Technology and Me!

Although I have a fascination with technology, I have found there to be three factors that have hindered me from learning it…..fear, frustration, and time.

I tend to be afraid to “explore” what certain buttons do for fear of changing a setting that I don’t understand and ultimately, I needed the “other” way and didn’t know it. :) Also, fear of messing something up......hence, the powerpoint I lost. :(

Then there is frustration! Something will happen to my hardware and I have NO IDEA where to begin to fix it. That feeling leaves me feeling frustrated, powerless, and technologically “dumb” (for lack of a better word).

TIME! I have to admit this one to be the biggest factor in my hindrance of learning technology in the past. It just wasn’t a high priority in my busy life. I never felt like I had time to devote to sitting down and self-learning.

That factor brings me to how this class has/will change all of that. I was excited about taking this class during the summer because I knew it would force me to take the time to learn more about technology. It gave me a good foundation and the confidence to continue learning on my own. I am happy to say that I have spent a lot of this morning “playing” with buttons on my computer. :) Now that I have my feet wet, I am ready to dive into learning more.

I enjoyed learning first hand from our guest speakers and hearing how technology is a big part of every department in the school system. It was beneficial hearing things from an administrator’s point of view.

Monrovia Elementary Playground Renovation Project

A Great Project

Another experience that helped lead me down the path to administration was the privilege to head up a Playground Renovation Committee and really make a difference on our campus. The initiative began during a BLT meeting held April 30th 2007. I enlisted the help of 4 wonderful stakeholders and community advisors for our school and the process began.

During the renovation, I worked closely with our committee as well as employees from the central office, dealing with everything from erosion and drainage issues to raising money for new equipment. Kerry Wilkerson was instrumental in encouraging me to join this cohort. Thank you Kerry! :)

I will post a YouTube video of a slideshow I made that shares the process and progress of the playground. I hope you enjoy it!

Administration

Why am I pursuing a degree in Instructional Leadership? I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and enjoyed working in a leadership role before becoming a teacher. Traditionally, principals have mostly been responsible for the daily operations of the school and are now becoming more involved in a meaningful way with the instructional program. This change in the role of an administrator is mainly what sparked my interest in pursing this degree. I have a passion for teaching, curriculum, and instruction and have been a classroom teacher for 15 years. In my early years as a teacher, I thought I would always want to be in a teaching position where I had direct contact with my own group of students. I have slowly realized that being in an instructional leadership role would allow me to have a greater impact on many young lives all at the same time.
After completing my first class for this program, I am the first to admit that I have a lot to learn and I am thrilled about the challenge it brings.

More on NATC 2010

I failed to mention in my last post the third session I attended to the technology conference. I attended a session on podcasting. I learned many ways I could use a podcast with my students and can't wait to get started. However, we were taught using Mac computers and Mac applications, which I don't have assess to at my school. However, I will still take what I learned about podcasting and try my hand at it.

NATC 2010

I attended the North Alabama Technology Conference July 15, 2010. It was a wonderful experience. I have a Smartboard in my classroom that I use daily with my students. The little I know about using it has literally changed the way I teach and how I engage with my students. Unfortunately, we only received 1 hour of training before they were placed in our classrooms. Wanting to learn more about using the Smartboard, I went to a workshop about the basics of the Smartboard. Lucky for me, there was only two of us in the session so it became a two on one lesson. We were able to ask question after question and have hands-on training. I stayed with the same presenter for the next session where she took Smartboard training to a more in depth level. We learned about the Smartexchange and a number of Smart resources that I am excited about using in my classroom.

My First Post

Wow, my very first Blog! I am very excited to be learning about blogs and how I can use them with my students. I would love to use it as a classroom blog for all the parents, relatives, and friends to see the exciting things we are doing in class. :) I think it will motivate my students with "writing" if they know it will be published.