Reflective Statement
Students need a variety of different skills in the modern world, like information technology, that demands more from the average student on a daily basis. Most 5-6 year olds have used some kind of technological device by kindergarten. Electronic media is so much a part of young children lives, "they are spending an increasing number of hours per week in front of and engaged with screens of all kinds, including televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, handheld game devices, and game consoles" (NAEYC: 2012, p.2) that it cannot be ignored. Teachers need to focus on how to help children use technology in a helpful way. The book “Developmental Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs,” (2008) addresses the issue of technology and literacy by acknowledging that technology can be helpful, but “it must be used in interactive ways and practices should occur with real audiences” (p.288). When children are just watching a lesson by themselves on a tablet, that is not where the best learning is happening. Lev Vygotsky developed the social constructivism theory where he argues that children learn best in social situations. A student’s individual learning takes place as a member of a group. In the book "The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children's Learning" (2014) teachers should use interactive media, like "computers and mobile devices to facilitate social exchange" (Epstein, p. 171). Children can work together and problem solve any issues that might arise. When teachers provide the opportunity, students can teach skills to the whole class.
My overall experience about experimenting with these tools and applications was a positive one. So many applications are created with teachers and students in mind, they have easy to use features built in with little technological experience needed. Long gone are the days of applications built for 'tech savvy' people. Everything I used, Pinterest, iMovie, Videolious, QR Code generator, and Book Creator where very user friendly for adults and children. I will be using the The New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS), which are internationally-bench marked and evidence-based standards. These standards serve as a set of expectations for what students should learn and be able to do, so that we can ensure that students are prepared for college and career readiness. For more information on these standards, please visit www.engageny.org. Educreations is a digital whiteboard app, that designed for the digital classroom. It connects teachers and students in and outside of the classroom, plus parents and families can be connected to what their student is learning. Students can reference back to these video lesson plans to review, get additional instruction or enable to student to pace their learning. Teachers benefit from this free application, by freeing up time for hands-on projects and storage of your digital lesson plans in the cloud. The Educreations lesson plan, I made focused on explaining a histogram bar graph with vocabulary terms., focusing on the Standard :"Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems1 using information presented in a bar graph. " (CCLS 2.MD) |
Photo Credit: Google Images
|
![]()
![]()
|
Photo Credit: Google Images
|
References:
- Bredekamp’s (2009) “Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8” (3d ed.)
- Epstein, A. S. (2014). “The Intentional Teacher :Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children's Learning” (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] (2015). “Exploring math and science in preschool” Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College. (2012, January). Technology and interactive media as tools for early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved February, 2014 from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology_WEB.pdf
Standards:
Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics
Measurement and Data for 2nd grade "Represent and interpret data.
9. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units.
10. Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems1 using information presented in a bar graph. " (CCLS 2.MD)
Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics
Measurement and Data for 2nd grade "Represent and interpret data.
9. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units.
10. Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems1 using information presented in a bar graph. " (CCLS 2.MD)