Fun fact about me that also makes me cringe at times--
I have never been good at tech stuff. I have had males in my life that were excellent at all things related to technology, but they never included me in learning these skills. Being young, it never occurred to me to advocate for myself. It was a boy's club and I wasn't invited.
Something changed during the last two years. My lead IT was a woman. Not just that, she was a knowledgeable, open minded, and friendly IT. I had never met such a lovely unicorn in my life! I started looking into what she wrote about in her emails, PD sessions, and general information about technology as it related to the classroom. I pick her brain WAY too much and am sure at this point I am coming across as annoying. But I know she is always there for me to learn from or bounce ideas off of.
Last year, I was overwhelmed with my program. It is all paper! Pictures, data sheets, graphs, lesson instruction, visuals....ALL PAPER BASED. It was a lot to keep track of and I often found myself stuck taking home cartloads of data to analyze. My thoughts were "new program, new school, new district; I am not ready to take risks!"
In August, I decided to incorporate as much technology into my lessons and data collections as possible. I started by making blank copies of all data sheets organized in my drive. Followed that by taking at least 3 technology PDs a week. This was a lot of commitment because I am a mom, I teach, and I am working on my doctoral dissertation. Somehow I made it work! Now I see other grrrls I work with asking me questions or for help in general. I am glad they have a desire to learn. This tech journey allowed me to see I am not great at it all, and that is okay! Practice makes perfect, so I just keep making interactive lessons my students can enjoy. Without the support of Lisa, Shannon, or Amy I would not have a desire to know about technological skills and various ways to increase efficiency in my classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment