How will you prepare for your 1:1 classroom this year?

In just a few weeks, students will be heading back to school ready to rock and roll. Whether you have been in a 1:1 classroom or you are just beginning your journey, here are a few tips to help you get ready to start new learning:

• Twitter Hashtags: Using the search tool in Twitter, you can find some great resources by using a hashtag. You don’t need to have a Twitter account. Hashtags are the words with a # sign in front of them. They help organize the vast amounts of information on Twitter. One of the more popular education hashtags in #edchat, but there are also many hashtags organized around curriculum subjects and grade levels. Here is a list to get you started. 
• Blogs: Look over some of the posts in the Microsoft Community blog to get some ideas for the opening days of school. Keep an ongoing journal of ideas.
• Collaborative Projects: Make connections with another teacher in another school (you may have a friend that works in a different district or you can look for international teachers in the Microsoft Community directory online). Try planning an online collaborative project together or join in on one. It can be as simple as comparing two towns to practicing another language with students from another country.
• NETS: Look over the National Educational Technology Standards. How will you promote Digital Age Learning in your classroom? 
• Common Core: Many resources are now available for aligning the Common Core using  technology. 
• Digital Citizenship: Take a look at Common Sense Media. They have great lesson plans for promoting positive digital citizenship and digital literacy.

Start with one project or lesson plan. It could be something different from other projects you’ve done or it could be a reworking of something you do every year. It might not go exactly as you hoped or planned, but your students will be excited that you are trying something new. Ask them for feedback along the way, what worked and what could be improved. Tweak it, and do it again. I think you will be amazed! Have a great school year!

Cross Posted at Microsoft Partners for Learning: Hot Topics