that they needed.  I remember thinking how nice it was that I only saw one student altercation the entire year, and that I only had to write a handful of referrals that year... It was peaceful. 🕊

But during this last year of teaching, I began to feel something that I hadn't felt before... stagnancy.  I wasn't offered any professional development opportunities or coaching and my principal came into my room twice the entire year: once for a pop in observation and a second time when a student had a seizure.  I had very little collaboration with my ELA team and I was working mostly in isolation during this year in a portable in the very back of campus.  Part of the isolation was because I was still breastfeeding and needed time alone during the workday to pump breastmilk.  But in the moments where I was able to spend time collaborating with colleagues on campus, I saw glimpses of teachers using technology in innovative ways that motivated students to generate some amazing products, and I was intrigued.  I wanted to learn how to be that kind of teacher. 🤩

But as life goes, around this time was also a time of transition for our family.  We were growing out of our home and my husband's daily commute on the 405 was draining him.  So, we made the tough decision to move from Long Beach to Temecula which meant that I had to look for a new teaching position...again.  I applied to several districts and began interviewing all over Riverside county. 🗒

During my job search, I came across an instructional coaching position.  After reading over the job description, I thought back to all the struggles I experienced as a teacher throughout the years... what it meant to me that one year that I had a coach and how much I grew from that experience... about how wonderful it would be to help other teachers through these struggles... to help them grow professionally and partner with them to strengthen their capacity as a teacher... I thought to myself, "I've been a teacher leader on several campuses that I've worked on. I think could do this job and I think I'd be good at it!"  Knowing that I had other teaching job offers on the table, I knew that I had nothing to lose; so I applied, interviewed, and even though I had very little "coaching" experience, I was offered the job!  I declined the other teaching positions that I was offered and accepted the coaching position, not because I wanted to be out of the classroom, but because I felt like if I could help teachers become stronger at their craft, then ultimately, I could have a farther-reaching impact on students.  

So, I spent the last two years as a site-based instructional coach at a middle school for Hemet Unified School District.  HUSD offered me more professional development and training in those two years than I had combined in my 11 years of teaching in previous districts.  In this role, I got to see beyond the 4 walls of my classroom to learn how other teachers do this job every day.  I learned all kinds of new instructional strategies (AVID) behavior & classroom management strategies, and blended learning techniques (@Catlin_Tucker is phenomenal!)  I learned several coaching techniques (i.e. InsideOut Coaching, The Achievement-Focused Coaching Cycle, etc.) and I got the opportunity to do demonstration lessons and co-teach with teachers in subject areas outside of ELA as I worked through coaching cycles.  I fell in love with mentoring new teachers and supporting my colleagues with whatever they needed.  I also transitioned during this time from Microsoft Office to Google's G-Suite in order to become proficient in G-Suite products.  Additionally, I got to attend conferences like CUE and AVID where I earned my Digital Teaching and Learning Badge.  Needless to say, these two years grew my capacity as a teacher and instructional coach exponentially.  

When the district cut my coaching position due to budgetary reasons, I had very mixed emotions.  I was sad for the teachers that I'd been working with knowing that they were going to be losing the support that my coaching position provided.  I also was uncertain for a couple of months where I would end up.  But the thought of going back to the classroom was actually kind of exciting for me.  I started thinking about all the things I would do differently as a teacher and how I would design learning experiences for students now that I'm in a district that has a one:one environment. 🤔 I even started building a Google Site that would be my "teacher webpage" if it was decided that I'd be returning to the classroom. 

But apparently, the Lord had different plans for me... A position as a district-level coach became available, and my colleagues and various leaders encouraged me to pursue this position. So I applied, interviewed, and was offered the job as a "Technology Integration Specialist" or "Tech TOSA" with an emphasis on ELA. 

So, in my new role, I get to coach CTI candidates who are trying to clear their credentials and work with other teachers in our district on ways to effectively integrate technology into learning experiences for students.  Specifically, I partner with the ELA TOSA to help lead our Secondary ELA Lead teachers and support secondary ELA teachers with the implementation of our newly adopted curriculum and technology integration.  I also am working alongside two other members of our EdTech team to develop our district's Digital Wellness Scope & Sequence.  So, that is what I do and a synopsis of how I got here!

As part of this new role, I really should have my Google Level 1 & 2 Certifications, and it probably would be helpful to have the Google Trainer Certification as well.  So, I'm putting this out in the universe because I feel like if I say/write/type it, I'm speaking it into life!  My goal is to complete Level 1 by the end of this week, and if I pass, I'd like to do Level 2 on my Spring Break in April.  Although I've conducted training for teachers within my district, I'd like to push myself out of my comfort zone and present for the first time at the IE Google Camp this summer.  But, I do not want to be a presenter unless I pass at least the Google Level 1 Certification Exam...

For those that are unaware, this is a 3-hour, webcam monitored test through Google for Education that you must pass with an 80% or higher.  It involves answering a bunch of questions on the G-Suite products and classroom technology integration as well as the completion of several performance tasks inside a secured "fake" Google account. 😩

So, this week, our district is on break, and I've been studying and trying to prepare myself to take this exam. 🤓 I've sought advice from my EdTech partners (@pdtechgal & @derekrouch) and from the Riverside Technology Leadership Network that I'm a part of (#IETLN) and some "Techsperts" like Google Innovator Sonal Patel (@TrPatel20).  I've worked through the Google for Education Training Modules and taken all the unit practice tests.  I've watched several YouTube videos made by educators who have taken and passed the test like this one from John R. Sowash @jrsowash, or this one from Kacey Bell @ShakeUpLearning, and also this one from Teachings in Education because Sheets is my "weak" area in G-suite.  Blogger is one of the features that is covered on the test, so I figured, what better way to prepare than to actually use Blogger and officially kick-off my EdTech blog! 🎉

So, after I post this, I'll study/prepare for the rest of the afternoon, and then tomorrow morning, I'm going to take the test.   Say a few prayers 🙏 and wish me luck, y'all! 🍀

I'll let you know the good news or the bad news tomorrow!  Stay tuned...📺