Introductions!

[Jana Craig Hare]

Please introduce yourself, tell where you're from, and share your greatest technology "a-ha" in the classroom!

[kpilcher]

Hello! My name is Kris Pilcher and I manage the computer lab at Bennington. I love the way that technology touches students in their every day life, from preschool children through high school. I love when parents stop by and tell me how their child helped them with a computer issue - even if the child is only a preschooler!

[cjharris]

I will be moving from 5th grade to sixth grade at Minneapolis Grade School in the fall. Our second year of Integrated Technology was so much fun because the students already had the computer skills to use in our projects. They presented their science fair projects with Power Point instead of the bulky display boards, and they were so excited to use the laptops to create graphs, make colorful reports, and easily make changes as needed. They got a little carried away with the sounds and animations, but we'll work on that later!

[Becky Cheney]

I am the principal at Tescott Elementary and Junior High. My aha moment was when I first heard the news that our school was awarded the EETT for 2005-2007. As grant writer I have had an invested interest in the TRC's from the very earliest stages. It has been extremely rewarding to watch the technology integration program grow and flourish. In addition to the EETT grant at Tescott, our district stepped up and provided the resources for a mirror program for Bennington Elementary. (the other elementary school in our district) This decision has impacted the district positively. The synergy of the technology integration in our district has strengthened the overall educational programs. Currently, as a new member of the I-TEAM, I am anxious to learn and grow with a very dedicated group of educators.

[Ron Feldt]

I teach 3rd or 4th grade, depending on the number of classes at that grade level. My greatest "a-ha" is when I see students waking up and getting excited when we go to the computer lab or use laptops in the classroom.

Students get involved in their own learning when they are allowed to use technology and make choices in how they learn. Students are a lot more comfortable in the what and how of technology. As teachers we need to be ready to use present and future technolgy in order to help our students become successful learners.

[88michael]

Hi, I'm Michael. I live in Australia. I am very interested in Technology, sports and reading. By the way, I am not a big fan of Harry Potter.

[Tina Bulleigh]

I have made the leap from being a Fifth grade teacher for the last 13 years, to now being a director of an afterschool program. I am currently in the building phase of the program. My a-ha moment is when I did a comprehensive unit for an "Intel Teach to the Future" class, and implemented it in the classroom. Seeing students driving their own learning and owning it using technology helped me become a believer. I saw how those state standards (sometimes said with a bitter taste in my mouth) could be met in a new, fun and interesting way (see. . . they sweetened up a bit). There is no other way to teach for me. The world is flat! Now it is our job as teachers to help students navigate in a flat world!

[Adrian Bica]

I amd the Ed Tech resource teacher here at Saklan Valley School in Moraga, CA.
I would like to exchange ideas about Technology Curriculum integration.

I am toying with a lot of ideas at the moment and I am trying to see what worked for other people.
One to one laptop programs, Inspiration - Kidspiration, the MS Office suite, etc.

[sundarraj m.n.]

I am from a smalltown called Shimoga in Karnataka state,India.I teach English. I have 35 years of service and at present I teach teacher educators.

[sundarraj m.n.]

I use innovative methods to teach.I always use participation method and allmost all my teaching is based on everyday experience ealsily underestood by the students

[Joseph]

I teach AP Physics in Colts Neck, NJ and am the president of a test preparation company. There are two really cool technologies that I couldn't live without. First, I created a thin client server network in my classroom using 12 throwaway computers and one good computer. My students use it for all sorts of activities. And just image, the school was going to throw them away. The second is my online classroom that we use at my company. It is totally live, interactive and fun. The kids can learn from the convenience of their own desktop computers at home and I get to use all of the goodies that computers and the internet provide.

[Vanessa]

Me:
I am a native Californian from a little suburb of Los Angeles.

I AM A TEACHER! =)

This is my first year in my current public school district but I have three previous full-time teaching years under my belt...
I was first hired on as a seventh grade science teacher in a Los Angeles Charter school when No Child Left Behind came into effect. Coincidentally, I was hired with an Emergency credential as many teachers nationwide were losing their jobs. In addition, I was working towards a multiple subject credential... go figure! My second year teaching proved to be extremely challenging for me: I was moved to a different grade level and not only became the grade level "captain," but I was also the "veteran" science teacher, sat in two different governing committees (charter schools do not have district offices) including the personnel committee for which we had to interview and hire potential teachers, ran the student store, sat on about 2 other committees, complete my student teaching - OUTSIDE of my own classroom, lost my job due to NCLB requirements, was hired back, dealt with the neverending rollercoaster ride of school politics, ended up having high blood pressure at age 27! and finally decided to quit teaching altogether. At first I was so relieved. A huge wieght had been lifted. Then my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and for the first time all year I felt like it was all for a reason. Do you know the cliche of "everything happens for a reason?" How about the one that says: "God will never give you more than you can handle?" Well, I am not a religious person but I suddenly understood all of this.
Since quitting teaching and this horrible event happened in my family I decided to do what I know and substitute teach. (After months of treatment my Mom is fine, now. They say they got it all and she is more vibrant than ever- a real everyday hero!)
So I began my third year as a substitute and ended up teaching science at my alma mater high school! I must say that this was a real interesting and surreal experience - I had the opportunity to teach alongside people who were my teachers and to learn what has made them so memorable and instill the love for science and learning that I have. Well, that was a temporary assignment which was just as well. I had set out to teach at the mutliple subject level and here I was teaching secondary all over the place! So I decided that quitting the profession was not was I really wanted - I just needed to find my niche. After another year of substituting in more than five districts and no elementary positions to be had fate placed me where I am today: teaching middle school science in Long Beach in what has been termed a "needs improvement school" with the most supportive staff and administration and the most wonderful and challenging students I have ever encountered in my life! I have completely changed how I teach and have rediscovered what teaching means to me and realized that this is not just a job my vocation. I look forward to the challenge that every day brings to my table and am glad that I have had a lot of bumps in my road to really be able to appreciate it for what it is.

In my fourth year as a teacher, this is my first year in this setting but I really haven't been able to utilize technology within my curriculum outside of my gradebook. While I substituted and lacked papers to grade I created a website that I have yet to use. =( But I know that this won't be for long. I remember back when I introduced myself to my students on my first day of teaching - I was so nervous! But I had them look around the classroom for all of the technology they saw and to make a list of what they found. They had a set amount of time and could list as many things as they saw. The a-ha! moment was when I explained to them that their pencil was a technological advance! We marveled that some people long ago didn't have pencils and

[Raenette Taljaard]

I teach Year 5's in Auckland, New Zealand. Because we are an island tucked away in the far corner of the world, we are very reliant on technology to stay in touch globally. Most NZ teachers are really into blogging and the rest of the Web 2.0 tools. I am fortunate to be an ICT lead teacher at our school, which means I mentor the Year 3 and 4 teachers in the integration of ICT in the curriculum. Of course I get to try out all the cool stuff first, which is great. My aha moment was a couple of weeks ago, when I realised I could put hyperlinks to all the cool Maths / Reading / Writing lessons on the net, directly on my planning. Now I just open my planning on the Smartboard, click on the links, and off we go. The kids love seeing my planning, and they can see exactly what to expect, what the Learning Intentions are, and what is happening next. In NZ most teaching is done in ability groups, so it has really helped my classroom management too! Of course, it's easier for relievers as well. They just open up the Planning folder, and the day's work is there!