Tool 11 Reflection

My favorite tools are digital storytelling, Jing, and Apps. I am planning on developing a Jing so that I can teach the children how to use the computer. I think that my learning has transformed because I was able to make connections between the new information with that which I already know - like making connections between Power Point and Photo Story. I think while teaching digital citizenship, the children will also be able to explore apps on the iTouch allowing for individualized instruction. I was not expecting to feel so comfortable so quickly. The tools that we were introduced to were user friendly but also allowed for free exploration - like when I had trouble embedding the You Tube video into my blog. I can't wait to incorporate my new knowledge into my lessons!

Tool 11

Digital Citizenship is such an important concept to teach - especially with the younger children. In much the same way that we teach them that only one child can speak at a time or that we put our feet under the table when we eat, digital citizenship is another way that we need to introduce and hold the children accountable for their actions. In Cool Cat Teacher's blog regarding digital citizenship, one comment stated"At the upper level, kids need to be taught HOW to access credible sources...via data bases, advanced google searches and other good search strategies. If we don't, they will continue to go to the first sources available. " I think it is important to recognize that even young children need to understand that simply because something is on the Internet doesn't make it true. My class worked a lot last year to research topics on the Internet regarding projects that we were studying. We went through the whole procedure regarding google and wonder wheel. Even young children can be introduced to the concept of reputable sources. While I wasn't able to find it myself, I also liked what Tracey mentioned in Trog to Blog about THINK.

I think that the way to get across the ideas of digital citizenship with young children is to talk your way through it. Just as we talk out loud when modeling how to write or how to read like a writer, I think that it is important to research online with the children and discuss why a site is reputable or not - even questioning information found on one site and checking it with another. At our level, children need to consume much before we could ever expect them to apply what they know. The most important thing I can do is provide a solid framework for the children to build other knowledge.

Tool 10

I am very excited to try out the iTouches - especially since I have found apps that I can use both personally and professionally. I am most intrigued by the audio book apps that are available. I am also interested in the following apps...
"Touch Physics--($2.99) or Touch Physics Lite (free)-- great for students to problem solve how to get the ball to roll over the star."
iRec voice recorder. This would be great to record the children reading books for the first time. They could be sent home so parents could hear them reading. It could also be used to have one student read to another student - like a traditional book on tape - but the listener would know the reader. It could also be synced with iTunes and would give a time and date stamp to the child's reading progress. How exciting!
RunningRecs - could be a great way to keep electronic running records of each child to track reading progress.
I See Ewe - $0.99 - This one is supposed to be a great way to introduce new vocabulary to preschool children in English or Spanish. Said to have great visuals and positive reinforcement.
Bejeweled is a great problem solving app. The goal is to move the jewels to a place where you have three or more in a row and then they will disappear. Extra points are given for speed and number of jewels.
I wonder if there is an app that allows children to vote and compile the votes.
How great would it be if we could compile a list of apps that we use in the classroom and give it to the parents of our school? If they had iPhones, they could load the same apps and have access to great apps for their children!
I can't wait!!!

Tool 9

Jing sounds so exciting! It would be a great tool to use when you have a group of children learning to use the computer. I think I will have to try to set something up regarding how to start using the computers. Each year, we give the same lesson to small groups about how to use the computer. I think it would be a great too, especially knowing in advance that we will have netbooks in the room. How exciting! I am definitely planning on setting something up for the children to use this fall! I have used Skype before and love it as a tool. I've even conference called on it and spoken to someone in Costa Rica and Slovakia from Houston! The only problem is that you lose video when you conference call, but it is still an incredible tool to use. In our room, it would be great to use if a child was out of the room for a long time. It would have been good to use when I was on bedrest several years ago.

Tool 8

I figured out how to embed! This tool is one I am most comfortable because I have used videos in the past to enhance knowledge. I am using Bill Martin Jr. reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear because we start the year with that story. I enjoy showing the children the author reading his story. They LOVE it!



This one I found when reviewing Sesame Street videos. It's a fun way to count and see a demonstration of 1:1.

Tool 7

Photo Story is very user friendly - especially when you equate it to a Power Point Presentation. I typically make one for Open House so that the parents can see their child working in class throughout the year. I could definitely use them interchangeably. I think that it could also be very useful for the children to document a project that they had worked on as a way to conclude the project. In Pre-K, that would require a bit of scaffolding, but I think that they would really enjoy seeing their work on the overhead tv's in our rooms! I made a Photo Story of the children working in my room - as if it were the presentation for their parents - but like many other blogs I have read, I am having trouble uploading. I am going to move on to the next tool and keep trying.

Tool 6

I've used Wikipedia before, but I have not had experience using wiki's in any other way. I think we could use it for peer collaboration and projects we worked on as a team. I think it would be a good way to document a project that we were studying and ask and answer questions as we researched the project. I need to continue to develop my knowledge of Wiki's to find how else to apply them best with the children in our classes.

Tool 5

I liked the social networking a lot. I joined Diigo and it was very easy to navigate. I had some trouble early on, but I figured it out. I used the tag early literacy to find Literacy Lesson Center and online games for kids and got KidZui. I was disappointed with Kidzui though. I spent some time getting it downloaded only to have to completely set up an account. I am not sure that is what I was looking for. I also found some great videos in the process that I think will come up in Tool 8 using the tag audio books like Brown Bear read by Bill Martin Jr. or songs for kids which gave me some of my most memorable childhood memories of Sesame Street kids songs like Dee, Dee, Dee.

Tool 4

Well, I definitely have a lot to learn about Google tools. I have used Google earth before, but these other things are new to me. I think that these tools could be a great resource to save time. I will need some more exposure to see how they will help me the best, but I am excited to try!

Tool 3

I was very impressed how easy it was to use these tools! I expected a lot more trouble. I can't wait to explore these tools some more to find highly effective ways to use them in the Pre-K setting - perhaps it would work to have the children chose an "avitar" that they could use when we graph and they are marking their selection. I think that the book making feature would be a fantastic tool to use with the children in my class. It would be a great resource to show children that they can be an author and illustrator even if they don't like their drawings. I think in older grades, some of the features could be used as word searches or as team emblems. The more I practice, the more confident I become in the process!

Tool 2

1) I think it would be great to build an online education community and participate in a PLN. As educators, time - or lack there of - is the number one greatest enemy. An online community allows you to interact with your peers as a collective - like sitting with friends over lunch - without trying to arrange with one another's schedules. It has the potential to learn from the successes and mistakes of others to be a more successful educator. One of the fears that I have is that with online communities, your audience does not know how you are trying to deliver your message, so I am concerned that something I write may not come across as I had intended. But part of this experience is putting yourself out there and allowing yourself to be vulnerable to learn more. I am banking on the idea that the process of the experience will be just as valuable as the final product of knowledge I will acquire, so I am ready to try. Good luck to all!

2) Several things stood out to me regarding commenting advice from this tool. The first thing that I thought of is that it is easy to say something harsh quickly and words sting - as mentioned by cool cat. Part of this experience is just putting ourselves out there. The other thing that stood out to be was that children need to be educated on commenting safely, ethically and effectively. These are learned skills - just as we teach our children social etiquette - and our job as educators in a technological era requires us to expose children to appropriate online and offline behaviors.

3)Blogs I posted on -
Trog to Blog
PucheC
Suerth's Summer blog
Fairy Principal
The Little Blogger That Could
Blog It!

Tool #1

I think that blogs would be a great way to allow parents to see news from our room in real time. If dates changed - say for class photos - I could post that information and parents would have up to date knowledge of our room. I could also use it as a way to show parents what is happening as it is happening instead of waiting to hear from our newsletter. If I posted my newsletter, I would not have to worry if parents received the paper or not. If they had internet access, they would have instant access to class notes.

I struggled a bit connecting my Voki to my blog. I was able to figure it out, but it was not a quick process. It makes me a bit hesitant to change my avatar - but perhaps it will go faster a second time.