Microsoft OneNote

 Okay, yeah, this is another post about Microsoft products... I can't help it because my school is deeply involved in Microsoft!

But really, OneNote is a tool that can be used at home and at school, so it's a dual purpose here.

It's like having a 7-subject+ spiral notebook right on your computer. You can create different sections (for any subject you can think of) and then create pages within each section to hold any info you may need. This includes links, videos, voice recordings, PDF print outs, and more.

As an instructional coach I have used OneNote to collaborate with a teacher on coaching cycles. All of our notes, links, data, etc. will go into the notebooks so we can reference them throughout the cycle and the school year. It becomes a one-stop shop for me and the teacher, plus they can use the notebook for their evaluations with the principal.

Recently I have used OneNote to help me plan out lessons I am building in Schoology. It has helped me to create a standardized format for the lessons, including colors, highlighting, and outline. It's nice to come back to the OneNote and easily start a new lesson by using the templates I have created. [You could probably use this for Google Classroom too - build your basic course and template in OneNote, then copy/paste into Classroom.]

OneNote can also be a great way to organize yourself at home too. Use it for lists, planning parties, or gathering important documents.

If you have Microsoft at your school, then you should be able to access OneNote in the apps page. If not, it's easy to create a free Outlook/Microsoft account and utilize OneNote from the browser.

Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert

 A few years ago, the leadership at my school said that a small group of us would need to apply to become MIEEs. It honestly felt like it came out of the blue, but was actually tied to our showcase school status with Microsoft. The Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert program came about to bring educators across the US (and the world) together to share and learn more about Microsoft education products.

The application - when I first applied - asked for a lot of evidence that I was using Microsoft products in my classroom or with staff. I had a lot of fun making my first Sway application! It was easy to find all sorts of ways I was using Microsoft products throughout my school day.

Here is the link to my application:

MIE Expert Application

April Griffith-Stephen

Go to this Sway

I chose 2 Microsoft apps to focus on, OneNote and and Teams.

OneNote is a notebook-like application that can be used for all sorts of reasons. In school I have used it to help me track instructional coaching with teachers I support, connections and notes for myself around teachers, information about students in my classes, and helping me keep organized when planning lessons. OneNote allows you to create sections and then within those sections you can create pages - it's very similar to a 5-subject notebook you might be at the store, although you can have more than 5 subjects!

Teams is Microsoft's instant messaging & video platform, but it also contains digital classrooms. When I first applied to be an MIEE in 2020, Teams was new but something I used everyday. In the past 4 years the features have increased and it's become very classroom friendly. During the stay-at-home COVID era, Zoom and other video platforms were making leaps and bounds of progress in their systems. There are still features in Zoom that I admire and hope that Microsoft will copy, but Teams has taken a slower, more methodical approach to rolling out their features. 

Check out my following blog posts to learn more about both of these applications.

A (not so) New Blog

 Way back in 2010 I started a blog called "My Life Online" and I imagined it would be this wonderful blog that I would totally pay attention to and keep up on. I still have that blog page, but it's neglected, so I'm starting fresh and in a place that is easy to access from my work computer.

Welcome to "Seeking Online Teacher Blog"!!

Yep, I am an online teacher. Once a looked-down upon sect of the teaching profession, now a little more revered post-COVID stay-at-home era. It's hard teaching online. You do not have the students right in front of you, and it's mostly asynchronous (at least where I teach), so it's a struggle to implement the latest and greatest grouping and teaching activities.

I've been teaching online since 2010, and technology has changed, for the better, to allow teachers to do a lot more. This blog (I hope) will share out some methods and best practices that I've come across. Fair warning, these do not always work in every situation.

Happy reading!!