Introduction to the TOOL digital learning community

When hearing the acronym TOOL, many might wonder what TOOL actually stands for... In the virtual platform world, TOOL is an abbreviation for Teaching Online Open Learning. According to the Georgia Department of Education, TOOL is "a learning platform to provide professional development for online education professionals". The goal of TOOL is for educators to develop their skills in the online platform and receive feedback to help increase skills that are needed for this 21st century mode of instruction.

I have my online teaching certification and have started to explore the employment opportunities that exist outside of my current classroom. I completed both my Masters and Specialist degrees online while teaching, coaching, and getting through the challenges of being a new teacher. I also taught for 6 years at a school recognized as an Apple School of Distinction across the United States. I have always been fond of online courses and feel that more colleges and universities will begin to offer these options. In regards to TOOL, I did not have any prior knowledge while looking into employment through Georgia Virtual. I do have experience as a blogger and I feel that my comfort level with Blogger (via Gmail platform) allowed me to setup and begin my portfolio rather easily. I am looking forward to the connections and feedback that I will receive in my online journey. I have a few mentors who were my online teaching instructors via Valdosta State University, and they have already helped me understand more of what the digital learning environment has to offer. Let the journey begin!