Google Teacher Academy

GTA logo created by David Saunders, member of the GTA MTV 2014 cohort.

Wednesday May 21, 2014 - 5:09pm - the day and time that I found out that I was selected to participate in the Google Teacher Academy in Mountain View, California.

It is Tuesday June 3, 2014 and I am just feeling able to put into words the feelings that came over me when I got the news. The Google Teacher Academy (GTA) is a PD experience designed for educators from around the globe to learn how to get the most from innovative technologies.

I have always been interested in technology and in integrating technology into my classroom. It has benefited my learning greatly. Having reaped the benefits of the use of technology to benefit my acquisition/demonstration of knowledge, it is quite natural for me to want to use it with my students to benefit their achievement and success. My experiences and passion for using technology innovatively to engage my students and meet their learning needs has brought me to this point and I couldn't be more pleased.

On May 21st, the day we would be notified if we would be one of the lucky one to be selected, I tweeted to the following:

The excitement was palpable. I wanted to be accepted, but I also knew that I was up against stiff competition. People were sharing their videos and they were GOOD. I'm talking about solid messages regarding innovation and skill. I also watched some of the videos from past GTA applications and quickly realized that some of them are simply amazing. I had doubts, trust me. I also had hope. I also learned a lot about my practice and my philosophy on innovation, teaching, and learning. My tweet when I learned I was selected to attend GTA MTV 2014:

I have been an awesome journey with Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education. I have immersed myself fully and have met great people along the way who share the same passion and perspective about teaching and learning. Via social media, I connected with Google Certified Teachers (educators who have attended a Google Teacher Academy) and sought their advice and counsel about my work and my application to the GTA. I can't say enough about how helpful and supportive they have been. A couple of them know me from face to face PD that I have attended along the way but 98% of them I have never met. This fact did not stop them from acting as critical colleagues. They provided me with insight and opinion about my thinking process and approach.

I look forward to this learning experience and can't wait to share my learning with my regional community. The GCT's I have communicated with have set the bar high and I am up for the challenge of meeting, exceeding, and helping to establish new standards.

Here is the video I created - it is about the journey my students and I have been on. Did I mention that all of it was done using my iPhone? Photos, video, audio, all done on my smart phone.