Summer Fun, Summer Learning

This post is week 1 of 8 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators.

I often hear how I am so lucky that I have summers off. In a way that is true; however, the majority of my summer vacation is spent engaging in reflective practice and learning. Summer vacation provides me an opportunity to reflect, grow, and challenge my thinking of educational practices. I have time to rest and recharge. I am able to read professional books that I choose, attend conferences, and engage in professional discourse. Just like during the school year, I set goals to help keep me focused because let's face it, social media & #eduTwitter can be very overwhelming and cause me to lose focus on what I want to accomplish. 

Professional Learning Goals

1. Read a variety of educational books that focus on pedagogy, restorative justice, equity, and technology. Preferably I like to read professional books at the beach with sand on my feet, sun on my face, and the sweet smell of salt water in the air. 

2. Engage in conferences with other educators. This year I can only afford to participate in the free online conferences, such as the Teach for Tech Conference that will feature over 60 speakers and sessions! 

3. Participate in Twitter chats, such as #pd4uandme, to gain new insights into teaching to meet all learner needs. 

4. Continue to grow and develop a Facebook Professional Development group that focuses on a variety of topics, including a year-long book study of "Onward: Stories and Resources to Cultivate Emotional Resilience" by Elena Aguilar.

5. Provide Professional Development to educators within my district as a Google Trainer for Education. 

What professional goals do you have this summer? I'd love to engage in learning experiences with you via a Twitter chat or you can meet up with me and Laura Cahill to engage in learning units on Facebook!