Introducing Myself

 Limbo 1

Vincent Limbo
Professor Lisa Phillips
CURR 316 Integrating Technology Across Curriculum
January 24th, 2013
                                                                         Who Am I?
    My name is Vincent Limbo and I am an English major in my junior year of Montclair State University. I have always felt drawn to the idea of stories and how worlds could be formed from the imagination. Storytelling has always been an escape for me and this includes not only literature, but other forms like films and spoken words. I believe my affection for such things led me to pursue a career in English. I soon realized that it was not just the yearning for interesting stories that appealed to me, but the sharing of opinions and perceptions about said stories. I wanted debates over questionable ethical decisions by protagonists. I wanted to know what others thought about a particular twist of drama. I wanted to talk about stories to those who would listen. So I decided that one way of filling that void, while doing some good in the world, would be teaching. After MSU, I plan on teaching either middle school or high school in an urban area because those are places that need the most help. Especially when there are kids out there struggling with literacy and considering how important reading and and writing is, I consider teaching a noble calling. I have decided that so long as I have an audience to share my love for stories with, I will be content wherever I go to teach.
    Technology is something that both excites and terrifies me. On one hand, I know how to access the internet and to use technology so long as I am given a form of instruction. On the other, I have a hard time whenever something goes wrong with the technology that I am using or I have to use a complex tool with no prior knowledge or guidance. Over winter break, I worked as a substitute teacher in schools around my town. There were instances when the teacher forgot to leave directions on how to work a certain program or the SMART Board was malfunctioning during a lesson. I am comfortable with technology so long as it is explained to me, preferably with visual help, but it can be a nightmare if I am kept in the dark about its functions. What I want to learn from this class is how to adapt to the changes certain schools have made to their classrooms regarding the level of technology. I want to learn how to keep calm when things go wrong and I want to know what to do when those instances come up. I want to learn how to use assistive technology and other advantageous tools to better educate my classes.