I am constantly amazed at where we are now in 2015 with social media and technology - specifically in the classroom. When I began with technology, it seemed like technology was just beginning...
In 1987, I graduated from E.C. Glass High School where I took keyboarding and computer programming. I learned to type on an electronic typewriter. Yes, you insert the paper sheet by sheet and when you made a mistake you had to use correction tape or start again. At home, I typed my papers on a manual typewriter when necessary but mostly wrote the papers by hand.
Then off to college at Freed-Hardeman with a computer. I stored all of my data and work on these disks at some point and time during my college and graduate work.
When I began teaching, I was one of the first teachers in Tennessee to be awarded a 21st Century classroom. This included 6 computers, a teacher stand with a laser disc and a printer. I was on cloud 9 - not only did I get the equipment but I got to go to training so I would know how to use all the equipment. Oh and the station came with a VHS player too!
During my masters and doctoral degrees, I used the card catalog and drove to the University of Memphis library each Saturday to complete research on microfilm and microfiche.
After all of this, I began to work at an university just when social media and phones began to completely take over and become the norm. So when I say I blogged in 1987, I mean I journaled about my teaching experiences, wrote letters to my friends about what I was doing, and asked the newspaper to cover the special events in my classroom. AND when things were really exciting I called teacher friends on the phone from my apartment or a pay phone.
It is 2015, I am blogging, Instagram-ing, snap chatting, face booking, texting, periscoping, QR coding, and tweeting. I'm learning. I'm growing. Now, I'm working on sharing.
This desire to grow through sharing has been inspired by 3 professionals that I regularly 'read'.
George Couros who believes that sharing is the responsibility of each instructional leader - if we don't share then how do we grow as professionals?
Donna Boucher who compulsively shares math resources on her blog and through twitter - these are good ideas and she supports others who have good ideas.
Alice Keeler who speaks about using technology in the classroom, with the students and for the students - when she speaks it is easy to understand.
I am thankful for my tech journey. I am thankful for professionals like Couros, Keeler and Boucher who pave the way through the social media and technology maze. I am thankful to seek, to know and thereby grow. See you at the edge!
This is our principal Mrs. Kim and our assistant principal Mrs. Spring who believe that school is about growing academically as well as growing as a person. This is why we are able to have a Veterans Day program. Our administration serves the whole child. We remember.
Today, 3rd graders learned how to create a Google Doc in our Social Studies Writing class! We write on our blog each week - we are trying to get ready for the writing part of TN Ready. The students love the blog - they love the writing prompts, they love replying to their friends, they love offering advice and encouragement - they truly love showing what they know when they write on the blog.
The students are doing an exceptional job of growing in writing BUT they have one COMPLAINT!!!! Their complaint is that they do not have enough time to write on the blog, complete their writings, and then they lose their writings - only to have to start again the next day or retype what they have lost when they accidentally press a button or the computer shuts down. They want to do the writing but want a way to write without feeling frustrated.
