Hello! My name is Beth Topp and I am a 1st grade teacher. I have been teaching for five years and enjoy molding the minds of young children.
Technology is all around us! I look forward to taking the next steps in my technology adventure. I recently received an ipad and have enjoyed exploring the opportunities with that tool. I spend lots of time learning about new educational apps. Currently, students use my ipad for a work station or a break. I want to explore ways to use the ipad for whole group instruction in an engaging manner. I hope to use the reflector app or apple TV, but I have not purchased those yet. I have attended the NETA conference a few times and have learned a lot from the presenters. After attending the conference, I find it somewhat difficult to implement everything I have learned. It can be overwhelming to find time in the day to try the new ideas. Taking this class will help me be more mindful about fitting it in!
I also received an ipod touch that I plan to use for the classroom. I do not have that set up yet, so a goal this semester is to utilize that tool.
Currently, students use computers as a work station for 20 minutes each day. I have a symbaloo website that students can visit in order to see the website options for their activities. The students LOVE this part of the day. Since it is only 20 minutes each day, I would love to provide more opportunities with other websites or other activities. There are so many options, I find it difficult to stay up to date with the newest website or app. I hope this class with help me with that.
My last goal for this class is to be a great mentor teacher for my practicum student. I hope to model effective teaching strategies. I plan to work with her in order to teach engaging technology lessons.
