-
My 1st teaching job!
I was hired one week before school started! I was going to be a 5th grade teacher in a small, rural school district which had one section of each grade. The 4th grade and 6th grade teacher helped me prepare since I had nothing and at that point in the summer I did not expect to be hired anywhere. The only source of technology was a computer with a huge monitor and a printer at my desk that did not work well. -
Grade Change
The school district I taught in for the past 2 years was closed and consolidated to a nearby district that I attended when I was in school. I was fortunate to have a job since I had only 2 years of experience. I was going to be a 3rd grade teacher. The student materials were books and workbooks. I had a computer at my desk, but no printer. Our teacher workroom did have a computer with a better printer and teachers signed up for a time to use it. There was minimal technology. -
Another Grade Change
I applied to become a 1st grade teacher in the same district and got the job! This is the age I always wanted to teach. I was excited because there was a small TV hanging in a corner and there was a film reel that was shared by the building. There were not a lot of movie choices, but the children enjoyed it. I also had an overhead projector I used with a pull down screen. I was able to show my class reading and math examples and they could come and write on it too which was a big step. -
8th Year of Teaching
The beginning of the school year some classrooms received a pod of 3 student computers and I was lucky to get a pod. I used this mostly for typing stories and the reading program called Wiggleworks. The children enjoyed the computers. The challenging part was rotating the children so everyone had a turn. Often they were using a computer 1 or 2 times per week. There were not many programs the district had purchased for the primary level. -
9th Year of Teaching
Our building now has a computer lab with enough computers for an entire class. Our focus was writing, editing and illustrating stories and using the Wiggleworks reading program we had in our classrooms. The children also had a listening center to use when their work was finished. There was a full-time aide to assist the students with writing and to help the children learn keyboarding skills. Each class has a 30 minute block of time 3 times per week to engage students in technology. -
A New Building
Our old building was torn down when a new elementary building was built and opened. I was moved to an existing building and we have better internet service. I now have a Smartboard in my classroom: however, I have no idea how to begin to use it. Later in the year some basic training was offered, but I was reluctant and unsure how to incorporate it into my teaching. I tried a few lessons, but just did not feel comfortable. My classroom has a small TV with a CD/DVD and I have a computer. -
25th Year of Teaching
I have my own teacher iPad! I will be taking student attendance and lunch count using my iPad. I can also enter RTI information for my students and have access to other important student information. We also now have a set of 6 student iPads. We were given little instruction on how to implement these for the students, so honestly I rarely used them. I set up a private class site to share pictures with families, use Remind 101 and send a weekly digital newsletter. -
A Big Step
This year we are now 1:1 with student iPads. I took an individual picture of each child and it is their home screen. As a grade level we brainstormed what apps to download and the best way to make use of the technology. The favorite apps are Lexia, Epic, Whiteboard and Xtra Math and we use the iPads daily. I use the Smartboard more. I have learned to transfer our math pages so the children are more interactive and use the reading site to engage the children in reading activities. . -
A New Year!
It is the middle of the school year and I am taking the course TCH 430. I will continue to learn from my peers in the course and realize I have plenty to learn to redesign my instruction using technology. I want to discover a meaningful way to implement technology for my students and not just use it as a way to substitute paper and pencil.
