Posts

Introduction to EDU780

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Who am I? Hi Everyone!  Via GIPHY.com My name is Jennifer. I am a first year teacher. Currently, I teach 1st grade dual language. I love 1st grade as it is filled with so much learning and giggles!  Our model for dual language in this grade is 70/30. We teach and learn primarily in Spanish throughout the school day. Next school year, I will be teaching 3rd grade dual. I am both excited and nervous for this grade change. I am also very glad to be working with this age group as they will be able to cut something out in less than 10 minutes!  I received my bachelors in Elementary Education (1st-6th) with endorsements in ESL and Spanish last Spring at Dominican. I decided to return back to Dominican to receive my technology endorsement and am one class away from finishing! Family  Via GIPHY.com I am the youngest of three. My brother received his bachelors in Computer Engineering and my sister is an optician. Via GIPHY.com My
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Soon to be Tech Specialist!

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Is soon too soon? via GIPHY.com It’s crazy to believe the school year is almost over! It’s even crazier to believe that I am so close to completing my technology endorsement! Throughout the course of EDU 781, I continued to enhance my mind about the roles of a technology specialist. What’s more is that I created a pilot experience of a creation station for my school. Now, prior to last year, I had no clue what a creation station was. However, when I did my student teaching, I was exposed to such awesome materials and technology to get students involved in STEM. Thus, I knew I wanted to tackle this because our current library lacks resources and engagement for our younger elementary students since the library is shared with both the primary and middle school.  To begin, the process was both easy and difficult. I received a lot of support from many teachers and my principal. Our school is 1:1 iPads and is always trying to make resources tech friendly for our students to access
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Tech Specialists Have Many Hats!!

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Hats off to Tech Specialists! Hi everyone! I am so close to completing my technology specialist! Throughout this journey I have realized all the hats a technology leader wears and responsibilities they pertain to! Being a change agent for a school (not to mention district) means you are ensuring change, but also ensuring educators know how to use it! This is a problem many classrooms face. VIA GIPHY.com Many districts pose and want change, yet do not educate teachers as to how to implement or differentiate it in their classroom! This is something I find very important as a technology leader to be aware of. I would want everyone to be open with me and want my assistance when needed. This would ensure everyone is working to their best potential and open to new changes occurring around school and in their classrooms. The most challenging aspect of being a technology leader would have to be time! At times there are only 1-2 technology specialists for a distr
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The journey continues...

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via GIPHY.com Throughout my EDU777 course, I was to determine a need that needs to be addressed within my school. Throughout these past few months of teaching 1st grade dual language, I noticed there is not that many resources to support dual language classrooms. Oftentimes, I had to translate the curriculum or create my own tools to provide for my students. Thus, I chose to focus on this issue and assess the need in literacy. My students are beginning their nonfiction unit and there is not that many nonfiction books to support my students.  Throughout this journey, the more research I found, the more evidence I was able to provide to support my proposal. I was able to find two apps for students to download to their iPad to read IN SPANISH! One app, Epic! I found was free for educators, while Reading A-Z  does require a yearly subscription of $109.  Overall, I think the process went smooth! Although there is not that many dual language teachers at my school, we are all very
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Learning Specialist

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Learning Specialist Reflection Hello everyone! I am currently taking my second course for my technology specialist endorsement.  Throughout each week, I learn new methods, learning styles, and technology to implement within my classroom!  Within EDU777, I am developing a technology tool plan to use for my classroom.  via GIPHY.com As mentioned in my previous posts, I teach 1st grade dual in a school outside of Chicago. Dual language programs are relatively new within most districts. Although dual language programs are a great opportunity to get students enrolled to learn a new language, many teachers lack resources to help their students. Often times, I need to re-write curriculum and lessons to meet the needs of my students, but also meet the requirements of the dual program. In addition, many resources that are out there for teachers to use for Spanish classrooms do not translate well and need to be re-written.  Overall, it can get both overwhelming and frustrating. Neverth
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Social Media

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Let's Integrate Technology! When I was in high school, I remember how popular Snapchat became overnight. Everyone couldn't get enough of it and were obsessed in keeping their streak going! Snapchat was very addictive and still is for many teenagers.  via GoogleImages Because I am a 1st grade teacher, I do not think it is appropriate to use Snapchat in my classroom. However, I would highly recommend middle school and high school teachers to incorporate it in their classroom. In the article, Getting Started with Using Snapchat in Your Classroom , John Walter mentions,  "Our students are using Snapchat, and what many educators fail to understand about the app is that students are not just taking a picture. They are having a conversation. They are telling a story." (Walter, 2017) Instead of just dismissing technology, we should embrace it! By using social media in the classroom, students are given the opportunity to have their voice be heard by other individu
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Reflection

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Looking back... It's hard to believe that eight weeks have flown by! Prior to taking EDU 776, I tried to incorporate technology as much as possible within my lessons. Nevertheless, I was always unsure as to what kind of technology to use.  Throughout these eight weeks, I have learned new tech tools, researched the impact technology has on students today, and immersed myself in projects to stay educated on technology. As mentioned in my previous post, I teach 1st grade. Throughout these eight weeks of school, I have noticed my students love using their iPads. They love listening to reading, posting assignments on SeeSaw, and coding using Scratch. Although they love using their technology, it is oftentimes difficult when they do not have a component of technology to use or visualize with when I teach a mini lesson.  It is very difficult for them to listen and focus in on a mini lesson that is more than 10 minutes on the carpet. Thus, I will begin to implement videos where I will
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