This month’s ‘EdTech Temperature Check’ in five questions takes us to the Volunteer State, Tennessee. I’d like you to meet Andrea Tolley, a 15-year veteran middle school educator at Greeneville Middle School. Andrea is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE) and an Ambassador for ClassFlow, ClassDojo, and GoNoodle. Additionally, we are proud to have Andrea as a member of our Source For Learning K12 Advisory Council. Prior to her current role as Microsoft Imagine Academy instructor, she taught ELA for 13 years. Andrea is a lifelong learner whose family comes first. She makes sure to tell her husband and son that she loves them every day without fail.
KAREN: What is one of your favorite quotes and why?
ANDREA: ‘I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.’ ~Michael Jordan I love this quote because I can help any student who will give me some effort and try.
KAREN: What are your favorite tech tools? Tell us about three technology tools you can’t live without (these could be gadgets, apps, websites, or software).
ANDREA: Office365, ClassDojo, and Minecraft
KAREN: Name two topics you think are hot in education right now that teachers need to become familiar with.
ANDREA: STEM Education and Coding.
KAREN: Share with us two blogs or individuals that you follow as part of your Personalized Learning Network (PLN).
ANDREA: First, Dave Burgess, author of ‘Teach Like a PIRATE’ on Twitter @burgessdave and second, author and powerhouse resource curator Jerry Blumengarten a.k.a. Cybraryman @cybraryman1 on Twitter. Also, don’t miss his excellent resources at http://cybraryman.com/. (Not familiar with Cybraryman’s resources? Learn more from this TeachersFirst’s review of his Middle School resources. You can also check out the TeachersFirst review of his terrific Education Twitter Chat resources.)
KAREN: What book or article are you reading now or have read recently that caused you to pause and think for a moment? Why was it important to you? If the article is available online, please share the link with our readers.
ANDREA: Ron Clark’s “Move Your Bus.” It made me think about how that in teaching you can’t change everybody. You can only move yourself and hope that others will do what is right. If you are in the administrative position, you need to reward those that do what is right and go above and beyond. Every school has runners, joggers, walkers, and those that just want to take a ride. We have to choose what we aspire to be every day. Learn more about the book here.