3:10 ALREADY?

Today was a whirlwind of conversations. I had the opportunity to meet with Raji and Kathy, our Kindergarten team. Unscheduled tech time gives us the opportunity to work together to create learning experiences for the children that will use tech as a way to enhance their teaching goals as well in a developmentally appropriate fashion. This summer we are purchasing ten digital cameras for Kindergarten to share between the two classes. The teachers are going to use the cameras to help create curricular moments. We discussed what developmentally appropriate technology looks like in the kindergarten setting. At this age children need to see teachers model technology as a tool. We are reaching out to other kindergarten classes in the hopes of making connections beyond the walls of AFS. Sharing videos that allow students to see in action a particular concept or event is another way computers can be used in the Kindergarten Class. Do teachers need to have a computer in the classroom for students to use? It is my preference that the teachers use the Mac laptops when they decide to use computers with students. Macs have a fairly intuitive interface. The icons on the dock make it easier for nonreaders to identify programs. When a student works on a technology focused project, such as creating nametags we are going to ask the third grade partners to work with them. This way the children will have one to one support and the third graders can strengthen their present knowledge.
I also had the opportunity to work with the fourth grade. We discussed the need to kick off word processing early in the year. The hope is that we will begin with the fourth and fifth grades and work our way back. As I stated in an earlier post, we are also going to implement a unit on digital safety, citizenship and footprint. It is important that we begin this conversation early in the year and then continually come back to the various topics it encompasses. We are hoping to have the fourth and fifth grade create public service announcements, quick one-minute message we intend to share with sixth and seventh grade. The Middle School students will view them to see if the message is clear. Feedback will be given back to the fourth and fifth graders. The duel purpose of this is to spark conversations throughout the year as well as work on media literacy skills including creating and interpreting content.
As I come to the final days of my structured time for this fellowship I am ever aware of how much work is still ahead. I have opened several strands and feel that there are areas that need deeper exploration. I always understood that this would not be a three-week process, but more like a three-week beginning. I will continue to work on this throughout the year and look forward to hearing from more voices as the summer comes to an end.