I’ve always been a bit of a “technology buff.” I’ve loved digital design for as long as I can remember! In middle school, my friends and I had our own website in which we posted blogs, videos, and pictures of our daily summer adventures! I didn’t know it at the time, but I was actually coding and working with HTML to design the webpage! I’ve designed numerous invitations and flyers for family parties and events, and I would spend hours working on school projects online when the requirement was merely to create a poster!
When I became a teacher, I had little knowledge of what technology can do to empower students in the classroom. Personally, I was passionate about and good at using technology for my own needs, but I didn’t quite know how to create learning experiences for my students that would help them to develop an intrinsic desire to showcase their skills in the way I have! It has certainly been a learning process. As my district has provided students with more opportunities to use devices, and as I have learned more about effective technology integration in the classroom, I’ve been able to help transform learning for my students in a positive way. The journey has been constantly changing and improving, but I’m excited with the technology options my students and I now have to make reading a more engaging, authentic experience!
Using Timeline JS, I decided to create a map of my technology use in the classroom over time. Specifically, I decided to map out my technology journey in relation to the independent reading programs I have created throughout my four years of teaching. This is a big component of my curriculum that is important in helping students develop a lifelong love of reading! I would love to hear feedback from fellow reading teachers in regards to how you engage readers in your classroom.
Check out my timeline below!
Lewis' Learning Lounge 
It was very interesting to read about your evolution of technology integration in your educational career and the direct impact it has had on your students specifically during reading. I remember doing Accelerated Reading when I was a student so it was intriguing to read not only that you used it, but how you used it and how it wasn’t making the greatest impact on student learning.
It was also exciting to read that you got to be a part of the pilot for your districts 1:1 Chromebook initiative! As with anything, the first year can be the most challenging in regards to figuring out what to do. I could definitely see how the passion and dedication by you to navigate and test new assignments using various technology tools with your students. It was really interesting to read about the changes you saw that were necessary to then read about those changes being made the following year when your students were able to take the devices home.
I also discovered Seesaw this year and it has been a complete game changer! My students use it for every subject and post anything and everything that they want their peers to see. I love the vastness of options that Seesaw offers for students to use to demonstrate their learning as well as being able to comment on their peers work to be exposed to new ideas. I also use Seesaw for parents to see their child’s work and to be able to comment on their work. Not all of my parents decided to connect to their child’s account, but for the parents that are, they love it and comment frequently. This could also be another option to look into for your students and families.
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