About Me

There is a lot to learn about me that is already available on this site. This blog was an integral piece to my Bachelor of Education that I took through UBC. Not all the information is relevant to this course, but it gives insight to who I am and how I became this human being. And it still reflects my teaching philosophy. There are many different things to know about me. I am a nerd. I am neurodivergent. I give everything to my job.

I am a Grade 7 teacher. I understand most people would say “elementary school” rather than a specific grade, but many elementary school teachers understand why I make the distinction. Those of us who choose and love to teach Grade 7 are a different kind of person. It’s the same for kindergarten teachers, as well. I’m sure there are equivalents in any educational job, and frankly all careers. Sometimes, people just fit a specific role. And that is me. I love being a Grade 7 teacher. These young people that I meet are at an integral point in their lives, and I get to be a guide for them in that moment. It’s spectacular.

Getting students to enjoy learning at this age is a challenge, and one I rise to every chance that I get. One way I have found success in this is by integrating something they love into their learning opportunities – technology. Which is what brought me to this program. There aren’t many children who haven’t been exposed and shaped by technology in one way or another. My generation was one of the first to have it from our older formative years and onwards. The younger generations have been even more exposed, their world greatly affected by access – to each other and to so much information. Where my philosophy has morphed in the last 6 years is helping them navigate through the digital and physical world and set them on a path that will result in them being a good person.

What I Want to Learn

My dream is to work in a technology-rich classroom. I used to say paperless, but there are benefits to working pencil-to-paper on some things. However, to be more environmentally friendly as well as teach them important skills in working with technology, I would like to be able to provide students with more opportunities to learn in a digital space. To do that, I need to learn more, and experience it first-hand to better understand what they would be going through.

In the past, I have been excited by a new platform or device that I haven’t done my due diligence. Instead of taking the time to learn more than the basics, I’ve thrown the newness at my students with a cursory understanding, and then been disappointed by the results. What I want to learn, aside from a little patience which will have to be a self-taught lesson, is:

• how to evaluate these tools
• determine how they best fit my practice
• and how to implement them so that the students feel comfortable in using them.

These are my hopes for this course. What we use doesn’t have to be something brand new to the world or to me. If it’s something I’ve used before, and I still learn how to better work with it, then I’ve continued in my goal to be a life-long learner and improve my practice.

A Reflection

This is the most difficult part to my flight path. Beyond the learning intentions that are laid out in the introduction of this class, I don’t have personal goals for myself yet. I am an immersive learner. I need to be in the action before I know what I’m going to get out of it. It’s a little more chaotic, and less of a navigational tool, but it’s how my brain works.

Having read over the Seven Principles and ISTE Standards (which I had never read or heard of before and am so thankful to have been introduced to – both will be something I will refer back to again and again) and worked with the First People’s Principles of Learning for years, I am excited to learn more about creating a digital learning environment that enriches the experience for all types of learners. Learning is not linear, and it’s not the same for everyone. That is why I love technology so much. It provides so many varieties of demonstration, giving students who have often felt the overwhelming frustration of not being able to show what they know in a way that fully reflects their understanding.