Reflection Blog #5

     My Aha's!

     I would have to say my greatest aha moment came when I finally conquered the fear of randomly clicking to make things in technology happen.  I am proud to say that working through all of the assigned projects has given me more confidence in my abilities to figure things out and respond to those that are struggling along with me.  As an educator, this is significant.  We must be able to allow for personal deficiencies in order to lead the way into understanding.  The whole premise of my philosophy was built on the concepts that students are individuals and as such, show varying levels of confidence and courage in questioning the world around them.  If they are not comfortable, they will not seek.  I feel that as an early childhood teacher I am in the best place to instill that love of learning and confidence within each student.  By allowing for mistakes, questions, observations, and answer -seeking in the classroom there will not be any future technological advancement they will not embrace.  Through this, the world is their classroom and I can be the interpreter and guide. 
     In developing the projects, I found opportunities that will allow me to teach by example.  Examples of curiosity, building on current knowledge, chances for further study, collaborative/interactive educational opportunities, and fearlessness will be my directive. 
     My educational philosophy did not really change at all.  My confidence changed, but not my beliefs.  It was an important learning curve for me to listen to my own advice/words.  I will strive for my students to be contributors and builders, not just sponges!  Lofty goals, but worth every challenge.  
    

Reflection Blog #4

     The assigned article this week was very interesting to read and consider.  I am typically more comfortable now composing documents online since I have started these graduate courses.  My children gave me funny looks and just shook their heads when I started because I began to write for the courses in longhand.  After one year, I am doing everything on the processor.  (They still give me funny looks, though!)  I do not remember my daily activities and information with a technology device.  I carry a cell phone but still know most of the numbers in my head.  I just believe memorization is still good for my brain and I like to be prepared.  I keep a written calendar at my home with activities because every one in the house refers to it when scheduling.  I enjoy making paper lists and crossing things off when they are done and then throwing it away at the end of the day.  Most satisfying to me.  I do not own a laptop (too poor) or a PDA (same as before) but would not object to owning these in the future.  I was not constantly connected to the Internet before these online courses.  I am an active person and would much rather be interacting with people face-to-face and enjoying the outdoors.  My work does not permit me any time to check e-mails and such with any frequency because a kindergarten student automatically knows when your attention is diverted and within the blink of an eye, they are into something exciting that you did not plan for them!  My cell phone is not always with me.  I find it refreshing to not be available all the time.  It was difficult at first, but now I wouldn't have it any other way.  I guess I retreated back to an "old school" attitude about that!  I can multitask quite well.  However, I am working on making myself slow down on that concept.  I find too often that people do not "live in the moment" as well as they should and life is being missed at a rapid pace.  I was once at lunch with friends and we were chattering away  and the table next to us was full of teenagers.  They did not talk once.  They were all on their phones texting or doing whatever, when one stopped and looked up, the others were busy.  That young person then went back to their phone and then another young person would stop and look up.  No conversation was to be had.  They ate, worked their phones, and left without enjoying each other and the moment.  That was a sad, attention getting moment for me.  I try now not to multitask as with technology.  It's use definitely has a "time and place".   I do not play video games or computer games.  They just do not interest me.  I have never been much of a game player, hate to lose!

     I tend to relate to the Baby Boomer generation.  I understand the other generational characteristics documented, but I have that strong work ethic, am responsible, and strive for a can-do attitude.  I did however, like turning 50.  It was very freeing after raising four children and helping my husband through his careers of 28 years!  Enjoying my 50's might be the only difference I exhibit in the characteristics of a Baby Boomer.  I have welcomed each decade and been thrilled with what they have offered me. 

     If I could change a few things about the way young people view technology, I would encourage them to look more toward the future when it comes to relationships.  So many times the buzz is all about reconnecting to the past and hanging on to people that you knew back in second grade through Facebook, etc... In some of the young people I know now, they are forgoing interactions with new people they meet because of the amount of time spent keeping old relationships.  Just a thought.  I would also encourage older educators to learn (yes, kicking and whining) to use the fun options in technology and integrate them into the classroom.  My grandfather (a life-long educator and learner) studied the computer at 92 years old back in 1998.  The biggest challenge my husband faced was getting him to understand it was much more than just a typewriter!  We must find a way to set up a system to help teachers learn and become more at ease in this technology driven world.  I would also like to see the older educator not be so afraid of the younger ones knowing more and helping them with lessons.  Young people have a lot to say and are often honored and excited to be asked to help.  Technology is here to stay and will become better and more refined in the world of education.  How exciting to be around to watch what happens!

First Week Of Kindergarten!

http://cindyschool.podbean.com/

This podcast was created to help kindergarten parents and caregivers understand the curriculum and materials presented to their children weekly.   Using these podcasts will enable the children to practice at home with their adults and use the information they learn in class each week.  The adults will be able to access and replay the podcasts for the children as needed.


This idea was formed during another course at TAMU-Commerce and this is the second podcast in the series.  The first was "An Introduction to Mrs. Anderson's Kindergarten Class" giving all classroom expectations for the year.

Reflection Blog #3

After reading Electronic Portfolios as Digital Stories of Deep Learning, I connected to Tenet #3 (AFL should be central to classroom practice.)  The use of e-portfolios should be a long-term tool in each classroom, for every student, and continue forward throughout the learners' school career and hopefully beyond.  I believe as a kindergarten teacher you can start very young learners to use these interactive opportunities and to show growth throughout the years.  For example, it would not be difficult to teach the young ones Wordle and show them how to add it to their portfolios.  Later, as they progress from grade to grade they can add, reflect, improve, etc... their mapping skills and create new more meaningful projects.  Similar to a parent collecting photos of their child throughout their school years, comparing and contrasting changes!  This tool can also go with a student anywhere.  It is easily transferred to new situations and can be used from teacher to teacher, school to school, career to career. 

Potentially, e-portfolios might enable the student to access a wealth of resources.  Each resource might be used, adjusted, added to, deleted from, etc... as the learner grows.  The continuity of this concept learning has no boundaries.  The learner will be able to access print options for learning but also be able to connect with professionals and use their guidance while staying actively engaged.  From the great starting point of kindergarten, through the formative years of youth, an e-portfolio opportunity should be considered a huge knowledge-building base. 

The building of my own e-portfolio enables me to create and develop the ability to stay current with professional activities, share with others what I have learned, and showcase materials and opportunities accumulated through my own years of learning.  In reflection, my portfolio can stay with me and evolve as I move careers, change interests, and add materials to refer to when new questions arise.  I will be able to access learned information quickly, evaluate my own progress through the years, and reach others that might be of assistance in my learning journey.

Reflection Blog #2

I found that the mapping activity really opened my eyes to the dilemma educators face when asking students to do research and independent learning activities.  As a kindergarten teacher, I have not had many opportunities to use the technology resources secondary teachers must use and was only vaguely aware of the challenge of Internet searching.  The activities presented in this course were very helpful in producing a "filter" I can use, not only with my own graduate classes, but with my librarian training as well.  Accordingly, I will be using some of the varification techniques learned in my own Internet searching.  I am, however, fairly confident my own past searches were valid as I am not a technology driven person and have mainly used online university libraries and databases approved by our school district.  It will be a MUST to teach present and future students these tools of evaluation!  Schools may be able to block "unworthy" material, but students will not just stay within district-approved boundaries.  With the flood of information, a discerning researcher will need to verify, verify, verify. 

While dealing with the frustrations of setting up multiple accounts this week, I do see the advantages of useful information being catagorized and organized into accounts such as Delicious and Google Reader.  After the initial setup time invested, it will be much faster to locate, recommend, and evaluate material I might need in the future.  By keeping it organized and "at my fingertips", I might be able to streamline my life when searching for materials "I know I have, but where did I put that?"  Those days might be over with tools like these! 

My wiki will be used to connect with the parents in my class.  So many of my parents work outside the home and yet crave information to help their child learn.  As a kindergarten teacher, I am aware that I am on the front lines when establishing a positive school environment for students and parents.  This wiki will be easy to access for those parents at work or late at night when they are unable to come and talk with me during school hours.  I can offer helpful hints, share tips for aiding their child's learning, and keep us all connected and updated on our classroom.  There are unlimited options in how I can use this tool.  I will start implementing this idea with my first podcast.  In exploring the elearning tools, I would like to explore a few more young reader interactive options.  In early childhood, you can never have enough options for their inquisitive minds.

Digital Concept Mapping

I just posted my digital concept map on the dashboard of my very first (ever, ever!) blog.  In giving this a try and working to understand the words and form created, I would say that educational technology means the exploration of new ideas and tools, understanding that learning is fluid, and creativity in any style will never leave the human spirit.  I was drawn to Wordle because of the art and flexibility.  Today's learner will need to incorporate that new level of critical thinking into appealing forms in order to draw in others and their new ideas.  Words such as knowledge, learner, world, include, access, respect, asking, process, etc.. all tie together for me the new, necessary direction education is taking.  The reality in education today is the turtle-like movement educators display toward adjusting to technology options and the lightening-fast pace that learners move toward those technology options!  Training and educational experiences must be reconfigured and thoughtfully adjusted as we strive to meet the needs of the 21st century learner.  The potential of technology applications is only limited by the imagination of the learner, educator, and administrative teams.  In other words, limitless!  Technology impacts us everyday in various forms.  It is definitely time to consider this digital map and move with anticipation and joy toward a more inclusive, collaborative world of learning.

Reflective Blog #1

The process of writing my Educational Philosophy was not as difficult as I imagined. I had in my mind that it would be challenging to come up with lofty ideas that might just be unrealistic in my real classroom, but pleasing to an academic society.  As I thought, it occured to me that I was actually living and doing what I believed in every day with my students.  How could anyone do otherwise?  So, what I found out about my educational philosophy was that by organizing my thoughts and feelings, tying those in with my knowledge of young children, and evaluating my daily performance as a teacher, I was able to sift through the words and document what was most important to me as an educator.  This exercise in declaring my philosophy of teaching and education will help me in the future as an aid in reminding me that I am on the right path, I do have a purpose in the classroom, and there is a map in which to follow when I veer off on my more difficult days.  It allowed me consider how best to use future knowledge as well as the past knowledge accumulated over years of experience.  It reminded me that even though child development remains the same for all students, the classroom is evolving all the time.  My educational philosophy will not be a stagnant document.  As I refer to it from time to time, I see that writing down ideas, goals, wishes, and truths are all helpful in making me the most effective educator I can be.  I can also imagine a more interactive relationship with my students as I might be able to encourage them to create similar outlines of their goals and perspectives.  Even in kindergarten, a student can dictate his thoughts as I "write" them down.  We do it all the time with paper and pencil.  Now online, a parent, administrator, etc... can see for themselves what positive directions can be taken when a student and teacher strive together to learn. 
In reference to Downe's article, Educational Blogging, I do not feel we as educators and students have met our potential in the use of available technology today.  Understanding as he said, "the end part of the educational process" is not the technological hardware we implement, but instead, working toward a knowledgeable learner with strong critical thinking skills.   Today, we still use very few tools to engage students in collaborating with the world around them.  In fact, I suspect there is very little engagement between educator and student, as well.  Learning in isolation still exists in most schools and institutions.  By bringing lessons learned and connecting those ideas into a real world experience, we have just lit a fire for more knowledge! 
In November's article, I was drawn to the second  area of change in education and technology.  The idea of live video cameras in classrooms is not a far jump from what I have been implementing for years.  As a kindergarten teacher, I have always maintained an open door policy for my students, parents, visitors, and administrators.  I teach with my door open and welcome all who wish to observe and participate in the classroom.  Having a video camera would reinforce and add to the positive environment inside the classroom.  By inviting others to contribute to the learning experiences of the kindergarten children, we can open up even more possibilities for evaluating and synthesizing information.  Besides, at that young age, the students need all the new life experiences they can get.  I would like to provide that interaction in a safe environment. 
During this course, I would like to address some of my fears of not understanding the current technological environment young people use every day.  I would like to explore new ideas and find new uses for the tools I have in my classroom.  My school is not very advanced in the use of interactive options for the students.  I would like to work through my hesitations in creating informating educational opportunities for my students.  Connecting home, school, and the world sounds interesting.  I need to learn more and work to be at ease with exploring.