Inspired by Karl Lindgren-Streicher‘s post, which was inspired by Jennie Magiera’s post, I decided to take the easy way out of 2013 blog posts by listing the website that came up with I typed each letter into the Omnibox on Google Chrome and sharing how it relates to my 2013.

A – amazon.com: Frequently visited in the past couple months as I’ve built out our district’s pilot Makerspace. If you haven’t read my first post on it, click here.

B – blendspace.com: I had an incredible time at ISTE 2013, including getting to know the Blendspace team better. Harrison and Amy are both a blast to know and I am also impressed by how they keep learning front-and-center in their work.

C – cue.org: CUE 2013, Fall CUE 2013, SVCUE’s Teach Through Technology, SVCUE Board Meetings, and BrewCUEs. Yep, CUE was definitely a big part of 2013 for me.

D – dirtysexyedtech.tumblr.com: A great resource on calling out some of the ridiculousness in edtech. EdSurge is my source for most edtech news, but DirtySexyEdtech helps to keep the edtech world in check.

E – elementaryedtech.com: This site right here. The way I get feedback on my larger projects and the way I raised funds for Google Glass, which needs an update post, but it hasn’t been used in any useful enough way to get that post started yet. Huge shoutout to Jessy Irwin, who really pushed the Google Glass sponsor project forward!

F – fitbit.com: While Jenna (my wife, who joined Twitter in 2013!) has had a FitBit for years, I just got my own in September. I’ve worn it everyday since then and it has really helped me stay moving and conscious of what I’m eating daily.

G – google.com: I’m continually using Google, whether it’s Google Drive for work, for SVCUE, or for other collaborative projects (one which may come out in 2014!); GMail for communication (I love the Boomerang extension!); Calendar or any of the many other useful tools, including Google Shopping Express, which has saved me a lot of time.

H – homedepot.com: As I said in ‘A’, I’ve been building out our Makerspace, including painting the walls and stripping the floors.

I – i-ready.com: As much as I’m not a fan, i-Ready was definitely a big part of 2013, as it consumed a lot of my work for the 2012-2013 school year. So excited to be focused on the heart of STEM this school year.

J – Nothing

K – kayak.com: Travel was definitely a part of 2013. Palm Springs for CUE, San Antonio for ISTE, New York for Teachers College (ok, that was Jenna, but I explored the city during that time), Hawaii with Jenna for a vacation, and Los Angeles for the Rose Bowl (Go Card!).

L – launch.co: Launch is where I go for all my tech news. You should too.

M – makerspace.com: Interested in creating your own Makerspace? Their Makerspace Playbook is key.

N – news.google.com: When I’m not on my iPad using Flipboard, I use Google News for my world news.

O – omnigroup.com: It’s expensive, but I used the demo of Omnigraffle to make a pretty robust STEM Roadmap for our district.

P – pronovost.weebly.com: This site was a quick design I made for a tech integration training I gave at one of our schools this year. While I spent 2013 doing quite a bit of edtech training, I’ve come to realize that it’s my work with students that is more exciting and rewarding.

Q – Nothing

R – reddit.com: Reddit, while infamous for the not-so-cool parts that exist within, is actually an incredible community, where I often find out about things before I see them anywhere else (beside Twitter). If you don’t believe how amazing the Reddit community can be, check out the Secret Santa posts from this year.

S – sports.yahoo.com: Who does sports right? Yahoo! does. I don’t say that just because a friend works for them. I say that because it’s the best place on the web I’ve found for checking up on sports scores and news without the video ads that plague another sports site out there. And I love their Fantasy Football (and other Fantasy Sports) work. Oh yes, this is where I meant to mention the Packers making the playoffs and the opportunity for another great Niners/Packers game this weekend.

T – thingiverse.com: 3D printing! Yes, we were able to secure 3D printers in our Makerspace, thanks to some kind donations toward our pilot and the MakerBot Academy push. Thingiverse is full of designs that others have made and want to share with everyone to make themselves. I anticipate that in a few years, I could design a gift, send it via email to family, and they could print it out on their 3D printer. Would save on shipping, lost mail, and much more.

U – ups.com: Until we have 3D printers everywhere though, we will still use UPS and others to ensure our packages (presents, Makerspaces tools, and more) make it where needed.

V – virginamerica.com: Our airline of choice. Virgin America actually makes me excited to fly, which is not something that one would normally hear me say.

W – weebly.com: Where I go to make my personal website, SVCUE website, our wedding website (that was 2012 though), and anything else. Weebly makes it easy.

X – Nothing.

Y – yammer.com: This is where we have been communicating for our iZone work, which is a collaborative project with the San Mateo County Office of Education, the Full Circle Fund, and many of us within the county. Our goal? To improve education for all learners in San Mateo County.

Z – Nothing.

That concludes my final 2013 post, but look out for my first 2014 post, which will update you on our awesome Makerspace work!

Happy New Year,
Robert