(CC) courtesy of dave_mcmt via Flickr – Soon all these seats will be filled again!

It seems like only yesterday that my own kids came home from the last day of school, each bragging about how late they were going to sleep in the next morning. And here we are with the first day of school now only a couple of weeks away. What types of things are on your check list for back to school?

There is of course getting your class decorated and then deciding how you’ll have the desks arranged. Rows again, or maybe to mix it up with a half circle?

(CC) courtesy Kimberly Rodriguez via Flickr – Decorate your class with your unique designs!

Beyond the normal stuff on your To Do list there are of course other things that you can do now that may make that transition back into the classroom easier for your easier for your students, and maybe even a bit more fun through the year.

Here are a few technology resources that, setting up now, can save you a bunch of time later.

Start a Class Blog

Although maybe old hat to many, setting up a blog for those of you that haven’t yet should be something to consider. It’s a great way to track the events and activities throughout the year, note special information for parents, and gives you a way to reflect on the year when it all winds down.

There are many, all free, sites that can have you up and running in no time including; Blogger, BlogSpot, and WordPress. Each have their own slight differences so check them out.
One thing they all have in common is a great way to create daily updates with content and formatting as you see fit. They each also have unique templates to make your blog as unique as your teaching style!

Web Resources: Searching and Sharing

Depending on the age of your students you’ll want to be able to quickly and easily get web based resources in front of them, as well as give them a means to discover new content on their own.

There are a number of resources that can provide these tools for you and your students including; BetterLesson, Google, Bing, and of course our very own 19Pencils.

(CC) Extra Ketchup via Flickr – Plan today to make computer lab time go as smooth as possible.

As with the mentioned solutions for blogs, each of these resources have their advantages depending on what your need is.

BetterLesson is a fantastic resource enabling teachers to discover and share lesson plans on thousands of topics. Google and Bing of course are great resources to search the vast reaches of the internet, though sometimes getting a bit more than you bargained for.

Of course 19Pencils is our own solution providing a safe, education-centric repository of content as well as a means of saving and sharing resources. There is even widgets that enable you to share your resources on your blog.

Don’t Fear New Tools

Now is the time, before the daily ritual of class creeps back in, to take that step and reach out to a new tool you may have wanted to adopt but haven’t had the chance. Take an afternoon, grab a cup of coffee, and jump in with both feet.

You’ll be glad you checked out some of these resources! Happy Teaching.