Teaching with Technology Spotlight

In this issue of “The Server”, we visit with Dai Tolkov of Morris Middle School. Dai is a 7th grade teacher who incorporates technology into her curriculum by using a multitude of Internet resources and class participation.

Mrs. Tolkov shared some of her background with us. “I am a University of Texas college graduate and my degree was in Business Administration. Right after college, I got a job in Retail Sales Management, the field in which I worked in for 12 years. I left retail in 2002 to be a stay-at-home mom. My children at the time were 4 and 2.”

“My son went to a Catholic day school, and I volunteered to sub one day. The school director called to give me a job teaching Pre-K. I ask her to let me sub for a week, and I would give her an answer at the end of that week. Well, I took the job and really enjoy it.”

“Over the summer break, my husband got transferred to Colorado in 2003. In Colorado, I volunteered a lot in my son’s classroom. Pretty soon, they had me as the volunteer math tutor for the entire 1st grade class.”

“We lived in Colorado for 2 years until my husband transferred to McAllen in September of 2005. My children were supposed to go to Rayburn, but because of over-crowding, my children had to go to Jackson. My daughter started kindergarten at Jackson and my son was now in 2nd grade. Once again, I volunteered in the kindergarten class.”

“All the teachers that I had volunteered with told me that I should teach. I really did not want to go back to school again to get a second degree. I had heard about the Alternative Teaching Certification program (ACT). I looked into it and decided to substitute first, to see if I would like it. I was a substitute teacher, primarily for Rayburn and Morris and I enjoyed it.”

“Over the summer of 2006, I took classes through ACT, passed my required exams, and got a teaching job at Morris as a 7th grade math teacher. In my 1st year of teaching I was considered an Intern. The ACT organization recognized me as the Intern of the Year for the Rio Grande Valley 2006-2007. This is my third year teaching at Morris.”

Mrs. Tolkov’s Hobbies include gardening, sewing, and reading cookbook and romance novels.

Mrs. Tolkov uses a document reader, projector, and her iMac everyday. “We view funny math videos and go to math game sites where the students play as the whole class watches. The students get very competitive and excited.”

When she was asked how technology influenced her teaching, she responded with the following: “I realized that you will become “stale” if you cannot keep up with change. Google, the Internet, My Space, and YouTube are what the kids relate to. If you can relate to the students, then that is already half the battle of reaching them. It is so awesome to see what computers can do now-a-days, but I like to keep a nice balance. I will teach a math concept then go to a website to supplement the lesson with some interactive games on that math concept. I love technology and all of its advances, but I tell the students not to become too dependent on it. Life is about finding the right balance.”

“There are so many things that is on the web that can be use as a teaching or tutorial tools. Students can go at their pace and not have the pressure of having the correct answer as they would in a classroom. Computers are such an interactive learning tool as well as fun, that the students do not realize they are learning. If one has a question, Google can probably find the answer for you.”

“All companies operate with computers in some capacity. Jobs are posted on-line and companies prefer that applicants fill out the application on-line. One must keep up with change and computers are a sign of change.”

“You must have PASSION for what you do and all that you care about. I am passionate about teaching and my students feel it. I also have a passion for knowledge and learning. If you put passion in all that you value, you will find success.”

We thank Mrs. Tolkov for her service to our students and our district, and for helping to prepare our students for a successful future.