Andrea Dombrowski's Page

Profile Information

About Me: I am a Teacher Leader for the district's Teacher Mentor Program. Previously I worked as an elementary classroom teacher, grades 1st-6th. I have two sons, 9 and 6, along with 2 parakeets and a hamster.
I enjoy learning and working with technology that can enhance student and teacher learning with websites, blogs, and wikis.

At 9:20pm on December 29, 2008, Jack said…: Hi Andrea!

Hope you're enjoying the winter break. I was wondering if you, your educator contacts or students would be interested in participating in a nationwide Vocab Video Contest @ MIT university. We'd really like to get more students involved from Illinois!

You can view contest details at BrainyFlix.com Please let me know. Thanks!

At 3:46pm on October 12, 2008, Daniel Bassill said…: Hi Andrea,

I lead the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Cabrini Connections, based in Chicago. Cabrini Connections is a non-school tutor/mentor program that connects 7th to 12th grade teens with volunteers who serve as tutors,mentors, coaches, friends, etc. The T/MC is a strategy intended to help such programs grow in all neighborhoods with high poverty and poor schools. I'm sure there are some neighborhoods in the Elgin area who may already have such programs, or who might want them.

As you mentor the teachers in the district, I encourage you to point to these sites. Perhaps the teachers can be the catalysts who motivate businesses, churches and others to create these programs. If kids come to school better prepared to learn, the job of teachers will be much easier.

At 2:43pm on October 11, 2008, Anne Mirtschin said…: Hi Andrea and welcome to this classroom. I think it was great that you used your blog to connect and talk with parents and students. How did you get on with the parents? Were they quite involved and responsive. That is an area that we are working on.
I am from Australia and work with Jess McCulloch and together we are trying to lay the eplanks in a virtual classroom and school. We hoped to get our staff on board, primarily through blogging.
However, we had to start with tools that they could see a need for, have time to play with and use and then move onto other tools eg blogging.
So we started with PD on resizing images for email use and online, producing a digital story or movie from still photos using MS Photostory and then on to creating a delicious account (as they could all see the benefit of those). Jess and I started our students off blogging from years 4-10 and eventually the excitement of the students tended to drive through to other subject areas.
One thing we did that has helped is have a "Walk in walk out Wednesday" (WIWOW), for one hour after school where teachers can just come in with any technology related problems and go as soon as they see feel fit. There is no pressure for attendance, only if there is a need and we always have someone walk in. They have time to play. Hope this helps.