Sara Armstrong

Based on the popular book Pathways to Well-Being, this guide offers practical ideas to help educators reduce stress and enhance their well-being. All of us, especially educators, influence those around us — in our schools, our communities and, ultimately, throughout the world. When we work toward supporting well-being for ourselves and others, our lives are enriched immensely. With this mindset as a jumping-off point, this guide discusses how applying six key elements — gratitude, positivity, focus, empathy, kindness and movement — can help you find the balance you need in your life and work. The guide includes: Suggested positive practices and habits to incorporate into your daily life. Ideas for how to share what you learn to improve the lives of those around you. Tips and insights on how to use technology in positive, healthy ways to enhance, rather than hinder, your daily life. “Questions for Reflection” that challenge you to take what you’ve read and make it your own. QR codes linking to additional resources, including articles, books and websites. Connections to the Educators and Education Leaders sections of the ISTE Standards. Through the resources and activities in this guide, you’ll discover practical steps to enrich your life, while supporting the well-being of others. (ISTE Jump Start Guide, 8.5" x 11", 3 laminated panels, 6 pages) Audience: Elementary and secondary educators; education leaders

We all want lives filled with balance, ease, and contentment--but how do we get there? In Pathways to Well-Being, authors Susan Brooks-Young and Sara Armstrong share steps to increasing well-being and discuss how six elements—gratitude, positivity, focus, empathy, kindness, and movement—impact daily life. All of us, especially educators, influence those around us—in our schools, in our communities, and ultimately throughout the world. When we work toward supporting well-being for ourselves and others, our lives are enriched immensely. Technology has made so many advances in recent years that it’s hard to keep up. Devices can record our heartbeats, steps, and calories; alert us when someone is on our front porch; and much more. However, unintended consequences of being so connected can affect our well-being. By becoming more conscious of the influence technology tools have in our lives, we can change our practices and move toward a more balanced, healthy existence. In this book, the authors provide suggestions for how to address the unexpected consequences of technology use and increase positive connections, which ultimately lead to enhanced well-being.

People today live in a world of information overload. Each day, information is shared from countless sources through numerous devices. Learning how to handle this onslaught of information has become a vital task for everyone. By the time they reach upper elementary school, most students are using smart phones, tablets and computers to access social media, video websites, online forums, wikis, blogs, and interactive digital games. Students need guidance on how to analyze online information sources, critically think about the content, and apply it to their decision-making. This essential professional resource includes everything that teachers need to help students achieve digital literacy, and includes activities and easy-to-use templates to support teachers as they teach the key skills of analyzing and understanding online information. This book by Sara Armstrong and Pamela Brunskill consists of three sections: Finding Information, Analyzing Information, and Using Information. The topics covered include: an introduction to information literacy; search techniques and strategies; asking and answering good questions; thinking visually; organizing information; online civic reasoning; analyzing online sources; using technology to teach; project-based learning with technology. With the amount of online information sources increasing exponentially, this book will equip teachers with the tools they need to help their students become global citizens and 21st century thinkers.