Hello! Welcome to my very first blog! My name is Erika Girard and I am a special education teacher at Kennedy Junior High School in Naperville District 203. I have been teaching for 16 years, but I haven't always been a special education teacher. I actually went to school to be a high school English teacher. I so clearly remember that phone call I received from Plainfield District 202, the district responsible for giving me my first job. I told the special education administrator on the phone that he must be mistaken, that I only had an English degree. He said, "English teachers make good special education teachers." And the rest is history.
Before I started taking these technology courses, I would say my technology know-how was about a four on a scale of one to ten. Three classes later, I am proud to say that I would now give myself a solid seven. I am embarrassed to report that I only bought a smartphone two years ago. When I happily announced my new purchase to my sister she teased (a little too sarcastically), "Welcome to the 21st century." Even though my tech expertise is somewhat limited, I do have some favorite tech tools. I love Kahoot, GoNoodle, Action Magazine (online), myOn, Newsela and Raz-Kids. I also love YouTube. That counts, right? My school district recently went 1:1, and I have to admit, I was terrified. But now that the hardest part of the transition is over, I am loving the kids having their own Chromebook. I am still figuring out ways to make their new device a regular part of the classroom, but it's not as hard or as scary as I thought.
My biggest EdTech success is a movie my instructional L.A. kids and I created. I was teaching this short story called "Lady, or the Tiger?" In order to support comprehension, I showed the kids a film adaptation of the short story created by another middle school. One of my boys was so captivated by this film, he insisted we make our own version. How could I refuse? Using my own I-Phone and I-Movie software (and working more Sundays than I care to admit), I managed to create this amazing film that my students and I still talk about. So what's my technology goal now? I suppose it's to create many more of these amazing moments all made possible through the purposeful integration of technology. That feeling of success, accomplishment and growth surged through me, so I can only imagine how it impacted the students. That's what I want each day in my class, and I hope technology can continue to make that possible.
Erika, I am happy to be on this learning journey with you. I love YouTube. It is my go to tool for how to do almost anything! I like ed tech tools that allow signing in with Google, tools that allow for collaboration among students and teachers, and tools that I can get formative data from. My favorite go to tools are Google Classroom, Nearpod, EdPuzzle, Quizziz, Kahoot, and Quizlet. I look forward to learning with you!
ReplyDeleteErika, from what you just described, I would rate you more of a 7 or 8 than a 4 in technology! It was nice to read about how you tried something new for your students, and it paid off! I hope you learn a couple of more apps and tools you and your students can use and continue to enjoy. Welcome!
ReplyDeleteErika - I didn't know that you went to school to be an English teacher, but I would agree that having an English background is great for special ed! I also love Newsela, and have recently started using CommonLit, which has a lot of the same features - you should check that out! It's awesome to hear that your students were so inspired by technology!
ReplyDeleteErika,
ReplyDeleteWe have dual degrees in common...sort of. I taught general education 6-8th grade for ten years before switching to special education. Have you ever given any thought to going back and teaching high school English as a change of pace. The demands of special education can be overwhelming at times.
So how do you like having a smartphone?
Haha! I love my smartphone!! Really? How did I ever live without one? I don't think a month goes by where I don't contemplate going back to high-school English. The demands of SPED, especially in this district, are getting overwhelming. The problem is that I feel like I might have lost my edge for the rigor of high-school English, especially after teaching low-level students for so long. Maybe someday, though...
DeleteErika,
ReplyDeleteI love how open you are with your experience with technology. Better to jump on the technology train now and learn instead of dodging it all together. Your students are lucky to have such a dedicated teacher!!
Terri