Currently, I work part time as a teacher assistant at a Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten. I also work with a five year old student with autism in his home.
Technology skills are important in our global age. Not only does technology reach across boarders and span continents in the flash of an electronic second, it will be a major part of most job descriptions across a variety of careers. I intend to integrate technology into all aspects of my classroom. Technology in early childhood education classrooms lends itself well to teaching a variety of cognitive and social skills, for team building during cooperative learning projects, development of higher thinking skills needed for ongoing research and discovery learning experiences. Technology applications in my classroom will be included in all subject areas, including math, reading, social studies and science.
Technology skills are important in our global age. Not only does technology reach across boarders and span continents in the flash of an electronic second, it will be a major part of most job descriptions across a variety of careers. I intend to integrate technology into all aspects of my classroom. Technology in early childhood education classrooms lends itself well to teaching a variety of cognitive and social skills, for team building during cooperative learning projects, development of higher thinking skills needed for ongoing research and discovery learning experiences. Technology applications in my classroom will be included in all subject areas, including math, reading, social studies and science.
A new technology tool I recently learned how to use was the interactive spreadsheet. I created a quiz for teaching basic technology terminology that students could take independently. The quiz provides immediate feedback for students, letting them know if their answer is right or if they need to try again. In a busy classroom this use of excel to provide customized reinforcement for key concepts could be invaluable. The formulas needed to create an interactive spreadsheet seemed much easier than I expected. I would rate this tool with an A- for teachers who want to customize independent practice for their students. The minus is because of the extra time it takes to input the formulas to create an interactive spreadsheet.
Blogs that are protected for privacy of student content and restricted viewers would be an excellent way for students to publish their work. Mainly older students, grades 2 and up, would benefit from blogging. Blogs could be used for student learning journals, posting of artwork, summarizing projects, and a variety of writing assignments. The nice thing about teaching students how to create blog entries is that it would be highly motivating for most students, and parents could go online and see samples of their student's work. The down side would be the time it would take for the teacher to make sure only appropriate content ended up in a student blog. If parents, other students, and other school staff have access to a student blog, it would be a good idea for the teacher to monitor the content before the student published a blog.
Since I work at a Montessori school, I thought it would be fun to include a video about the Montessori Method. Just click on the link below and enjoy.
Thanks!
Leila
Hi Leila,
ReplyDeleteYour blog has great information about using technology in the classroom. I also really like the idea of a class blog!
I also work at a preschool and kindergarten and I love it. The kids are constantly making me laugh. :)
Leila
ReplyDeleteYou are gaining valuable experience in your current job. Its sounds as though you have given a lot of thought as to technology in the classroom. We need great teachers like you continuing to educate our youth. Great jog and keep it up.