Start Creating

This is Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, notice the highest order thinking skill is creating. How much time do students spend creating while in school? Or are we still teaching them rote skills to remember things? Remembering is not going to get our digital learners very far in the world of change. I try to give my students a fair amount of time to create every day. Here is one way they created yesterday.

This may look like ordinary paint on white paper, and yes that is one way to create. However, my students are digital learners and they are painting on the SMARTboard using a program called ArtRage. No paint shirt required here and no messy paint brushes to clean up! This program allows students to use paint, crayon, or pencil to create. You can choose your medium and color; the rest is up to the imagination. When you choose paint, it looks like paint brush strokes, crayon is textured just as a crayon on paper would appear and so forth. The greatest part about this program is that it allows for color mixing. When the child paints blue and the yellow to paint over the top, it turns green!

We like to give children a real paint brush when they use this program to enhance the experience and increase fine motor skills. However, you can use your hand too, as one student found out yesterday! 

After choosing a paint color, the student began painting with the paint brush and then quite by accident he rested his left hand onto the board. (Too bad the smart board only senses one touch at a time.) He then saw a paint mark on the SMARTboard where he rested his left hand. His eyes got huge as he looked down at his hand as if he had paint on his hand! Too cute! 

Here are a few samples of what we created. What other ways do you see children creating with technology?

Where's Crystal

This past week I had an invitation to the Googleplex in Mountain View California! So, thanks to my school district, I went out there for training. I hope my writing can do justice to what I experienced. As I arrived on the scene I found myself parking in a lot full of cars and Google bikes. Yes, red, yellow, blue and green bikes that are just one perk of the Google employees. The campus is full of bikes for their employees to ride around on as a fast mode of transportation. I walked up to the Googleplex through a sculpture garden, then past their own vegetable garden. They do grow their own food, yet another perk to their employees. FREE FOOD, the campus has 18 cafes and many micro kitchens for their employees to stay fueled for their work day! 

Welcomed by a small group of educators, we were off to our meeting room. We had a full day of training, sharing, and learning with each other. I had a chance to learn from my colleagues as well as the experts themselves at Google. Their work environment speaks to how 21st century learners work. Most of the employees were very young and work for one of the fastest growing companies in the world. Collaboration and communication encompass the work environment of Googlers.

Even though my time at the Googleplex was short, I am still constantly connected to the group of trainers. Now that I am back home I plan to do many trainings on Google Apps for Education in my school district and possibly others. Here are a few photos from my trip! I had a great time!

I'm SMART

Assessments. Enough said, right? Teachers, you know what I'm talking about. We are formally assessing and informally assessing students on a daily basis. This past week I was able to assess my students using the SMART Response clickers that are designed for pre-k students. 

I asked the children what the clickers looked like as an introduction to using them for the first time. Without question, they all said it looked like a T.V remote. All of the students know how to use that (as you know from my previous post-watch t.v.-learn English)! The clickers have several colored buttons each with a different shape on them. The clicker also has a small screen on it that gives feedback in the form of a clapping bunny. Cute for children, right. 

So, I created a lesson to find out if the children were able to identify items that began with the letter T. On the SMARTboard I had a picture of a turtle with a green button next to it, a picture of a dog with a red button next to it. I asked the children which picture began with the letter T sound. They then pushed the red or green button to answer the question. This was a little mini test for them. 

The best part was that I could see when all students had answered the question. The results of the answer were also displayed instantly for me to see in a pie chart form. I was able to see some telling information about my students ability and learning that week. This has been a great tool for me as a teacher to see where my students are at after a week of learning. Watch for more posts about the clickers!

Down on the Farm

When I was a child, my grandparents lived on a farm. I vividly remember waking up there one morning and the smell of cow manure in the air, and yes the rooster crowed very early. As a youngster, I couldn't wait to get up and see what was going on. When I went down stairs, my grandpa was already outside working and I could hear the put put tractor in the pasture, grandma was in the kitchen making homemade bread. The smells and sounds on the farm were indescribable. After breakfast, we would head outside to pick the eggs and see what grandpa was doing. 

These were very real memories of the farm and I am sad to say my grandpa passed away on Saturday. He will be missed but I am thankful for the experiences I had growing up and visiting the farm.

It is a bit reminiscent but we are learning about the farm these next two weeks at school. The children in my class have not had those farm experiences and are just learning the names of farm animals. Yet, I want them to have the experiences and learning of a real farm. I wish I had a video of my grandparents farm to share with them. Since I don't, I am thankful to YouTube. Today my students watched this video about the farm, then played in our pretend farm I have set up in the classroom. The dressed up like cows, ducks, pigs, chickens and even picked eggs.  

How are children going to experience life in the 21st century? 

Pretend play and YouTube videos?

Cette

"Research shows that sign language hastens speech development, reduces frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves before they know how to talk." A 2000 study funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, shows that young children who learn sign language speak sooner than other children (Glairon, 2003). Read more from this article here. 


This year I started to teach my students some basic signs to help them communicate their needs without disrupting the class. Basically I wanted to use the sign language as a classroom strategy to decrease negative behaviors. 


As we sat around the circle the first week of school I showed children some sign language cards and we practiced using them. The words I taught them were, stop, bathroom, wait, more, and thank you. As the first weeks of school came and went one sign the children really remembered was the one for bathroom. 

Now the children don't say, "Cette" the somali word for bathroom or pee. They are using the sign for bathroom and telling me the word bathroom in English. During story time the children just use the sign and therefore are less disruptive to the group and still get their needs met. 

I hope to teach some more sign language to my students...what will be next? 

What is Blue?

Today the children were using digital cameras to explore color in the classroom. Each child was given one camera to use to take a picture of a blue item in our classroom. I did show the children where the button was to push in order to take the picture. Most of the children just picked up the camera and knew exactly how to hold it and where to see the picture displayed afer taking the photo. I really didn't have to show the children how to use the camera they just knew. Digital cameras have been part of their life, it is all they have ever known. How many adults had to read the manual to find out how their camera worked?


As we learn about colors the children begin to identify them in their every day world. Each child found something blue and identified it as blue then took a photo to show they understood the concept of the color blue. Children we able to be creative in their learning each had a unique product as you can see from the slide show!


We are greatful for a grant that funded the purchas of 16 digital cameras and printer for our School Readiness students. This grant was designed with digital learners in mind. We have a ton of great technology avaliable and we wanted to put it in the hands of the students so they can create and share their knowledge in an age appropriate way. We had fun learning about blue at school today!

Speechless

Well today I am literally speechless! I'm glad I can at least type so I can share with you some exciting news I received this morning as I lay on the couch checking to see who would be subbing for me. It is hard to sing and talk to three year old children when you have no voice. 

After months of work, six exams and a lengthy application, I have become a Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer! What does this mean you may be wondering. 

Well, our school district uses Google Apps for Education which is a suit of Google tools that are securely used by district employees and students hidden behind a password. As I started using Google Sites, Docs, and the Calendar about a year ago I found it to improve communication and collaboration. For a teacher this a huge part of my work and to have it take less time and be more effective, why wouldn't I use it? 

As I learned how to use the tools, I found we had no specific person to ask questions to. The more I used Google Apps for Education, the more I learned. Soon I became the expert for our building and the district. With no formal training myself I was just learning too. Then I discovered the Google Apps for Education Certification program for Educators here. 

The application requires six exams, a self produced video, a document containing your expertise in the area of technology, and your trainings, a blog, and a personal web page. I think I have got everything here! In other words it is a big feat to have accomplished. 

As I go forward, I hope to train our staff and district on how to use Google Apps for Education to better improve communication and collaboration for themselves, students, and parents.

You want homework?

Do children need homework when they are four years old?

Today was a parent day, this means that the parents come to school with their child. For a portion of the day they learn from our parent educator and the other portion of the day the spend time in the class with their child. It is very exciting to see the families! 

The question that came up today many times was homework! Parents are asking for things to do with their child at home to continue the learning! How great is this? 

Children watch and see their older siblings doing homework and they want to be big too. So if I can get children to like the idea of homework and their parents to continue the learning at home with their child, I'll give them "homework" to do! No, I don't check to see who does it and who does not. This will come later in their education, believe me! For now, I will send home resources (or homework as they like to call it) and post items onto my web page to enhance their learning beyond the school walls!

 

These are some of the take home ("homework") activities I give to 3 and 4 year old children.

A is for Apple

The students love this song! Today we listened and watched it on the smart board. Preschool is all about getting the students prepared for kindergarten. We want the children to have a variety of social and academic skills before entering kindergarten.

At the beginning of the school year I do an abundance of assessment and take a collection of each child's work. (Yes, I still have 77 students) This takes a great deal of my time, but it provides me feed back about what the students already know. This also gives me and idea of what I need to teach them! 

Needless to say, the children need to learn the letter sounds! As I was assessing one child, I asked him what sound does A make? His response (with great confidence) was that 'A' makes music! I assured him that the letters do make a sound, and I promptly got my SMARTboard on with this YouTube video ready for our next group time. 

By the end of the video all of the children were singing along (and learning their letter sounds)! Since then I have posted this video on my web page so the children can watch and learn from anywhere, anytime thanks to YouTube.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season for boots? What, it is September in Minnesota and the temperature is about sixty-five degrees. Why did two of my three year old students wear boots to school today? 

After talking with one parent, she said the child liked the boots and she let him wear the boots. So, was this a battle the child won or is there more going on here?

As I thought about this, it isn't too far off. Target stores are selling boots on their shelves right now. This is just a typical preparation for the winter season in the eyes of retailers. In the eyes of our immigrant families, it is much different. The temperatures are dropping significantly from the summer months and now the stores are selling boots and winter clothes. Children see the boots in the store and tell their parents they want them! The parents are thinking, it is cold and this is what Minnesotans do when the weather changes. How confusing for immigrant families! 

Why are the stores selling boots in September? Why wouldn't you wear boots to school in September, especially if they light up and have your favorite character on them?

Cheese

One by one the children stood by the wall, all lined up and in place for their class photo. It is hard to stand and wait when you are three years old. All you care about is playing and doing what you want, when you want! (I guess not much changes with age!)

Say cheese! Somehow, this word translates across many languages. You would think this word would only work well in WI! All of the children put on the biggest smile they have when I tell them to "say cheese."

After I took the photo and told the children they were done, I dismissed them all to play. They all took off in a million directions, all except one child. Standing by the wall one upset child said, "Mrs. Crystal, you didn't take my picture." I assured here I did. Still unsatisfied she said, "well I didn't see it."

From past experiences she has been able to see the photo immediately after it has been taken. She was unsatisfied that I didn't show her the photo right away. By seeing the photo, she knew I took the picture.

My students rely on immediate digital feedback! This is the only thing they have ever known. They will probably never have to wait to develop film!

It's a Coconut

Mrs. Crystal, Mrs. Crystal, I found a coconut on the play ground! I was confused as the student handed me two pine cones. (on the left in the picture above) Too bad we live in Minnesota, coconuts don't grow on our trees! After reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom this week to the students, and they were confused about the coconuts, I thought I better bring in a real one!

What a great hands on thing to explore. We had to inspect the coconuts brown husk and hairy surface. Most students were surprised by its weight and had a hard time passing it around the circle.

Why don't we teach with visuals? Our English Language students have a hard time trying to figure out what we are talking about most of the time. The use of visuals in our classroom can significantly increase learning.

We are going to crack into this coconut in a few weeks to taste it. I can't wait, yum!

Going Google

After months of working with our teachers on creating Google Sites, they have all gone public! This is a big accomplishment for all of our staff to have completed. Check them out at www.edenpr.org/famctr.

This all started after I attended the TIES training in December where I heard Molly Schroeder a Google Certified Teacher share how Google Sites work. I was very interested in this for our staff. During this time our district had just adopted the Google Apps for education so we could go Google!

After working with our web developer we choose the perfect colors and I created a templates for each department in our building. I then delivered several trainings on Sites. Through the process I answered many questions and taught teachers how to create in Google. 

We are so excited to have a great communication tool that is user friendly and looks great. Our web pages are part of our marketing and we need to look good to the families we serve! Google Sites has also been a great way to collaborate with colleagues and share information. 

I am so proud of all of the staff! We are the first ones in the district to all officially have gone Google with our web pages!

Read to Me

Read to me, read to me! As a teacher I read to the children during our large group time every day, but for some children this isn't enough. I would love to read to every child who asks this. However, there is myself and my assistant with 16 children all who have different needs and wants to learn. How do I give children access to books, reading and language when they want it?

One way I did this today was by giving children access to an online read aloud. They sat side by side on the computer using headphones to listen and watch a story being read to them. These children were at www.leadingtoreading.com. Here they listened to a  3 minute read aloud book about the bus. Meanwhile, I was able to play, engage, and work one on one with their classmates.

Some children listened to the same story several times. They enjoy being read to! Accessing an online read aloud really helps free up my time as well as provide children learning opportunities to become readers.

Read to me, read to me!

Sleeping Baby

Today was my first day back to school! (I'll post my back to school picture later mom!) It was a great start to the year. It is fun getting to know all of the students and seeing their little personalities come out. We did all of the typical things today: group time, exploratory play, gym, snack, choice play, and music.

Today was also my first day using my sound field system. You can read more about it here. Basically it amplifies sound across the room so all students can hear better and therefore, learn better. There is extensive research on how the sound field system improves achievement for all learners. It is really great, except when the babies are sleeping!

One sweet young girl asked me today to please be quiet because her baby was sleeping. It was so sweet, yet so funny! I forgot that my microphone was still on. Lesson for the day, turn off  microphone when the babies are sleeping!

Guess Who Gets Gmail?

As you can imagine parents ask me a multitude of questions and share with me endless information about their child. One parent told me about her son great desire to be like his big brother and father. (Not uncommon) The child really wanted to have his own email! He watched his dad email during work and his older brother email friends and family. 

Now mom, she was very unsure of what to do. She really wanted her four-year-old to learn to write and read letters. He was really giving her a hard time at home about sitting at the table and writing and tracing. I assured mom that her son would learn to write and read all in due time. I shared with mom some online resources where she could find some activities to reinforce  learning. I also shared my email address with mom and told her that he could email me when he was ready.  

Just a day later I receive an email from my students new Gmail account! Yes he is four and he sends me regular emails from his Gmail account. At the end of the email it reads, "typed by my big brother." Do you think my student  will learn to write and read letters using Gmail? I sure do!

Watch Cartoons. Learn English.

After meeting with my incoming students and their families (all 77 of them), I hope you can still hear me! Why do some of my ELL families tell me their child knows English because they watch cartoons? After they proceed to name all of the cartoons their children watch, I think they watch t.v. all day. Oh wait, they do! The parents always ask me, "what do I do my son watches t.v. all the time?" "When I turn off the t.v. they cry." All I can say is turn off the t.v. and they will cry today, but maybe not tomorrow? Is this really a good answer?


An article by Jaana Jylha-Laide, Learning by Viewing: Cartoons as Foreign Language Learning Material for Children-A Case Study say otherwise. The case study presents a study of a six-year-old Finnish girl who learned a foreign language by watching English language cartoons on video, without formal teaching or contact with native speakers. See the link here.  PBS also has a great article about how elements of educational t.v. are effective.


Yes, we need children to learn a wide variety of skills while their brains are developing, but how much t.v. is too much? Do children really learn English by watching Sesame Street, Dora, and Tom and Jerry all day? I told the parents to turn off the t.v. What would you do?

To Blog or Not to Blog

This is the question I was contemplating. Then I watched this YouTube video. Really, 76% of teachers don't use blogs, wikis or podcasts! I guess I can understand this. I spent my whole day writing lesson plans, creating curriculum, preparing my classroom for year, and meeting with parents. What teacher has time to Blog?

I work hard to engage my learners who are 3-5 years old and 99% of them don't speak English as their first language. This is a big challenge as you can imagine. However, my bigger challenge is going to be engaging them for a bigger purpose. These children will graduate in the year 2025. What are the tools I can equip them with to become successful? I guess I will start here.