For the past ten years I have taught in the field of Early Childhood Education. Working with young children is my passion. Over the years I have learned so much from my students and I enjoy everyday of my job. Not only am I a teacher, but a mom of two young children as well. Again, these little ones have taught me a great deal about children, parenthood, and life in general. Through this blog I hope to share some of the things I have learned, show some of the activities in my classroom, and catalog my journey through a course on Computers in Education. You can join me in my journey on the Tech Adventure page of this blog. Learn about my classroom activities on the Preschool Rocks page. Enjoy!
On my mooring scroll through Facebook, I came across this article. Immediately I was drawn to it from the photo. This blog post from KQED examines the need for students to tinker. This takes the philosophy of learning through play on beyond preschool and kindergarten.
"Dougherty hopes that if students raise their voices, parents demonstrate support and passionate teachers are willing to champion the cause at individual school sites, maker spaces could become a fixture of school. They don’t have to include the fanciest 3D printer, they just have to be spaces for exploration, hands-on learning and a playful attitude towards discovery."
Check out the complete blog post here: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/can-the-maker-movement-infiltrate-mainstream-classrooms/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140705
"Dougherty hopes that if students raise their voices, parents demonstrate support and passionate teachers are willing to champion the cause at individual school sites, maker spaces could become a fixture of school. They don’t have to include the fanciest 3D printer, they just have to be spaces for exploration, hands-on learning and a playful attitude towards discovery."
Check out the complete blog post here: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/can-the-maker-movement-infiltrate-mainstream-classrooms/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140705
Collaboration Breeds Good Ideas
A new school year is upon us, and I am preparing for the start of a new job. As I walk into this new position I am reminded of the importance of collaboration. Working with other educators from many different personal and professional backgrounds, there is a wealth of knowledge and opportunity. This year, the age group teams are going to work together on curriculum planning. This is an amazing way to move from what can be a competitive feel between teachers to a collaborative feel. Sharing ideas and talking out plans helps everyone. This is why I love Pinterest so much. You can search for any topic and hundreds of ideas come up. I really feel like we need to move away from the phrase, "I"m stealing that idea," to "I'm going to try your idea." Stealing makes it sound like this is a protected idea that only one person should have. Education and innovation don't work that way. Ideas grow and develop in an environment built on sharing and collaboration. Steven Johnson's TED talk, "Where Good Ideas Come From," examines the birth of ah-ha moments. I enjoyed this talk because 1) I love coffee, and 2) I enjoy a good discussion with different points of view and ideas flowing. Take a look!