Google Teacher Academy Application

Well, I've submitted my entry to the Google Teacher Academy:



As I was preparing my required 1-minute video (the topics were to be on either Motivation and Learning, or Classroom Innovation), I came across a sound-byte from the Library of Congress American Memory Project. It was a recording of a quilter, named Lura Stanley, who spoke about her desire to become a teacher. (http://memory.loc.gov/afc/afcqltbr/audio/a013/a0135.mp3). What impressed me the most about Lura's story was the fact that teachers did not need degrees to teach when she first started at the age of 18. She did, however, obtain a degree later in life at the age of 51 (this was in 1957). I wonder whether teacher preparation of "yesterday" has some bearing on the old saying, "Those who can do. Those who can't, teach."

Teaching is certainly not the same profession it was, even 10 years ago. New mandates around NCLB, the advent of new technologies and Internet safety concerns, research on learning and the brain, and the ability to diagnose and document learning disabilities has contributed to the many facets of being an educator. Desire is no longer enough. And, in the end, all the time and resources dedicated to educating our youth must yield a future for them that will provide a decent standard of living, along with the ability to live and work in a now truly global society. Our future also relies on what we sow as educators.

Google Teacher Academy Comes to Chicago!!

This just in....

This notice was posted today in the Google Teacher Center group:

"the Google Teacher Academy (GTA) is coming to Chicago on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008. The GTA is our free training program for K-12 educators. It's an intensive, one-day event (8:30am-7:30pm) where 50 selected participants get hands-on experience with our free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, collaborate with exceptional educators, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, GTA participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions. We're now taking applications and encourage educators from around the U.S. and the world to apply. Applications are due Aug. 24, 2008. Our next GTA will be in New York City in November 2008, so if New York is more local, you may want to hold off till the next application is announced in September. To learn more about how to apply for Chicago's GTA, visit:
http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html"

Good luck to all who apply!!

What will you do to educate your students today?