My Final Reflection on TPTE

At the beginning of the semester, I was somewhat concerned about all of the projects we would have to complete, as I do not consider myself a particularly knowledgeable person when it comes to technology. However, as the semester comes to an end, I really value all of the learning opportunities and experiences that I have had in TPTE. I not only learned how to create digital stories, digital diagrams, and flip charts to use for interactive whiteboards, I learned how to create them to be developmentally appropriate for the children I will be working with in the future. All of these projects have opened my eyes to the possibilities of how I can incorporate technology into my future classroom to get my students excited about learning. My favorite thing that I developed over the semester was my classroom website. Before, I had not considered making a website for my future classroom. Now, I have a better appreciation of how a classroom website could be a valuable resource for communicating with my future students and their families, as well as sharing all of the important work we will be doing in our classroom. I think this class has taught me more about problem solving, persistence, and patience when it comes to completing tasks that I am not familiar or comfortable with. When it comes to technology, I usually get frustrated with things that are difficult, or I avoid doing those things altogether. I certainly never try to utilize technology in new ways; I stick to what I know how to do. Working through the various projects throughout the semester has challenged me in many ways, which has forced me to find strategies to help myself successfully complete each task. Overall, I am very proud of the work I have completed and am glad for the multiple ways this class has forced me out of my comfort zone.

Critique of U of Houston Digital Storytelling Website

The University of Houston Digital Storytelling Website is an extremely informative and helpful resource for learning about digital storytelling. The website is very well-organized, with many broad categories of information and further subcategories that provide in-depth explanations. There is a quote included at the top of each of the broad categories that corresponds to the information that category presents. The website provides information on what digital storytelling is, as well as its educational uses, which is important for educators to help them learn more about how they can incorporate digital storytelling in their classrooms. The website also discusses the seven elements of digital storytelling, which breaks down each component and provides a springboard for those who may be new to creating digital stories. There is also an overview of the 21st century literacy skills that digital storytelling helps to promote, as well as a list of helpful resources.

I found the “How To” section of the website to be particularly informative, especially for those who are new to digital storytelling. This section identifies the eight steps to great digital storytelling and provides a graphic, along with a link to a blog that describes each step in greater depth. Also within the “How To” section, there was a wealth of information and tips on how to write a script, create storyboards, create photo collages, record and edit digital audio, and find and download royalty-free music. These subcategories were all helpful, as each component can be incorporated when developing and creating a digital story. Lastly, the website provided numerous examples of digital stories which were organized by their specific category, which included pop culture, art, music, and many others. Overall, the website is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and is a wonderful resource. It provides a comprehensive overview and detailed explanations for all aspects of digital storytelling.

Introduction to Interactive White Boards

After reading the first chapter about interactive whiteboards, I now have a better understanding of the purpose of IWBs, the multiple ways they can be effectively utilized in the classroom, and the positive benefits they can provide. Before, I only had a limited understanding of how IWBs could be used and how they could be beneficial. Now I know that IWBs can be a key way to facilitate students' interaction and engagement with the course material and with their peers in the classroom. I now also know that there are many strategies when using IWBs that can have positive effects for students, which includes providing feedback activated by touch, using pictures and video, dragging and dropping information, and so on. Some of the educational benefits of using IWBs that I am now aware of include active learning, classroom management, lesson organization, and so on. I also appreciated reading a little bit about the different websites that provide resources and information when using IWBs, such as Promethean Planet. During the chapter, I also learned about the importance of using IWBs in addition to sound classroom practices in order for students to reap the educational benefits of the technology.If you are not implementing effective teaching strategies, then utilizing IWBs will not be beneficial to students. Therefore, it is important to implement sound, research-based teaching strategies and classroom practices, as well as having ongoing training in how to best utilize IWBs in the classroom. It was also helpful to read about some of the research that has been done regarding the use of IWBs, particularly which features have been linked to student achievement like student response systems, graphics and videos, and reinforcer properties. This was helpful to know when thinking about which features to emphasize and utilize the most when using IWBs with the students in my future classroom.

Midpoint Check-In

First of all, I cannot believe that this semester and this course are halfway over. I feel that I have learned a lot about technology in a short amount of time. At the beginning of the semester, I was not looking forward to working extensively with a Mac because I have always been a PC user. However, it has not been too challenging and I am glad that I have become more familiar with using a Mac. As far as my course expectations, a lot of them have already been met. I wanted to learn about ways to use technology to connect with children and families in my future classroom to help cultivate a sense of community. Thus far, I have learned creating a classroom blog will be a great way to do just that. Also, I wanted to find ways to integrate technology and strategies to make it developmentally appropriate to use with the children in my future classroom. I feel that most of what I have learned so far can be taken and applied to the children I will be working with (the IBA activity, for example). I hope to continue to learn ways to integrate technology into my future classroom, and I am looking forward to learning about the use of interactive white boards.

Wiki Walk-Through

Before this class, I did not have much experience in using wikis, nor did I know much about them. After reading the Wiki Walk-Through, I feel that I learned a lot of valuable and useful information about wikis that I can incorporate into my future classroom. The information presented in the wiki walk-through covered a wide variety of topics related to wikis and was written in a way that even people who do not consider themselves extremely tech savvy (such as myself) could understand. I found that looking through examples of different classrooms and how they are utilizing wikis was interesting. I particularly enjoyed looking at the Mrs. Cassidy's Grade One Classroom Wiki.  In this wiki, the children worked together as a class to create a story on a topic that was of interest to them. Creating the story through the use of a wiki made collaboration between the children a more efficient process and gave them an opportunity to work on emergent writing skills.

Exploring the information in the wiki walk-through also gave me several ideas for the use of a wiki that I had not previously considered.  The part I like most about wikis is that they encourage collaboration and interaction among the individuals who are adding to it. I think as a future early childhood educator, it will be important for me to provide opportunities to the children in my classroom to learn how to work effectively with others, share ideas, and respect one another's work. 

The wiki-walk through also provided a list of things to consider when developing a classroom wiki that I felt were extremely important. I thought the section about informing and involving parents in the use of classroom wikis was one of the most important aspects to consider. In general, most parents want to be actively involved in their child's education and see what they are working on at school. I think the use of wikis is yet another great way for parents to feel connected to their child's classroom. 

Reflection on My Website Evaluation

For the evaluation, I looked at a website called Pre-K Pages. On the website, the author, who is an experienced early childhood educator, shares information and resources for teachers of children from preschool through Kindergarten, such as classroom ideas, activities, printables, and so on.

After completing the website evaluation, I feel that I gained a lot of valuable information. When I normally go to websites for information, I do not do an in-depth look at all of the aspects that contribute to a reputable website, such as the reliability of the author, the publishing body, or the currency and accuracy of the information. Now, I think that I have a better understanding of the many important aspects that make a website a "good" resource or not. I also now realize that it is critical to use reputable websites as a resource, especially if I am going to share that information with others, or use any of the information as the basis for my classroom practices. Overall, I feel that the evaluation sheet was helpful for me to be able to look at each component of the website and evaluate them individually. In the future, I plan to thoroughly evaluate all websites before integrating them into my classroom or sharing information from them with students, parents, or colleagues.

Exploration of a Teacher's Blog and My Thoughts About it

 

Through my exploration of blogs, I found Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog to be the most captivating and interesting. Looking through the various components of the blog made me really excited about the potential ways that I can utilize a blog in my future classroom that I had never considered! Ms. Cassidy uses the blog to share the class's experiences including projects, activities, class trips, and much more. Through the use of photos, videos, and narratives, Ms. Cassidy provides the reader with an in-depth look at her classroom and the dynamic learning experiences she and her students are having. Also, each child has his or her own personal blog that is used to communicate more about themselves and to document his or her learning. The blog also shares a link to the class Twitter account, where the children tweet about what is going on in the class.

The part I loved most about this blog that I would have never thought of incorporating into my future classroom until now was the individual blog of each child. I feel that giving each child his or her own personal blog is a unique opportunity for the children to become familiar with technology and the many ways it can be utilized. It is also a positive way for each child to demonstrate independence and a sense of ownership by making decisions about what he or she would like to share on the blog. Additionally, I really like how the children's blogs have an authentic quality about them because they incorporate the children's attempts at spelling. I also think allowing each child to express him or herself with an individual blog is a great way to build a sense of a community within the classroom because it gives children the chance to share their experiences with peers. Similarly, creating individual blogs for each child grants parents and other family members easy access to what their child is doing in school through the use of videos, photos, and written descriptions, not just a retelling of the day's events from their child.



This is an example of a self-portrait on a child's individual blog.

Overall, I feel that this blog serves as a wonderful resource for teachers because it reflects a unique way to integrate technology into the classroom, as well as provides a way for children to be active participants in the use of technology. Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog also shows that technology can be utilized in the classroom to communicate to others about learning experiences and share ideas. The blog also demonstrates an array of experiences that are useful to incorporate into the classroom such as projects, exploration, and class trips. I think the blog provides an example to teachers that through exposure to technology and many opportunities to utilize it, children can become competent and confident in its use!

Course Expectations

I am a senior Child and Family Studies major in the PreK-K program and I will be obtaining dual licensure to work with children birth through kindergarten with and without special needs. This semester, I am interning in a special needs preschool classroom and a regular pre-k classroom. Next semester I will complete my student teaching in a Kindergarten classroom for 10 weeks and a preschool classroom for 6 weeks before graduating in May. Throughout this semester, I am excited to expand my knowledge about different types of technology and how I can incorporate them into my future classroom. I am looking forward to gaining that new knowledge and making it developmentally appropriate for the children in my future classroom to facilitate their learning. I am also looking forward to learning about how I can use technology to connect with the families of the children in my future classroom and develop a sense of classroom community. The only thing that is more challenging for me in this course thus far is the use of a Mac, however I hope to grow more comfortable with that as the semester progresses.