Introduction…
My name is Rachelle Kvamme and I’m from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. I am the stereotypic small town girl (minus the cowboy boots and country music thing). Being from the southeast corner of the province I believe it has given me a unique perspective of the world around me. My family has taught me to be grateful for everything in life. Although I am especially grateful for my education, ECMP 355 and internship this fall are the only things standing between me and my BEd! I’ve enjoyed my years at the university, but I’m excited to finally be finished in December. Maybe then I will be able to get back to a few things that I have, in the past, enjoyed.
I can’t wait until I can actually pick up a book and read for enjoyment instead of for class requirements. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to lose yourself in a good book. While I’ve been lagging in my reading, I have been able to keep up with my passion for music. I attend as many concerts as humanly possible all over the prairie provinces. With friends and family members I travel to venues big and small to see artists from many different genres. When I do find spare time I love to play guitar or watch a good movie.
I have had a number of experiences with technology in the classroom, but they have all been fairly monotonous compared to children’s experiences now. I remember completing a test to get a “computer liscence” in grade three. In grade six we quickly learned how to copy and paste. (We did not, however, learn that handing in this ”report” with multiple sizes of coloured font with our names on it was plagiarism). By junior high and highschool my experiences were limited to researching online and using word processor.
After finishing my pre-internship this spring my views on technology have completely changed. The students were far more knowledgable about computer technology than me. They had codenames and passwords that they were responsible for remembering. They were creating podcasts, contributing to the class website, and finishing webquests all in grades 3 and 4! Instead of simply having them publish their writing using word processor I realized that there were several options for the students to use this technology to enhance their learning. I learned that I just have to be open to new ideas and get creative!
Because of my limited experiences with technology, I hope to be able to learn about the many different ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I know it’s a broad expectation, but it is a starting point for me. I would like to know what’s “out there” and what’s appropriate for day to day life in the classroom in regards to the ever changing world of technology.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Thanks Rachelle. I’m excited for you. One more class … hooooray! Also, I know what you mean about reading a good book. It’s so nice to be able to pick up something to read that you really want to read … not something that was picked for you. And love for the guitar! Yes, I feel ya!
A few things to consider here:
1) Personalize your blog a bit more. Especially where you are in the program, you may be able to use this as an advantage for next year. Start by having an about page.
2) Link to pages and people within the text. This will bring more traffic, and will make the experiences more interactive.
3) Use a spell-checker … for instance “plagerism”.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Hey Rachelle! So I just picked up the guitar this week and I would like to start learning how to play! Maybe if we still plan on doing our project together we can have some breaks here and there and play some guitar. I imagine the Cathedral Arts festival will have some great music! Talk with you soon!