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.