Kelly Funk- introduction

Hi Everyone! My name is Kelly Funk. I am a 4th grade teacher in Prospect Heights. This school year will be my 8th year teaching. I teach all subject areas. I am very excited to start up again after a nice summer off.

I received my bachelors degree from The University of Illinois- Champaign-Urbana and a masters degree from Roosevelt with an endorsement in Special Education. I also completed my endorsements in Bilingual and EL instruction from National Louis. I am looking to gain knowledge from other educators on how they incorporate technology in their classroom. I want to expand on what I know and challenge my abilities through this course and future National Louis courses for Technology Integration.

Toby

Ollie

In my personal life, I live in McHenry, IL. I moved here a year ago. I love the area! I live here with my boyfriend. We went on a road trip to Yellowstone National Park this summer and had so much fun. We have two cats, Toby & Ollie. Other things from this summer… I started doing Zumba and it is awesome! I hope to continue throughout the year for stress management and fun.

Yellowstone National Park Summer 2015 Trip

I have used Web 2.0 skills in my everyday life by connecting with friends through Facebook and blogs.  I also have a multiple email addresses for separation between personal and professional work. I also connect with friends and family through apps (can also be web based) that use video, texting, and data sharing. Communication is the main reason I participate in these online activities.

I love utilizing technology to enhance lessons and break through barriers that can limit students creativity and deeper learning. I use Twitter to connect with my PLN and share out information about our class. This year I will be creating a new Twitter account solely for my class and students to share with our parents, families and other followers. We are a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) district and all class assignments are shared through Google Docs. Students learn to collaborate, share documents, and create using Apps available through Google. Students are also introduced to many other ways to express their learning (Animoto, WeVideo, Weebly, etc.). The type of technology used is driven by student ideas and how they want to express their understanding of a concept.

I have been working to incorporate technology into my teaching and support student learning. I am happy to be participating in our Web 2.0 workshop to learn from other educators and hear how everyone utilizes tools throughout their practice. I am also looking for more support that this style of teaching and use of technology is encouraged. I hope to take what I learn and apply as I teach.

Thank you!

Kelly Funk