Blog #1

My name is Catey and I'm a Sophomore. I just switched majors this summer from political science to elementary education. I realized that I had a real passion for teaching and working with kids and I am so excited to be starting on this new path. I love going outside and being active, some of my favorite activities are longboarding and hiking. Fun fact about me, I've been to all 50 states, and my favorite places to visit are the different national parks, especially out West.

In fifth grade my teacher was very technology oriented, and we had a class set of iPads that we used every day in class for different activities. He was constantly finding new ways to integrate technology into our lessons and other aspects of classroom life. Other than that, my teachers weren't too focused on technology and outside of the occasional visit to the computer lab or use of laptops carts, we didn't use technology in class.

Something I find crucial to my PLN is GroupMe. It is an app where I connect with my peers each semester that are in my classes and we are able to help each other out. Whether that be offering an explanation of a hard topic, clarification on an assignment, or just simply being reminded of due dates, it has been a huge help. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to form a study group within a class, because they sit in the same room as you every day, and from there it is easy to help each other stay on track and form friendships. With the pandemic moving most of my classes online last year, most being asynchronous, it was a very alienating experience. Once I started to grow my network through GroupMe, I felt less like I was the only student in the world taking the class, and was able to help out my peers and ask for help when I needed it. I know that I am very scatter-brained, and there were several times that one of my classmates asked a question about an assignment, reminding me of its existence which helped me complete tasks on time. Now that I have classes in person I always make sure to befriend at least one of my peers so we can both have a place to find help, so I would say in-person connections are working their way back into my PLN.