Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday and I was thinking about technology (amongst thoughts of chocolate and cake of course). But seriously, I really was thinking about how I am now at an age where it can really go either way for my relationship with new technological advancements. And…when I say advancements I\u2019m not even talking about things that are super recent, but rather things that I have avoided!<\/p>\n
Take twitter for example. For years I have avoided this form of social media associating its primary use with Kardashian updates and my 19 year old cousin posting crazy pictures with \u201c#yolo\u201d next to them (yes, I am proud of myself that I know what this stands for, but only because my 14 year old cousin told me).<\/p>\n
As I secretly and shamefully googled \u201cWhat is a hashtag?\u201d in the privacy of my bedroom the night before the cohort 21 seminar I really was feeling old. I know that for some people 29 is not old, but as my 8 year old student said to me yesterday as I revealed the magic b-day number, \u201cWow, you look so good for your age!\u201d To which my colleague remarked, \u201cGet used to that one.\u201d (I will never get used to that one)<\/p>\n
So, birthday musings of this year are really about looking at technology without resistance and embracing how it can support my professional practice and bring more life, energy, and \u201cconnectedness\u201d to my classroom.<\/p>\n
Being a part of this community is a huge opportunity for me to push and challenge misconceptions I have about using technology in the classroom (and in life).<\/p>\n
My favourite tool so far is diigo. http:\/\/www.diigo.com<\/a>\u00a0I have raved about this to my colleagues (most responded with – isn\u2019t that just like pintrest?) I already have a list of math resources going and hope to compile more on flight, our theme at the moment.<\/p>\n Another question in my mind is how does all of this technology apply to elementary education? My grade 3\u2019s are too young for phones and we practice typing on Mavis Beacon weekly. I have a smart board (that I love and use all of the time) and incorporate youtube videos into my lesson, but what else is out there?<\/p>\n Can\u2019t wait to learn more!<\/p>\n Jillian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday and I was thinking about technology (amongst thoughts of chocolate and cake of course). But seriously, I really was thinking about how I am now at an age where it can really go either … Continue reading