Meet the Blogger

Salvē! Hello! 

My name is Caitlin Campbell and I want to officially welcome you to my blog, "Campbell Goes BOL-ing." I will use this blog to communicate my ideas, opinions, syntheses, products, and more. As you can tell from the blog's title and description, the blog's topic is Blended and Online Learning in Schools (BOLS), which is the 12-credit Learning Technologies in Schools (LTS) core that I will complete to finish my MEd by May 2021. 

I have recently learned that "connection before content" is necessary in any online learning space. Here are some details that you can connect to who I am. 

My Personal Self

I was born in Maryland and raised in Leesburg, VA, where my parents still live with my two siblings and a spoiled golden retriever named Stella. I have spent most of my life within a 1 hour radius of Loudoun County, VA. I grew up playing piano and clarinet, which I marched in high school and college. Yup, I attended 8 hours of weekday practice and Saturday game days while doing my student teaching practicum. It was quite the experience and is one of the reasons why I will defend "marching band is a sport."

^^^Want to learn more about band life? Watch this!^^^

After realizing that I could not realistically march for the Washington football team in Landover, MD and teach full time in northern Virginia, I discovered Latin dancing. I'm happy to give any tips you might need to learn, appreciate, and distinguish between salsa, bachata, merengue, cha-cha, and more! I met my fiancé, José, at a salsa night and we are currently planning our July 2021 wedding. 

As all teachers know, we have to snatch the precious free time we can on weekends and breaks to rest and reset. I love reading and writing in those moments. My favorite genre to read is historic fiction and I highly recommend visiting McKay Used Books to grow your book collection. I mostly write in my Bullet Journal, a combo diary-schedule-notebook, and I write TONS of letters to friends and pen pals. I have invested a lot of money in lick-and-stick stamps, fancy pens, and pretty stationary. Is 8 pen pals too many? Absolutely not. I take full advantage of analog opportunities to balance with my digital work life.

My Professional Self

I earned my BA/MT in Classics and Foreign Language Education at the University of Virginia--go 'Hoos! I returned to teach my favorite subject in Loudoun County Public Schools, the same school district that I graduated from. I teach Latin and AVID electives at Dominion High School. I have taught Latin for 8 years and AVID for 3. I am deeply involved in my school community as a sponsor of Latin Club and language honor societies, chaperone of trips to Europe and Asia, and class sponsor. I have written and revised Latin curriculum and SOLs, facilitated professional learning opportunities for teachers, and served in a leadership capacity. 

hic est Cerberus. Cerberus est canis.
This is Cerberus. Cerberus is a dog.

I am currently enrolled as a teacher-learner in the Learning Technologies in Schools graduate program with a concentration in Designing Digital Learning in Schools (DDLS) at George Mason University. I am interested in how teachers and students can use technology to participate effectively and safely online. My learning experiences in the DDLS program have changed how I design learning activities for student engagement. As a lover of all things technology, I consider which tools--digital and analog--will help my students to meet their educational goals. As education shifts into an increasingly more digital sphere, I strive to provide quality instruction with the best learning tools possible.

Where are you in your teacher-learner journey? I look forward to connecting with you in this online space.