When you ask my college friends from the late 1980's, which classmate was the most unlikely to teach computer skills or computer programming, they all would have pointed to me. I was an English and Psychology major who wanted to go to law school. Computers at that time were just used by most of us as word processors with the program called "Xywrite" and the internet wouldn't become something we all used regularly for another 10 years.
Actually, even if you'd asked my lawyer colleagues as recently as 4 years ago, they would have given the same answer. I was always competent using the programs necessary to do my job, but I was always the one scrambling to catch up on the newest programs - I was never the one out front.
And yet, here I am, excited to be your Digital Citizenship and Introduction to Computer Science teacher this year. Since entering teaching, I've used Google products constantly and they are 2nd nature to me and I feel very confident that I can teach these skills to you.
Why? Because I am constantly engaged in learning. I'm not afraid to say that I don't know something and that we need to learn it together. I am happy to be what's now called in teaching the "Lead Learner." I don't have all the answers, but I know enough to help us both find them together.
Last week, I had the privilege of attending a full week Teachercon in Houston, Texas, to learn how to be a computer programming teacher. This is something completely new for me and I'm going to be proud to learn right along with my students this year. But life takes us in new directions all the time and even though it is new and mysterious to me right now, I'm eager to see where it takes me - AND my students! When my first tiny little program worked last week, I had the same joy all programmers have when they can say "I did it and it worked!"
I am very passionate about kids being introduced to the field of computer science because I've watched my son teach himself computer programming over the past five years. Because we didn't have the classes he needed, he taught himself from the internet. I'm so aware of all the opportunities for today's students to succeed in this field and I want to give them their first taste of all that this field can offer them. I hope that many will continue with our classes and on their own to have jobs in this field that can't seem to train as many programmers as are needed.
In Digital Citizenship, this summer I'm exploring the idea of becoming a Google Certified Educator, something that will require me to do some studying and take a test or two to show what I know about Google products and how to use them in the classroom. I'm not sure whether I need a certificate, but I am intrigued to learn more about the applications that we use every day in school and maybe to incorporate a few more of them into our class.
What I want you to know is that no matter how old you are, we are all learning new things all the time - for our jobs, for our families and just because we want to learn more!
Remember that the journey of learning never ends - who knows where your interests will lead YOU? I sure never thought that my journey would lead us to meet this August - but I'm ready and excited to learn right along with you!
Actually, even if you'd asked my lawyer colleagues as recently as 4 years ago, they would have given the same answer. I was always competent using the programs necessary to do my job, but I was always the one scrambling to catch up on the newest programs - I was never the one out front.
And yet, here I am, excited to be your Digital Citizenship and Introduction to Computer Science teacher this year. Since entering teaching, I've used Google products constantly and they are 2nd nature to me and I feel very confident that I can teach these skills to you.
Why? Because I am constantly engaged in learning. I'm not afraid to say that I don't know something and that we need to learn it together. I am happy to be what's now called in teaching the "Lead Learner." I don't have all the answers, but I know enough to help us both find them together.
Last week, I had the privilege of attending a full week Teachercon in Houston, Texas, to learn how to be a computer programming teacher. This is something completely new for me and I'm going to be proud to learn right along with my students this year. But life takes us in new directions all the time and even though it is new and mysterious to me right now, I'm eager to see where it takes me - AND my students! When my first tiny little program worked last week, I had the same joy all programmers have when they can say "I did it and it worked!"
I am very passionate about kids being introduced to the field of computer science because I've watched my son teach himself computer programming over the past five years. Because we didn't have the classes he needed, he taught himself from the internet. I'm so aware of all the opportunities for today's students to succeed in this field and I want to give them their first taste of all that this field can offer them. I hope that many will continue with our classes and on their own to have jobs in this field that can't seem to train as many programmers as are needed.
In Digital Citizenship, this summer I'm exploring the idea of becoming a Google Certified Educator, something that will require me to do some studying and take a test or two to show what I know about Google products and how to use them in the classroom. I'm not sure whether I need a certificate, but I am intrigued to learn more about the applications that we use every day in school and maybe to incorporate a few more of them into our class.
What I want you to know is that no matter how old you are, we are all learning new things all the time - for our jobs, for our families and just because we want to learn more!
Remember that the journey of learning never ends - who knows where your interests will lead YOU? I sure never thought that my journey would lead us to meet this August - but I'm ready and excited to learn right along with you!
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