About me...

This year I will be starting my sixth year of teaching middle school math. I can't believe how quickly time flies and how much "stuff" I have accumulated in the last six years. I say this because starting on Tuesday the middle school where I teach will open a new building is 213,000 square feet and 800 students. To say it is a beautiful building would be an understatement. I can honestly say that I feel privilege to work at such an amazing facility. I will post some pictures soon so you can see what I am talking about.

At home, I have a husband of three years who is currently getting his masters of teaching and will start as an elementary teacher next year. While I am looking forward to a better work schedule, I am a little concerned that we will both have summers off. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband, but I do value my alone time...will be both survive the 3 months of summer? :) We are planning a trip to Europe next summer to visit some friends, relatives, and to celebrate both of us finishing our masters! We don't have any kids but do have a 97 lb golden retriever mix named Tanner and a spunky calico cat named Diz. We recently welcomed our second nephew Noah into the world on August 23. I am still dealing with the fact that I will have to share my birthday with the little guy!

Other than spending time with family, I coach volleyball and track for the middle school and play volleyball at our local YMCA. I am also the webmaster for the middle school and have learned a lot over the past couple of years about Dreamweaver. I would consider myself a tech junky, but I can admit that I don't know everything!

That's about it...I’ll post some pictures soon!
Melinda

Future of Technology

It is crazy to think about how far technology has advanced in the last twenty years. My mother is a retired computer programmer and she was telling me how the first computer she worked with took up an entire room. She was talking about the change she has seen in her life time. From a computer that took an entire room to a portable laptop that fits in your book bag. When I first started to drive, the "bag phone" was the first version of a cell phone. Now my cell phone fits in my pocket! If we have moved that far in the last 30 years, what will the next 30 years look like?

I think the future of learning will utilize technology in ways that are hard to imagine. Will there be a time when every student will have their own laptop? Some classes already utilize this technology, but will a day come when every classroom will have this? Will palm pilots or Iphones eventually be standard? I think I have more questions than I have answers!

I feel that one of the most important factors influencing the future of learning is the teacher. It is our responsibility to look for ways to enhance learning for the students in our classrooms. As teachers, we should strive to continually look for new methods or technology that we can be used in the classroom and have a positive impact on learning. Students look to their teachers as role models and as such, we have the ability to set the stage for future generations. If we don’t make learning a priority, who will?