My name is Alyssa, I am in my final semester before I convocation and could not be more excited. I am in the Secondary Education program at the University of Regina, with a major in English and a minor in Visual Art. I just finished my internship before Christmas and learned so much. However, it was quite tough and I am happy to be back in classes and learn a little bit more before I wrap up my degree. Technology is something I have always struggled with especially educational technology (you can assume the struggles I had during my internship when I realized there was a section on the IPP for use of technology within the class.) I only attained my first lap top a month before my internship. I grew up never watching television and we had one desktop computer within the household. With four kids in the house and a father who is rather tech savvy when it comes to constructing computers, you can imagine the small amount of time I ever spent on it. I tried my very best to utilize what I could for technology during internship, but it was still the area that needed the most improvement. I utilized programs such as Kahoot, Prezi, WordPress, and Padlet, but found myself having a thinking block when it came to expanding into different programs and trying new platforms. I was stuck! I did take the opportunity to sit down with a education technology consultant for an hour during one of my prep periods and it was a phenomenal learning opportunity! I learned about programs and websites such as Quizziz, Sway and Flip Grid. However, the time I had with her was in the last week of my internship, so I have not had the chance to practice or utilize these programs within the classroom. I feel so unmotivated to use technology as I find myself being repetitive with it. I know it is important to embrace and utilize it within the classroom as technology is an aspect of education that kids relate to now more than ever! But, I do not know where to begin and how to integrate it within my classroom so its not only fun, but its educational and interactive.
I would love to learn more about twitter. Specifically, I would like to be connecting to other educators within Saskatchewan, as well as all around the world. I have had a twitter account for years, however still sit here puzzled as to how I follow education chats. And what is a hashtag?! I have been told they actually mean something and can connect you to other tweets and articles in relation to what you were originally looking at or responding to! What is this MADNESS?!?! I am excited to take EDTC 300 and learn more about the different types of technologies I can use within the classroom to keep an interactive and engaging environment consistently.
Alyssa Orr 
I find it difficult to branch out from the typical programs we are used to using too. It does take a lot of time to find the right program to use in the classroom and then to decide how you want to implement it. You are not alone! But it is so worth it to try new things (Edmodo, Plickers, etc.) Twitter is also awesome for connecting with other educators as well as with new implementation ideas with technology! Hashtags connect you to posts where the person also used the same hashtag as you. So if you want to find tweets about tech in english you could search #englishtechnology … or something along those lines! It is a handy tool!
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