Welcome to My Primary Techspiration!

Hiya!   My name is Kathleen, and I am lucky, grateful, and perpetually happy to be going in to my third year as a computer teacher at a primary school in southern New Jersey.   Before I became a computer teacher,  I taught all kinds of other things for about 20 years, and the bulk of that has been at the primary level.   I’ve taught various types of special education classes, and I’ve also had the great fortune to have been a regular classroom teacher for grades 2 – 5.  Through it all, I constantly find myself driven to find, learn, and use as much technology as I can…for my own needs as a teacher, and absolutely with the kids!

Sooooo, I ended up with this amazing job!  I get to teach little kids all about technology!  It’s a crazy-fun time to have a job like this, because we all know how FAST it all changes, and how much more the kids know…often before they even come to school.  It’s fun to teach the basics like keyboarding and word processing, but OH – how I love to meander into some of those awesome web 2.0 tools with the kiddies!  Even better – they’re constantly teaching me!  I LOVE when my students show me new things!

Okay, here’s a way cool unexpected bonus and perk that wasn’t in my job description:  I often get to help teachers!  Sure, I do presentations and offer workshops, but sometimes….sometimes I just have someone grab me in the hall and ask, “How can I…?”,  “Could you show me how to….?”,   “Can you help me….?”.    Sometimes I get emails asking for help, or advice, or websites, or cool new ways to teach an old lesson, or even just a little I.T. help.   Oh boy oh boy oh boy ~ it makes my heart go all pitter-patter when seriously relevant, real-time, high-interest professional development happens in this way!   And THAT is pretty much what inspired this blog.   It’s my Primary Techspiration!

So here’s the deal:   When I learn a cool new tip, trick, or tidbit…I’ll share it here.  When I get an opportunity to show/teach/help another teacher…I’ll share that here.   When I read something awesome from another blogger’s site…I’ll share that here.   And since it’s my blog, sometimes I might just ramble on about something that’s on my mind.   AND, because we’re all here to learn together, please feel free to post your questions, suggestions, or share a few of your own tips & tricks on this blog or on my Facebook page.   Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you get techspired, too!