I haven't been on the Honor Roll Since High School.

If you'd believe it, I was a bit of a hard worker in High School. I lived on the honor roll and graduated number 11 in my class, but after High School was over, I never gave the Honor Roll much thought.


My work ethic didn't stop when I left school in fact, if anything, it grew in strength. This school year was no exception. For my EdTech life, I found myself away from home volunteering or working about 15 times for anywhere for one to three days at a time. For my job as a Staff Developer, I worked my standard contract, 185 days, plus an additional 196 hours of overtime. That equates to 26 days.


For all of this, I am incredibly exhausted and grateful. This has been one of the most challenging school years of my life, managing the needs of teachers, budget cuts, and my husband and I bought our first house in January (thank you over time). I've had to say no to opportunities with friends and family during this past year all for the career I love, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I must say I am very happy for summer break so I can recharge my batteries.


I woke up Sunday morning, my third day of summer break, and started my regular routine. When I sat down with my cup of coffee to swipe through my notifications, I saw the following tweet.

Woo hoo @EdTechAri 😍😍😍 !!!#LAX18 https://t.co/r071L1Ecv1

— Jennifer Leban (@mrsleban) June 9, 2019

At first, I was confused. Why was Jen tagging me in this retweet? So I clicked the link and there in the 11th spot of the Honor Roll I saw my face. I almost did one of those tv sitcom spit takes. I had no idea about this. This was published on June 5th, and I was clueless.


Everyone in education has their sweet spot. My husband works at an Elementary School and loves it, my good friend is a new Teacher Librarian and is kicking but even in her first year. For me, I thought my place was high school, but after 6 years working with adults, I've found mine. I love specializing in pedagogy-first technology integration to enhance practice & student achievement. I'm so grateful that my travels with EdTech have helped me pursue my passion for inspiring others to share their stories & skills through technology. Best of all, I'm so happy that I can share the vision that technology needs to be implemented equitably to provide all students access and opportunity.


I am so lucky to be able to do all of this, and to be highlighted for my efforts is never something I expected. To be included on a list filled with other wonderful educators and EdTech enthusiasts perfectly punctuates the 18/19 school year.


Thank you EdTech Magazine for recognizing me.

P.S. If you're interested in seeing me IRL I'll be at #ISTE2019 this year. Click here to see where I'll be for #ISTE2019 and beyond.

Reshma, 60 Minutes and #CSforAll

I've seen the 60 Minutes piece shared quite a bit already today and it really bugged me that a piece focusing on women in tech didn't feature actual women in tech or anyone from the many organizations working to close the gender gap. I know 60 Overtime features an interview with Bonnie Ross, a Microsoft corporate vice president, but I didn't even know Overtime existed and if you don't visit their website you won't see that feature because that's not what's shown in the actual nationalized TV program.

So when I saw the following piece from Reshma, founder of Girls Who Code, I found myself nodding along as I read. When I visit the Google campus, there a men every where, women not so much and you certainly don't want to get me started about hispanic women. Getting girls involved with STEAM and Computer Science isn't just about early exposure and early exposure isn't going to fix this problem at Google or other tech companies. It's about supporting and helping girls see themselves as a professional in that career.

This is something organizations like Girls Who Code and the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) do every day throughout our country. I've seen these programs change girls lives first hand. It's a shame 60 Minutes didn't share that story.

I encourage you to read Reshma's response to the article. Better yet, if you share the piece from 60 Minutes, share hers right along with it. #CSforALL

Erasing Women in Tech: How 60 Minutes Ignored Women’s Voices, Stories, and Expertise