Walters,+Kristen

I am a 2006 graduate from Gettysburg College with a BA in History, minor in English and concentration in Classics. I working in my Study Abroad office all 4 years, including summers, and went to 2 regional conferences and a national conference. This experience, combined with my 4 and ½ month study in Bath, England, and travels around Europe while I was there, fueled my passion to work in International Education/Study Abroad. After graduation I worked for an International Internship Provider and then an International Tour operator. For both jobs I was the clients first-person contact, answering all their questions about where they were going, what they’d be doing, what to expect, what location was best for their interest, etc. Basically I was preparing them for their abroad experience, as well as booking tours, add-ons, preparing mailings, payments, etc. – I was a Jill of All Trades! I lost both jobs within a year of being hired due to the economy and was forced to move back home with my parents and re-evaluate what I wanted to do with my life. The more I thought about what I liked the more obvious it was what I should do. I love history – reading, discussing, studying, talking about, debating, and writing about it. My hope is that through my personal experiences and the experiences I can create in the classroom through text, technology, media, guest speakers, field trips, etc I can engage students and help them see that history is a long continuous story where every event impacts the events that follow it. If I can help my students understand the past they will be better able to understand the present and make wise choices on the future. Aside from history my interests include: reading, scrapbooking, cooking and **PHOTOGRAPHY.**
 * /All About Me:**

**My Technobiography:** Wow, where to begin. I guess my first experience with Technology would be using the old Apple computers of the early 90’s in elementary school. Usually we only used them to do vocabulary drills, but when we were really good we got to play Oregon Trail! That was always the highlight – all we wanted to do was play and it was the BEST reward we could get. I was never a video game person, so I never had a video game system, and I never wanted to play when I went to friends houses, I was more visual and imaginative. I would rather watch movies, read, draw, play outside, play dress-up or make-believe, video games bored me (and they still do!) My family got our first computer when I was in middle school. So I was lucky, I had a computer to do school work (write papers and do research) from about 6th grade on. It was a huge old Gateway desktop with dial-up internet. Man am I glad we have a faster connection now, I’d go crazy having to wait ages for things to connect, download, and print now that I’m on my laptop daily for school, e-mail, connecting with friends, listening to music, and editing my digital photography. I got my first laptop at 18 and have had one ever since. I’d probably cry if I did not have it, mostly because I use it for school and photography. Photography is one of my passions and I document everything with my digital camera. I got my first actual camera when I was 12 and my first digital at 18. That one finally broke when I was 21, but 4 and a half months in Europe where I took over 5000 photographs is enough to break any camera I think. I got my second digital camera at 21 and it goes everywhere with me. In fact I’m working on finding a way to sell some of my pictures if possible. I’ve been using e-mail to network with people I know who are in the field to get some tips and connections. Also, I occasionally use programs like Photoshop to enhance my photos. Unlike most people my age, I’m not a huge cell phone person. I got one when I was 16 because my parents did not want me driving without a way to contact them in case of an emergency, and YES it was ONLY for emergencies, NO PERSONAL CALLS AT ALL. That changed when I went to college, then it was my best connection to my family and friends all over the country, as well as my friends all over my own college campus. Yes now I always have it with me, simply because my family is all over the country, I commute over an hour one way to school, and my father and brother are both Baltimore County Fire Fighters and I need to be available 24/7 should anything ever happen to them. I’m not a huge text person, I’d rather just pick up the phone and call someone and have an actual conversation. However when I studied abroad I had an international track cell phone, the kind you have to pay to put minutes on ever month, and it was ONLY for emergencies. Honestly, I DID NOT MISS MY CELL AT ALL!!!!! I loved that I could do anything I wanted and not worry about someone bothering me while I was climbing the Eiffel Tower, touring the Louvre, etc. People could reach me if they NEEDED me, but not just because they were bored, wanted to chat, etc. Like most 20-somethings, the internet is part of my daily life. I write all my papers in Word, I check my e-mail 900 times a day (personal and school) just to make sure I’m up to date on everything. I waste time on Facebook catching up with old friends and “stalking” friends, enemies, classmates, etc. It’s amazing what you can find out about people on sites like Facebook. Personally I have EVERYTHING set to private, you can only see information if you are my friend and even then I pick and choose what you can and can’t have access to. I like my privacy, if you have questions ask, and maybe I’ll answer, and maybe I’ll tell you it’s none of your business! Ha-ha! My cell phone is my best connection to family and friends and I try to call the people I care about on a regular basis to see how they are doing. //Wow, looking at everything I’ve read it’s amazing that in my lifetime alone I went from computers only in school that we only got to use maybe once a week if we were lucky, to my own laptop, cell phone, digital camera, and internet access, all of which I use on a daily basis. I guess for a self-proclaimed technology idiot I use way more than I thought I did.//


 * __ PERSONAL HOMEPAGE (I didn’t see these questions at first so this is in addition to my All about Me!) __**

I’m taking ISTC because it’s part of the one year MAT program.
 * 1. Why are you taking ISTC 301?**

** 2. What are three important things you hope to learn while taking this course? ** I hope to learn how to use various forms of technology in engaging the students in the classroom. I am terrible with technology, I don’t understand most of it and I hope to learn how to understand things better and not break them

I want to teach students that while they can be informal on line, in person and in written work they must be professional.

I think that this class will help me keep up with my students and not look like an idiot when they are discussing technology and using technology that I do not know how to. Also, by using technology I will be better able to keep my students engaged and interested.
 * 3. In what ways do you think taking this course will help you in your other college coursework and future professional practice? **

** 4. Basic, interesting information about yourself. ** See All About Me!

I am a HUGE Steelers fan, and sports fan in general. Yes, I take crap for not supporting the “home” team, but I was 14 when the Ravens came to town and real fans don’t just switch teams.

Cooking, photography, and travel are my passions. I want to publish and international cookbook with my photographs one day. I’d also like to lead student tours overseas and sell my photography one day. I want to teach at a 4 year university one day. I’d like to focus on ancient to medieval history. The beach is one of my absolute favorite places ever and it always makes me happy no matter how bad my mood is. I want to move south someday and would love to live no more than 30 minutes from the beach so I can see it anytime I want. I'm hoping to spend a few days in Ocean City, MD when this class ends to relax before classes start again.


 * 5. A photo of yourself. **

My views on technology are mixed. While I can see the value sometimes, at other times I think it’s a waste of time and money. Just this week alone, we’ve had more issues with technology then we have had success, putting our class behind schedule and causing more stress and frustration then any of us needs right now (we’re stressed enough!). Additionally, many times technology does not add or enhance the learning process, it simply is an add-on. While it may make an assignment a bit more fun, if it does not actually lead to a higher level of learning and deeper understanding of the material, it is basically worthless. I tend to see myself using the same types of technology that I experienced and enjoyed as a student. Film or video can allow a student to more easily “see” a historical event, leading to deeper comprehension. For example, a documentary on a battle can allow a student to picture where troops were located, their experiences, and how things like number of people, land formation, weather, etc. affected the battle. I know seeing the beaches were the D-Day Invasion of Normandy took place allowed me to better understand the issues with the assault and how and why the Germans so easily picked off Allied troops. Additionally, 3-D maps can better help students understand things like why cultures developed where they did, how and why the migration patterns occurred the way they did, and why certain tracts of land were, and still are, fought over (ex. The Gaza Strip). I see myself asking students to research and write a paper. Skills like this are required in any job field, thus it is my duty as a teacher to assist students in developing these skills. However, there were times in school when we were required to do things like make a movie, edit it, and show it to the class. Group work assignments like this are hard because of arranging transportation and coordinating schedules. The technology aspect makes it even harder because not everyone has it or has access to it. Even when you can get free programs, not everyone has a computer. I feel that teachers really need to think about their students and their backgrounds before assigning technology-based assignment. If you work in a low income school, or have many ELL students, your students may simply not be able to access the technology. I see myself assigning the types of assignments I would have wanted to do and enjoyed doing. This includes research papers, posters, journal entries, oral presentations, debates, etc. Because I realize that my students are a) more tech proficient then I am and b) some of them probably love using technology, I will give them the option to used technology for their assignments when possible. For example, I see myself allowing students to keep reflection journals through a blog or using Glogster to create a poster. I have no problem with students using PowerPoint for an oral presentation, proving they do more than just read the slides to the class. Basically, my technology experience consists of Word, Excel, e-mail, and research. I plan to make sure that my students have plenty of experience using these tools because they are required in the business world and in just about any job field. However, I do not see myself forcing students to use technology, simply presenting it as an option to better meet the learning needs and styles of all students. I see myself using film, video, music, maps, and any sort of technology I can to present material and engage my students, but ** only if it is the BEST way to understand the material, not just use it to use it. If it doesn’t’ help my students it wastes my time and theirs! **
 * 7/14/10 - Journal 2**

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 * My Diigo group for Social Studies pages:**

Journal 3 - 7/15/10



Ok, so big surprise, I don’t use Web 2.0 tools in my daily life. I like books; I prefer to do my research via books, journals, etc. Yes, the internet allows me to access materials I cannot actually get my hands on and for that I love it. I do not see too many uses for technology in my personal life, personally all I care about is can I check my e-mail, edit my digital photographs, and find research I need. I still prefer books to Kindles, and journaling by hand to on-line. However, I do see many uses for technology in the classroom. I can see myself using Photostory 3 to create a more interesting slideshow/movie of images and sound for my students then I can via PowerPoint. I also like the idea of a site like Penzu.com to have students create reflection journals. It’s much easier to grade journals on-line then carry home 100 spiral bound notebooks! Today’s students are “plugged in”; they have grown up in a digital world and are used to using technology on a daily basis. I would be foolish to not take advantage of this and provide them multimedia materials and opportunities to use technology in class and homework/projects. The struggle will be for me to become adept in those technologies in order to help them if they have problems and grade the finished product. We produce new technology almost daily, and I expect that to continue. Technology use in the classroom has greatly increased since I was a student and “technology” consisted of film, over-head projectors, and maybe if you were really lucky a PowerPoint presentation (which I always thought were boring!) I will have to find new ways to include technology in my classes daily. I will constantly be learning new tools, both web-based and hard product such as Elmo cameras, SmartBoards, etc. I just hope I can keep up with the learning curve!

Journal 4 - 7/19/10 Copyright and Fair Issues I know: You MUST CITE EVERYTHING you quote or paraphrase in a paper or risk plagiarism! Downloading music and movies for free is bad/illegal……however most people don’t care or follow this rule! Issues that are new to me: I had never heard of the TEACH Act – but it sounds like something I need to learn more about before I get into the classroom! The use of music and movies falls under fair use and can be used without permission from the industry. (At least that’s how the article made it seem) These are important issues for me to teach my students, especially in an age where they all use LimeWire, Facebook, MySpace, etc. to share EVERYTHING!Students especially need to know how to cite properly in their papers so they do not risk being accused of cheating or plagiarism.

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Journal 5:  Wow, I cannot even begin to explain how much I have learned over the past 2 weeks. This was such a whirlwind overview of technology and web tools that I think my head is still spinning. I learned more than I thought was possible in 10 days though. I have so many tools to use to present content to my class using technology now. I also have tools that will allow me to provide differentiation to my students, helping me to present material in ways that meet all of their learning needs and styles. I leave this class with a much better set of skills and materials to incorporate technology into my classroom which is something I needed. Going forward I want to continue learning new skills and becoming more proficient in the ones we discussed in this class. I also want to learn how to use a SmartBoard, SmartCart, Elmo Camera, and any other technology tool I may have in my classroom.