Hello! I can already tell, this is going to be quite the journey. I do not consider myself very tech savvy as my husband does all the computer “stuff” at our home. Since he is a computer engineer, I leave all my questions and inabilities up for him to fix. Needless to say, I will be learning a lot this summer!
During the regular school year, I teach at a small charter school in Caldwell, Idaho. There are between 25-33 students per class, and only one class per grade. We have all grades at our school, from kindergarten through 12th. I have the privilege to teach middle school and high school students. Because we are so small, there are only 2 math teachers that teach the upper grades(7th-12th). This means I have five different math classes I teach throughout the week ranging from pre-algebra through algebra II and statistics and probability. We use an integrated curriculum that blend these skills within the context of real-life career paths.
When I am not teaching, I am a wife and mother of two. My eldest daughter will be in 3rd grade next fall. She loves school, reading, soccer, and swimming. My youngest son will be starting kindergarten in the fall. He loves all vehicles, anything to do outside, and he is self entertaining.
Besides starting my master’s this summer, my husband and I are training for our first half marathon. I enjoy running and we thought it would be a fun experience to try racing. We have a long way to go as I have never ran beyond 4.6 miles (and that was yesterday).
I chose Boise State’s ED Tech program for many reasons. My school works extremely hard at being a college preparation school. We have many extra requirements to prepare students for further education beyond their high school diploma. Since our culture revolves around technology, and colleges require the use of computers in many different facets, I need to prepare my students for that part of their higher education, as well as the math they need to get into the college of their choice.
Throughout the country, states are changing how technology is used within the classroom as well as schools that are completely computer based. Knowing we are on the brisk of changes in Idaho, I want to be prepared and beyond the expectations of what my state wants from their educators. Already I have learned many different ways to communicate through technology within the first week of class! It is exciting to me to think of how I can implement this with my students and my colleagues as we continue to strive in creating the best school in our area.
Thanks for taking the time to read my first blog! I would enjoy any comments you wish to share with me.
JaimePiatt: EDTECH Learning Log 