All about me...

 Hi, everyone!

Welcome to my blog! I just want to start out by saying that I have NEVER blogged before in my life, and it is a little daunting! I will also say, it reminds me of the movie Easy A, which I highly recommend if you have never seen it! If you want to learn more about it, you can click this link to the IMDb page for the movie. 

Anyway, my name is Ashley Shaw and I am a math teacher (and Freshman B Volleyball Coach) at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Illinois. I grew up in Elmwood Park, which is a quick seven minute drive from East Leyden, but I currently live in Palatine. I got my bachelor's degree in secondary education/math from Illinois State University. I also have two master's degrees from Concordia University in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Technology. Additionally, I have an EL and Special Education endorsement.  

In my spare time I love to travel, spend time with friends and family, take walks, listen to audiobooks and podcasts, and go to trivia with my friends! Below I have included a picture of my friend/co-teacher, Anthony, me, and my other friend/co-worker Jen at a ceramics class from the summer. The other photo is of my trivia team. 

 

(Image source: Ashley Shaw)                            (Image source: Ashley Shaw)

Technology has been a part of my life for a very long time. I am a millennial, and I can honestly say that technology acts as a marker for various events in my life. I lived at a time before the internet was in everyone's house or at everyone's fingertips. We got our first, family computer when I was in fifth grade, it was a huge desktop and I loved it! I got my first cell phone in eighth grade, but I could only make phone calls, I thought I was so cool! Then in college I had to beg my parents to let me get texting so that I could keep up with all of my new friends. That brings us to today, I have smart lights in my house, a smart phone, my garage door is even connected to WIFI. I would say that I am very comfortable with technology, but there is still a lot for me to learn. 

In my classroom technology is an integral part of my lessons. Students in my school are one-to-one, and we use their Chromebooks on a regular basis. In most of my classes I have a flipped classroom, and I have created videos that my students watch every night through EdPuzzle. I enjoy being able to see what my students have done, and interact with them in a private and individual manner through EdPuzzle. Additionally, as a math teacher, I use Desmos.com constantly! It is by far my favorite piece of technology! It is a free, online, graphing calculator. That allows me to create interactive activities and it allows my students to graph, make tables, and so much more! I will definitely be highlighting this tool very soon! 

 (Image Source: Giphy)

At this point, I am thoroughly overwhelmed by this class! However, I know myself and I know that this is just a reaction to information overload. I have to keep reminding myself that the beginning of something new is always stressful because there are so many unknowns. I know that by the end of this course I will walk away with so much more information in my toolbox, new websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. that will enhance my teaching and help my students to learn and grow.

Thanks!