Tales of a (not so) Techy Teacher

    It's crazy to me how far we've come with technology. When I was a child, learning and reviewing was all done on paper. I know the teachers did their best to make learning fun, but what a world we live in now! To be able to create a summative review and every student gets to play a fun and interactive game while they're learning is amazing!! Everything about Blooket was fun. The music, the characters, the interaction...Adults loved is so kids will eat it up!!  I found Blooket very easy to use. It is an app that offers questions and games that are already created for a quick and easy review of many subjects, but it also allows educators to create their own sets of questions, and create their own games. Which is great for differentiating or creating something unique for your students!! I could easily use this app not only for math, but vocabulary for any subject, science concepts (maybe a "which one doesn't belong"), or just some fun trivia to keep students o...

Social media is a point of contention in my home. I live with teenagers...I'm not going to sugar coat it. Yes I have Facebook, yes I have an Instagram account (not that I post much of anything). I even have Snapchat, but only to message my kids because let's be real, they are on their phones a lot more than anyone these days. They rely on social media to get through their day, which is mind boggling to me!! I don't believe that children should be on their devices as much as they are. Human connection is SO important. But here we are...so we might as well try to embrace it, right? As I am quickly approaching my teaching career I will be using technology more and more. And with the responsibility of educating children I will also be required to learn how to use different technology in order to stay informed, myself. I will need to convey information to my students, as well as their parents daily, with the use of smart boards, email, and many other technological programs (for ...

What is technology good for anyway? Why do we need technology? Some days I wish we could just go back to the good old days of handwriting and snail mail. Or a receive a telephone call ONLY while you're at home. I can remember the days of all of those things. There was something exciting about getting a letter in the mail from a friend who was traveling, instead of just bills! I have had to learn so much about technology and really only since I was about 15 or 16 years old. It has all just moved so fast!! Now we can receive a phone call or get a message (mail or text) anywhere. Children don't know how to handwrite, let alone read it. And having a computer or a smart phone is a necessity as opposed to a luxury. I often think of my grandparents and what they got to experience in the face of the technological era. It's amazing how far we've come. Technology has become so advanced, and every day we hear about something new. My technological experience is fairly minimal compa...