Episode 303: Manuel Herrera

Ep.303 Blending Creativity, Education, and Technology with Manuel Herrera

[00:00:30] Fonz: Hello everybody, and welcome to another great episode of My Ed Tech Life. Thank you so much for joining us on this beautiful day. Hopefully, wherever it is that you're joining us from around the world, you are having a perfect day, a fantastic day. Thank you as always for all your likes, your shares, your support.

Thank you so much to all our new followers and all our new YouTube subscribers. And if you haven't done so yet, please jump over to YouTube. Give us a thumbs up and subscribe. We're trying to get to a thousand subscribers. So again, as always, [00:01:00] thank you so much for your support. As you know, we do what we do for you to bring you some amazing conversations and bring you some amazing guests.

And I'm not going to lie today. I'm really excited because I know that this is somebody that I have followed for a very long time. You know, somebody whose creative process and creativity and the stuff that they share and put out is very inspiring and has definitely played a role in what I do and in how I do things.

So I'm just really excited to welcome to the show, Manuel Herrera. How are you doing today?

[00:01:33] Manuel: I'm good, man. I'm good. Excited to be here. Thanks for having me. This will be a lot of fun getting to share. And I almost want to just ask you questions just because we haven't sat and really chatted for, you know, an extended amount of time. So, yeah, man. Thanks for having me. I'm excited.

[00:01:46] Fonz: Absolutely. Yeah. And we can definitely, like I said, it's a really laid-back show. So if you have a question, hey, no worries, that's what we're here for, to learn from one another. But again, like I mentioned, I'm really excited to have you here. And for all our [00:02:00] audience members who, let's say, may not be connected with you yet, or may not be familiar with your work yet, can you give us a little brief introduction and what your context is within the education space?

[00:02:12] Manuel: Yeah, yeah. Um, you know, I guess if I kind of had to maybe tagline this or something. Um, you know, I'm an illustrator. I'm an educator, and you know, I'm fortunate enough that people want to listen to me. So occasionally, I get to go speak. So, um, I kind of take those three things, and that's kind of who I am.

I've been in education, um, 23 years, 23, 24 years now, and, um, started off as a classroom teacher and not to get too much detail, but started off as a classroom teacher and kind of worked my way through education. Um, I thought I wanted to be a principal for a little bit and, you know, did that for a year as an assistant principal.

Okay. And then, um, ran into, got into the EdTech world and have kind of been in there ever since. So I've been an EdTech coordinator, EdTech coach, um, getting teachers to use technology tools. And that has [00:03:00] grown into a variety of opportunities for me. Um, and really is the reason why I do what I do today. So yeah, uh, that's kind of the quick, that's probably the quickest I could do.

Um, but happy to share all the details of everything in between.

[00:03:14] Fonz: Absolutely. No, that's great. And I know we'll get into a little bit more detail into that. You know, as I ask you questions, because I know that that was a really quick glimpse into your journey, but I mean, 20, you said 24 years in education and, you know, all of that great stuff that you're doing and now being in the tech space and doing the illustration and all of that, you know, sometimes I'm very curious, you know, in a lot of ways with the work that you have managed to really blend your passions. I mean, talking about education, the illustrator, the creative component of it, the administrative aspect, and now the ed tech space, how much into that does just your creative self and your passion for creativity [00:04:00] play into those roles and how does it blend well into those?

[00:04:11] Manuel: Of teaching, you're still learning how to be a teacher, right? You know, school doesn't necessarily prepare you for that. So you're still just trying to be a good teacher.

Like, what am I? What is my content? What am I teaching? How do I deliver it? Um, and when I started teaching in 2003, you know, technology wasn't really abundant. We still had computer labs. We had palm pilots in our district. So my first district I taught in was in Round Rock, Texas. So I'm originally from Texas.

So right outside of Austin, um, that was my first year teaching. So I developed a lot of just being a good teacher. Right. Um, and then slowly I started to creep in some things that I was excited about, that I was passionate about, that I felt like made me a good learner, um, or helped me learn when I was younger, and that kind of incorporated drawing.

So I kind of slowly started to incorporate [00:05:00] drawing, not really necessarily knowing that it was being creative. It was for me, it was just kind of how I thought and how I shared and how I learned. Um, so kind of introducing those pieces and then, you know, 2003, 2004, five, we're learning about blogging. We're learning about, you know, web 2.0. That's, you know, we're finally able to engage with the technology that exists. So then I started to realize like, okay, you can start to be creative and express yourself in new ways. But it was still early, like people were still very hesitant, um, on doing that. So creativity kind of, you know, took a, took a, what is the word I'm looking for, a phrase I'm looking for, kind of took a back seat to a lot of what we were doing.

And it really wasn't until, um, I got into the ed tech world where I was attending conferences and attending like TCEA and FPTC, um, and really seeing like, wow, this is, this is really cool. I like this. I don't know what this is, but I like it. It's, you know, it's technology. It's starting to like I can make stuff.

I can build stuff. I can draw stuff. Um, that started to come into play, you know, after about 10 years of being in education, and it was fun. It was fun. I had the opportunity for me was just playing. I get to play with these tools, figure out how they work. Um, by then I was, I had just left the classroom.

And so, um, my job became training teachers on how to use technology, and it really started with Promethean boards. Those are what we had in our district, and in Round Rock, I had, I think like 11 campuses, and that is all I did was train on using Promethean boards. So a lot of drawing, a lot of creating, a lot of making shapes, a lot of making, you know, presentations in Active Inspire.

Um, I think that's what it's called Active Inspire. So that's really where I started to like, kind of in a sense, learn graphic design because I'm making stuff and I'm arranging things and I'm putting things on a slideshow. Um, so that's, that's, you know, where I started, and it was a lot of fun. I loved it.

I enjoyed it. I still do. Um, but yeah, that's, that's kind of where I started to kind of cut my teeth on being creative in education. We were given some freedoms to not just teach or not just share what was in the curriculum but kind of expand a little bit. So we really had to have some permission in our districts or in our district to be creative.

You know, um, again, this was earlier. Now, now they want us to all be creative, which is great, but early on, you had to be real careful where you put it and when you did it, um, you know, with kids, because you know, it wasn't proven yet, you know, really wasn't. You know, it was a new way of thinking, uh, with kids.

So yeah, that's that's kind of where I started. Uh, I'm going to keep going too. So, um, so eventually after doing having this role, um, as an ed tech coach, ed tech coordinator, I thought I wanted to be a leader. So my principal came to me and said, "Hey, you know, I really love what you're doing. You're leading teachers around technology in the classroom.

You should look into being an administrator." And so I went back to school, got my master's to be an administrator. [00:08:00] And, you know, in doing it, I was like, I don't get to be creative anymore. In a sense like that, I didn't feel like I was creative. I was very middle school. Intern as an assistant principal and you're just dealing with discipline, you know, that's that's really kind of to be to be honest about it.

You were doing a lot of discipline, and I did. I enjoyed seeing kids in different capacities in the office for whatever reason that they were down there. I really enjoyed that. But I really felt like something was missing. I wanted to dive more into that creative stuff that I had already kind of got a taste of.

So, uh, I went to become an ed tech coach, and you know, that's where I really started to explore tools, and I even tried to blog. I tried to start a blog and, you know, try to share all these things, but it became a lot of work, you know, as you know, like just running a podcast, running a blog, it's a lot of work.

Right. And so I was trying to learn to be minimal with some of the things that I was creating, um, but yeah, fast forward to, you know, after doing that for, I don't know, 10 years or so, um, [00:09:00] I started to realize that we were very, very tool heavy, tool specific tool, tools were everywhere. When I say tools, I mean like digital tools, whether it was Google, whether it was, you know, gosh, I mean, anything meant to meter was one pole everywhere was something that we'd use.

We had clickers or different types of boards. And then, you know, Adobe had top products. Then Canva came around, and like we had all these things to create. And what I started to notice was that we were trying to replace. I felt like we were trying to replace kind of being creative with just a tool. And just kind of giving it to kids and saying, you know, go be creative.

And I felt like, I don't know if that's the right, that's the right approach, but you know, you had to strategically go around that. Like I had to, you know, really think, okay, how do I introduce this? Um, and it started, or some of this really came out when kids would visit my, my room, I had a classroom, not a classroom.

I had an office that was a classroom that had [00:10:00] all these technology tools. I had everything. I had 3D printers, laser cutters, laser etchers. You know, uh, laptops, GoPros, tripods, everything for kids to create. And I would get kids that would come in for assignments for work. It was at a high school. Um, and you know, students would come in and ask to borrow something or ask to get a license for, you know, WeVideo or whatever it might've been.

And they really didn't know kind of what they were trying to create. It was really kind of this creative block. It was just, we told them to use this tool and they would go to get it. And then there was this creative block. And so I started to draw with kids. I started to draw because that's kind of how I thought.

That's just how I naturally think. I think in visuals, and so I would draw ideas that the kids would tell me. I would just, you know, what are you trying to create? A video? Okay, what do you think that video is going to look like? What do you think that first scene is? What do you think that next scene? How is this going to play out?

Basically storyboarding with kids. Um, so I would do that. I would storyboard with presentations. I would storyboard with videos. Uh, yeah, we would design or draw out things that they wanted to 3D [00:11:00] print. And I started to realize like, yeah, we're not, we're not helping them with kind of these ideas that they have and really kind of play with those ideas first before we start to make anything.

That's not always necessarily the best way to go about it, but it was a way that I could, I could build some structure around and kind of share that class after class, after class. Um, and, um, it was, it was amazing. Like watching kids grab markers and start to draw and start to create, you know, the things that they were wanting to make but didn't quite know how was awesome.

It was great. And I was excited about it because now I get to draw again. And, um, you know, I hadn't really been drawing a whole lot other than in my own journals, in my own notebooks kind of thing. And just watching kids really communicate and talk and share. And, you know, projects got better. They got a little better, they got a little more thought out, and you know, that was step one, and hopefully they take that.

This idea of drawing things out, sketching things out simply and applying it to the next project and applying it to the next project [00:12:00] because tools are going to change. We're going to have, I mean, you know, I mean, look at how all the tools that are available to us, they constantly change, they constantly update, and you know, that kind of thinking with drawing doesn't. Like you can always use that regardless of what the tool is.

You just need to be able to kind of plan things out. Um, so yeah, that's, that's kind of the beginning of all of this. I don't know how much I could keep going.

[00:12:24] Fonz: No, no, no, that's great. And, and I love everything that you said, but that kind of leads me to what I want to ask too, and we'll jump right back into this, but were you, you know, as a kid, as a child was drawing something that you grew up doing, or is this something? Cause I don't know why, like I picture you even right now, like even in an elementary classroom when you were back in the day or maybe even junior high and you're just like sketching while the teacher's just like teaching you're sketching.

But you know that that's the way that you learned and, and there was that thought process. Cause like you said that, you know, I [00:13:00] sometimes think in pictures and I have to like jot stuff down, but I see the pictures, but I need to make sure I put them. So I want to know, and I'm curious, growing up was drawing something that you grew up doing and, and if so, like who inspired you to draw, how did that come about?

[00:13:15] Manuel: Yeah, I mean, I was definitely that kid. I drew, I drew a lot and I would say, you know, I was encouraged to do that. I was very much encouraged and I owe a lot of credit to my aunt, Nora, my, my aunt that lived two houses over. You know, she had three kids. So we had three cousins. There was me, my other cousin, Carlos, and we would always go to my aunt Nora's house.

And so she had to manage all of us and, you know, we all kind of ranged in ages, but probably, you know, five or six year span. And so we didn't have technology, you know, we had video games kind of thing, but she was always wanting us to make stuff. Um, so I owe it to her a lot of why just doing things with my hands, whether it's drawing or cutting paper up and creating things with construction paper, it was really her that kind of, you know, introduced some of those, [00:14:00] those skills to us or those ideas.

And then definitely my mom and my dad who just encouraged me to keep doing it. So I took that to, you know, as, as growing up as a kid, and then it would trickle into the classroom. And I loved it. I loved drawing. I loved art. As I got older, I didn't necessarily make the connection that, you know, I'm, I'm thinking and I'm drawing or I'm learning and I'm drawing.

I just drew, I just drew and it was, you know, helping me learn or memorize things. And sometimes it was just helping me focus. So, as I got older and notes got more intensive or I'm actually listening to lectures or teachers speak, I would just doodle in the margins and I'm there's, you know, I come across adults all the time.

Like, "Oh, that was totally me. I was drawing that 's' in the corner and then I was shading things in." And yeah, that's what I, and it would sometimes it would just be to focus because you know, my, my mind would race or my, you know, I'd be thinking about something else and that would help me just kind of calm myself a little bit to, to listen to what's going on.

So, um, yeah, it was [00:15:00] just always something that was encouraged as a kid. Um, and never talked down until, until you started talking about, you know, a career. Like never, you were never going to do that as a career, uh, draw or be an artist. Cause you don't make any money, you're a struggling artist. So it was always just like a hobby that, that was, you know, encouraged.

So, um, yeah, I, you know, whether it was drawing on a desk, even, um, I was even telling some kids the other day, I used to carve, we used to have wooden desks. So I would carve in the back of the desk in front of me. Um, so it was just always expressing art, art, draw, draw. Um, you know, I took all the art classes in high school and middle school or middle school and you take them, but.

Um, I tried to take them in high school. Uh, so yeah, it's, it's always been who I was in some way again. I didn't know, I don't think I made the connection that I was learning until, you know, towards the end of high school, definitely college. Um, I started to realize like this helps me, this helps me learn.

It's no longer an artistic expression. It's now, okay. It's helping me [00:16:00] memorize things and remember things.

[00:16:02] Fonz: Yeah, but that's great, you know, and like you were describing too, one thing that I love that you mentioned, and I've seen it firsthand too as well, you know, while being in the classroom and working on projects, how important it is that you mentioned there's so many tools available already that we think, like, "Oh, yeah, we want all our students to create and we want them to be creators and not consumers" and so on.

But sometimes I think it's like, well, I mean, they're, they're consuming the tech like crazy. And, and really it's like, where's the creativity sometimes it's, and I get it that they're, they're creating something, they're speaking, whether they're doing a podcast or whether they're doing a presentation and things of that sort, but sometimes like I mentioned earlier, and actually I mentioned earlier in the previous podcast, and I often say it a lot, I want my students to lead with the tech, you know, it's not what I wanted them to use because as you know, you mentioned TCEA and everybody goes there and everybody comes back and they bring all the tools and they just want to [00:17:00] throw them at the students immediately that Monday or whenever it is that they come back, we're using this, this, this, this, and that, but.

But wait a minute, you know, is that the right tool for that student at that time? You know, did you plan appropriately? Do you, and it just seems like, Hey, we just want to throw it at them. But on the other side, like you mentioned, being able to kind of stop a little bit and let's go ahead and put markers to butcher paper or, you know, or paper or anything, and just really plan things out.

I think that's where the true creative process comes about. And really in that planning, like you mentioned, it could be either that storyboarding or just simple note taking just, you know, writing some scripts. And I remember seeing that firsthand in my fifth grade, sixth grade classrooms, when we were working on unit projects or, you know, whether it was for social studies, for math, for science and having them.

Actually do the collaboration, the communication and all those skills. And then finally taking that and then [00:18:00] choosing what medium you feel most comfortable with and go ahead and share and create that way. And I think that's something that's very powerful that I wanted to come back to that you mentioned, because like I said, oftentimes it's the, the tool becomes the star as opposed to the students.

And like you said, you know, there's overwhelming amount of tools. So now, you know, seeing, you know, well, actually, let me ask at this time, what is your current role?

[00:18:27] Manuel: So my role now is I am, I full time do Manual Draws. So that is my business. That is, that is what I run. Um, and everything I do is consulting work. So I will partner with different companies, different schools, whomever, um, and, and work with them, work with them on the things that I was doing as a teacher, as a, as an ed tech coach, as an ed tech coordinator.

Um, yeah, that's, that's kind of what it is. It's, I, you know, I've been blessed to have been in a lot of environments and a lot of them present myself, um, you know, present opportunities for people to partner with me. Um, and it finally got to a point where I'm like, I can do this on my [00:19:00] own. You know, I don't have to kind of side hustle side gig this.

Um, and it's been great. So yeah, I am, uh, I don't have an official title, I guess, but, uh, yeah, Manual Draws. That's like the business I have and I get to do all of those things for a variety of people. Um, not just education which has been a kind of a fun path to take, um, with kind of with this with this company.

[00:19:23] Fonz: Yeah, but that's great because I wanted it, you know, we'll talk a little bit about that. But like you mentioned, you know, being able to go through that journey and then of course, the drawing process and you know, what that's been allowed, what that has allowed you to do now in the doors that have been open, still a teacher at heart, because like you said, you do a lot of wonderful collaborations and I see you post often where, "Hey, I'm going to be at this conference and I'm going to be at this conference" and it's just amazing to be able to see how something that you started off with at such a young age, thanks to your aunt.

And then of course the support of your parents and now you've taken that to the next [00:20:00] level. And I think that I find that truly inspiring because, you know, in a different medium, like for example, this podcast to just be able to be on consistently for four years, 300 some episodes, like you mentioned, it's something that's not easy, but it's something that we get to do and that we love to do, and then we get to marry this with our either current work and things of that sort, that creative component. And for me, this is essentially my creative outlet and kind of like when people say like self care. Like although this may be work for me, this fills my bucket. This is what, you know, and so I would imagine that, you know, what you do and what you got to do through the education space.

And even now through Manual Draws, Manual Draws is, uh, you know, something that fills your bucket. So I want to ask you now, you know, as far as your creative juices and amplifying your own creativity, how does that process work for you, you know, on the day in and [00:21:00] day out now that it has become, like you mentioned a job, you know, do you, how do you kind of still keep that fire there and, and just that passion for what you're doing?

[00:21:25] Manuel: To do something else or to continue doing what I do. So, you know, the, you know, the day in and day out might be whether I'm on a podcast or whether I'm drawing for a client or whether I'm doing a, a professional development for someone or some kind of training or workshop.

You're, you're kind of always, I like to talk to people. So I, you know, I may be presenting to you on something, but I want to talk to you, like, um, what do you like? What is something that interests you? Even though it has nothing to do with what we might be doing at hand, like the task we're doing. Maybe I'm training you on an interactive whiteboard, but I'm going to go and talk to you about you.

And I think that motivates [00:22:00] me because I want to hear what people enjoy doing because I hope that people can find what be excited about what they do or what they love or a hobby in just in conversation. I want them to be able to like, well, add that, add that to what you do somehow. Like if you're, you love needle pointing or you love, you know, cooking, how can you incorporate that?

And it's just good conversation because I think this idea of creativity, it comes from creating something pretty and it's not, it's, it can be, it can be anywhere. And so that motivates me because then I, I learned about a new topic. I learned about a new passion. I learned about a new subject. I learned about something else besides what's in my sphere of being, you know, everyday Manual Draws and everyday dad and everyday family member. So it kind of expands that and that allows, you know, again, more opportunity for me to expand. So not only I'm saying not only do my education, but I've had a chance to work with marketing teams.

I've had the chance to work with UX designers. I've had the chance to work with, um, other artists, um, and [00:23:00] other industries. And so it's really cool. It just, that's new. How do I, how do I capture that in somehow, or how do I contribute my skills to that? So because you can easily get, you know, pretty stagnant in what you do if you're not careful, and that's not bad.

And if that's where you kind of want to be, but I feel like that that's not me. I want to continue to be excited about what I do. And I want to continue to tap somebody on the shoulder and say, "Man, I get to go work with these UX designers. I've never done that before." Like, how does that, you know, I want to be excited about that.

So that helps, you know, it's cool. It's a cool thing to do because you expand outside of education. It also helps to grow. Increases your, your self value or your self worth because sometimes I know I had first you deal with imposter syndrome for sure, all the time, you know, everybody does. And I don't, I didn't want to pigeonhole myself into just education.

I love education. That is where I am. K-12. I love you always. But it's kind of cool to see where else I fit, where else I work. And I don't try to make myself [00:24:00] fit. I just try to see is a potential there. And so that keeps your creates me. That keeps my creativity going now. Like that mode of that motivates me.

So, yeah.

[00:24:12] Fonz: That is wonderful, Manuel, because that that's something that's great. Like, you know, it's just you being you, but then obviously opportunities will come and present themselves and then you learn something new. And I think that's very, you and I very similar in that thought process, you know, but going back to what we talked a little bit about creativity and really just being able to talk to people, you know, I've been, I've been blessed to have the opportunity to do several, uh, Adobe creativity institutes working alongside Claudio and we'll go and visit.

And, you know, for me, one of the things that I love and, and although people, they come, the, the teachers, they come and it's like, "Okay, I'm giving up a Saturday to do this, to learn, to get my level one, level two, learning some of the, uh, the platform and all that stuff." But one thing that I love is I just really say like, "Hey, like [00:25:00] today, it's all about you."

Like, I don't want you to think like, "Hey, like, this is what you're going to have to go back and do on Monday." And I, and I love talking to them and putting them at ease to say like, "Hey, today's about you expressing your creativity. I want to learn about you." Obviously this is something that's going to transfer over in your classroom in a way that is going to be conducive to your content, but today, I want to I want you to harness your inner creativity.

Maybe the things that you never get to share. And I think, like you mentioned, it's so important because although I'm there and we're discussing the platform, but you're seeing these wonderful educators creating, you know, on topics that they really, I had an Institute where I went, where there was this, um, young lady who was all about, um, dress designing and wedding design.

And one of the things was, you know, we, you know, you need to create your own book cover, you know, on something that you're passionate about. And she did such a phenomenal job. And I was just like, "Wow." [00:26:00] But it's from her, it's from her heart. She's passionate about it. And then seeing the educators do that, and I think sometimes it's so hard for like you mentioned, you know, sometimes as a teacher, this is our identity. This is what we do. I'm just here to learn so I can know what I'm going to tell my students on Monday, but to really like open up and really put themselves in those shoes to say, "Hey, what can I create for myself?" And for me, I tell them like, "This is eight hours of self care that you're here learning this, but you're going to tell me a little bit about you and you're going to learn about me while we're here." And it's just been phenomenal that the connections that you make with these educators. And I think that's so important to teachers to still know, like, "Hey, it's okay. You are creative. Bring your passions into the classroom. It's okay to share and, you know, be a little vulnerable with your students and sharing some things that you've created" and so on and build that, you know, classroom community. And so that's one thing that I [00:27:00] absolutely love, but also the opportunities that it does give you, like you mentioned.

And for myself too, through the podcast and through these institutes, but I mean, it's so great and I love it. So that's why I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this is great." I like,

[00:27:14] Manuel: It's cool. You know, even when you share with them and you ask them questions, you're also teaching them. Well, how do I do this with kids? Exactly what we're doing right here. I'm asking you about you and I want you to, so you kind of help them create if they're not, if they're someone who struggles with that.

Um, you know, how do I talk to kids? How do I get kids to use Adobe or how do I get kids to use something else? Like this, like what we're doing right here, giving them permission to kind of express themselves and play and, or, or work on something they're passionate about, you know, I think that helps teach them how to do that, but yeah, I mean, it's, especially if you have them there for eight hours or however long, you know, I'm, I'm not here just to teach you the tool.

Uh, you know, I'm here to kind of just get to know you too, and that helps. And I dunno, it brings some joy when you take up somebody's time, especially, you know, [00:28:00] if they're going to dedicate that much in an afternoon, you know, it's not just about clicking here and there. It's always about just relationships, you know, I teach my own kids that it's all about relationships, build relationships with people, get to know people, love people, enjoy people because everybody is different. And, um, you know, for sure. So yeah, I think we definitely have similar feelings on how we approach creativity and where it comes from.

[00:28:23] Fonz: Now, I wanted to ask you too, cause this is something that I know I, I mean, we all battle with, I think it's consistent, but not as strong anymore, you know, you kind of learn through it and so on, but you mentioned imposter syndrome. So I want to ask you, you know, because I know with my first, my, well, my creativity journey and kind of just, you know, going, not just focusing on the classroom, but also just being creative and just really putting myself out there at the very beginning. It wasn't very easy at all whatsoever. And I mean, you have some harsh people sometimes that you're like, "Ooh, like, maybe like, this is scary, like putting yourself out[00:29:00] there." 

And then of course you see people like, you know, like the Claudios, like you, and then you see, uh, like, uh, Al Thomas too. Like, yeah, he's, I'm a huge fan of his and Claudio and you and a lot of other creators. And you're like, "Oh man, like, like I want to put something out, but I'm not at that level" and things of that sort and understanding those things. So I want to ask you in your journey, you know, now that you, you, you've had the opportunities that these doors have opened up for you to collaborate with, you know, in the education space, not in the education space, you know, how have you learned to overcome imposter syndrome?

[00:30:06] Manuel: Be your worst critic, right? We're always our worst critic, but when somebody else sees it, it's just a different, a different lens, a different perspective.

And I need, I need them to be my hype people, right? I need them to be my hype man and say, you know, what you did was great and great. Awesome. Keep telling me that because I need that reassurance and kind of through that process, I also learned that for my instance, when it is art or something I'm drawing, or maybe a workshop I'm creating that.

It's okay to have that initial draft of whatever it is. It's in, and I, and I teach this with kids, you know, have that initial draft, that initial idea, whatever it might be in it, in it, loose form in a very loose form, because then you can build on it. It doesn't have to be polished as soon as you make it.

That's not necessarily always how it works. It's just getting it out there. So whether it's my first draft and I'm showing it, or it's my first version and I'm showing it, I've learned to take [00:31:00] the feedback that's taking time to because constructive feedback isn't always fun. You know, um, I, you know, when I was in college, I took an art class and I got critiqued for the first time.

And I was like, "I do not like this feeling at all. This is not a fun feeling." Um, but, you know, I learned, I learned to work, work through it. So surrounding yourself with good people, with good people that are going to encourage you and give you that confidence. Um, because your self talk isn't always going to be there, you know, it's not always going to be, you know, positive, um, you know, reinforcement for yourself, um, that helped, uh, you know, I had some artists that were, again, we're just fortunate enough to have some artists in my life, fortunate enough to have some designers in my life, and fortunate enough to have educators in my life, um, that would give me what I needed, you know, to, to continue pushing, um, cause I think, I think without that, yes, it is, it is, it would be hard if I'm an individual and I don't necessarily have that.

Um, I don't know, seek those things out, attend events, um, you know, attending ISTE, attending TCEA, attending these big ed tech conferences. That helps me with, um, kind of having an audience to give me that feedback and then me making intentional connections with, I think that person could help me, which that, you know, that's a skill in itself of like, not a skill, but a confidence thing of like, "I'm going to go talk to this person that I don't know.

I don't really know, but I think they would be helpful in my career. And I think I could help, you know, help them as well." So doing that, you know, networking. Um, it's huge. I can't imagine doing this in isolation, you know, not having that, um, like you mentioned that, you know, Claudio, like I've known Claudio for years and, you know, just watching him and getting, you know, some reciprocation from him and just watching him and knowing that we started off as educators, but yet we have passions.

And we kind of just grew those. We kind of just put those out there and that helps to have, you know, seeing other people do it, um, helps.

[00:32:58] Fonz: Yeah, no, I really, [00:33:00] yeah, I agree with you. That definitely does help. I mean, for myself, I guess, I don't know, just growing up an only child, it was just very interesting because it was just me, you know? And so like, well, your mom thinks it's the greatest thing in the world, but they want you to share it with other people.

And you know, it may not be, they may have a different interpretation of things and so on, but you know, going back and starting to my social media journey and just being able to learn and be inspired by educators like yourself. And like I mentioned, Claudio and Al and people that are, are you know, putting the stuff out.

And then, so I said, "Okay, like I want to learn how to do this and, and put it out there." It was just amazing to really see that community that all of a sudden they would put a like, or all of a sudden they connect all of a sudden they follow. And like you mentioned, I think one of the things that helped me out the most is once I reached out to somebody that I did follow.

And just to simply ask a question. To get a response from [00:34:00] them thinking like, "No, no, like they're way too big, like they're never going to say anything," but then hearing back from them and then all of a sudden connecting, I was like, "Oh my gosh, they're like the nicest people in the world," you know, and, and that really has made a huge difference in finding that community of people that will support you, that love what you do, that are always there.

To just cheer you on because they definitely want to see you succeed. Definitely plays a big role. And, you know, I, like I mentioned, Claudio has been, and Al have been instrumental for me, like Al has helped me out tremendously on, for my podcasting and camera setups and, uh, Claudio too. And it's just been great to have people around that, but I also wanted to talk about that piece too, for myself, seeing you on social media and then, you know, going back to, you know, what you were posting and things oftentimes and and just so we can talk to teachers about this or anybody, you know what you're seeing on social media is actually the hours of [00:35:00] work and it's that finished polished product.

It didn't always start off that way. So I think on many educators and many people, you know, that imposter syndrome sets in because it's like, "Oh no, look, look what Manuel drew. I mean, no, there's no way that I can do that. Like, I mean, look at him for him. It's very easy," but going back to the hours and hours of work and practice and iteration and all of that, you're seeing that final polished product. So I think it's always great to show even some of the, like you said, show the initial drawings, show how the planning process. So they understand like, "Hey, this is something that maybe I'm capable of too, as well. If I just continue at it and practicing." And that really, when I saw that, I was like, "Oh, so, so your podcast came out perfect right away."

The first time, like, you know, and now that I'm in it, I'm like, "Oh yeah, no, it doesn't come out perfect the first time."

[00:35:53] Manuel: I know kudos to you, man. I don't like, I know there's gotta be so much work that goes into it for you to dedicate, I mean, just have that time to [00:36:00] do it. It's amazing that, and I'm sure now you've just gotten more efficient. And so it is, it is quicker now. And yeah, I think, I think social media is definitely a double-edged sword because you do see the amazing things that we create.

Um, and it's, I felt like for, and for a long time, and I need to probably need to go back and do more of it. I would, I would post the ugly of it. Are they kind of the initial sketches or the initial thinking, or just because I know that's what I need to see in order to maybe like, kind of go in that direction with what somebody is creating.

I'm like, "Where did you start? Like, what is that? What does that first thing look like initially?" Cause that also helps like, "Oh, okay. It's a little more attainable now." Um, and it's up to me, you know, how much I want to put into it on into as to how good it's going to come out. Uh, but yeah, it is, it's a double-edged sword.

You can easily give up. You can easily, "I can never do that," you know, because it's, you know, did it pretty quickly, but no, man, it's, it takes a lot of time to get to that point. So, um, yeah, definitely. [00:37:00] I do, I do like seeing that and I need to post probably more of that. You know, just that process side of it because I teach it.

I teach the kids like it's process. It's not, we're not getting to pretty just yet. You know, we're getting to just getting the idea out. So...

[00:37:16] Fonz: Well, Manuel, it's been an amazing conversation, but before we wrap up and we end with the last three shows, I want to ask you, uh, you know, and this is something new that I'm doing and I just started it. So, uh, you know, you're only the second person they get to ask. This is, you know, I want to leave my audience members, any educators that are out there, non educators people that are just really maybe want to tap in a little bit more into their creativity.

What would be three actionable steps that you might share with them to just go and just go for it? Go and start their journey and not feel, you know, overwhelmed.

[00:37:55] Manuel: Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, I'm going to have to, you know, do it from the perspective of as an [00:38:00] artist, um, or an illustrator or somebody who creates is you, I want to say you got to dedicate time, but it's even hard to dedicate time. But I would say, you know, the materials that you want to work with, whether it's, you know, a camera video, you want to take some pictures or maybe I want to draw pictures is, and I'm grabbing this because like, just, you know, have those materials readily available to you.

Um, so when you do have a moment to, to stop, don't, don't, don't scroll social media, don't get on your phone, but going, going, kind of just play with whatever it is that you think that you love, that you enjoy. Just take time to play with it. Um, and enjoy it a little bit. I like, you know, I'm old school, you know, Gen X, Gen X, Gen Xers.

I like the tangible things. So like having a journal always, you know, close by. It's kind of nice. Um, that would be probably my first step. Um, the second is to, is to, um, you know, follow the people that inspire you. Keep tabs [00:39:00] on them. I know I just told you not to get on social media, but keep, keep watching what they're doing.

Keep getting motivated. And then, you know, I think the last step is probably do something that's uncomfortable. And see what happens a safe, uncomfortable, a safe, uncomfortable. Cause I know uncomfortable can be hard. Um, and I say that kind of in a sense of, you know, I'm, I'm kind of dabbling a little in other industries and where I fit and that just helps my, my creative thinking, because now it's the unknown.

And so now I have to think outside of what I do. I have to research that new thing and see where those fit. Um, those are, that's a pretty big step, but I think do something a little uncomfortable that incorporates what it is you're trying to be creative with, you know, whether it's a podcast, whether it's a video cameras, taking photos, drawing, you know, needle pointing.

I'm saying that just, I don't know why I'm saying needle pointing. But, um, yeah, like, just take those things and push them a little bit. Um, but do it. You have to do it. You just have to, um, yeah. You and I have been fortunate enough [00:40:00] to be able to dabble and have full time jobs, you know, we have full time jobs and we're able to dabble and make those two worlds meet and it kind of leads to bigger, better things.

But, um, you know, if you can do it right now in a safe space where it's not costing you too much money and you're not, you know, losing money. Um, yeah, try it. I mean, it just depends on what your goals are. Um, if it's just creative outlet, just for your own sanity. Great. You know, if it's a creative outlet that you want to explore to potentially make money or to potentially be a business, um, only do what you love.

Don't, don't branch out to too much. Don't get too scary, um, with it until you're ready. But, um, I, yeah, I mean, those are probably terrible steps, but you know, I, I'm trying to think of from my own experience. That's what worked for me. Um, um, and you know, take one of those, take one of those and do it, um, and surround yourself.

I know this is for surround yourself with people, surround yourself with people that are going to be kind of like minded in that. I want to grow. I want to be better. I want to do some really [00:41:00] cool stuff. Um, because, you know, I've definitely been involved in networks and circles that promote that and push that.

And, and I, and, and from honest people, I also don't want anybody to like just tell me it's great to tell me it's great. I want, you know, I want really authentic feedback on those things.

[00:41:17] Fonz: Love it. Great, great steps. Manuel, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. All right. Well, as we wrap up, we always love to end the show with the following three questions and I hopefully you did get a chance to see them. They were there in the calendar invite. So let's go ahead and wrap it up here. So, okay, Manuel, as we know, every superhero has a weakness or a pain point.

And we know for Superman, his Kryptonite was that pain point for him. So I want to ask you, Manuel, in the current state of education, what would you say is your current edu kryptonite?

[00:41:53] Manuel: You know, I would say current and probably ongoing is, is chasing the tools. Um, it's [00:42:00] overwhelming. It can be, it can be hard and it can, it can be a big downer. Um, you know, find what works for you and use it and, and, and continue to use those ed tech tools. You know, to their fullest capability, because, you know, there's always gonna be something that's gonna be better.

There's always gonna be some, especially with AI. Oh, my gosh. Um, I would almost I wouldn't say AI, but it's hard. It's hard because then we start to well, this is gonna make it more efficient. So then we just add more stuff to our plate. So that doesn't really solve the idea of efficiency. So find what works for you.

Use it and kind of just stay in that world just as much as you can. Uh, I know we're supposed to teach kids other things. And, um, but that's been my kryptonite is this, it's hard to keep up with everything. Now I sound old. Now I sound like the teachers that I was trying to, you know, no, this whiteboard is amazing. These iPads are awesome. Um, but find what works. Don't, don't, you don't need, you don't need that big of a toolbox. So that was probably my kryptonite for a long time. It was exhausting. It was, it was, as a tech, tech coach, I just couldn't keep [00:43:00] up. It was just so hard.

[00:43:02] Fonz: All right. Great, great answer. All right. Question number two, if you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

[00:43:24] Manuel: World is amazing and, you know, I've had the opportunity to travel with the work that I do internationally, especially things that come to mind, I would love to do that. I would love to be somebody who just gets to travel, like gets to see and experience the world because.

It is so vast and if you're not careful, you're, you're kind of bubble, you know, is just your bubble. And I think it gives us perspective for a lot of different reasons

It is so vast and if you're not careful, you're, you're kind of bubble, you know, is just your bubble. And I think it gives us perspective for a lot of different reasons, you know, whether it's cultural, whether it's political, whether it's, you know, you're just love of people and understand it just expands that.

And when you can see, we're pretty small. We're pretty, [00:44:00] we're pretty small in this world. So, uh, yeah, that's what I, that's what I would do if I could, Oh, somebody who just travels. They don't even, I don't want to work. I just want to travel. Um, so yeah.

[00:44:10] Fonz: And my last question to you is if you could have a billboard with anything on it, what would it be and why?

[00:44:18] Manuel: Don't be a jerk. I would just have that. Don't be a jerk. Don't be a, don't be insert whatever you want to insert there. But yeah, man, I mean, this is maybe cause I'm getting older. I don't know. Um, but yeah, it's just, you know, it's harder to be mean and ugly. Yeah. I think it's harder to do those things than it is to just be nice, kind, and listen, and you know, I'm, I'm definitely guilty.

I'm sure. Yes, I, you know, I've honked a horn or two, you know, when I drive, but just being kind, I think everybody sees that kids see that adults see that everybody sees that it's just not worth it as you know, we're going to get to where we're going to get. We're going to answer that text when we get to that text.

There's just no reason to be mad and angry about things. I [00:45:00] think we, you know, maybe it's just me, maybe that's my own, you know, um, experience of having what I had from when I was younger to this point. And I know that being a jerk would not have gotten me from where I was as a kid to where I am now, um, and being mean and ugly.

And, and yeah, I think that's, that's what I would put on a billboard. Don't be a jerk, maybe some other words, but that, that would be, that would be where I would start. Just be nice. Like you said, like the people that you talk to. They're so nice. You know, that's just, there's just so much to learn and give, um, when you're just nice.

Um, maybe that's my rose colored glasses kind of thing, but uh, it's worked. It's worked for me and I enjoy being nice. So,

[00:45:42] Fonz: Perfect. Great answer. Well, Manuel, thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to, you know, just sit here, talk with me and hear a little bit about your journey, your passions, and really your heart. Uh, thank you so much for everything that you do and what you contribute to the education space, keep doing what you're [00:46:00] doing.

I really appreciate everything you post. And of course, you know, like I said, you're definitely one of the people that I have looked up to, you know, in the past and even now to just, again, help see things differently, maybe try new things or just to feel inspired. So thank you for what you do. I really appreciate it.

And for all our audience members, thank you as always for your continued support. We really appreciate all, like I mentioned, all the likes, shares, the follows. And if you haven't followed us yet on social media, please make sure you follow us at My Ed Tech Life. And again, like I mentioned, if you haven't jumped over to YouTube, make sure you jump over to YouTube.

Subscribe to our channel. Give us a thumbs up and don't forget to visit our website where you can check out this amazing episode and the other 302 episodes of My Ed Tech Life. You can visit us at www.myedtech.life, where I guarantee you, you will find an episode just for you where you can take some knowledge nuggets and sprinkle them onto what you are already doing.

Great. So as always, thank you for [00:47:00] all of your support and until next time, my friends, don't forget. Stay techie!