I have always admired those teachers in my PLN that have both school and professional blogs!  I have been toying around with writing my own professional blog.  But what to write about? I always tell my students that bloggers write about things they care about.  It’s funny how comfortable I am writing my school blog, yet I am very nervous about putting myself out there professionally.  Deciding what I cared about and wanted to write about was challenging. Then edublogs had a teacher blogging challenge and I decided to take the plunge and start writing!

As a former special education teacher and current 4th grade teacher, differentiation has always been a passion of mine.  I believe all children can learn with the right instruction.  I cringe when I see children spend almost their entire day with a 1:1 aide OUTSIDE of the classroom.  In my class children receive the majority of their services in the classroom with me in charge and special education staff providing support.  My passion for differentiation began with students with special needs, but it evolved to include EVERY child.
The one thing I know about kids is they are all different!! After 15 years teaching, I realize no two children are alike.  Each year is new and exciting as I get to know my new “techkids” and figure out what they need from me to grow and develop into responsible, respectful, independent learners.  The key to achieving this is differentiation.

Differentiation is an approach, not a program.  Technology is the future, not the past.  Together differentiation and technology can help every child reach their potential! With this blog I will share ideas, reflect on my own journey toward differentiation, and connect it all to technology.