Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my educational technology blog! I would like to begin by introducing myself. My name is Lauren Coffaro Grunder. I am married to my wonderful husband, Andrew. I also am the lucky mother of two fabulous children Gigi and Charlie. In my free time I enjoy reading, planning activities to do with my kids and spending time with my husband. 

This is called a Wordle. There is a website http://www.wordle.net which generates images like this. It is very easy to use and I have used it in the past for certain educational topics. For example, I made the main large word "Rocks" and used vocabulary and other information about rocks as the surrounding words as a study guide for students in my 3rd grade class. This Wordle is about my interest and hobbies.

My journey as an educator began when I was in elementary school. It was at this time that I was diagnosed with learning disabilities and introduced to some of the most amazing teachers who inspired me to pursue a career in education. I have since achieved a bachelors degree in Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences from Ohio University and I am well on my way to achieving my Intervention Specialist teaching certificate from Ashland University. 

During my time in the classroom as a student teacher, I have noticed the desperate need for technology in the classroom. Technology is the future and in order to expect our students to function in a world driven by technology, we must teach them how to effectively use technology in their everyday lives. I have been extremely fortunate to have had access to some of the most recent technologies used in the classroom during my field placements and I am committed to staying up to date on technology used to enhance learning. 

As a future educator, I strive to make a connection with each and every student by discovering their individual learning needs and tailoring the educational content to meet these needs. I wish to prepare my students for the future and in my opinion that means, helping them to find their learning strengths, interests and giving them the tools they need to compete in the world.