Technology confuses me

Before this class I never thought I would be using blogs, wikis, and other social networks as a teacher. Hopefully this class will allow me to use the computer for more than what I am familiar with, such as my email or facebook. I hope this class can improve my technology skills, because of now, those skills are very limited. I want to be comfortable using technology and trying new things on my own that can be useful. I will be licensed to teach K-6 so I hope these tools and websites I learn can be incorporated into my classroom. Hopefully these teaching tools can engage my students and help them learn through technology and make learning more exciting and fun.

Who I am

My name is Maggie Sullivan and I am a senior with a major in Psychology and with minors in Spanish and Elementary Education. I love studying Psycholgy especially child and adolescent because I will be working with this age group as a teacher. I love knowing about their developmental stages, how they learn, and any disorders they can be diagnosed with. I chose Spanish as my minor because I have such an interest in the Latino culture and the language. But what I am most excited about is my internship next fall in a multicultural urban elementary school. I cannot wait until I become a teacher because I want to be able to make a difference in a child's life. I want to be a positive role model for them and teach them to master skills that they will need the rest of their lives. All the positive teachers I have had made learning interesting and I hope to engage the students with my abilities as a teacher so they continue with a higher education. If the child has no other positive interaction in their day I hope to be that one person they can find it in.

I have had numerous opportunities to work with children beginning with babysitting in middle school. Since then I have managed the nursery at my church every Saturday night for the past 4 years, taught Sunday school to 5th and 6th graders for the past 2 years, been a counselor at Kids Place at Inskip for the past 2 years, and have been a Big Sister through the Big Brother Big Sister Program. I have been able to work with children as young as 1 year and as old as 13 years old. However, I have a special interest with children from low income classes like those at Lonsdale where I completed my Apple Corp class. I observed a 2nd grade class room and a 4th grade science classroom and absolutly loved it. That is why I am so excited I will be interning at a multicultural urban school like Lonsdale or Inskip. I have enjoyed every experience I have had with these children.
When I have the time to relax and enjoy my hobbies I like to scrapbook, take pictures, cook and decorate cakes, volunteer, and walk at the park. I love being with my friends and family. I also enjoy swimming and going to the lake in the summer. I love going to the football and basketball games at UT and hope to go to all of them my last year.