Websites

How do you use websites? 

Okay, so that's kind of a broad question.  There are lots of ways to use websites.  You can use websites to plan lessons (Have you ever been here?).  You can use websites to order books or materials (Gotta love Scholastic!).  You can use websites as a computer center in your classroom (Love this one...).  Or you can use websites to keep in touch with parents. 

Seriously, there are lots of ways to use websites.  I guess my real question is...

Do you use a website to keep in touch with parents? 

I think I have a few too many websites currently.  :-)  The first website I have is one that I received when I became a teacher in my county.  All teachers in the county have them, but I don't think they are used too often.  We actually had a training at my school to learn how to use them in March 2006.  How do I know that?  Well... they taught us how to put calendars onto the page and some of them still say that!  Yeah. 

This year, we got a training on wikis.  Very cool. 

Check out this muppet wiki!

My school has a PBworks wiki with various pages for all of the different grade levels, special area teachers, resources, and even notes from the office.  If you're sitting there wondering what on Earth a wiki is... think about Wikipedia.  A wiki is a website that a whole bunch of people can edit and build together.  Perfect for a school community!  I created the kindergarten wiki page for my team and then we gave our parents information about how to check it.  I update it each month with things like the new lunch menu and dates to remember.  It's pretty handy! 

I also have a wikispace.  Teachers can actually create free ones!  You can't argue with that. 

The picture on my wikispace.  Me and my giant bear.  :-)

The only thing you have to remember about wikis is that your permissions have to be set correctly.  If you want to give parents the address for the website so they can view the information, then you have to set your permissions so that anyone can see it, but not edit it.  If you want your parents to become members of your wiki, then you have to keep in mind that they can edit anything you put on there.  They could delete the picture of you with a giant bear!  Just something to consider!  Both of my wiki pages are set so that anyone can see them, but only members can edit them.   

I might also have a website that I created during a grad school class.  That one will disappear after I finish up my degree, though.  See, so then I'll only have three.  :-)

Smart Boards

I'll tell you one thing I'd really like to have in my classroom... a Smart Board.

The possibilities are limitless.  There are a myriad of games and lessons out there for these interactive whiteboards.  I'm a little jealous of those who have them already.  Smart boards provide an interactive way of teaching that can be both engaging and appropriate for young learners who need those visual and hands-on experiences (Luke, 2011).

ActivInspire is the software that most people use to create the "flip charts" that they teach with on a daily basis.  There are plenty of flip charts pre-made in this software, but you can then adjust and differentiate based on the individual needs of your students.  Promethean Planet is a website you can visit with tons of free flip charts for classroom use.  With a smart board connected to your computer, you can also use interactive powerpoints, project digital stories, or listen to podcasts.  Amazing!

According to Preston and Mowbray (2008), "Smart Boards have been uses successfully with kindergarten children for the past 5 years in innovative ways to enhance teaching and learning and facilitate assessment in science" (p. 50).  According to this article, when it comes to science, this kind of technology is a fantastic tool for teachers to use to keep children involved, work collaboratively, reinforce vocabulary and ideas, and assess children's learning.  Young scientists often need extra scaffolding and guidance when it comes to observing and recording their data, which lends itself nicely to the use of Smart Boards (Preston & Mowbray, 2008). 

I know for a fact that I could use this successfully (and appropriately) with my kindergarteners, if given the opportunity.  Who wants to give me that opportunity?  ;-)

I'm still learning about these... so let me know what you think!  Do you have a Smart Board?  Do you want a Smart Board?  Why or why not?

ELMO!

Hi Elmo!

Okay, so that might not be the right Elmo.  Let's try again...

Hi Elmo!

The first Elmo is definitely fuzzier.  Unless of course, your lens is out of focus. 

Elmo came with a projector that looks
something like this!

 

Here's the story...

A few years ago, my school got Elmo document camera and projector for each grade level to share.  The Elmo came on this gigantic cart that was nearly impossible to use without rearranging furniture to get it into the classroom.  It couldn't sit in one classroom permanently because we were supposed to share it.  We weren't quite sold on the technology itself, either.  Aren't manipulatives and actual hands-on materials best for young children anyway?  Why look at a book projected on a screen when you can hold the book itself.  Isn't it better for children to dig into their own pumpkin rather than watch a teacher dig into a pumpkin and pull out the seeds?  In early childhood, those experiences are worth everything!  So, after not using our Elmo because of our uncertainty about how to use it appropriately, kindergarten's Elmo was brought to another grade level.  We had mixed feelings about it.  On one hand, the bulky cart was gone.  On the other hand, maybe we just didn't know enough about the Elmo. 

The following year, every classroom in the school got their own Elmo.  Oh, except for kindergarten... kindergarten got nothing.  I digress... that's another issue entirely. 

Well, that same year, we learned about Safari Montage.  It's a great site that has all kinds of educational videos about oh... you name it.  Everything!  Suddenly we were wishing we had fought a little harder to keep at least that one Elmo.  Not so much for the "overhead projector" qualities, but the fact that the Elmo can be connected to a computer to show things like Safari Montage on a screen.  Who knew about that? 

So this year, our technology committee got kindergarten an Elmo!  It's housed in my room and I've used it a number of times to show digital stories and such.  Every time I pull it out and hook it up, the kids love it!  They ask to see little movies about what they are learning and I try to appease them when I find appropriate things to show for what I'm teaching. 

I'd like to say that the Elmo has been the best thing ever in my classroom... but the jury is still out on that one.  We did transfer it to a smaller cart that's more portable.  However, it's still an enormous pain to connect.  My screen is in the front of the room, so the Elmo has to sit up there, but my student computers are in the back of the room and the Elmo also has to be connected to those.  I have to instruct my students to watch out for all of the wires every time I pull it out.  :-(  If only I had a nice laptop to sit on the cart with my Elmo.  Maybe someday... ;-)

Here are some teaching tips on how to use an Elmo in your classroom.  Here's a site that talks about how to write a grant for an Elmo.  How to set up your Elmo. 

Let me also say that if you do not teach kindergarten and you use lots of transparencies... or if you don't have a colorful rug to bring your students to read a story... or if you only have one copy of a textbook that you want all of your students to be able to see... or if you want to show your students how to dissect a frog... Elmos are wonderful things!  Many teachers are really excited to switch over to this newer technology and get away from overhead projectors (Wilkerson, 2009).  Are you one of them?

What do you think about using an Elmo in kindergarten?  Do you use an Elmo in your classroom? 

Podcasts

Who knows what a podcast is?  Have you ever listened to a podcast?  Created one? 

If you've created one, go you!  :-)

Podcasts are actually a great way to get information to an audience.  I'll be honest and say that podcasts are not my favorite thing to make, but only because I think it's weird to listen to myself.  I do, however, see the value in using podcasts in an early childhood classroom.

Imagine that you're a kindergarten teacher.  You have twenty-ish children in your room and you're conducting center time.  During center time, you have four small groups completing literacy centers independently (i.e. bookmaking, following directions, math, etc.) and you have one of the groups in a guided reading circle.  Suddenly, the phone rings to let you know a child's lunch has been dropped off in the office, two children are fighting over blocks, and someone loses a tooth and can't find it on the tiled floor.  Oh, and remember that you don't have a full-time assistant in your room because there's no funding for that.  Better get moving! 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet place in the room where children can go and listen to a story?  Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet place in the room where YOU could go and listen to a story?  ;-)  (Haha.)

Doesn't that look like a nice one? 
(Note: That's not my classroom!)

Storytelling podcasts are great for children who need to hear fluency in a reader's voice.  They're also wonderful to give children as an independent activity after a little guidance and modeling.  You could have a podcast loaded onto your computer with a specific book related to the unit you're teaching.  This could be both valuable and meaningful to students.  Even some parents have jumped on board and started downloading podcasts from iTunes to put on their iPods for their children on long car trips.  People are being more and more creative when it comes to making podcasts and there are many out there that are engaging and educational (LeMoult, 2006). 

Here are some podcasts created based on children's books.  Some of these podcasts were actually created by children.  Imagine the possibilites!  :-) 

This link will take you to some poetry podcasts for kids...

Scholastic has a list of 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids.  Check them out! 

Try here or here or here!

Seriously, there are all kinds of podcasts out there.  You just have to do a little searching for what you're looking for.  The other option is to create your own podcasts.  Yep, we're back to that.  While there are many storytelling podcasts out there, you could also use a podcast to update parents, give tips or suggestions about how they can work with their children at home, or even visit the library. 

I've made four different podcasts.  Two were storytelling podcasts with discussion questions that parents could use with their children based on two of my favorite children's books ever:

and

The other two were a little more informative.  One was actually me talking about how parents should visit the library with their children and the other was a lovely rendition of some "Months of the Year" songs.  Fun times!  As I said, I think I sound ridiculous in all of them... but I'm sure my students will love them.  :-)

If you decide to make your own podcast, you'll need a program called Audacity (or something like it).  There may be other similar programs out there, but Audacity is the one I have on my computer.  It's actually easy to use once you start playing around with it.  Here's a link to a tutorial just in case you need it! 

Happy Podcasting! 

The Listening Center

Okay, back to something easy... well, easier.  I'm hoping that if you're in an early childhood classroom you already have a listening center of some sort in your room.  Listening centers are wonderful!  Mine looks a little something like this...


What a lovely Lakeshore Listening Table!

I think Lakeshore fully furnished my classroom when my school made the switch over to full-day kindergarten six years ago.  This is a fantastic table that eight children can sit around semi-comfortably.  I have to say that the children in the picture look way more comfortable than the children in my class have ever looked!  My kids like to squish in around the table and share books. 

Hey, at least they seem to enjoy it! 

If you don't have a listening center, you should definitely consider investing in one for your students (or finding someone else to invest in one for you).  You don't have to have a fancy schmancy table, either.  You could have a couple pairs of headphones attached to a cassette player in a quiet place.  Children love listening to stories and it's great for them to be able to follow along with the words, hear the speaker's fluency, tone, and even sound effects (Neuman, 2011).  A fifth grade teacher in Michigan decided that it would be beneficial for her students who were struggling to read to start utilizing audio books.  By April of that year, half of her struggling students were up to par with the grade level expectations (Rubenstein, 2006).  Listening skills can really make a difference when it comes to reading. 

In the beginning of the year, we read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn and it's nice for the children to be able to go to our listening center and listen to a familiar book.  I didn't have this particular book on tape, so instead of buying it, I recorded myself reading the book on a blank tape!  I think I sound ridiculous, but the kids love it.  :-) 


I also have a Chester raccoon puppet that the children can snuggle and hug while they are listening to the story.  This becomes a comfort to them, especially in the first few weeks of school.  Later on, as we read other Chester stories, they usually like to act them out in Dramatic Play. 

I love puppets.  

Anyway, back to the listening center...

I didn't realize how behind the times I was until I saw this:

Listening Center with iPod!

I mean, I only have a cassette player.  Then of course there are CD players, but I feel like even those are becoming obsolete!  It's amazing what's out there.  Using an iPod for a listening center is really ingenius.  You can download all kinds of books from the public library, as well as iTunes, which can give you great options when deciding how to set up your listening center.  They are also teeny and can hold TONS of songs.  You could pop the iPod into your listening station for the children to listen to an audio book and then plug it into your computer to do a transition song.  Very important in early childhood. 

Here's a site that has some great tips and suggestions about setting up a listening center, what materials to use, how to assess children's work, and even rules and expectations. 

If you don't have any way of getting a listening center into your classroom, but you do have access to computers... you'll need to know more about podcasts.  I guess you know what my next blog will be about!  I hope you're excited!!!  :-D

Digital Storytelling

Happy Monday!  :-)

We're going to take a little jump into technology that may be out of your comfort zone... but don't worry, it will be worth it!  You trust me, right? 

I think my favorite thing that I've learned in my graduate technology class is how to create a digital story.  Digital stories are like little movies, usually about two to four minutes in length.  Perfect for an engagment activity with young children.  Digital stories "combine narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie with a strong emotional component" (Educause Learning Initiative, 2007).  Over the course of my graduate career, I created two personal digital stories and two for use in my kindergarten classroom. 

The personal narratives were a wonderful hook for me to play around with and learn about Windows Movie Maker.  Most people actually have this program on their computers and don't know it's there!  I used to be one of them... and therefore encourage you to explore it!  I created a digital story about my wedding and then another to show my chocolate building skills. 

Pretty nice, huh? 

Just think about how YOU could bring digital storytelling into the classroom.  Students could research a topic, find/take pictures, record themselves, add music, and present their work in one fell swoop.  What an exciting way to learn about something!  Granted, younger children wouldn't be able to do this independently.  You'll have to look at your particular group of students and decide how much guidance and modeling you would need to provide. 

Some teachers of children with disabilities have been experimenting with digital stories as a means of embedding social stories and skills into the curriculum, based on the individual needs of students (More, 2008).  While digital stories can be beneficial for children to watch, and even create, teachers must educate themselves on how to create and use them first.  Many early childhood educators who are learning to use technology have been dubbed "digital immigrants", and are often resistant to using technology in their classrooms (Donahue, 2010).  Are you a digital immigrant or a digital native?

I recently showed my kindergarteners the insect movie I created in my grad class.  They responded with "Oooooh!" and "You made a movie?" and "Can we make one!?"  :-)  

So, last week we started brainstorming to choose an idea for our movie.  The kids came up with some great ideas including Animals, How to Help the Earth, Colors, and a movie about our school.  After voting, they decided they wanted to make a movie called "Animals".  They each chose a different animal that they wanted to tell about and then they wrote in their journals about their animals.  I've never seen them so focused on their writing!  We are currently in the process of finding/drawing/taking pictures of the animals.  Most of the children have already recorded the sentences they wrote in their journals about the animals.  The next steps will be to put it into Windows Movie Maker, add music, and edit it.  I'm thinking I might do this on my computer and let the children help decide what effects to use.  Again, this is our first effort undertaking a project like this... but the response and motivation from the children has been fantastic. 

Some of the kids are already planning what they want to put into our next movie.  I think we'll wait and see how the first one goes...

Maybe the best thing about digital storytelling is that the stories can be about anything you want.  Here are some examples I found, but you are only limited by your creativity!  How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.  The Atypical Animal ABCs.  Science Projects. 

What do you think about digital storytelling?  What would you create a digital story about?

iPads

I have to be honest and tell you that I know next to nothing about iPads.  I know they have apps.  They are about $499.  I know they have touch-screens.  They have colorful covers!  Yep.  That's about it. 

A rainbow of iPads!

Well, apparently a school district in Maine is planning to pilot a program where they give iPads to kindergarteners this month.  Here's another article about it.  This site has videos to explain the plan in Auburn.  Of course you're going to have people who think this is crazy.  Then you'll have people like this and like this who think iPads could be beneficial for kindergarten students.

I'm not sure what I think about this.  To be honest, I've never really thought about it.  As an early childhood educator, I know that hands-on, meaningful experiences keep children engaged and excited about learning.  If these iPads are added to the curriculum, how will teachers decide their appropriate use?  I'll be interested to see if the pilot program actually makes a difference with children's literacy skills. 

What do you think?  Have you used iPads with your students?  What do you think about iPads in kindergarten?

Blogs :-)

So, I'm interested in blogs.  Have you noticed? 

Below is a PowerPoint presentation I did about the use of blogs in early childhood.  It's short! 

In my humble opinion, I don't think that blogs would be very effective for use with kindergarteners.  I do think that blogs can be fabulous for professional growth and development of early childhood educators.  I mean, what's the purpose of this blog again?  Oh yeah.

Below are the links shown on that last slide.  While I figured out (with my hubby's help) how to get my PowerPoint slides into this blog, I could not figure out how to get the links to remain unbroken.  Feel free to explore!

50 Great Early Childhood Blogs

Preschool Daze

Room to Grow: Making Early Childhood Count!

Topics in Early Childhood Education

7 Things You Should Know About Blogs

My Cooking Blog  :-)  (...yes, it's a shameless plug.  If you like to cook, check it out!) 

Don't forget to check out the blogs on "My Blog List" to the right ----> 

Interactive PowerPoints

Assuming you have student computers in your classroom... you can definitely use Interactive PowerPoints.  What is an Interactive PowerPoint, you ask? 

I'm so glad you asked!

You probably already know about PowerPoint presentations.  It's pretty much impossible to get through college without having to make at least one.  I have made many!  If you've never made one... well, I find that hard to believe.  Go here if you don't know what a PowerPoint is *shakes head*.  Just for fun, I once made a presentation using Prezi... it's another program you can use to present information, but you can imbed YouTube videos and make the screen swirl around as you move from point to point.  Check it out! 

Back to Interactive PowerPoints.  Basically, these are games that you can create using a PowerPoint program.  Here is one tutorial about how to make them and here's another.  Here are step-by-step written instructions on how to make one. 

A screen shot of a math game.

Interactive technology like this can provide children with chances to explore and visualize tricky concepts, learn by doing, and interact with other children involved in the same activity (Van Scoter, Ellis, & Railsback, 2001).  You can also provide lessons that are multidisciplinary in nature, leading to endless possibilities.  For instance, literature can be combined with art and writing through PowerPoint to create real connections for a child.  Some college programs are now trying to link these subject areas with technology to better prepare pre-service early childhood educators (Toren, Maiselman, & Inbar, 2008).  What a great idea!  ;-)

I've created some of my own Interactive PowerPoints to go with specific units like baby animals, colors, and sound identification.  If you have the time to do this, I really recommend tailoring your games to your units and students' needs.  For younger children, you might decide to add sound bytes so that they can click to hear words being read.  If you have children who can read already, you might add some new vocabulary to make the game a little tougher.  While this can be valuable, you may just not have time for all of that.  There are also plenty of websites that have free ones for teacher use.  Click here and here to see two examples!  There are tons of free resources out there, you just have to find them... and review them before using them with your students. 

If you're feeling pretty good about your Interactive PowerPoint skills, why not have your students create one for their classmates?  With a little guidance, they could create questions, record their voices, find pictures, and get excited about their own learning. 

Happy PowerPoint-ing!  :-)

Computers

Let's start with something easy.  Raise your hand if you have a computer in your classroom! 

In my classroom, I have four.  I have a computer on my desk that I use for lesson planning, emailing, scheduling conferences with parents, creating letters and newsletters, making sub plans (ugh!), researching questions I don't know how to answer (i.e. "What do jellyfish eat?" or "What does a marmoset look like?"), ordering Scholastic books, etc.  The list really does go on and on.

Yes, that is a marmoset!

I also have two student computers that were provided by my school and one that was donated by a friend.  The student computers are mostly used during our center time, but are occasionally used at other times of the day like inside recess or for connecting to Safari Montage during lessons.  On these computers, I often change what I have available.  There are a plethora of wonderful, kid-friendly websites out there like Starfall, BrainPOP, PBS Kids, and Sesame Street!  With a little guidance, these can be easily navigated by young children.  I also have some interactive powerpoints sort of like this that I created to go along with the units I teach my students throughout the year.  These can be extremely valuable to see what children are comprehending and able to apply. 

According to Toren, Maiselman, and Inbar (2008), one problem with computers is that "they will take the place of creativity and play in kindergarten," (p.328).  However, computers have also been found to improve student achievement when used as a scaffold to acquire specific knowledge and skills (Espinosa, Laffey, Whittaker, & Sheng, 2006).  This argument brings us back to the idea that teachers must know how to use computers appropriately.  Educators who know how to provide authentic, meaningul experiences through the computer can actually create more social interaction and communication opportunities because of the intrinsic motivation that is often connected with learning via the computer (Valdez, 2005).  Rosen and Jaruszewicz (2009) said, "we should think about the use of computers in the same way that we view finger paints, blocks, beads, and other materials commonly found in early childhood settings" (p. 167).  I like that.

So here are a few suggestions for having students use computers appropriately:

1.  Always explore websites before students use them!
2.  Model and provide guidance for students before having them use the computers on their own.  Some children may not know how to use a mouse or where the monitor button is on the computer! 
3.  Place a timer nearby that children can wind up themselves.  Sharing and being respectful of others on the computers can be an important lesson.
4.  Allow children to talk to each other while they are working at the computers.  This can provide social interaction, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills (depending on what they are doing!). 
5.  Provide meaningful games and activities for computer time.

Do you have any thoughts or ideas about how to use computers in the classroom?

Hello blogosphere!

If you've stumbled upon this education blog, I plan on giving you a little synopsis of its purpose...  A little background first.  You should know that I'm a kindergarten teacher who has many ideas for her classroom (don't we all?).  Some that work and some that don't.  This will be a place for me to reflect on my practices.  Reflection is good.  I think we could all use a little more reflection in our lives.  Secondly, I think you should know that I'm a graduate student who has developed a strong interest in using current technologies.  I'm sad that my classroom is not as technologically prepared to do so as some.  This blog will also be a place for me to describe technology I'm interested in and how it could be connected successfully to early childhood.  You probably already know that many people feel strongly that early childhood education and technology do not mix. 

I am not one of those people. 

If you are one of those people, I hope that you will reconsider and try to learn more about how you could bring technology into your classroom.  Our students are savvy "digital natives" and could teach most of us a thing or two about technology.  I do believe that there is a place and time for technology in the early childhood classroom and that it must be introduced and used appropriately. 

There lies the question... how do early childhood educators know what's appropriate for their students? 

I hope you'll read and reflect along with me to find out!  :-)