Week 1: Integrating Tech Into Education

Hello!  Let's start with an introduction.

My name is Lee, but some people call me Catherine.  When I came back to college in the fall of 2015, I was registered as Catherine because that's my first name.  I decided that Catherine was my academic alter ego, but as I move through school, I realize it's not really an "alter."  It's me, Lee, and it always has been.

I am setting up this blog as a requirement for a class called Integrating Tech Into Education, but having a blog is a goal of mine once I become a full time teacher, so I might as well start today.
The purpose of the blog at this point is to post substantive reflections about our field experiences with using technology to teach a lesson to real students.

My group has been placed in the Child Development Center on MSU's campus.  The students we work with range in ages from 3-6 years old.  Our first meeting was Friday May 8th.  Because we are taking this course during the summer and because we are in a year-round child care center, we aren't really engaging in an ASP (After School Program) like we might be during the school year.  MSU's CDC is quite flexible with our meeting times as long as we come well before or after nap time.  We met with the coordinator, Miranda Kacer, on Friday.  She showed us the classroom and told us about past pre-service teachers who taught.  The vision they have in mind is pretty open to any age appropriate learning we bring.    Kids this age are excited to explore and want to touch everything, so we intend to show them how fun technology can be for learning, playing, being silly, and being physically active.  

There are  many adults and MSU students who visit the CDC.  While we were there a woman was playing a recorder (flute) for the children.  They sang another song using sign language.  It looked like they had a colorful science experiment happening in the window sills.  I sensed that the classroom culture emphasizes diversity, creation, and exploration.  They have one Mac computer and 2 iPads for our use, however Miranda did mention that some parents are cautious about not over-exposing their children to technology.  For that reason she suggested we not spend more than an hour at a time more than two times a week.  Given the ages of the students, an hour at a time is about the max of their attention span anyway.  I appreciated her concern for honoring the wishes of the parents.  Miranda pointed out some differentiation needs.  One student is hearing impaired and another (maybe two others) speaks English as a second language.  I am not sure what the reading level is for the hearing impaired student or if he has an aide.  Our first lesson, which we will give today, is teaching shapes and colors in Spanish.  The topic should work well for all students, though ongoing differentiation may be a challenge.

I expect to enjoy my time working with these kids and to challenge my nervousness about going into an unfamiliar environment with a plan that we must execute.  I'm not real nervous about it, but I want this to be a good experience for the children first and foremost, and to do that, I must be on my A-game.  I have 2 children that are the same age as the kids I will teach today, so I am excited to see how the kids at the CDC respond for ideas toward introducing my own kids to technology beyond the television.

More later...