Ok, so I totally understand that buying a smartwatch, specifically an Apple Watch isn't a cheap investment. I haven't bought an expensive piece of technology since I first started teaching since I've been lucky to have access to technology in all the schools I've taught.

Well…I caved in an talked myself into buying an Apple Watch…and I justified it by all the ways in which I can use it in my classroom.

And as the good friend I am, I am going to convince you all the reasons why you need it too.

Let's walk through a typical teaching day and how your watch can make your day a bit better.

If you click on the pink words in each list item, I linked to a video or quick post to show you how to set that up for yourself!

There are Amazon affiliate links included in this post. When you purchase through my link, image & text, it's no added cost to you and I get a little kickback in return. Win-win!


1. The night before you get ready for school, have your watch charging on your nightstand and put it in Nightstand Mode. You can quickly see how much time you have before bed and also set an alarm to wake you up after your beauty rest.

2. After you shower, make blow drying your hair less daunting (if it's not a dry shampoo day of course) and connect your wireless headphones and listen to some music to make it go by faster. Trust me. This has been a game changer for me!

3. The original watch bands are super cute, but it's nice to have different options that match your outfits. Below are a few of my favorites. {my affiliate links}



4. You're ready for the day and need a morning pick me up. Use the Starbucks app on your watch and quickly pay for your drink.


5. With coffee in hand and once you're settled into your classroom, turn into a podcast while you sort and organize materials for the day. I'm really loving the STEM Everyday Podcast & Teacherprenuers, Raise Your Hand!

6. As the students are starting to settle into their seats, start a relaxing playlist by connecting to your Apple TV by using the remote feature on your watch. Don't have an Apple TV? Try connecting to a bluetooth speaker instead.

7. Be informed quickly while teaching by having email notifications pop up on your phone. While you can't reply back, this helps you stay connected during the teaching day (I would suggest turning off school notifications before heading home to give yourself some space.)

8. When it's time to take the kids to specials so you can run around during your planning time, there is no need to bring your phone with you. As long as your phone is connected to the school's wifi, then your watch will follow suit. {Bonus points if you have the watch with cellular service!}

9. Use Google Calendars? I sure do at school and at home. You can actually sync up your Google Calendar with your Apple Calendar so all of your events will pop up on your phone. Super helpful if you have days with a different schedule, your watch will buzz and remind you when an event is coming up!

10. Speaking of reminders, when you're running around during your plan time, tell your watch Siri to keep track of those reminders for you! {Stop writing on your hands; you know who you are!}

11. On your way to pick up those kids from specials, check your Activities on your watch and see how many movement calories you got in. It might even remind you to breathe every once and awhile during the day.

12. I love having my watch be my personal assistant with reminders, but sometimes I like being the one in control of my checklists with Google Keep. You can't add anything to your lists with the watch, but you can make yourself feel better about yourself by checking things off your teacher checklists throughout the day. Look at this awesome video by Hello Teacher Lady to make your Google Keep Headers look pretty!

13. Instead of sending a kids to another room to run an errand and ask a question, use the Walkie Talkie feature on your watch to check in with your other watch teacher-buddies to get a quick answer. {Remember: EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU!}

14. Even if you have a weather person job in your classroom, your kids are still going to ask you what the weather will be like for recess (at least in Colorado they do since the weather is so unpredictable all the time). Use the weather app on your watch to do a quick check and inform the class.

15. If it's a nice day at recess, take a class picture before you come in. Don't have anyone to help you? Place your phone on a steady surface and control the camera shutter from your iPhone. You can actually be included in the class photo this time!

16. The school day is almost over before you know it! To help students to manage their time and quickly clean up, use the timer feature on your watch to keep track of that pace.

17. After school, use the maps feature to help you find the nearest Target & Micheal's on the way home to grab some last minute  classroom stuff. Your watch will politely buzz on your wrist when it's time to turn. So cute!

18. Use the Apple wallet to show your Micheal's card to help you get discounts and go ahead with Apple Pay while you're there.

19. Head to the gym before going home. You need some YOU time girl! Close up the green exercise circle on your Activities rings. My gym actually has an Apple Wallet feature where I check in using my watch. I also turn off my Notifications for an hour so I can relax and really focus on my time there.

20. Get home, make some dinner and relax. While you're at it, check your watch for the time. That's the whole reason that you bought a watch, riiiiiight?!?

Naomi from Marvelous Ms. Meredith 

Are you a classroom teacher looking to increase the use of technology in your classroom but need more training? Are you a tech or STEM teacher wanting to continue your practice? I've been in both positions and found that online trainings were a great option for me.


Here are 7 online technology professional developments that I suggest to continue your classroom technology knowledge! When you click on the name of each one, it will redirect you to their site. These aren't listed in any particular order.


Note: I am not endorsed by any of these companies. These are just ones that I have done and found over the years and believe in that are worth sharing! 

1. BrainPop 101 {Free, if you have a teacher BrainPop account. No digital badge, but a printable certificate} Everyone loves the videos that BrainPop produces. Have you tried all of their other amazing features that are to the right of each video? Primary sources, coding, quizzes… There is even a teacher dashboard to explore!

When logged into your teacher BrainPop account, towards the top right of the home screen, it says BrainPop 101. It will walk you through all of their features aside from videos and interact with them in an authentic way. You will also get a certificate of completion with one-hour of Professional Development Credit.

2. Common Sense Educator {Free, once you create your free teacher account. Receive a digital badge.} Common Sense Media is an amazing resource to help you stay updated with today's technology, movies and social media. They also have great parent resources and talking points for all sorts of relevant topics that relate to the above. My favorite is their free digital citizenship curriculum.

This training is more so how you use their curriculum with students and share the information with others. If you are already using their stuff, this is a great refresher to narrow down on how you are using their resource effectively with kids and other teachers in your building.


3. Code.org Courses{Free, once you create your free account.} I linked to the page that shares the progression of coding amongst grade-levels and the professional development opportunity that you would want to choose from. As a coding novice, this was a great learning experience for me to learn the basics of coding and be able to be a guide for my students in my classroom.

 4. Google Certified Educator: Levels 1 & 2 {Level 1: $10, Level 2: $25. Must have some sort of Google account to log in; either school or personal.Receive a digital badge & printable certificate once you pass the tests.} These badges you have to pay for, but the content and the training beforehand are excellent. While I use Google tools all the time within my teaching and personal practice, I still learned a lot!

You can review the training material for as long as you want before taking the tests. I try and do a session a day since it gets pretty lengthy. Whenever you feel comfortable, you can sign-up and pay to take your test. They do take a few hours, so much sure to block enough time for yourself! I honestly thought the tests were fun since they are application based and you have to show what you know in real-life situations by using Google to solve teacher's problems.


5. Seesaw Ambassador {Free, application based. If chosen, will receive digital badge after training}. If you are already using Seesaw a lot with your kids and want to know more tips and tricks and effective ways to share your knowledge with other teachers, this program is worth looking in to.

If you aren't accepted or need to wait to get in, Seesaw has other AMAZING professional development webinars, PD in your PJs. They also save a bunch of them on their YouTube Channel that you can rewatch later.

Want to learn how to create and add your digital badges to your email signature? Click here for my video tutorial and template! Once you're done, share with me and send me a message on Instagram @marvelousmsm




Stay marvelous!

Naomi from Marvelous Ms. Meredith 

When I left the regular elementary classroom into my K-5 STEM position, it was really difficult for me to part with my extensive library. I kept some of my favorites of course, but most of my collection went into my friends' classrooms to continue to benefit other kids. 

However, I still use literacy in my STEM instruction all the time! My growing STEM & Stories collection integrates books and a corresponding STEM activity that works for multiple grade levels. 

Let's dive into how STEM is integrated after reading the story After the Fall  by Dan Santant. 

**All links are clickable to purchase through my affiliate link. No extra cost to you, but I get a little bonus if you purchase through it!**

After reading the story After the Fall by Dan Santant {or listening to it online on YouTube}, students will first plan a way where they can build a safe wall for Humpty Dumpty to sit on. Their planning can be done either on paper or digitally. 

They can also utilize the Design Thinking checklist to help them keep track of their progress along the way through this challenge. This is also helpful if you need to extend this activity into multiple days or even during different time blocks in one day. 

Keeping their plan in mind, they can build their design and make modifications when needed to keep Humpty safe on the wall. Use any building materials you have on hand. Unifix cubes, LEGO and wooden planks work great. We used plastic easter eggs to represent Humpty. For an extra challenge, you can fill the eggs with a heavier material or even try wooden eggs! 

Once students' designs are built, they can use different units of measurement to measure the height and the width of their design and record their results. 

Of course, reflection is essential for continuing a growth mindset, and students can write, draw or even record using a tool like Seesaw, how the Design Thinking Process through this STEM activity worked for them. 

My STEM students always get so proud of their creations and want to take their work home. I use a lot of nonconsumable items and that isn't always an option. However, using Seesaw, I often have students take a video or photo of their work so they can continue that conversation at home with their families. 

Seesaw is always free. However, you can get bonus features with Seesaw Plus through my link. 

This was such a great Spring Time activity and was also easy for a sub to implement when I wasn't in my classroom for a day. You can grab all of the printable and digital student sheets, here. There is also a bonus anchor chart for taking clear photos of your work as a student guide. 

Holiday shopping is already here! Whether you are looking for a way to spend a TpT gift card, buy something for your teacher bestie or just simply want to treat yo' self, I have the most marvelous shopping guide for you! 

I created it specifically for different price ranges and also to fit different personalities. You can grab everything you need from my TpT store here.  I had such a fun time creating this and thinking of the different categories!

Click on the image to view the PDf version of the guide or go to the free resource library that you have access to as a Marvelous Member. 

Once you sign-up, not only will you have this great guide, but access to other freebies as well! 

Naomi from Marvelous Ms. Meredith