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Education Page
This is my Education Page. Here you will find resources and information around Education Technology.
I have been a public school teacher for the past 24 years. I taught grades 4-5 for 6 years, then became a Technology Specialist at an elementary school. Once I got my Masters Degree from UCD, I became eligible to work as an Instructional Technology Coach for Cherry Creek Schools. This district position involved traveling between five different elementary schools to support teachers with technology integration. Our positions as Tech Coaches lasted about 4 years, then we became Instructional Coaches. The emphasis was focused more on instructional practices, and less with technology integration.
I started missing the technology component of my old job, so I decided to leave my district coaching position and returned to being a Technology Specialist at an elementary school. That's how I wound up at Village East Elementary. I have been our school's Technology Specialist for the past 7 years. I have a Computer Lab to call my own, and continue to find new ways to engage students with technology projects. This is also where I started using Minecraft as an instructional resource.
The information on this page features some of my favorite resources, such as game-based learning and project based learning.
Game Based Learning
Teacher Gaming Desk
TeacherGaming Desk is a game based learning resource from Mojang, the same company that started Minecraft before it was sold to Microsoft in 2017.
I've been a devoted user of TeacherGaming apps for the past three years. There are LOTS of games available for students to learn things like coding, 21st Century Skills, physics, fractions, financial literacy, and MORE! Check out the links below for more information.
TeacherGaming Desk: this is the home page for TeacherGaming. It's also the portal for students to login and play games online.
TeacherGaming Store: this is the area to explore the various games available, and to sign up for an account. The store page even features a quote I gave when the developers interviewed me about TG Desk a few years ago.
Gaming Resources
The links below feature some of my favorite websites for students to learn through games.
Village East ProtopageThis is the home page I created for Village East. Every computer shows this website when students go online
StarfallStarfall is aimed at primary grade students in grades K-2 to learn early literacy and math skills
ABCyaA great FREE collection of games for every grade level. A favorite site for students!
Poisson RougeA website aimed specifically to pre-K and Kindergarten students. No text, just click and explore. A great resource to introduce mouse skills for younger students.
Education.comA well organized site for students to practice Math and Literacy skills. A subscription is required, but there's also plenty of free activities available.
ArcademicsA site where students play games to compete against each other and practice reading and math skills.
Cool Math GamesA popular site among students. Lots of entertaining games to explore.
Professional Development Workshops
Over the years I have conducted several workshops as part of my role as a Technology Coach. Even though most of the professional development activities happened over seven years ago, the concepts are still relevant today. Explore the links and supporting documents below.
It's a Comic Life
I discovered ComicLife in 2008 when a demo copy was sent in my Mac Addict magazine. Comics are a GREAT way to reinforce writing and literacy. ComicLIfe is made by the folks at Plasq.com. Read their section titled "The Benefits of Comics in Education."
Article about using Comics in the classroom
Comic Life PresentationPowerPoint Presentation (.ppt)
Comic Life BasicsComic Life Tip Sheet (.doc)
Comic Life HintsTip sheet with visual cues (.pdf)
Digital Photography
Helping teachers get started with using digital cameras in the classroom.
Classroom Ideas (.doc)
Camera IconsIcons found on digital cameras (.pdf)
Aperture and Shutter SpeedTip sheet of aperture and shutter speed settings (.pdf)
Unsplash.comFree high-resolution photos for classroom use
Graduate Portfolio: UCD 2004
I got my Masters Degree in 2004 from the University of Colorado, Denver in Information and Learning Technology. This was the perfect program for a Technology Specialist. It helped me meet our district requirement of having a Masters Degree in order to become a Technology Coach.
The website above is my Graduate Portfolio, which is the culmination of two years of study at UCD's Information and Learning Technology (ILT) coursework.
