Technology is inseparable with education including early childhood education. With the use of technology such as laptops, pre-literacy and pre-numeracy lessons are more fun, active, and engaging for the children as it creates different ambience and promotes active learning in the classroom as well as home setting.
A blog full of interesting resources and great links. There is a series of rather useful videos that teach parts of speech in a fun and catchy way that ill engage learners.
A blog full of interesting resources and great links. There is a series of rather useful videos that teach parts of speech in a fun and catchy way that ill engage learners.
We are lucky to be learning how to integrate technology into our pedagogy NOW. If I had done a teaching degree when I first left school I would probably be a very different teacher.
We have understood for a long time that expert teachers are those who can bring together their deep knowledge of subject matter with profound understanding of what is good for learning. The combination has been described as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and is more than the simple addition of two parts. The fusion is what enabled expert 20th century teachers to transform subject content and represent it in ways that made it accessible to individual learners in their specific contexts.
Agreed, in addition I find the last part of the paragraph insightful. The expert teacher transforms subject content and makes it accessible to individual learners. The idea that the teacher uses their content knowledge and their pedagogic knowledge to integrate technology in such a manner that it transforms content so as to meet individual needs. I find this conceptual picture of an expert teacher very inspirational.
Faeza, your comment about transforming content to meet individual needs struck a cord with me. Thanks.
We have understood for a long time that expert teachers are those who can bring together their deep knowledge of subject matter with profound understanding of what is good for learning. The combination has been described as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and is more than the simple addition of two parts. The fusion is what enabled expert 20th century teachers to transform subject content and represent it in ways that made it accessible to individual learners in their specific contexts.
In each case, the expert teacher needs to make creative links between what is being learned (content), how it is taught (pedagogy), and the appropriate tools (technology).
Absolutely, this is the crux of what we should be doing as educators - not just trying to make it fun, but fulfil the curricula requirements in such a way that it is engaging and meets standards.
I also think that this underpins exactly what we need to do as teacher, to be able to create engaging and interactive lessons that not only meet the criteria of the curricular but are interesting and useful for the students using methods that excite and engage.
The last part of this statement,to me, means constructing knowledge by building on learning that has already taken place- using engaging and age appropriate tools.
I find the idea of finding an appropriate tool for the task to be crucial. An appropriate tool will engage and enhance the learning experience, an inappropriate tool could lead to negative experiences and negative attitudes towards technology.
Yes, this is exactly what educators today need to do! However, I think it's going to be a challenging one. It needs experiences and effort to make this happens in our teaching.
I think the Possum Magic Video demonstrates a creative use of technology that makes learning engaging and fun for students and teachers!
In each case, the expert teacher needs to make creative links between what is being learned (content), how it is taught (pedagogy), and the appropriate tools (technology)
ICT is also transforming pedagogy by providing new ways to engage learners.
To me, this suggests that while ICT continues to transform, the current teachers and up-coming teachers such as ourselves have to modify our teaching pedagogy to incorporate these ICT's to engage the students and get them excited to learn through integrating the 'new' technology devices
ICT I feel it the way of the future, technology is always evolving and change and we must do the same. If this means changing the way in which we educate the students then that is what we must do. I am learning so many new things with this course and feel that Im beginging to learn new ways in which I can enrich the students learning.
This is such a powerful statement and really cements the importance of integrating ICT's into our teaching and learning. It is the way forward for engaging students and enhancing their learning journeys
Engaging learners in new ways, and ways that suit their individual needs, is the heart of what using ITCs to transform teaching and learning is all about.
it has transformed pedagogy by enabling learning to be inclusive
deep knowledge of how ICT can be used to access and process subject matter (TCK) and understanding how ICT can support and enhance learning (TPK) in combination with PCK
Expert teachers/deep knowledge of subject/understanding of what is good learning all sums up what this course and the past courses I have been involved with for the past three years have shown me however there is still alot to learn.
From another Diigo group - this is a suite of fun tools from the BBC for organising ideas and generating new ideas. In Pinball you will find tools for creating mind maps, outlines, and simple slideshows. Pinball also has tools to help you brainstorm and generate new ideas.
Ms Cassidy's blog documents the interesting and valuable learning achievements of her students. Her blog offers a great variety of lesson ideas, including those which involve ICTs such as twitter to communicate with other learners from around the world and enhance the learning experience of all.
Upon researching a 'sharing teacher' - a teacher that is sharing what they do online, I stumbled aimlessly across a weblog entitled Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog. This weblog is from a class of 6 year olds in Canada and not only shares pictures and special activities going on within the classroom, i.e. Pancake Day, but also invaluable ICT resources such as Videos Just For Us and Learning with Twitter. The absolute BEST thing about this weblog though is that the 20 students in the class and actively involved within the ICT. They can comment and add any discussion to the page they like about their learning and the teacher provides an individual page for each student which they are solely responsible for keeping up to date, and posting evidence of their learnings. This is an exceptional idea of incorporating ICT into student learning as well as provide student parents and families an artefact in which they can see exactly their students learning and development.
Kathy Cassidy is a teacher in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is a first grade teacher who uses her blog to share the learning of her students with the world. Within her blog each child has a separate blog where they share heir activities and learning with videos pictures and posts. I have found this excellent as it allows the children to develop ICT skills early in their education and gives the parents and insight of why it is a great way to learn and allows them to see how there children are learning. her blog is always updated with will be great to follow for the rest of the semester and future. i was drawn to Kathy's blog as she teaches in the same context I do and reading her blog I felt like I knew her children and discovered more ideas to incorporate ICT'S into my pedagogy.
It's fun to make the Playdoh balls, but even more fun to smash them with your fist! After working so diligently to help Emmy Barr with her business, the students wondered what she had won in the contest.
I found this blog really interesting as it shows the children are engaged in using ICT in the classroom with their own blogs and videos of their work. It also shows the use of not using ICT with lots of hands on experiences. I think it shows the importance of using both in the classroom depending on what your learning. I will definitely keep a close eye on this blog.
Interesting new tool out of Google. Provides an apparently simple and full featured way to create computer-based learning/tutoring paths. Might be fun to play with at some stage. Questions remain about long term support and the effort required to implement in a classroom setting (accounts for students etc).
"February 1, 2014
Whether you're the parent of a child with a reading disability or an educator that works with learning disabled students on a daily basis, you're undoubtedly always looking for new tools to help these bright young kids meet their potential and work through their disability. While there are numerous technologies out there that can help, perhaps one of the richest is the iPad, which offers dozens of applications designed to meet the needs of learning disabled kids and beginning readers alike. Here, we highlight just a few of the amazing apps out there that can help students with a reading disability improve their skills not only in reading, writing, and spelling, but also get a boost in confidence and learn to see school as a fun, engaging activity, not a struggle.
"
Great apps Amanda!! I'm in the process of teaching my six year old to read and write as she attends an all Chinese kindergarten and is not learning any English. After an eight hour school day she really resists any more work that I try to do with her, which is very frustrating for both of us. She does however LOVE the iPad and I'll be trying some of the kindergarten specific apps mentioned in the article. Hopefully she won't even realise she is learning while playing. When we return to Australia she will be behind in reading (as our main focus for her right now is Mandarin) and will require targeted help.
Very helpful site!! The world is changing and we (as future teachers) should all be exposed to all the various ways that we can engage students in constructing and actively engaging in their own learning. If I was a child with dufficulties in reading I would rather engage with an Ipad rather than any other traditional way of teaching. Again this site is a proof of what a useful tool ICT can be and the positive results it gives when used in the right way.
What learning area/year level you think you might use this.
This is great for maths, being in special ed. there are many students with splinter skills that can move ahead in certain area's. I think this is a great tool to help those student who may be behind keep interested in learning as its interactive and fun.
What it is you like about the flipchart.
I like that its colorful and engaging for students.
Any problems you think it might have.
COST! Very expensive
"One of the major benefits of using technology in the classroom is the ability to
differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every student in every lesson.
Just as every student grows and develops at different rates, they learn in
different ways and at different speeds. Technology makes it possible to pace
lessons appropriately for each student's learning level and can be used to
promote learning in the multiple intelligences.
Below you will find
website suggestions that address the different learning styles in your classroom
with the help of technology:
Verbal-Linguistic
These learners enjoy
learning through speaking, writing, reading, and listening. In the classroom
setting these students shine when given tasks such as taking notes, researching,
listening, reading for information, and writing. Websites to encourage learning
for Verbal-Linguistic students: 1. http://wordle.net Allow students to express
themselves creatively with words
2. http://ed.voicethread.com Capture
student voices with audio, text,
pictures
, and video
3. http://zoho.com- A free
online
word processor, and presentation tool
4.
http://gcast.com- Students can podcast (voice recording) online.
5.
http://kerpoof.com - Students can create stories or mini-
movies
6. http://www2.shidonni.com- Students create
animated stories
7. http://tickatok.com Students can create stories and
turn them into a book
8. http://pbskids.org/wordworld A world where words
come alive
9. http://readwritethink.org 52 interactive activities related
to reading, writing, and speaking
10. http://speakaboos.com Students can
read stories online, record their own story and play literacy
games
Logical-Mathematical
These learners love numbers, reasoning, and
problem solving. These students enjoy measuring, calculating, and organizing
data. In the classroom students will shine when given tasks such as collecting
data, conducting experiments, solving proble
A cool selection of IWB resources for early childhood classrooms. I checked out Fuzzy Lion Ears & it's fun and fits nicely with the curriculum too (always a good start!).
The Blog of a teacher, childcare worker and mother of 6. A mixture between DIY activities, fun projects, art ideas and photography. Very crafty, very colourful, very cool!!