Learning is Messy...a Preschool Blog. (From a Very Tired Preschool Teacher).

 Learning Specialist/Instructional Designer via GIPHY Never did I think that technology would play such a massive role in my teaching.   I have learned more about countless pieces of technology than ever thought I would know.   It is so important that the technology we expose our students too-no matter their age- is safe and cost efficient, is accessible, sustainable, and developmentally appropriate for the age or grade level.   I am proposing a plan to load the pre-purchased Chrome-pads for the preschool department with apps that are exceptional examples of this set of criteria. Simply, I began by reaching out to the technology department.   I started with the tech assigned to my building, Vince Sifuentes.    After discussing the idea and plan with him, he guided me to Jesse Chavez, the support supervisor.   Although Jesse gave me some excellent information, it was not enough.   I pressed further.   I contacted the digital learning coac...

The End...or a New Beginning                                                                                via GIPHY In the beginning... I have to be honest here.  Getting my master's degree-in technology of all things, was NOT my idea.  So I have to thank my friend Kelley Spiro for encouraging me and convincing me that this was the time and technology was the subject.  I also have to admit, that my first experiences with the technology courses were NOT the best in my academic career. This past summer, we took two classes Gaming in Education and Flipped Learning. Although I was excited about the prospects and ideas of the classes-in reality, they were not what I expected. I think when designing education classes in regards to technology, the designers neglect to include the ...

What is a Crayon?  Image: NY Times  Storytelling... Joe Saneflippo's newsletter struck a cord with me when he said, " To desire that connection is human and derived by emotion. We want to hear their story. We look for the story because we want to connect, and the emotion of the stories gives us that connection. The greatest stories in the world are real…and many of them are happening in our schools." Some of my greatest stories have come from my classroom, and one of my favorite stories-which I think is perfect for this generation-happened just a few years ago. It resonates with me to this day, and I think about it every "first day" of school. The Story... Wyatt* was a boy in my preschool class three years ago. On the first days of school, we ask the children to write their name and draw us a picture of anything they'd like.  We offer many writing utensils, and they may choose at random.  I am sitting at a table with Wyatt and two other students.  The two ...

 My Digital Tattoo...the Long and Short of it. My digiral Tattoo was nothing short of shocking.  I started with the obvious first search to start this jounrey-Google.  I used my first and last name in quotes, as instructed.  I was shocked to see that my name had 1,370 results! I never thought I was THAT important!  What Google Knows... Google showed results from Facebook, Linkdin, Twitter and Pinterst. There were a variety of posts-from all of these social media sites-even though I have not touched my Linkdin account for several years.  As I started my search, it reminded me of my digital map assignment from week 3. I had no idea then what an impact my digital presence had on my life-and I had no idea what my digital tattoo would resemble either.   A picture worth a thousand words... What struck me most was the images that came up under this search.  I was taken aback to see a photo of my favorite Aunt-my Aunt Sissy. She died in 2016-and it w...

Web Tools 2.0 Web Tools in preschool? I have always thought of myself as an "old school" type of teacher. My students are the littlest of learners-and they get enough technology in the "ouside" world-so when they enter my classroom, everything is "hands on" and there is very little technology.  Then about two years ago, I was given seven I-pads loaded with "age-appropriate" apps and told that every student would be required ten minutes a week on the device.  Those I-pads did not get much use the first year-and even the second.  The students never seemed to miss technology-so if they didn't need it-then neither did I.  Fast Forward a few years... My students, up until the Pandemic, recieve ten minutes a week-we call it "I-Pad Friday's".  The apps are good extensions of our lessons and core academic material that they need. I now have a SmartBoard in my classroom, which I use every day...and I have discovered that there is a WEALT...

A "Tweet" by Any Other Name... My Twitter History:    I started on Twitter in the fall of 2013 ( @MrsD0523 ) which means I was finishing up my bachelors’ degree.   It was a requirement for one of the final classes I was taking. My Twitter account has been dormant since then-as I do not “tweet”-as I talked about in previous posts-I also do not post a lot on social media (Facebook or Instagram).   This assignment came up and I “blew the dust” off my Twitter account to see what I had been missing! "Blow the Dust Off":  via GIPHY In 2013-I had begun following several organizations that directly impacted my teaching career. Most notably I follow Zero to Three , ECE Consortium , IL Early Learning and NAEYC .    After reviewing my Twitter feed, and wanting to update my “contacts” I now also follow several individuals who have direct connections to my teaching styles or content areas such Jean Feldman , Gerry Brooks and Brandy Roberts.   I  also...