Amanda's Education Blog

First Glances.... When I first went to our schools website and visited the technology page I immediately found the Acceptance use policy. However, after looking at it this was only for teachers and I was not able to find the ones for students. To view the agreement click on the link below.  Scroll down on the right hand side and you will find the policy sections.  Link to Policy What caught my eye here was they say using the network is a privilege, which I completely agree with, but then the next section which is 15 bulletin points long is the unacceptable use. To be honest, I never read any of these forms. I also feel I am pressured to just sign it in front of who ever is waiting for it. The section labeled M stood out to me. It states that we are not able to connect any other devices to the network without district approval. For example, our own personal computers or cellphones. Now to me I do not care because we have unlimited data on our cellpho...

Pinterest Who doesn't love Pinterest!? I have so many boards all pertaining to the different communities that I belong to. If you click on the Pinterest logo below, it will take you to my page. You can see boards for reading, teaching, math, science, holiday and phonics...even a board designated to Dr. Seuss!   Photo Credit and Link to Boards I love using Pinterest to gather ideas for a certain topic. I love how teachers post "life hacks" on how to create the most space in your classroom using tools from the dollar store.  4 Areas  I think the area that this covers most would be social. Anyone from any where is able to have a Pinterest. If I chose to follow someone who had a great idea about something, they could live in California and I am here in Chicago. I also think it is social because I am able to share the ideas I found with other educators that might not be searching for the same topic that I am.  This area might be reaching far, but I feel...

My Photo Hello! My name is Amanda Bielawski (Georgiou through Dominican as I have not yet changed my name). The picture above is from my Facebook account. This picture means the world to me, as I'm sure many of you can see why! On June 2, 2018 we got married at Naper Settlement in Naperville. We are expecting our first child this coming June...June 6th to be exact (it might fall on our anniversary!)  Photo Credit  I am currently a Special Education Teacher at Troy Shorewood in Shorewood. This is my first year at Troy. I love being 15 minutes away from home. I previously taught at Cameron Elementary School in Chicago and my commute was over an hour and half each way. I am overly grateful for this opportunity at Troy. I am currently taking two courses right now and I will finish my Masters in Education after that and intend to graduate in May. Hopefully the peanut does not come early and I am able to walk! My husband and I have two loving and fluffy...

Final steps  I never knew how long the process would be to get a technology tool finalized. There are many steps that go into it and I will describe each of them below. Step 1: Thinking of a need that would enhance my students learning. This was not a challenge for me at all. I am new to the district and I was in complete shock that this district did not have SMARTBoards. I know a SMARTBoard is not everything, but when using one everyday, to not having one, it really does make a huge difference. Step 2: This step involves why do you need the SMARTBoard and what problems will it solve, the resources we will need to make it happen and how we will fund it. This step required me to talk to my building principal about my idea and get her feedback. This step got my discouraged because I felt like she was not on board with my vision. Every time I mentioned something I felt she kept coming up with a reason that I should propose it. Step 3: This step to me was average in...

My thoughts at first.... Photo Credit  During this proposal project, I have found it challenging to get my new district on board with utilizing a SMART Board in the classroom. Throughout my student teaching as well as my first 3 years of teaching I have always had access to a SMART Board. My first year at my previous jobs, we had to write a letter to the principal explaining why we should be the one to get the SMART Board out of everyone in the building. I was excited to be the first one to get one because I knew so much about it. I was able to help other teachers learn about it so the next time there was extra money in the budget they were dying to get one. I was in a K-3 classroom and was with most of my students throughout that entire time. I was able to see how much my students grew and how excited they would be about learning. I believe the SMART Board made learning engaging, interactive and fun for them. Imagine yourself as a 5 year old walking up to a big board a...

Why Social Media? I grew up when it was normal to not have a cell phone at 13 and there was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat...but there was a MySpace. With that being said to get a hold of friends you would have to call their house phone. This photo always hit home to me because it was so true. The world we live in now relies so much on technology that if you didn't have a cell phone or one of these accounts you probably wouldn't have a social life.  Photo Credit  Social Media Eyes of a Teen The first article I read was the view from a 19 year old. It was very interesting to see that Facebook was not as popular among them as I thought it would be. I loved how he broke down each social media site and gave proper insight to was people use them, how the privacy is and why his age group likes it more. I personal like SnapChat, because it is only my close friends and if I don't want to accept you I don't have too. I like how I can be myself and then the...

Reflection  Photo Credit After taking a course based on technology, I find that no matter what we do to get away from it we can't. The world is changing so much every day with new and faster ways to do things, we need to keep learning to keep up with it. I am only 28 and remember the very first cell phone my parents had and then looking at the cell phone I have now. This is only happening more and more. I mean there is cars that can drive themselves!! My dad was offered a new job which required him to create a resume and presentation. I remember spending all summer helping him create this. (He didn't even know how to turn a computer on!) Same thing with my mom, I had to show her how to upload pictures to her computer (every month). I then created a list of directions for my mom and she just followed the steps and was able to upload the pictures herself. Now my dad on the other hand was terrified of the computer. BUT with repetition and practice is now working at an ...