I Am A Google Certified Teacher! Now What? #GCTMTV #GCT

I'm so pumped to be a Google Certified Teacher! A crazy weekend full of awesome people sharing awesome ideas. Hanging out with these great people at Mountain View was simply an amazing experience. I was exposed to some new and different tools that could really impact the way I run my classroom and I gained some experience with an Android device, which is something I needed to do. It was a great weekend, but I had a question on the way home.



The big question for me is, "Now what?"

Am I supposed to run out and change the world right away? Am I the "go to" guy when it comes to all things Google? Am I supposed to know Everything about Google? I had a moment of anxiety after it was all over, but I had my new friends to fall back on for support and it all clicked.

Like all great things I figured out, it was reflection that showed me the answer. While I did learn some amazing new things at GTA, there was more to it than just new things. For me, it was all about the connections. I am not part of a community of passionate and likeminded educators that came together based on their love for Google. That is just how we were connected. Many of us had so much more in common than the tools we use to educate. I met some people that I now consider good friends. These are people that picked me up when I was down and supported me when I was lost. All of that happened over the course of an intense weekend. We worked on mini projects, had meals, and +Dominique Dynes even ran 3 miles with me in the morning. If that is not the trait of a good friend, I'm not sure what is. 

+Dominique Dynes +David Saunders and In and Out Burger

I quickly felt comfortable around these educators. I know I can be a huge nerd, but sometimes it is tough for me to jump into a new situation where I really don't know others very well. It didn't take long for me to let my inner nerd become my outer nerd. Here are just a few examples.

Minute to Win It competition completed in 6 seconds

I have teamed up with some amazing educators to work on our Action Plan (Stay tuned for info on that soon) and I couldn't be more excited. GTA is more than just becoming a Google Certified Teacher. It's about the connections you make with the people in your cohort and all of the previous and future GCTs. This community is going to be another tool for me to use when I'm looking at doing things differently and trying to give my students the best educational experience possible.

I'm very lucky to be part of the Google Certified Teacher Community and I can't wait to engage in tons of educational wackiness with them in the near future. Thanks for everything +Google for Education for making these connections possible.

#GTAMTV14