All About Me

My name is Lorene Himpelmann, and I welcome you to come along on this Ed Tech journey with me.  I'm excited to learn more about integrating technology into the curriculum in meaningful ways that will impact the learning journey of my students.  I began this journey in the Fall of 2018.  I feel like I've learned so much since then and improved my teaching practices because of this journey.

On a personal note, I am a mother, teacher, wife, and Girl Scout leader.  My husband and I

My husband and me all gussied up
to attend a wedding.

That's Daisy - taking a
break from her doggy naughtiness.

have been married since 2002.  We have a teenage daughter and a German Shepherd.  As a family, we love the outdoors, and we especially like camping as a way to travel to see the US and the National Parks.

A mother-daughter vacation selfie
with the rare documentation of a
smiling teenager. 

After 15 years, my career path took a slight turn when I moved from being a classroom teacher to the role of a Differentiation Specialist at Madison Elementary School in District 181.  I work with students in grades K-5.   For most of my day, I work with advanced learners and their teachers to enhance and enrich the curriculum.  As enrollment needs dictate, I also teach advanced math.  Prior to becoming a DS, I taught either fourth or fifth grades for 15 years.  I had the privilege of being a stay at home mom for 2 years in the middle of my career right after my daughter was born.  Through my role, I have been able to share many strategies that I have learned with colleagues eager to improve their teaching practices as well.  I've learned so much from my instructors and from my colleagues across my district.  We've become a virtual PLN.  In 2019, I even completed my Technology Specialist endorsement certification!

From the beginning of my teaching career, I was interested in getting technology into the hands of students. While in my first district, East Aurora 131, someone donated about 12 old desktop computers to the school.  My principal asked if I was interested in having them in my classroom (which was quite large) since we didn't have a computer lab at the time.  I jumped at the opportunity to expose my students to the power of technology.  

                   

From that time on, I was invested in the power of technology to engage and enhance students' educational experiences.  After joining District 181, I became involved with both building and district level technology committees as we attempted moving toward 1:1.  After a long journey to get there, our district is finally in a 1:1 environment.  K-2 uses shared iPads.  Grades 3-5 have 1:1 iPads.  Grades 6-8 have 1:1 Chromebooks.   

My # 1 favorite tech tool is the Seesaw app.  I like it so much that I am a Seesaw Ambassador.  I absolutely LOVE the way it provides parents a window into the classroom.  Students are actively creating and sharing their learning with others, and parents have a very clear picture of their child's learning experience. Besides that, I really like using the Apple iWorks and iLife apps.  They app smash nicely with Seesaw and allow students lots of opportunities to be creative in the ways they share their learning. Other top apps for digital manipulatives are the Math Learning Center apps.  Every single one of them is awesome.  Thinking a bit outside the box, I even created a Seesaw class for my colleagues to be able to share teaching ideas and resources.  I look forward to seeing the collaboration that takes place around this new PLN tool.  I call it "training wheels" for those not ready for Twitter.  Once my fellow educators are comfortable sharing, I'm hoping they dive into the world of Twitter - once they do, I'm sure they'll be just as hooked as I am.

I look forward to continuing on this journey, learning from my colleagues, and enhancing my teaching.  I can't wait to see where this journey takes me. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @lhimpelmann181.

Hiking in Volcanos National Park, HI.  The destination is always
worth the work along the journey.