Developing a PLN, Bridging the Digital Divide, and Using Academic Software

    In my early experience using Instagram in my Personal Learning Network I have realized how excited I am to be a teacher one day. I love seeing all of the creative and colorful room decorations as well as cute teacher outfits. The Instagram page that I really like is Sarah Poquette's account called _bigheartlittleminds_. I know that everyday teaching will not always look like these teacher insatgram accounts but I am excited for the possibility. 
    The digital divide is something I never thought about that much before I considered becoming a teacher. It really affects how students learn. One of the causes of the digital divide is a wage gap between families. The real challenge comes in when the divide is in one classroom. It will be difficult to come up with ways to use technology without setting unachievable goal for one student, but also using all available tools for another. If you cut out some technology, you may be holding some kids back. It is a delicate balance that I have no idea how to achieve efficiently but am excited to learn some strategies. 
    Academic software is a very useful tool. Personally, I have not used very many that would be helpful in an elementary classroom, which is where I want to teach eventually. One that I used earlier in this class is an app called Stack the States. I played this game a lot in 4th and 5th grade. It was very helpful in earning American geography and honestly super enjoyable. However, because it is an app and has to be paid for, it would require some kind of classroom tablets to be used in a teaching setting. A software application that helps with older kids is the basic MS Office. Using PowerPoint to make presentations and Word to make newsletters is something that I can use as a teacher to help explain lessons and keep the parents informed. 

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