I personally challenge myself to get the most out of each day. Being able to live my purpose and to share my passion fuel this pursuit. There are many of us, busy educators and goal-crushers, who set out each day to impact the world one child, one teacher, one school, one district, and one community at a time. I am reading Hacking Leadership by Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis. In Hack 1 (Be Present and Engaged), they discuss how they used their cellphones to help overcome the barriers of communication that might tie leaders to their offices. By adding office email to their phones and sharing their cell phone numbers with staff, they could be reached in urgent situations while still being present and engaged in classrooms. I use this practice myself and find it increases my daily productivity and connectivity. I realized that my cellphone was one of my greatest tools in making the most of my day.

What tools do you use that help you accomplish your daily goals?

Here are just a few that I recommend to assist you in seizing the day!

 App

  Operating System

 Why You Should Download
Microsoft OneNote

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 IOS/Android OneNote allows me to create notebooks to collect and organize notes, documents, emails, and almost anything else you can think of. OneNote can be downloaded on multiple devices for sharing. The information is automatically updated and shared to all devices.

Example: Anytime I am in a meeting, I type my notes directly in OneNote. That way after the meeting if I’m sitting at my desk, at home, or in the next meeting the notes are literally in the palm of my hand.
Microsoft OneDrive

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 IOS/Android OneDrive is a cloud that allows me to save and access documents, pictures, and spreadsheets no matter where I am. It can be loaded on any device.

Example: There is a teacher who needed a data set that I’d been working on that showed his students’ progress. I was able to access the spreadsheet in my OneDrive and email it to him from the doorway of his classroom.
Google Drive

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 IOS/Android Google Drive is amazing. It allows me to create documents, forms, spreadsheets, and presentations with ease. It house all of my Google shared documents. Most importantly, it houses all my various Google Forms and form data. I am in love with Google Forms, but that is a post all on its own!

Example: Teachers deserve timely walkthrough feedback. I created classroom feedback tool using Google Forms and a Google Add-on called Auto Crat to provide teachers with immediate walk-through feedback. Teachers receive a pdf of the observer’s feedback and notes. To see an example, click here.