Welcome!

This blog is functioning as my web-folio where I am able to post many of my experiences as an educator working toward an educational technology endorsement.  I am very excited to learn how to incorporate these tools within my lessons to help build my students confidence and academic successes.  Also, this blog will serve as my PLN ( personal learning network), to help me become a better teacher.  A PLN is a network that educators use to personalize their own created network to connect and collaborate with fellow educators to develop resources that will enable them to enhance their knowledge and skills. 

Hello, I am Nicole DenHamer.  I am a Special Education Teacher in Cicero District 99 and have been teaching since 2000.  I have taught students from 3^rd grade to 6^th grade both in my own classroom as a Cross Categorical Teacher, in their homerooms as a Special Education Resource Teacher, and now as a Co-Teacher (I am the special education teacher working side by side with a general education teacher teaching both special education and general education students).  I truly love learning and working with our students. 

Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Smart Board are some types of technology that I use in the classroom.  Google Classroom, Google Docs, and Slides are technology that I have become more versed in.  These are great platforms for engaging student learning in a collaborative classroom. Some resources I enjoy using are Tumblebooks.com,, Achieve 3000, ReadWriteThink, ABCya.com, Kahn Academy, Brainpop, Lino, and Wordcloud.  Favorite Tech tools are EasyCBM.com, TeacherspayTeachers.com, and working with Google Suite (Google Classroom, Google Docs, Slides).  Recently, I have become a twitter user (@nichamertyme) as I work to develop my Personal Learning Network (PLN) in order to grow as an educator and strive to meet the academic needs of my students.  Some continued successes I have had are using Microsoft programs to create study guides for the students to use prior to each Math Investigations or CMP3 Unit Test.  Recently, I wrote a grant through "DonarsChoose.org" for to acquire the deluxe ball chairs for students who need movement in order to learn and it was funded!  Many students who need movement and have difficulty because they have a tendency to get into trouble because when they are moving around they are disturbing others.  With the chairs they are able to get the movement they need without disturbing others! 

Most memorable failure would have to be trying to figure out how to take a screenshot  using my smart phone after first getting one and then finding out I took 20.  There have been many funny moments; however, the funniest moment is when I asked a student to share his updated google doc.  His response was that I already have it.  I said, "No, I do not."  He then asked if I still had the invite he sent me and I replied "yes."  He then said that any updates he makes I will see when I open the document.  This goes to show, we are always learning and to be open to the students becoming the teacher.