I'm a Nerd

I’m a nerd, and proud of it. I don’t hide the fact that I love learning, in fact, this probably comes as no surprise to those of you that know me! I am in my element when I am researching, discovering, and sharing what I found. (I might be a bit related to my Dad in that way.)

My favorite hobby is reading. I will read anything: children’s books, murder mysteries, historical romance, young adult novels, blog posts, articles, etc… My husband says I read more than anyone he has ever met.

I typically have at least ten tabs open on my computer and switch frequently between them. I have Facebook, email, Twitter, my fun book, blog posts, my latest tech tool, and the book I am reading to my son, all open and ready for my attention at a moment’s notice. I don’t stick with any of them for very long, but switch back and forth as the mood strikes me. In this way, I am constantly soaking up information, and I am thriving.

Current Tabs:

That is why this current job I am in suits me so well. I have been given the direction to learn as much as possible about the Common Core, and figure out how to help support our district teachers in their implementation. My brain has expanded so much in the last two years because of the time I have had to learn, experiment and revise my thinking. I know how lucky I am to have landed in this space, and I look forward to even more opportunities to grow.

Believe me, I know not everyone appreciates this character trait all the time, and that is fine with me. When I post on Facebook, Tweet or email, I don’t have an expectation that everyone who sees it will soak it up on the spot, or even read it. My hope is that people who see what I share will remember it is there when their own need arises to make use of that knowledge. When I go overboard, people will tell me to simmer down, and I can handle that too. I am the queen of the grand idea that gets revised, and reworked into practicality by those around me. I am good with that. That is a skill I hope to pass onto my own child: adaptability.

I think that being a nerd is cool today. Those of you that have attended a conference recently, or who have jumped on Twitter for professional purposes have seen the evidence of nerdiness in its current state. There are a lot of people out there who love learning just as much as I do, and that feeds my energy even more.

That is why I like presenting or putting on Staff Development trainings. I like to be around other people who are ready to learn. The room is full of positive energy, open minds, and forward momentum. That is a great place to be.

My Journey with Technology

My first memorable learning experience with technology was in college. I had a boyfriend who was a computer science major at Berkeley. Once, while he was in class and I was waiting in his dorm room, I started exploring on his computer. This was obviously the beginning of my tech journey because as I opened window upon window, I realized that I didn't know how to close them. When he came back from class he laughed at me and then broke up with me one week later.

I did not let that experience deter me though, I used it as motivation to figure these things out. The next year I became the TA for a computer class of adults who were returning to college. As I learned how to help them, I started morphing into the educator I have become today. I came to understand that it is better to meet a person at exactly the level of knowledge where they currently exist, and help them move one step forward, rather than expect them to jump in and understand everything.

From 2000-2012, as a 2nd and 3rd grade classroom teacher, I would search for ways to incorporate technology into my teaching. I ran into many hurdles such as Microsoft Office products in the lab not communicating with Open Office products on the classroom computers, sites like Shutterfly being blocked, and YouTube not being accessible during school hours. I did as much as I could though, and kept on learning.

My 3rd grade students made Venn diagrams of their animal reports on readwritethink.org

In 2011, I was hired as a Teacher on Assignment for Ed. Services at our District Office. My job description: Learn as much about the Common Core as possible, and teach the teachers. Mission accepted. I figured out how to make my own YouTube video through Animoto, and put this together in response to the question I commonly heard: 

Am I teaching Common Core?

The more I learned about the Common Core, the more I realized how deeply technology was connected to the standards. I found some standard topics I had never taught before like Digital Publishing, and Creating Audio Recordings. This language led me to the discovery of tools such as Popplet and Audioboo.

Click link to see an Audioboo Example

Here is a Popplet a student did showing multiplication arrays around the house. 

I started attending technology conferences like the Google Summit in Roseville, and the CUE conference in Natomas. In those sessions I learned about the power of connecting with other educators and learning from my peers.

This week I participated in my first Twitter chat and was blown away by the collective brain power that was out there. I have discovered a feeling of relief that I don't have to figure all of this out alone.

Currently, my goal is to continue meeting our district teachers right where they are and helping them to take the next step forward in their own personal tech journey. What do you want to learn?

(The best advice I have learned to give them is: When tech isn't working- switch browsers!)