Techie by Nature

Administrators play a pivotal role when implementing educational technologies. Whether it’s a new LMS (learning management system) or actual hardware, administrators need to familiarize themselves with whatever technology is being addressed. I believe that it is imperative that administrators need to know the essential functions of the tech and what best teaching practices it will help support. In order for instructional leaders to accomplish this gigantic undertaking, we must look at the most current EdTech models and learn to diffuse this information to our staff.  According to The Technology Coordinator’s Handbook, as an administrator considers the technology available, they must also consider four key factors when making a decision to implement a particular technology. These components are vision and planning, budgeting, infrastructure, and professional development/diffusion. These essential considerations help create a positive and open environment in which to implement techno...

When I began thinking about becoming a teacher, one idea that always stood out in my mind was that I wanted to give students the access and opportunities that I was afforded during my school career. I did not attend a well to do school, nor did I live in a well to do district, but rather attended a lower income school in the district. This was during the 90s, but my classmates and I were afforded and given many opportunities to excel and succeed because my teachers believed that we deserved it. I look back on my elementary education with fondness and a sense of joy because I attended a school where I knew that I was loved and cared for. When I speak to my former grade school teachers, they say that that old elementary school was an “island”. One teacher went on to explain that the administration was very supportive of teachers wanting to begin extracurricular clubs or activities and that the families, students, faculty, and staff there felt like a family.  Fast forward to 2022, and...

           While this exchange does not look like a discourse on education, it very much is. When thinking about the South and how we view the Civil War, one thing that has always been prevalent is the fact that the South preserves these monuments. From the Daughters of the Confederacy to the conservation of statues to Civil War icons, Alabama has been no exception to the "rebranding" of the history of the Civil War. This article, "State of Denial", states that in Alabama law, there is a provision to keep house museums like the White House of the Confederacy, up and running through the use of taxpayer funds.        How do we as teachers and Southerners wrestle with this conundrum? On the academic hand, preserving historical sites for future generations is a valid argument to keep places like this running. On the political hand, how does this happen in today's world? The article goes on to mention that, during the visit to the White ...

As teachers, we are always looking for the best way to engage and connect with our students. When it comes to engagement, there’s nothing more intriguing than using a video or movie to help understand a concept more fully. As an elder millennial, I remember school movie days well. Our excitement would build as we saw our teacher wheel the tv cart into the room. Usually, our videos would have to do with a science concept (thanks Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy), but as I got into high school, my English teachers would use videos and movies to explain an abstract writing concept, in a fun and engaging way (yes, I learned the hero archetype from Star Wars: Episode 3 and about medieval beliefs and cultures through Monty Python’s the Holy Grail. What can I say? I had pretty awesome English teachers!) This would help us to better understand and apply these concepts when we read more difficult texts, such as Beowulf and the Canterbury Tales. It also helped us apply these concept...

     What if you never had to draw another anchor chart? What if you had your students create their own anchor chart to assess understanding of a particular concept?       These are just a couple of questions that have one simple answer— INFOGRAPHICS      Infographics are “graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.” (Turner and Hicks, 2017)      Take a look at the infographic I created to strengthen my argument for the impact and need of early childhood literacy.       Pretty cool, huh? Although elementary teachers are very familiar with creating anchor charts, infographics are a newer way for students to discuss ideas and information. Having students to create infographics allows teachers to assess what students may already know about a topic and helps students sharpen their persuasion and research skills.   ...

     We often think about older students when it comes to digital writing, but we cannot count out our younger students too.       In this age of technology, where kids are born knowing how to navigate a smartphone before they can walk, how do we meet our standards AND the ever-changing needs of our students?  It’s simple, we use technology to meet them where they are and help them gain important skills about HOW to use the technology to make strong digital arguments and connections.       Students are constantly bombarded with ideas and information from a variety of sources. How do we teach our students to know how to separate fact from fiction? First, we must teach them to analyze a piece of text critically. We should, as educators, already be teaching our students how to analyze and think for themselves, but how do we do this with younger students?      When beginning to teach the writing process, I like to ha...