ACAD

I have grown so much over the past 6 weeks! I have always used Google as my favorite browser, but wow have I learned so much more. Every tool we have learned has completely shocked me. I have used Blogger before but that is really the only google tool. Over these past 6 weeks, I have been mind blown by Google Maps and Google Earth. I was so freaked out on how we can view our locations. Grammarly has helped me in this course and I even put in on my home computer for all the kids I live with. I loved creating our mood check-ins and get to know you forms. The data that you can find out with those forms in very useful. I view technology differently. I always have my phone on me and I constantly am using technology day to day, but with all of these new Google tools we learned, I have become so interested in using them, learning exactly how they work, how I can incorporate them into my future classroom, and I honestly can't wait to learn more. I was extremely nervous coming into this cla...

The pro's of public education has been on my mind so much this year. While attending classes at Trinity, I have had so much time of thinking back and reflecting my own education. I was blessed by attending Evergreen Park's public schools from kindergarten-eighth grade. I had a hard time reading and thankfully, my teachers caught it early and I saw a reading specialist from 1st-4th grade. Because of something so small, I developed a love for reading and never struggled when I got older. I currently live with two twin fifth graders who attend a Catholic school and have been struggling in school for some time now because their school offers no help for students like them. Their parents had to get their kids outside help and had to PAY for it. On top of Catholic tuition, they have to pay for their kids to receive help in the classroom that they need. With the twins getting older, school work is becoming more difficult and they cannot keep up. It's awful to see because they are ...

This week on social media I saw a post on the Patch. The Patch is a facebook group that gives my neighborhood town hyperlocal news, alerts, discussions, and events. Patch is an innovative way to find out about, and participate in, what's going on near me. This particular post was reposted because it received the most likes on patch ever. It is a photo of a little boy named Brody walking down the street in the Saint Patricks Day Parade. Brody is 1 year and 5 months old in this picture. He is all by himself wearing an Irish cap on backward, Irish sweater with the sleeves rolled and a red Irish kilt. Brody has the purest little grin on his face. Year after year this picture circulates around social media in the month of March. It makes everyone smile and for me symbolizes springtime, tradition, community, and celebration. Brody's tiny baby face has a smug grin on. His chubby cheeks and button nose are rosy red. He's only a baby but he's standing alone with such grace, stre...

As a learner, I have always used visual and audio learning best. When I was a child, flash cards were an amazing tool for me. I would write down definitions and then study in bed until I fell asleep. My brain would retain the information and I would love when the test was passed out and I knew the answers. Just by taking the time and making the flashcards was an important tool to me as a learner. As a young child, I had a hard time reading. I saw a reading specialist and practiced very hard to become a good reader. In 1st grade, I had an awful time with the difference between B's and D's. I can recall having a card taped on my desk at all times that spelled bed. My teacher used this tool to help me visualize the difference between a B and a D not only by seeing it on my desk but also because the way she wrote the word bed looked like a bed. (I can still see the bed in my head today.) Another learning tool that I have used since the 3rd grade is listening to music while I write....