EPT 010: Sarah Thomas @sarahdateechur

Sarah Thomas is a Google and Edmodo certified teacher from Washington, DC. She is a Technology Coordinator & Teacher at John Hanson French Immersion School. She currently teaches English and technology for sixth and eighth grade by coordinating technology initiatives at school, and conducting professional development sessions for teachers at the county level. She has also served the School Leadership Team, advising administrators and teachers on technology-related matters.

Sarah has been working with children right from the time when she was a children’s soccer referee. When she was doing her masters in television production, she signed up for an alternative certification program that laid the foundation for becoming a teacher. She recently became a Google certified teacher and considers it to be an absolute game changer.

Some links to Sarah's awesome videos:Cybersecurity in 2014Twitter 101

When asked about the Google Moonshot project she said,

“The biggest takeaway for me was the concept where you can see what happens when you are not afraid to fail.”

The moonshot project, according to Sarah is a great concept that can help build a community where educators from different parts of the world can connect. EduMatch; a project that was started late September last year has already featured more than eighty educators from across the globe. The one thing that has surprised Sarah in this project is:

"The number of bromances coming from EduMatch!"

Sarah, talks about the amazing, deeper connections that people are making through EduMatch, specifically through Voxer, and even going to EdCamps together - please check out the EduMatch website and sign up to become the #EdTech Person of the Day! I just signed up - can't wait for the bromances to begin ;-)

This past summer Sarah presented a session on Gamification on a Shoestring at ISTE with the awesome Shelly Terrell where they actually gamified the session! They collaborated through Voxer and Google Docs - technology does indeed help in making the world much smaller.

Sarah just got the Digital Innovation in Learning Award for the Sharing is Caring category. I'm so glad that she is being recognized for all the work that she is doing!

"It really doesn't feel like work to me - it feels like fun!"

Sarah has a busy schedule and relies on Pomodoro Method to keep her sanity intact and she's been using it in class with her students as well. She has also been trying out the Genius Hour with some of her 8th grade students - and the jury's still out on that one... We will have to touch base with her again at the end of the school year to find out how it turns out!

"I've always kind of been reserved and quiet"

Talking to Sarah during this interview I find that VERY hard to believe!

Here's Sarah's link to the list o' conferences.

Sarah is extremely passionate about encouraging fellow educators to tell their story. She was so inspired by listening to the interview with Doug Robertson and Shelly Terrell  and now, she is currently writing a book, telling her story, giving tips and tricks on connecting with students as well as the connection with a global audience. We look forward to seeing the book come out - stay tuned...!

Talking about her future goals, she is looking forward to complete her doctorate degree from George Mason University, with a major in Education. Go Sarah!

Burst of knowledge round:

Q. Favorite game you played as a teenagerSarah Thomas: Donkey Kong Country.

Q. What’s the last piece of music you listened to?Sarah Thomas: I can cheat and look on my phone. I think it was Big Pimpin.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote or saying?Sarah Thomas: Yeah. This is actually a phrase from TLC. Sometimes if you look deep inside your soul, you will always find a slight reminder of me.

Q. What blog do you read regularly?Sarah Thomas: Rafranz Davis blog, The Weird Teacher (His interview is here!) and Dr. Will’s blog, Glenn Robbins. There are so many!

Q. Something that irks you, a pet peeve.Sarah Thomas: Bad drivers.

Q. Something you are willing to share that not many people not know about you?Sarah Thomas: Probably, that I have a horrible CD on iTunes from my college days.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you got early in with your career?Sarah Thomas: Well, my grandma gave me a great piece of advice. She said, ‘Everyone has their place in the sun.” and I just want to share that with the whole educational community. Teachers need to tell their stories because we are all experts at something.

Q. If you are going to be invited to dinner on one on one with someone who is still living, who would that be?Sarah Thomas: Angelina Jolie.

Q. In less than ten words how would you define success?Sarah Thomas: Success is happiness as defined by you.

Q. In less than ten words how would you define failure?Sarah Thomas: Failure is an excuse for growth waiting to happen.

Q. Two to three words that you dislike in the English languageSarah Thomas: I would say, utter, as used as an adjective because I feel that it is so melodramatic. Shimmer would be another one.

Q. Two to three words that have negative connotation that shouldn’t.Sarah Thomas: I would throw it back to failure.

Q. Define passionSarah Thomas: Passion is pretty much what gets you going. It’s like the engine to your soul.

You can reach Sarah in the following ways:

Website: http://www.sarahjanethomas.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahdateechurInstragram: http://instagram.com/sarahdahumanBlog: http://sarahdateechur.blogspot.in/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sarahdateechur/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealsarahtLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/sarah-jane-thomas/6b/a95/b22Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SarahThomasdateechur/postsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdSuUuSoRcaiQx33-7WGaw?feature=watch

Hope you enjoy this podcast episode!

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think!