What Thanksgiving Really Means to an Online Educator

To most people, Thanksgiving means food, family and celebrations. But for online educators (and probably most other educators) it means the end of the semester is almost here and I better get caught up on all my grading! No matter what I do to stay on track, something always comes up to thwart my efforts!

Thanksgiving is my compulsory reset button!

I know that if I don't start getting on track now, I'll be a maniac rushing to get grades posted by the deadline! While I'm too late to prevent this devastating cycle of events this semester, here is what I plan to do next semester to avoid it:

• Use of a Project Management Tool: This semester I used a project management tool called Trello to help me manage my time. It allows me to make "boards" for different projects such as teaching, grading, research, etc. It helps me to keep track of what I need to do and what I have already done. It actually works really well for research and writing and that is mostly what I have used it for. Next semester, I plan to be more strategic and make a teaching board for all of the things I have to do such as grading and prepping for class. I LOVE tools so I'm excited about trying it out. The key will be prepping it during the Winter Intercession.
• Accountability Partners: I have accountability partners that help me stay accountable to my research and writing projects. It has been working for me really well, so I will try to also incorporate this for my teaching-related work. Having an accountability partner gives me the added pressure of knowing that I will have to explain myself if I don't accomplish my weekly goals. Additionally, my accountability partners are also educators and have the same pressures so it should be mutually beneficial.

What do you do to keep on track with teaching and grading responsibilities? Share your thoughts in The Online Educator Facebook group.