Just signed up for George Couros’ Innovators’ Mindset MOOC, beginning September 17th.
And I begin my fourth course towards my Ed.D. at OISE on September 15th. And I’m chairing our school board’s association of secondary Principals. And, of course, I’m busy keeping my own community of educators on track at Brampton Centennial SS.
I’ll certainly be practicing some of the learning skills we develop with our teens, and Self Regulation is going to be at the top of that list.
One of the challenges our teenagers face is information management, and so this will be a good exercise that will inform our work. Will I be able to manage my time, my emails, two Twitter accounts (@terrywhitmell and @bcssbucks), Facebook, this blog, and still complete the reading, writing, and Blackboard discussions for my Ed.D. course?
Here are my strategies:
- Use my calendar to block out dedicated time for key activities, especially those that involve my students and staff.
- Balance this with scheduled time with my new grandson, my children, and my husband.
- Look for connections between my doctoral program, my staff PD, the #IMMOOC.
- And always put people first. I can always read or browse online during those sleepless hours in the middle of the night when my brain takes over!
It’s going to be an exciting Fall. I have tickets to see Elton John, Red Green, and Gordon Lightfoot, and I know that will inspire me to enjoy my time at the piano as well, as a break from all this attention to screen and print.
Looking forward to learning!
Terry Whitmell, PhD 
Time management in a time of information overload is crucial…we have to determine what helps and what hurts, but also to prioritize. Easy to say but very tough to do. Thank you for your post!