POST #1: Introductions and Sharing Your Past Experience

I am in my fifth year as the 6th grade Literacy teacher at the Middle School in West Liberty, Iowa. I teach approximately 100 students each year. I also co-teach with ESL and SpEd teachers in my class. I have also taught 4th grade self-contained and was a substitute teacher in this district for two years prior to be hired full-time.
Before taking this class, I was aware of some of the AEA online resources available for classroom use. I have a much broader knowledge now and will be able to take some of the things I have learned about straight into my classroom this year.
I took this course mainly for the self-pacing ability, but I was interested in exploring the resources available to educators and students, especially because of the increasing use and availability of technology in the classroom.

My current occupation is as a SCLC for Nishna Productions. I work overnights for a group home. I have worked this shift for 4 1/2 years. On my off days I substitute teach for four different school districts. In my job with Nishna, I assist adults with every day living tasks. I mainly assist them with showers, dressing and cleaning. We try to help the clients to be as independent as possible so that they feel good about themselves. I worked for a school district as a paraprofessional for 10 1/2 years before coming to Nishna, so that will be where my experience with AEA will come from.
My experience with AEA online resources would be when I assisted students with research assignments. I didn't have a lot of experience because the AEA was just really getting started with the On-line resources. I believe that there were only a couple of resources that students were able to use at the time that I left the paraprofessional job. I have used the on-line self-paced courses for the Blood Borne Pathogen and the Mandatory Reporter courses to maintain my substitute license and to meet requirements for one of the school districts that I sub in.
I was interested in the AEA on-line resources course to see what the AEA has come up with to meet the needs of its students. I was really surprised at all of the different resources that are available for students to use. I was also amazed at how easy is it to access and to use and that anyone with any technology ability would be able to use this website.

I am in my twelfth year of teaching in the Graettinger-Terril School District; my fifth year as a 3-5 title reading and math teacher for the district.  Prior to teaching title, I taught middle school reading and language arts and fourth grade for one year.

My past experience with the Iowa AEA online has been minimal until recently.  I was introduced to Bookflix and Trueflix in the classroom a few years ago, and I really liked the idea of incorporating technology into my classroom as an additional teaching tool.   At the end of last school year, I received an email about AEA PD online self-paced courses.  It caught my attention as I needed a few credits to renew my license.  As a busy mother of three, I liked the idea of a self-paced course.  As I looked at the courses offered,  I was excited. There were many that I was interested in to help bring more aspects of technology into my classroom.  The first class I took was the Google Apps course.  I liked the style the class was presented in and was able to incorporate mostly all of it into my classroom.

After I finished the Google Apps course,  I knew exactly what class I wanted to take next.  I had looked at the AEA online course when I began exploring the AEA online self-paced courses.  Now, I was excited to learn more about what if offered, so I could incorporate it into my classroom.  My students had been really excited when we started using slides to create book reports, and I remembered using Bookflix with the other class.  I was interested to learn more about how to use it in my classroom, and see what else the site had to offer.

I am currently working in the Atlantic School district as a substitute teacher, primarily in the middle and high school.  I have been subbing for over six years after a long military career of nearly 31 years.

Most of my past experience with AEA Online have been taking courses for my continuing education and other mandatory courses. I have had very little prior experience with AEA Online Resources before taking this course. My only prior experience have been when teachers have left a link from an AEA Online Resource for me to use in the classroom.  Clicking on the link and using the resource has been my only involvement.  I found the Learn 360, Britannica on Line, and the Teen Health and Wellness to be my favorite sites.

My interest in taking this course was to be able to be more knowledgeable about the different sites that I could use as well as being able to direct students to other sites other than Google.

Currently I am employed as a fifth/sixth grade social studies teacher in the middle school setting for the  Fort Madison School District in the southeastern part of Iowa.  I have been employed by the district for about twenty-five years.  For many years I was a special education teacher and used many of the resources provided by our AEA. I continued throughout the years, but I have been so very pleased in seeing the many changes and technological advances over this time period.

Last fall, while meeting in departments, a colleage shared some new information about AEA online.  I was thrilled to find so many resources I can use.  I have used the True Flix read-along feature and video introduction many times this school year.  It is so easy to upload this to Google Classroom along with the directions for the assignments.  

I am currently using Britannica to add additional resources into my lessons.  Again, it is so easy to upload this information on Google Classroom along with articles provided through this site by AP.  

Finally, I know most people would not be that excited, but I am so excited and happy about finding Culture Grams.  I can see so many possibilities for this in my literacy and social studies classes.  

I am very excited about many of these resources, and I would love to learn more in depth information about more possibilities.

I have been teaching for thirty-four years and am in my tenth year at Jesup High School.  I am one of two science teachers, and I am responsible for freshman physical science, Earth science, environmental science, physics, astronomy and anatomy/physiology.  Some of the classes are offered in alternating years, so normally I have four preps each day.

At least once a year during a professional development day, our librarian/technology person reviews all of the resources and databases that are available online at Iowa AEA.  I usually have the thought, "oh that's nice", or "that would be helpful", but rarely have the time to dig deeper.  I do use Learn 360 on a regular basis for videos and video clips.

I needed credits for re-licensure and discovered the online self-paced courses.  When looking at my choices, I spotted this one and quite honestly, thought I could get through it rather quickly since I had some knowledge of the topic.  What I discovered, is that there was a great deal of which I was not aware regarding several of the databases.  What this course did for me was force me to spend the necessary time discovering what this site offers.  I believe I will end up using many of these databases with my students in my science classes.

I am a social sciences teacher at Newman Catholic High School in Mason City, Iowa. My previous experience with AEA Online resources has been fairly limited. I was aware that the AEA made available several resources, however, I never made the time to sit down and educate myself on specific resources offered or details of how each resource could be used. I was comfortable with the resources I was using and was not highly motivated to search for others- and potentially have my time wasted with resources I would never use or didn't want to spend the time to learn. When it came time for my license to be renewed, I was interested in this course because I knew it would force me to sit down and learn alternative resources available through the AEA, building my classroom resource options. The AEA resources make it easier to find information for classroom use, and in most cases the information found is more reliable and safer to use than having students roam the internet on their own in search of answers.  

I currently work for both Council Bluffs Community School District and Lewis Central Community School District. I am currently in the role of Substitute teacher for both districts. My past experience with the Iowa AEA Online Resources prior to taking this class were very limited. I did however take the Child and Adult abuse class through Iowa AEA Online. I also took the Exceptional learners course. Other than that I really had no knowlege that they had so much to offer. What interested me about taking this course was that I love to learn new things. I love to do research and I enjoy expanding my knowledge of new and different things. I was also curious to find out what was available to teachers and students alike. I wanted to be more knowledgeable about these things so I could better help the students when they need help in the classroom. I wanted to gain more knowledge of the resources available so that I could better understand the technology resources and be able to help the students when they get stuck.

I am currently a kindergarten teacher in a small rural district. I have taught preschool or kindergarten for 15 years. I have 20 students ranging in ability from a student who is reading 2nd grade material to a special needs student with communication and language needs.  I have used the basic online resources such as BookFlix and TrueFlix in my classroom. Our librarian usually does refresher course at an inservice about the resources available.  I was interested in taking the course to move beyond showing just a movie or clip and use more of the technology available to implement more of the 21st century skills in my classroom.  I want some of my higher ability students to use technology themselves.  In order for me to teach the research materials using technology, I felt I needed to refresh my skills and review what was available.    

I currently hold a substitute teacher license before that I was a soical worker.

I knew about AEA but didn't know about all of the resources they have for teachers and students.As more schools are going to IPads  for all students and using more technology in the classroom and the students are doing more project base learning to know what sources are out there for them .

I took the course to learn what all AEA had to offer teachers and students and to learn how to use the sources and were things are at. Also for a credit to renew my Certificate..

My name is Lindsey Robertson and I am currently a first grade teacher at Kenwood Elementary in the Cedar Rapids School District. I have been introduced briefly to Iowa AEA online and the resources it has to offer several times through out my time teaching. However it was always a brief look at what the resources were and a quick overview of what they have to offer.  The resource that I have used in my classroom the most has been BookFlix, which my students love, but after taking this course I realize I have not been using it to its full potential. I have also used Britannica Online a couple times to pull articles for my students but have not used it enough. I was interested in this course because I am not very tech savvy but enjoy the resources technology has to offer. So my hopes were that I could find some new resources to use in the classroom and get a more in depth look at how to use those resources to their full potential.  

I work in the Mt. Pleasant Community School District in Mt. Pleasant, IA.  For twelve years I have worked in the High School grades 9-12 in the Special Education Resource Classroom- Level One.  I am a Certified Para Educator and Substitute Teacher through the Substitute Authorization course.  I work in a room where students are out in general education classes but come to our room for extra support, have tests read, reteach subject matter, work on essays, and research papers.  This is the first self paced course for renewal credits that I have taken online besides the annual Bloodborne Pathegens. And I have taken the  Mandatory Reporting course.  I was interested in taking this course because it provided me with some excellent resources that I can access and use to enrich my classroom teaching and promote more student engagement.

I have been a teachers aide at the same high school for 26 year.  For 16 years I was part of a level 2 room, being integrated into regular classes much of the day.  For 8 years I was part of a level 3 room, spending most of the day in our own room. For the past two years I have been off campus.  I am in a self contained classroom that meets for 3 hours a day. The students are in-patient recovery alcohol and drug addicted young people.  They are between the ages of 12 and 18.  Our class size has been as low as 5 and as large as 15, which is the maximum allowed.  
While working at the high school, our media center director regularly planned activities for the special students in my classes. The students loved to go to the library to look at the books for whatever theme was chosen. They were challenged when allowed to use the computers to find pictures on AEA Online iClipart.  If the lesson involved history or traveling around the world, our media director would guide us through Culture Grams. As our library evolves slowly into a cyber library, so too do our skills, materials, techniques for learning.
In my present classroom, there in no outside internet allowed for students.  This is for security purposes. Their coursework in done on Samsumg chromebooks that are incapable of use other than their e2020 Edgenuity work.  
I took the class to fulfill a credit for my substitute authorization requirement.  Although I have never worked as a substitute teacher, I keep my certificate. I think anytime you can learn something new, its a good thing. I have found learning about the AEA Online offerings to be so interesting. I am glad to have taken the class.

I am currently a substitute teacher.  I substitute in two local community school districts at the high school level.  I am also a stay at home mother.  My past experience with the Iowa AEA online resources was limited to the resources my children could use at the grade school level which mainly included the use of BookFLIX.  Prior to this course, I had not used any of the Iowa AEA online resources in any of my substitute classes.  
Primarily I was interested in this course as it is a self-paced course.  With my substitution schedule as well as my personal schedule, I needed an online course that I could do on my own time.  I found that with this course.  Secondly, I was interested in the multitude of resources I had at my finger tips, but did not know how to use, when to use and the age appropriateness of the resources on Iowa AEA online.  I was also interested in the educational material available for my younger children and how use the resources as their education increases.  

I currently work at Columbus Community Schools.  I have taught here the last 12 years.  I have taught junior high social studies in the past.  I currently teach social studies to 5th and 6th graders.
Our media specialist all ways does a great job at the beginning of the school year of sharing with staff the benefits of AEA Online resources.  I usually listen to the info and read the email about the resources, but often fail to actually spend time looking over the resources.  I usually used the AEA to send me films for my classes.
I switched teaching roles this year.  I was trying to find new and appropriate material for the new age group I was working with.  I realized the AEA Online has so many easy access resources I could use to enhance instruction for my students.  The course seemed like a logical thing to take to help me understand how best to access and then use the resources from the AEA Online.

I am currently in my seventh year as a Technology Coach in Dubuque Community School District. For three of the seven years I was a TC/Librarian in an elementary school where I utilized many of the online resources for my students during computer lab/tech time. My favorite resources for the elementary level were Book Flix, Culture Grams, True Flix, and Britannica. I also recommend Book Flix to my Spanish teachers at my high school as they offer many works in bilingual editions.  Culture Grams is also a great resource for our World Language department with the authentic recipes and videos.  For the past four years I have been a TC at the high school level.  At the high school level I do not have as much of an opportunity to utilize as many of the resources on a daily basis so I decided to take this course to remind myself what is available and found some treasures to add to my toolbox.

For the past 7 years I have taught 8th grade at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Dubuque IA.  I have taught Digital Literacy/Financial Literacy/Careers during that time.  I have also taught 8th grade Social Studies as well. Some of the resources I have used with AEA online have been Soundzabound and iclipart, which have been great for some video projects and photo editing.  The reason why I found this class interesting is because we have had professional development lessons on different AEA resources but never had the time to go through and actually see what they can do.  This class as given me new ideas of how I can use AEA resources in my classroom.  I have found some good resources for my Social Studies class, but after taking this course I have found some great resources that can really enhance my class.

I have been teaching special education for the past eighteen years.  I have taught high school, elementary, and currently teach at the middle school level.  I have used the AEA Online resources to check out books, CD's, and iPads with specific programs programmed on for dictation purposes.  I took this class because I was interested in what other resources were available to students.

I am currently a stay at home mom of twins. Before they were born I was a substitute teacher for about 5 years. My kids are headed to kindergarten this fall and I am going to back to subbing. I have not had a ton of experience with AEA but knew some about it since I was in the classroom often. I wanted to take this course because I wanted to know what all was available. I also wanted to better understand it so when the lesson plans had anything pertaining to resources on AEA's website I could present it more efficiently. I never understood all the ins and outs of copyright rules for the classroom so this was extremely helpful for when I am back in the classroom this fall. The whole class just allowed for a better understanding of AEA and copyright to hopefully make the transition back into the classroom go more smoothly.

I am David Johnson and I am currently performing services as a certified pesticide applicator. I have been outside of the teaching field for over ten years and have worked in various positions within industry and including Quality Assurance and Laboratory Supervisor.  I decided to return to my foundations of teaching and needed to renew my license. I was directed to the AEA website for a method of finding certification credits that would be quick and at my own pace. Not having any prior knowledge of this avenue I was excited by the opportunities offered.  Scrolling through the topics this one caught my eye as it could enlighten me as to other services offered. It also gave me some idea as to advancements made in the classroom with technology over the time I was exploring the mainstream workforce.