4 Ways to Make Yourself a More Awesome Teacher this Summer

Aaaaaahhhhh Summer. That time of year when thoughts turn to lazy days, gardens, beaches, and improving our work for next year.

I don't know about you, but sometimes Summer is my most productive time of year when it comes to figuring out what I need to be working on. Some of the most powerful workshops I've attended have been during this time of year when I can spend days at a time deeply examining new elements to add to my repertoire.

So what's awesome for Summer PD?

First and most important, use this time to reflect on your work from the past year! What did you succeed at? What were your struggles? Use this reflection to focus your efforts for the coming school year.

Next, start finding great information on the areas you're most looking to work on. Thanks to Edutopia's design, it's never been easier to find info on many hot education topics. And Google away! There's lots of great stuff out there on the internet.

Find some people who are awesome at what you want to be good at and learn from them. If you're not on Twitter, now is a great time to start and find the kind of info that you most need. For example, check out Jerry "Cybraryman" Blumengarten's amazing list of educational hashtags, which will help you find that one hashtag of your dreams.

Connect with people at awesome events!

• There are fantastic FREE Edcamps happening all over the place this Summer!
• National Writing Project has a great website devoted to the Summer of Making and Connecting that's filled with fantastic online and face to face events.
• Education Week has a ridiculously comprehensive search function for other, more traditional events as well

So, what are your plans? What do you need to work on? Where are you going, and who are you connecting with? If I can provide any help connecting you to resources, I'll be glad to help you out here, or hit me up on Twitter at @dancallahan.