Reflections and Musing on My Personal Blogs

 It’s easy for me to review my older posts on Blogger as if I’m reading someone else’s writing. I practically am someone else. This person who has been blogging under my name uses words to review technology that I would not have believed myself capable of. While I can think back to when I wrote each blog and remember why I wrote the things I wrote it still always feels surreal to read my own writing. Sometimes I’ll read something and think, “Hmm, interesting choice of words. What was I thinking?” Sometimes I’ll think, “Wow, this sounds intelligent.” It’s like once I start writing I become capable of thinking in ways my normal conscience has not acquired.

 The theme I found most often in my review of my personal blogs was my desire for every activity to be fun for my students. This really makes me feel like I’m reading a stranger’s blog. In theory, I really do want my students to have fun learning but I rarely feel “fun” these days. I guess this is just at the heart my teaching philosophy so hopefully that shines through in the classroom. Rereading my blogs gave me the opportunity to reflect on how frightened I was of technology in the classroom at the beginning of the semester and how I write about it like it’s commonplace for me now. It’s still not commonplace but I’m clearly beginning to understand and use the language associated with incorporating technology in the classroom and that gives me hope for my ability to actually use what I have learned.

Technology and The Young & Restless

  I chose this video as an example of technology being used in the classroom because while it's short and sweet,  it instantly impressed me. Tell & Show Skype! The majority of the five year olds I know enjoy show and tell time and I feel it's important for teaching public speaking skills and allowing the children to ask one another questions. Imagine using Skype to accomplish this! It just took the show and tell excitement level up astronomically! I think I underestimated the usefulness of digital cameras in the classroom. I guess I was thinking that in this day and age digital cameras are not really exciting technology compared to all of the fancy equipment available to classrooms today. Thinking outside of the box (with the help of this video) reminds me that it is not necessarily the USE of the cameras in the classroom that will be the rewarding, exciting part but the FINAL PRODUCT on display. It really is magical for anyone, let alone a five year old, to see their finished product on display for all to see. For a unit plan on body parts it would be fun to allow the children to take pictures of activities they associate with certain body parts or they could scavenge and take pictures of items or activities involving each of the five senses. One important obstacle I can foresee for using YouTube in  a kindergarten classroom, specifically, is that many parents are going to associate YouTube with television viewing and not understand or appreciate the educational component. I think allowing parents to preview some examples of the types of videos I will be using would be helpful. Of course, it might not always be possible to preview the videos too far in advance because videos on YouTube come and go. At the very least, though, providing examples would help parents and administrators to invest their trust in my judgement.

Using Spreadsheets in the Classroom For Fun and Learning

OH HOW I LOVE SPREADSHEETS!! Due to my obsessive love with spreadsheets I feel that people of all ages should love them with me! Even young children can have fun with spreadsheets. With the use of an electronic whiteboard, I can enlarge the image on the screen so the entire class can see the spreadsheet fill in. We can create a spreadsheet to graph the favorite colors in the class, the various eye colors in the class, the number of siblings the students have. The topics we can graph are limitless and by graphing them we are effectively bring statistics to life for (even) preschoolers. The letter of the week is T. Wonderful. How many students in here have last names beginning with T? We are getting Language Arts, Mathematics, and maybe even some Social Studies in. The advantages are that the students are exploring and researching information even if it is only through asking each other questions and they are then using this information to reach a higher level of thinking. For instance, from this graph we can answer questions to help us make certain assumptions about the population represented in our classroom. I just cannot see a disadvantage to this. Well, except that it is sometimes difficult to keep the children focused on the topics we are supposed to be graphing. For instance, Kevin has two sisters but his mom refers to his dog as his brother so can he graph that? Or is that supposed to go on the pet graph? This sounds like a silly example but it is my job to make this fun and easy for the young students to comprehend. They have the lovable, unique ability to break down any lesson until it’s shredded into itty bitty pieces and ask a question about each piece. One has to repeatedly remind the students what we are focusing on and what our goal for the spreadsheet is supposed to ultimately be. Communication and collaboration is fundamental for making this fun! The kids want to work together and laugh together to build a spreadsheet. This is using technology to organize research in its most basic form. The children are able to explore the NET-S by critically thinking and problem-solving in how they interpret the information we gather on the spreadsheet. Students who are given the chance to input information on the spreadsheet themselves are really receiving the opportunity to learn about Technology Operations and Concepts and they don’t really have to feel like they are “learning” about the computer. 

Using Databases in the Early Childhood Classroom

The most important way I can think to use a database in my early childhood classroom is to keep myself organized and to have information at the ready for my parents whenever it is needed. I can keep a database of birthdays in my classroom that the children can check daily. I can keep a database in my classroom with student information such as allergies and special needs as well as their guardian information so I have it to easily access when needed. More than an advantage, this is a necessity really. A huge disadvantage is that this entire concept of building and using a database is not really something my preschoolers will be able to wrap their heads around so it is best used on a professional level. However, I can incorporate Communication and Collaboration in my classroom by encouraging them to help build the databases. 

Using Word Processing Software in the Early Childhood Classroom

As an early childhood educator, I am most likely to integrate Word Processing software into my classroom as an effective way of presenting material. Beyond worksheets, I can use word processing software to print up large words to label items around my classroom that the children can see from their seats whether they be at their tables or on the circle time carpet. Even very young children will have fun copying written words onto the computer via Word Processing software. This can be done to provide the written story to correspond to their original artwork that I have scanned onto the computer prior to the typing, copying activity. Advantages of using this type of software in my classroom are monumental when one considers how important it is to include young children in the technology sensation. This provides the students with upfront experience with the computer and they get the opportunity to see their work displayed in a professional, grown-up way. Disadvantages are that these types of activities can sometimes be very time-consuming with young children that are still exploring the keyboard and all of its magic. Young students need extra one-on-one instruct to understand the importance of NOT pressing certain buttons and how to use certain other functions of the magical keyboard. Word Processing software allows me to incorporate several of the NETS for Students in my classroom. For instance, this is but a medium for the children to see their creativity and innovation come to life. Technology Operations and Concepts are included in a NET that is important to present to children as early as possible. Technology is going to be a part of their lives so it is best to give them a head start in this realm by allowing them to explore and use software such as this.