Be Different @benjamingilpin & @gustafsonbrad

Hey fellow educators!  Well as you  may or may not have noticed, my life has gotten a little crazy and it's been harder and harder to keep up with the Educator Learning Series.  So for the time being I will be taking a break from creating and finding challenges for you to complete, BUT we WILL be back!

To end strong I recruited two of my favorite people to design a challenge for you!

Ben Gilpin (out of Michigan) and Brad Gustafson (out of Minnesota) are two administrators who not only do I greatly admire, but who are two of the kindest and most inventive guys I know!

This week's challenge is a #BackToSchool challenge!  To think different!

So here ya go, here's Brad and Ben's challenge video!  Check it out HERE


Then tweet out all the awesome things you're gonna do different this school year using the #EduLS hashtag!

Change the Nomenclature Challenge 21

This week's #EduLS challenge comes from the incredible Jake Duncan!

You can read all about it HERE.

Make sure to share your learning via the #EduLS hashtag!

Summer of Creating, Challenge 21

This week's challenge comes from the amazing Andrea Keller.  I'll let her video speak for itself!

You can watch it by clicking HERE.

Happy Creating!  And don't forget to share with the hashtags #SummerofCreating and #EduLS!

Twitter!! Challenge 20

Now that most of you have jumped both feet into your summer (though I know a few up north are just finishing up) I wanted to create a challenge that has many different layers.

Last summer, when I was hosting the "Summer Learning Series" one of the first things we focused on was social media, and more specifically Twitter.

I know that we're all on different levels and paths when it comes to utilize social media for connecting, learning, growing, and more.

So what I wanted to do was share with you the posts from last summer.

Your challenge this week is to pick one, or more, of the posts from last summer and work on growing more in your use of social media.  Challenge yourself.  Push yourself out of your comfort zone.

I always say that Twitter changed my life.  It changed it professional and personally.  I hope that through this week's challenge you can make some new connections, learn some new materials, and push yourself to share some too!

Already a Twitter pro?  Join a new chat this week, or connect with someone you never have before.  Or Tweet out a burning question you having (using the #EduLS hashtag) and see what response you get!

What is Twitter?  And creating your account

Connect with Others!  Who Do I Connect With?

What is a Hashtag?  Why use them and which ones do I use?

REMEMBER, include the hashtag #EduLS with all of your tweets, so we can learn along WITH you!

Happy Learning!

(***want a weekly reminder email about challenges that have been released?  Sign up HERE)

Take a Staycation - Challenge 19

With the school year wrapping up, what better way to begin your summer then by taking a "stay-cation"

What is a staycation?  Well this week's challenge comes from my friend Jed Dearybury.  Jed is one of the most engaging and exciting people I know.  Incredibly passionate about education and changing not only kids' lives but also affecting adults.  If you haven't connected with Jed Dearybury on social media, you definitely should.

Check out Jed's challenge by watching his video HERE (or the embedded video below)

Then when you're done, tweet out photos from you staycation with the hashtag #EduLS!  Enjoy your time exploring your community!

Write A Letter, Challenge 18

This week's challenge is a simple one, in theory.

As we wrap up our school year (and some have already ended!) the best thing we can do is reflect.

What your challenge is for this week is to write a letter to yourself all about this last school year.  Write about the the struggles, the joys, the successes, the failures, the whole shebang.

Take the time to write it out as if you were writing to a close friend.

Then, on the last day of school, when the final student has left, open your letter and re-read it (or if your year has ended, wait a week and read it fresh).  Reflect on the year.  And head into summer with a heart that is reminded that in the end, we did all we could!

So there ya go!  And if you're brave, share your letter via a picture or blog post and use the #EduLS hashtag when sharing it out!

Digital Scavenger Hunt, Challenge 17

We're back!  This week's challenge comes from the brilliant Karen Balbier.  And it's all about having YOU go on a Digital Scavenger Hunt!

It doesn't matter if the camera is on your phone or if you use a fancy Nikon, go on a hunt (learning walk) with your students, your child, or all by yourself.  You choose what you will hunt for; shapes, lines, angles, verbs, colors, types of rocks on the playground, plants, examples of patters, it's all up to you!  Pick a topic that relates to you, open your eyes and search for real world examples all around you and take all the pictures you want.

Then, to share your what you have collected, use an app like Pic Collage, or a slide show, or a presentation, or any movie tool of your choice, to share your real world examples.

Then share that out on social media using the #EduLS hashtag!

Here's to a great hunt!