My name is Sarah Wells and I'm a 4th grade teacher at Troy Hofer Elementary School in Shorewood, IL.
I've wanted to be a teacher since as early as I can remember and I simply love each and every day with my students. As I end my 11th year in the Troy School District, I'm excited, but also in disbelief that this was actually my 17th year of teaching! I've taught 5th grade, multi-age accelerated 3rd and 4th graders, and for the last 4 years, 4th grade. Teaching is my favorite thing to do besides camping and spending time with my family.
I'm also a mom of two strong, young men, Dyson(8) and Deyton(5). We use technology at home as a tool for learning. I try out my technology lessons with them when I can, and look for their latest favorite tech tools to use in my classroom. My husband, Derek is also a "tech guy", but more so in the business - world. He is the director of IT and manages over 300 companies' networks. We collaborate with ideas for tech in our daily lives, but more importantly share thoughts on what works for kids, and what might be useful for kids to learn so when they become career ready they are set or even ahead of the "tech game."
I'm happy to say I'm balancing my students' time with technology for learning in my classroom. I see the focus and purpose of teaching with technology in ways I hope will support my students in their future careers and professional lives. It is with pride that I grow leaders in my classroom!
The humorous addition to this blog? Well, that last paragraph was written before our forced Remote E - Learning began in March of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I'd say that balance I boasted about in balancing learning with technology was turned on its head. I, as well as my students, were forced into technology teaching and guiding our day to day interactions and conversations. I learned more about technology during the last 3 months of teaching remotely, than I probably have in my last 5 years of teaching.
Fortunately my comfort with jumping into new technology, helped propel the new adventure of online teaching. However, I'm not done. I seek ways to find ideas that work and are great foundational platforms and applications that I can continue to build on throughout the school year. I'm excited to learn all sorts of tricks and tips with technology and how to be better engaging with my students and using technology collaboratively in the classroom.
I hope you will join me on this educational technology journey and share your favorite ideas with me as well!
HI, Mrs. Wells. That's awesome that your sons and husband collaborate with your on different ways to try out and incorporate technology. That's so great to work together as well as get the creative juices flowing as a family. I"m sure you all have some fun as you pick and choose what to try out next. Let's see what other edtech tools we can figure out together.
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI first wanted to be a teacher when I was little too. In 8th grade it became ART teacher. As life would have it I chose a different path until mid-life. Now I'm living my dream! I also have a spouse who inspires me and we share our journey improving others' lives daily: He as an entertainer and myself as a teacher. It's awesome to have a partner who is like-minded and we have careers we love. I'm eager to "jump into new technology" with you. Not because I'm proficient, but because I know that I'll get the hang of it and the kids will LOVE it!
Sarah-
ReplyDeleteI love that you are using some Edtech at home with your children. As my son gets older I often think about ways to incorporate useful technology into his learning. With so many different options out there it can be overwhelming at times!
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI love how you bond with your family over ideas for your classroom. My daughter is ecstatic to finally be old enough to grade my students' homework. I don't thin she really knows what is in store for her. Have a great year and I can't wait to hear about what all the cool tech we are integrating in our rooms.
Hi Sarah- I hope your school year is off to a great start. I'm glad you are trying to incorporate more tech into your classroom. I think it's important we continue to reinforce technology in the classroom so they can continue to be successful for years to come. I hope you have a great year and cannot wait to hear all about your school days.
ReplyDeleteHI Sarah! What a great picture of you! It sounds like it is a team effort when it comes to finding effective ways to use technology in your family. That's great! Your willing and open mindset to trying new things will go a long way in meeting the needs of the digital learners in your classroom. I look forward to working with you!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sarah!I love that you try out new tools with your kids at home too! I also love that you balance the technology for learning with your students too. It's all about balance... I look forward to learning with you!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI love how energetic and passionate about teaching you are! It truly comes out through this blog post! It is so great that you have your sons and your husband to bounce ideas off of! I would definitely agree with you that I learned so much about technology through these last few months of remote learning! However, I was so happy to have taken 4 educational technology classes through USF prior to the pandemic, because it made me feel so much more comfortable with the whole process! I look forward to learning from you over the next 8 weeks of this course! Thanks!
Kelly Baumgartner
Hi Sarah! I love how the tone of your post changes about halfway down when COVID-19 entered our lives. I fully agree that my newfound prowess with technology completely helped make this stay-at-home order a bit gentler to deal with. While it didn't always work out for us, as every student had a unique situation, it still went much smoother than it would have years ago for me personally. looking forward to working with you in this course!
ReplyDeleteAndy Wilhoit
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI agree these last few months of remote learning have been difficult to navigate, even though I used technology daily in my 7th grade classroom! My biggest obstacle was student engagement and participation. I was so excited to start my first "google meet" the first day of E Learning, and only 5 out of my 180 students showed up. I agree that I learned quite a bit about technology during that challenging time, and I'm glad it's behind me!
Looking forward to working with you!
Melissa
Hi Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the remote learning was one heck of a hands on learning experience! I will forever be grateful to my tech classes for at least giving me a foundation to build a remote classroom with slightly less anxiety. I also agree that the pandemic gave a renewed motivation for my own education and tech knowledge and a better idea of what could work for me and my students from people who have great ideas and experiences. Looking forward to gaining more of your perspective!
Ashley Sichak
Sarah!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how happy I am to have a chance to connect with you in this course. I have always appreciated your creativity and commitment to teaching and learning.