Here we go!

I have been thinking about creating a blog for a while so I am extremely excited to get this started. I am a mom of 2 teen girls. My oldest is 18 and in college to become a dentist, and my youngest is 15, a sophomore in high school and has a dream to become a nurse, possible even a doctor. I have been with my husband, Jon, since 1989. He is an extremely talented decorative painter and takes very good care of us. I had the most amazing opportunity to be a stay at home mom for 12 years, and I loved every minute. During this time I struggled to figure out where my future was headed, but I didn’t just want a career. Like most people I wanted to find something I was good at, passionate about, and I wanted to make a difference. I found it all in the most unexpected place, a Behavior Support Classroom. Since that year I have had many opportunities to work with children who are emotionally disturbed and sometime violent, as well as other children with special needs. I teach social skills in which to help them cope with the issues they struggle with on a daily basis and modified curriculum to help them become successful students in the classroom. It is a tough job, but watching these children make friends, work along side their peers, and learn to manage their emotional outburst is the most satisfying experiences.

My vision of technology in the classroom is growing every day. I believe children do learn on computer programs, however I also agree that we have to be careful how these programs are used. We, as educators and parents, need to make sure we are teaching our students how the programs work and enforce what they are learning with hands on activities. I work with elementary school students that many times struggle with a low attention span. Interactive programs projected onto the white board via computers, Elmos, or even ipads are great ways to capture these students’ attention while teaching them vital concepts. This type of learning also gets the students out of their seats and involved. I know one teacher that has a private Face Book page set up for just his students and their parents. Here he posts information from the day’s events which, not only helps keep the parents informed, but also encourage interaction between the students and their parents. Expanding my vision beyond elementary school I would hope to see computers, or electronic equivalency, available for every student in every class. I believe this is our future and therefore we, as teachers, must prepare our students for that future.

As far as the course I am taking, Integrating Technology into Curriculum, I hope to expand my knowledge on what technology can do for my classroom. I have been encouraged to blog but have always put that on the back burner, figuring I didn’t have time to learn how and I’d get to it after I finished college. Thanks to this class I have started my blog and I do plan on keeping up with it. I hope to increase my knowledge on the dangers of technology, as well. How can I teach my students internet safety? How can I teach my students proper internet usage? I would like to expand my collection of educational websites and learn what are the best ways to find on-line teaching tools for me and my students. I hope to learn how to manage computer assignments alongside pencil and paper assignments. I look forward to learning information about new technology and incorporating it into my classroom.