Welcome to my blog!
My name is Elida Vandenbergh. I currently teach all-day Kindergarten
in Naperville Community Unit School District 203. Prior to teaching
Kindergarten for the last two years, I taught First Grade for eight years and
Third Grade for five years. My 15 years of teaching experience have all been at
the same school, Highlands Elementary. When talking about my career, I never
describe it as something I do. Teaching is a part of who I am. I am truly
blessed to be able to spend my life doing something I love. My favorite part of
teaching is watching five- and six-year olds learn how to read. There is
nothing more rewarding that seeing a child’s face light up when he or she
discovers the wonderful journey books have to offer.
Prior to teaching, I received my undergraduate degree in
Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Go
Illini! My first Master's Degree is in Reading and Language from National-Louis
University. I hold a Type 10 Reading Specialist certificate; however, I have
not wanted to leave the classroom. I am also Nationally Board Certified in
Reading and Language Arts, and I will be going through the renewal process
shortly after earning my second Master's Degree from Olivet.
I am married to an extremely understanding and supportive husband,
Matt. He knows the sacrifices of being married to a teacher. He works for a
company that partners with Cisco Systems, and he sells training classes to IT
Departments within companies across the midwest. Matt and I have two children.
Niklas is two-and-a-half years old, and he is into everything sports and
construction. Elin (pronounced "eelin") is nine months old, and she
is exploring the world on her hands and knees. Our family enjoys outdoor
activities such as walks with our two yellow Labrador retrievers and swimming
at the pool. In my spare time, I coach the Varsity Dance Team at Naperville
North High School. Dance has been a part of my life since I was young.
My love of children’s books is one reason I chose to pursue a
second Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. Every time I walk
into a bookstore, I walk out with new books. I cannot control myself, it just
happens! Another reason I chose this path is because I am looking for new ways
to integrate inquiry-based learning into my Kindergarten classroom as the Next Generation
Science Standards are rolled out in 2017. I know that meaningful learning
occurs when students are curious and given opportunities to explore their interests,
so I felt that this program would help me locate reliable resources for my students, as
well as understand the technologies they will be using to locate information and share knowledge.
After reading Maness’ article titled Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0
and Its Implications for Libraries, and learning more about Web 2.0 tools, I
rated myself a two on the scale of one to five for being technology-literate.
Despite using technology daily in both my personal and professional life, I
realize that I have a lot to learn. I believe that my career as a Kindergarten
teacher is part of the reason I am not very technology-literate. As a
Kindergarten teacher, I build the foundation for technology use. I teach my
students how to login with a username and password, how to open up a web
browser and navigate our school’s webpage to locate online resources, and how
to access electronic books that are read aloud. My students are not using
sophisticated Web 2.0 sharing tools such as wikis, blogs, or social networking.
Instead, my students share their knowledge with others using more simplistic
technology tools like Explain Everything and Story Maker. I believe if I taught
students at a higher-grade level, I would have more experience with Web 2.0
tools. Technology changes so quickly, I am having a hard time keeping up with
everything that is out there. But fear not, I am ready and eager to learn!
Elida,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how you would be limited to your exposure to technology due to the grade level that you teach. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum where I teach high school and my students know more than I ever will. If I ever have a question on technology or figuring out computers I will generally ask my students. I also feel as if the administrators push so much technology on us teachers that it is either too much presented all at once, does not always apply to all types of curriculum, or requires more time than I have to learn it and effectively utilize it. As a high school teacher we are expected to to use technology where information can be shared with other teachers and with my students on a very regular basis. We are expected to always have an online presence. Even though technology is often forced upon us, there is always going to be more out there than I will be able to keep up with. Have you ever thought of using more of the Web 2.0 technologies to interact with parents? Possibly posting and sharing objectives, projects, accomplishments, etc? Also, I know that you coach at the high school level and I am wondering what type of technology you have considered using from a coaches standpoint. I found myself doing a lot with music editing software, YouTube, apple tv, coaches eye, creating websites, and participating in social media. I have learned just as much technology from education as I have from being a coach.
Eileen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I am so glad you shared the idea to use Web 2.0 technologies with my parents. I do send out a weekly "Sneak Peek at the Learning Week" via email, but I am wondering if there is a different way I could do it where my parents are more interactive, posting questions, sharing stories, etc. Great idea for me to investigate. One thing I always wanted to try is to share student work through a password protected website. My district encourages us to use Canvas for our classrooms, but I dismissed the idea thinking it would not be a valuable tool for my kindergarten kiddos! The thought never crossed my mind using it.
You mentioned how coaching has taught you a lot of technology. I never even thought about how I have "other students" because we are not in a typical classroom setting. I do manage the team's website, as well as use Facebook to communicate with our dancers, parents and school community. I guess I didn't think about Apple TV, music editing software and YouTube because these don't directly impact my primary focus, the kindergarten students.
I agree when you said that technology is pushed on us. I often feel like I am trying to make the technology "fit" the curriculum so I can justify its purchase. With how quickly technology changes, I barely feel like I can keep up. Just when I get comfortable with one app, program, etc., a new improved one is released. It stresses me out, and I don't have the kind of time to explore like I should. Our district is eliminating the technology integration specialists, so much of the learning is going to fall back on the teachers.
Hi Elida,
ReplyDeleteAt one point in my career, I was feeling good about technology and using it with my students! However, moving to Kindergarten and being in Kindergarten for three years, I do feel like I have declined in my knowledge of technology and using it with students. I feel like there is more I can do but I am not sure what that is yet. I feel like I am behind. My students do use IPADs and the apps that are on them. Once they are taught an app and how to log on and use it, they are very efficient. However, I want to use them in other ways as well. I am hoping that through this cohort and the classes we are taking that I will grow in this area!!
Jen,
DeleteI am really hoping the two of us can put our heads together to find ways to integrate these Web 2.0 tools into our Kindergarten curriculum. I know how motivating technology is for our young learners, and I think if we can get them to create and share their knowledge with others using these tools it will take learning to a new level!
I do not envy you the time you will spend to renew since they are overhauling the whole National Board system! However, this program will count towards your professional accomplishments. You have a great way of acknowledging your role in the technology process: you are building their knowledge and providing the first level in their technology experience. This is important!
ReplyDelete