Techie in Primary

" data privacy "  by  stockcatalog  is marked with  CC BY 2.0 . This week I've been exploring the topic of privacy. I don't know anyone who is not online in some way. For most of us, the online world is an integral part of our every day lives, whether we are using Google Maps to safely arrive at a destination, checking in with loved ones on a messenger app, or receiving an email from work. Whether you grew up on the internet or not we all need to be aware of what happens when we step foot online and give away information about ourselves. As an educator of young children I feel it is my responsibility to teach my students digital citizen skills, which includes navigating online spaces safely. These will be lifelong skills for this generation. It is also my responsibility to keep my students' data safe while they use school devices. This year we actually came across a problem with a popular literacy app called EPIC! not following Illinois'  Student Online Person...

" orang ramai " is marked with  CC0 1.0 . This week I have been reflecting on Professional Learning Networks, or PLNs. A PLN is a group of educators (that can exist outside your immediate bubble of colleagues) that you can connect and collaborate with to expand your professional learning. Social media has allowed educators to build diverse and expansive PLNs! Torrey Trust, who is a professor of educational technology, identified four different benefits of PLNs: social, affective, cognitive, and identity. You can check out her Thinglink to view videos explaining these benefits.  After watching her videos explaining these benefits, I've concluded that the cognitive growth I've received PLNs has impacted me the most. Thanks to PLNs, I have learned about methods and resources that I've been able to bring back to my students. These include behavior management strategies, new children's literature, tech tools, specific projects, and more. This has helped me to grow...

Hello, everyone! My name is Laura Rzewnicki and I'm a first grade teacher at a public school in Northbrook. This blog used to be titled "Techie in Kindergarten" but since I now teach first grade I decided to change it to "Techie in Primary." I have been teaching at the primary level for 13 years. I've always wanted to be a teacher and consider myself a lifelong learner. I'm really passionate about providing developmentally appropriate learning experiences to young children and fostering a love of literacy in all. A few years back I started teaching in a 1:1 device setting and that inspired a love of teaching with technology (which is sometimes easier said than done with kindergartners and first graders). I'm really excited to be taking my ninth educational technology class at Dominican University. I started this journey with the intention of getting my technology specialist endorsement but decided to keep going and earn a masters degree. I have my cr...