Well, it is time to do it.   Time to jump in.  Time to take the plunge.  Time to blog professionally.  I have been actively blogging for two years on a personal blog (arlaallen.com), but now it is time to add a professional blog.  I am guessing the blog will be more a repository or curation of all the amazing material I find about teaching, learning, and technology.  I also hope to provide an easy way for my colleagues to find information they need when they need it.

I have been busy this summer.  I have volunteered to teach administrators, support staff, and teachers how to use Google Apps effectively to do their jobs more effectively.  In June, I completed the three-day training to become an OTES Certified Assessor.  OTES stands for Ohio Teacher Evaluation System.  This system of evaluation will be required in my building beginning next year.

I also was accepted to be part of the Ohio Department of Education Network of Leaders.  Our job is to become knowledgeable about the New Learning Standards in Ohio and the Next Generation of Assessments and then go forth and train others.  It is exciting to be more closely in contact with ODE.