100 Minutes a Week

Sometimes I wish educators had a little more time to engage in true professional growth opportunities during the work day. All it would take is 100 minutes a week or 20 minutes each day to just close the classroom or office door and simply learn.

Monday

• Read a book for 20 minutes a day. Better yet, share out your thoughts via an online book talk using a tool like Edmodo. Currently I am reading a book titled 17,000 Classroom Visits Can't Be Wrong by Antonetti and Garver.

Tuesday

• Follow a particular hashtag on Twitter for 20 minutes. #Satchat, #EdChat, #NTchat, #EdTechChat, #ColChat or #ArkEdChat. Make sure to lurk, consume, share, and reflect.

Wednesday

• Watch a webinar on a best practice strategy or initiative in the field of education for 20 minutes. EdWeb.net and SimpleK12 have an abundance of content that can take you from good to great.

Thursday

• Read or write a blog post for 20 minutes. Blogs have provided educators a great opportunity to reflect. Two of my favorite blogs to read are ClassTechTips by Monica Burns and Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne.

Friday

• Listen to a podcast from the Bam! Radio Betwork for 20 minutes as you drive into work. Check out Jason Bodnar's Principally Speaking Podcast or Adnan Iftekar's E.T.P. Podcast for great educational insight as well.

Weekend (Bonus Points!)

• Find someone in your PLN that will chat with you via Google Hangout about a particular topic in education or sign up for Voxer and connect with like-minded educators from around the world. 

Obviously there are a plethora of other ways to stay sharp professionally. As this school year winds down and we gear up for the next, time should be put aside in the master schedule that allows for educators to grow on a daily basis. Modeling what it is to be a lead learner becomes contagious and will ultimately impact the success of all students.

Brad Currie is the author of All Hands on Deck: Tools for Connecting Educators, Parents, and Communities. He is one of the founding partners of Evolving Educators LLC. Brad is a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader and Bammy Award Finalist. He currently serves as a K-8 Supervisor of Instruction and Middle School Vice Principal for the Chester School District in Chester, NJ. Learn more about Brad by following him on Twitter @bradmcurrie or visiting his website at www.bradcurrie.net.