Google Certified Educator Level 1

Last week, I earned my Google Certified Educator Level 1 Certification!  Anyone can take the assessments to become certified at Level 1 (basic uses of Google Suite), Level 2 (educational theory applied to Google Suite, Google Innovator (accepted into an International conference to pursue an educational task), or Google Trainer (lead Google training).

My new badge!

I have been using the Google Suite for almost a decade for personal use.  Three years ago, when I joined Juneau School District, I began using Google Suite for Education with students: Google Classroom, Google Docs, Good My Maps, Google Drawing, Google Forms, and more.  During my first year at JSD, I was accepted to participate in their Project CART program which was incredibly inspiring and supportive as I worked with colleagues to plan, implement, and debrief technology-based plans.  I also was awarded a cart of Chromebooks to keep in my classroom as part of Project CART; this was incredible because up to that point I was sharing a cart with my colleague across the hall and was on a fixed schedule to borrow carts.  Project CART was a turning point in my use of Google Suite for Education.

In addition, I took Catlin Tucker's Blended Learning course in addition to purchasing and reading her publications on my own time.  Over a summer, I read Alice Keeler's Google Classroom publications, too.

Billings Middle School is also a Google School and even I have a Chromebook this year rather than a Mac or PC.   After several years of frustration because some items would work on my computer as I demo'd a lesson, but then wouldn't work on student Chromebooks, or I couldn't tell students exactly what buttons to press because Chromebooks have slightly different keys, it is wonderful to have the same tool as students in order to walk them through different activities.

Just before Thanksgiving Break, I traveled to Buckley, Washington, where I participated in a Google Level 1 Bootcamp that reviewed essential skills for operating the Google Suite basics that would be reviewed on the exam.  This was put on by AppsEvents and was a fantastic review of Google tools.  And the best part was that my district covered the $250 fee and AppsEvents gave me a code to waive the fee, all $10 of it!

Earning a Level 1 Certification is just the beginning.  I hope to earn Level 2 Certification this spring.

My certificate!

#Thankful

Reflecting on this past year, I am incredibly thankful for my family and friends I am privileged to have in my life as well as life experiences that continue to push me outside of my comfort zone.  I am thankful for so many people and experiences that they are too plentiful to list.  But some that immediately come to mind which have affected my life in 2018 are as follows:

• I was incredibly lucky to spend nearly ten years with Izzy.  I am thankful for all of our time together, but our last hike in Juneau that included Mt. Roberts to Mt. Olds and out Granite Basin was especially wonderful. I am thankful she passed peacefully in Kodiak.  I am thankful for her loyalty, forgiveness, and unwavering love.
• I am incredibly thankful to have Brooks in my life.  Every year he pushes me towards new experiences, sometimes dragging me and sometimes waving goodbye as I travel a new path of my own.  He pushed me towards my AVI 1 training, he picked me up from my Spring Break backpack trip in AZ and my solo hike around Douglas Island with Izzy, he accompanied me on our first sheep hunt, and he and I are experiencing this new urban space together as we find our new pace in this landscape of cement, noise, and lights.  This man is a friend and a life partner; I am thankful.
• Friends are made through experiences and experiences are much more worthwhile when shared with friends and family.  I have so many people who impact my life in multiple ways.  So thankful for all the fun hiking, camping, backpacking, hunting, sharing meals, sharing drinks, sharing thoughts on books, sharing stories and photos of trips, sharing advice, sharing snow beta.  Thankful for family.  Thankful for friends.