#ETCoaches Blog Challenge Week 1

And so it begins... 

So... I have been challenged by the awesome Penny Christensen to participate in the #ETCoaches Blog Challenge and I am beyond excited to participate! :) I've been promising myself that I would become more engaged in the blogger-sphere but have never really buckled down and made myself do it on a consistent basis.  Hopefully participating in this blog will help me with that goal. With that in mind, let's get to it:

Week 1 Challenge:
"What is the purpose of your blog? Tell us about your- self/audience/content/passion/expertise - just share!"

​My name is David Balmer and I am currently serving in the role of Instructional Technology Facilitator at Heritage and Wake Forest High Schools in Wake Forest, NC. This is a new gig for me as I have been teaching in the classroom as a High School Social Studies Teacher and this year I'm making the transition. So far, I LOVE it. Don't get me wrong, I loved being in the classroom and impacting students lives everyday with knowledge and kindness... but I can already see that this new position is a sweet spot for me. 

A little about me? Well, in 22 days I'm turning 35 years old and I am "okay" with that. It's kind of like the you've gone to far to turn back age if that makes sense. I love to travel the world. The UK is by far my favorite place in the world and I hope to live and work there someday. I'm also a big fan of the Mountains of North Carolina and I lived in Boone for 8 years when I attended Appalachian State University. Currently I'm earning my M. Ed. Digital Learning & Teaching Degree from North Carolina State University and should graduate Spring 2017. 

My grad school work is actually why this blog got started.  Originally the purpose of my blog was to be a collection of thoughts, projects, and information about things that were happening in my grad school classes. However, in my new position as an ITF it's taking on a different role in that it is a way for me to communicate with teachers and colleagues about new technology tools to use in the classroom and in professional learning. It's also a medium to express my thoughts about things that are happening in education in general and where I am with them.  

I guess that is why I titled this blog what I did. More than anything, I want this to be a space where I learn and grow while modeling how to do that for others. 

That's where I'll wrap up for now... Till next week... and Challenge #2!

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