Rural Tech Educator

  Canva When we are young, we can't wait to grow up and be an adult. Seriously, there are days where I wish I could be a kid again, especially as I look at my own children. As a child, I thought when I graduated college, that was it for my education. I don't have to learn anymore. Truth is, we are always learning. My father is nearly 80 years old, and he is constantly reading two or three books at once. He is still learning.  When it comes to technology, Adults are often hesitant to jump into that web of knowledge. Digital learning technology continues to evolve, impacting adult education efforts (Bliss, 2019).  Adults now have the internet at their fingertips when it comes to learning. Research shows that the internet is replacing traditional sources of information, such as printed newspapers, which is sad for me as a journalist (Bliss, 2019).  We, as adults, learn differently than our children. We were not raised with tablets and smartphones in our hands, and const...

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students (CAST, 2010).  UDL, created by the non-profit organization Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in 2008, is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn (About CAST, 2023). Universal refers to curriculum that can be understood by everyone, no matter their learning level (CAST, 2010).  CAST has three learning principles for UDL: 1. Provide Multiple means of Representation 2. Provide Multiple means of Action and Expression 3. Provide Multiple means of Engagement One reason why UDL resonates with educators in many different areas is that it brings attention to the diversity of ways that people learn due to variations in their neuro-physical makeup (Gronseth & Hutchins, 2019).  In our school district we have to use Google Classroom. This came about during COVID, but it is nice to schedule assi...

Canva The way everybody learns is unique. Some like spreadsheets and numbers on a page. Others, like myself, prefer visuals and examples showing how to accomplish the tasks. There isn't a wrong method, but teaching should be met for all learners.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students (CAST, 2010).  UDL, created by the non-profit organization Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in 2008, is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn (About CAST, 2023). Universal refers to curriculum that can be understood by everyone, no matter their learning level (CAST, 2010).  Learning is broken down into: Recognition ("What of Learning), Skills and Strategies ("How), and Caring and Prioritizing ("Why) (CAST, 2010).  Design is the flexible curriculum (CAST, 2010).  As teachers we face students of all types of learning. So teachers m...

Have you ever felt like you are running in the Indy 500? Cars zooming by you at rapid speed and you are pushing the gas pedal as hard as you can, but can’t manage to keep up. That is how I often feel when it comes to technology and education. My first year teaching, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and technology hit all teachers and educators like a ton of bricks. Since then, technology has become an integral part of education, but there has to be more to it than just putting up a YouTube video in the middle of a lesson. Image from MKoehler Integrating technology is not just about the technology tool. It’s an all encompassing approach to using the technology with content, knowledge and pedagogy. TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) attempts to identify the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge (Koehler, 2012).  The point of TPACK is to unde...

The Future-Ready Teacher      My first year of teaching was when COVID-19 hit. When we were told we were not coming back from Spring Break, I scrambled to learn how to finish the school yearbook with my students remotely. In the end, only one of my students really helped and I ended up finishing the book. It was not fun.  I also learned, as a mom to then two preschool age children, I was not born to teach little ones.      COVID-19 changed education in so many ways. From having to quickly learn technology so remote learning could be added, to students texting teachers at all hours, to realizing that not all students are going to respond through Zoom (unless you're my son and he used it as his social hour with friends), teachers were required to add more hats to their duties when the world shut down.      Now, we are scrambling as educators to play catch up with students that fell behind because of COVID. We are also having to change how ...