This class has been....

So stinkin amazing! 

Seriously, of every class I have ever taken, this class has been the most applicable, fun, and inspiring. I was leery to go back to school with a toddler and a baby, and it's still hard, but this class has made the transition easier because it has helped me see a clear and significant value that this education will provide. I wish I could take this class, or a class like this every year.

My attitude towards technology has changed so much. I feel like someone took blinders off of my eyes. In my previous teaching, the extent of my technology use was an occasional video. Wow, that's not the case anymore. I didn't understand how to use technology for all the good it offers while avoiding the bad. Now, I think tech in the classroom has so much potential and is such a valuable resource.

My skill level improved a lot. I think the BIGGEST skill improvement came with PowerPoint. I've made one PowerPoint presentation before this class. Now, I've made the funnest PowerPoint clothes game! :) I am so very happy about all the things I've learned. For the first time in my life college has seemed "worth it," partly because I'm in a major I love geared towards a field I love, but even more because this class has been so beneficial. The first time I touched an I-pad was in this class. The first time I thought of using digital cameras in preschool was in this class, and the first time I actually learned about Internet Safety was in this class. 

My list of ways that I plan to use technology with my students is nearly endless. For starters, I am making PowerPoint games. I love those things! Digital Cameras are now a regular. I'm using them to label, to film interactive play, to create story books, presentations for open houses, and so much more. Before this class, I also never did anything about Internet Safety. Now, I intend on sending home a newsletter every semester to parents about Internet Safety and how they can help their little ones understand what is and isn't okay. My classroom newsletter also now has some great categories that I hadn't thought to add before.

Thank you Dr. Cox. Even though sometimes the work load has intense, I am more than happy I took this class. I am so glad you got to teach it! It's made a big difference for me.

Excel Ideas

Blog Post: After participating in our Excel activity in class, provide one idea for how you might have your students use Excel in science and one idea for Social Studies. For each idea, include what data they would collect, what functions they might use, and what charts they might create.

APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND SCIENCE (AL&S)
Standard 2: Students will gain an understanding of earth and Space Science.
1. Actively explore/experiment with objects and the environment.
Help children plant a garden; discuss the needs of plants and watch and document for the children (or have children document using digital media) as changes take place.
Plant a small class garden. Each day record on out excel sheets the amount of water we gave the plants, the number of leaves they have, and their height. Take pictures with our digital cameras and insert them into our Excel Sheet. A bar graph could be created demonstrating the change in leaves and height over time.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL STUDIES (SE&SS)
Standard 1: The child develops self-awareness and positive self-esteem.
2. Demonstrates awareness of abilities and preferences.
ƒHave children select a first and second choice when presented with choice of activities.
Create an excel sheet with pictures of different ideas for the sensory table. Have each preschooler vote on their first and second choice for what should go in the sensory table. Create a pie graph and bar chart showing the results of the votes. Talk about which idea got the most votes and create that sensory table together.

Digital Camera Ideas

My mind has been open to the amazing resource that a digital camera is! I've started using it to explore with my 1.5 year old. We are loving it! Below are some ideas for how a digital camera can be used in a preschool setting:

RI5 CCR Anchor Standard K–12 5. "With prompting and support, identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book." Have children photograph each of these elements and create a powerpoint explaining what each one means.

OPERATIONS & ALGEBRAIC THINKING (OA) Cluster: understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from. 3. Explore different ways a set of objects can be decomposed within five. Photograph a number of ways a collection of five and ten objects could be organized. Make a flip book with the pictures.

APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND SCIENCE (AL&S) Standard 1: Students will learn the processes, communication, and nature of Science. 1-2: Displays a sense of curiosity and willingness to try new things. Have the children take pictures of things they find interesting or a curious about. Have them create a poster with their pictures and explain to the class what more they would like to know about the things they have photographed.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL STUDIES (SE&SS) Standard 2: The child develops social skills That promote positive interactions with others. As a group, take pictures of scenes the preschoolers act out as they tell a story. Put the pictures together to create a class book.

Other Ideas:

Take pictures of each child’s eyes, nose, feet, or mouth only. Have children try to match each student to his or her body part.

Photograph a day in the life of your classroom for a parent Open House. Create a slide show to run as parents tour your classroom.

Photograph students dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up and use the pictures to illustrate career reports.

Document the growth of classroom plants or animals with daily or weekly photos.

Photographes as part of daily name tags

Have each student choose a letter and find an object that begins with that letter. Take a picture of the child with the object and use the pictures to create a class alphabet chart.

Arrange students into groups and assign each group one of the five senses. Have each group photograph the appropriate sensory organ and then have them take pictures of objects that organ might best perceive.

Photograph parts of the daily routine and using them for sequencing activities.

Photograph objects that are the same color.

Take a picture of the weather each day.

Take pictures of living/non living things

Film the children acting out a story

Film imaginative play and play it back for the children to watch

Tellegami Ideas

ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE (RL)
2. "Listen attentively and retail simple stories through conversation, art, movement, or drama."

After reading the story Just the Two of Us (By: Will Smith, Illustrator: Kadir Nelson) as a class, have the preschoolers make a Telligami retelling the story.







MATHEMATICS
COUNTING AND CARDINALITY (CC)
Cluster: Know number names and count sequence CC1
1."Begin to count to 20 by ones."

Make a Telligami that counts to 20 (or as close to 20 as you can count.)


APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND SCIENCE (AL&S)
Standard 4 Students will gain an understanding of life Science through the Study of changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things.
1. "Describe the needs of plants and animals and how to keep them alive."

Create a Telligami that explains how to take care of your favorite plant or pet.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL STUDIES (SE&SS)
Standard 1: The child develops self-awareness and positive selfes-teem.
1. Child knows personal information
      a. Knows first and last name and age
      b. Knows parents and caregivers names
      c. Knows own phone number and address

Create a Telligami that introduces yourself. Include your name, age, parents name(s), phone number and favorite color.

About Me

I am currently working on an Associates in Early Childhood Education. We have an in-home preschool that I started because I had a hard time finding a preschool that I wanted to put my daughter in. I hope someday I'll continue to get a BS in Elementary Education, and secretly I'd love to get a Masters.. For now, my sights are just on the AS because it's hard for me to drop my babies off at the Wee Care Center (even though it's great!). I should be graduating with my AS in April 2015. Yay! I'd love to teach in the public schools, but right now the idea is actually to be prepared to home-school the right way.

I was born in Provo, Utah while my parents were in school here. I've lived in New Mexico, Michigan and Guatemala.

I like to be with my children. I had no idea how much I would really love being a mother. So far, I cry every time I drop them off so I can come to class. (That's why I've typically been a couple of minutes late-working on it.) I love to be outdoors. I love biking, skiing, hiking, camping, volleyball, softball, and picnics.

I think it'd be helpful if there was a page on canvas with all of your favorite tech resources.