Beyond+Reader+Rabbit-+Technology+in+the+Pre-K+and+K+Classroom

Suzanne Perreault Head Kindergarten Teacher Yuko Abe Head Pre-Kindergarten Teacher School: [|The Town School] ** **Description:** In this workshop, Pre-K and K teachers will share how they are using a variety of technological tools to enhance curriculum in the Early Childhood setting. Incorporating the Reggio Emilia theme of documentation, we will share how young children can utilize digital photography as one of their 100 voices in documenting their work. Focusing on the development of the whole child, the workshop will also focus on how the use of Smart boards, flip videos and digital photography can enhance curriculum and assist in the development of visual spatial, sensory, gross motor and grapho-motor skills.   **THE TOWN SCHOOL **  **BEYOND READER RABBIT:**
 * Presenters:** ** Odette Muskin, Head of the Nursery-Kindergarten Division
 * TECHNOLOGY IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTING **

Welcome : Odette Muskin – Head of N/K Division, The Town School Yuko Abe – Head Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, The Town School Suzanne Perreault, Head Kindergarten Teacher, The Town School
 * SLIDE 1: Introduction Page**

Presentation Format: Presenting for 30 to 40 minutes Time to ask questions. Give you 10 minutes for reflection.

We have put together a variety of videos and photos to hopefully give you some ideas on how you can incorporate technology in a developmentally appropriate way in the early childhood setting.

Before we show you all of that, however, I think it is important for us to just discuss why early childhood educators are reluctant to use technology with this age group. First, they believe it could lead to the replacement of traditional materials. Like those educators, we are aware of and understand the importance of traditional materials in the early childhood setting and we now that they can never be eliminated. Children learn by doing. They learn by being hands-on. We are going to show you that technology can be hands-on as well.
 * Why are Early Childhood Educators Reluctant to use Technology in the Classroom setting?**

Second, they believe that it will compromise play and therefore socialization. This notion came into existence when Jane Healey wrote the book //Failure to Connect.// At that time it was written, technology in the classroom was being driven by software. Programs such as Millie’s Math House, Sammy’s Science House, etc. were being utilized on desktops. Those programs helped eliminate socialization because only one child would play this game at a time. We would often see them with head phones on and we didn’t see socialization. Today we want to show you how we are utilizing the Smartboard in our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs. I think you will see with the right kind of hardware, socialization is not compromised.

Without diminishing the reasons of why early childhood educators are not putting technology into the classroom setting, I think it is just important for us to understand and discuss why it is so important we do. 1. Children today are born digital. 2. Technology is their future. If our job as educators is to prepare children for the challenges they will face in the 21st century, then it is our job to figure out how to include technology in the classroom setting.
 * Why is Technology Important in the Early Childhood Setting?**

1. Learning can be made for fun. 2. Teaches problem solving and resilience. 3. Provides another setting for play and socialization. 4. Provides vertical work space that assists in the growth of fine motor, gross motor and physical motor development. 5. Assists in cognitive development. 6. Provides another medium for creativity. 7. Allows for the documentation of children’s work and ideas. 8. Provides educators with an assessment/learning tool.
 * SLIDE 2: What can Technology do?**

We began by putting digital cameras in all of the classrooms. We then put Smartboards into both kindergarten classrooms. At that time, Suzanne, who had experience with the Smartboard joined our kindergarten teaching team and she was instrumental in helping generate excitement about the Smartboards within the kindergarten teaching team. We then added flip videos into each classroom and this year and persuaded Yuko to undertake a research project with me in observing the pre-k children interacting with the Smartboard and if their use would compromise play or socialization. Even we started out thinking we had to explain everything to the children. We quickly learned that we didn’t have to say anything to them. They immediately figured out how to just play. Video: //I’m A Rainbow//
 * SLIDE 3: How did we get started?**

It is amazing to watch young children utilize the Smartboard. Unlike us, they approach the technology willing to experiment and problem solve. They do not give up. Video: //What Does This Do?// //Yuko:// The children explore the various features of the smartboard without any fear or hesitation! This is true even for children who tend to be cautious. For some reason, they are unafraid to make mistakes and are natural problem solvers. In this video, you can see how they are always thinking and even though their assumptions are incorrect it doesn’t prevent them from moving forward. Video: //How Do I Make it Smaller?// //Suzanne//: We’ve been thinking about how this resilience and problem-solving develops… The bigger question: how can we help kids transfer this resilience into other areas of learning?
 * SLIDE 4: Problem Solving and Resilience**
 * As you will see in this video, when kids don’t know how to do something technological, they don’t seem to be phased!
 * Here you will see 2 Kindergartners playing on the smartboard during choice time. One is using an ocean background to create a number story for her friend.
 * See how they work together to solve a problem.
 * Perhaps they feel this media is less “tangible” and “real” – technology is more abstract and feels more removed from their own 3D creations?
 * Many of their intros to technology is through games so this media is associated with fun and challenge already?
 * Change is very easy in this media – there is almost always an “undo” button?
 * Since we, ourselves, are also still learning, teachers are constantly modeling trial and error?

Technology can foster an environment for play. Play, unlike games, does not have an established set of rules. That’s how play fosters socialization. Children become socially competent not by being told by their teachers how to behave but by interacting with other children.
 * SLIDE 5: Socialization**

Video: //Trying to Find the Mouse// //Yuko:// Although only one child can draw at a time, this doesn’t concern them. The children naturally take turns or negotiate amongst themselves. Wouldn’t it be a joy if negotiating and compromising skills were this simple in other parts of the room?

Video: //SheTaught Me// //Suzanne://
 * Our children know to use each other as resources and teachers!
 * For example, in this video, listen to Anna as she shares how her friend, Clara, taught her how to do something on the smartboard.

Yuko: Children who seldom choose to draw at the drawing table LOVE drawing on the smartboard. We mix it up by having the children work individually or draw side by side.
 * SLIDE 6: Children Drawing on Smartboard**

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 7: Let’s Get to Know Each Other** game
 * Sometimes we even use tech as a tool to increase excitement and novelty for an activity
 * This is during the “share” component of our morning meeting. Mitchell is using an interactive game board to select a color square and is dragging it away to reveal the “getting to know you” question below.
 * Although this game could easily be recreated without the smartboard platform, the children enjoyed hearing about each other, but also loved the opportunity to stand up and practice using the smartboard, “dragging” an object, a skill that they will transfer to other smartboard experiences.

From the perspective of occupational therapy, vertical space can be instrumental in assisting children in the areas of fine motor, graphomotor, visual spatial and gross motor development. When children work on vertical space, the wrist is correctly positioned to develop stability. It helps facilitate balanced use of the hand’s intrinsic muscles and the development of arms and shoulder muscles.
 * SLIDE 8: Smartboards provide Vertical Space for Fine Motor, Visual Spatial and Gross Motor Development**

Yuko: The children were working with the geoboards for a few weeks before we introduced this activity. In this activity, children develop hand muscles to control the marker which assists in drawing a straight line. This activity also assists in the visual motor integration that children have to learn which is drawing a straight line in between dots. This is another activity OTs like to do with children on vertical space. This is not an easy task. The child is reflecting on just how well he did.
 * SLIDE 9: Child working hard to draw squares**

Yuko: Here is another example of how children can work on fine motor and grapho-motor skills which is tracing shapes. As I was putting together this presentation, Suzanne taught us that this is an easier task if the children use a thicker drawing line.
 * SLIDE 10: Child tracing shapes**


 * SLIDE 11: Collaborative drawing**
 * Yuko:** Here is a child who has been working on his grapho-motor and visual spatial skills. OTs have told us that having children imitate an adult drawing helps develop these skills. Here, I drew side by side with a child drawing a person. We broke down into steps talking about body parts as well as shapes. After talking about toes and fingers, this child applied that information to the cardboard puppet he was working on. He took and added five pieces of fabric to each arm to represent hands.

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 12: Erasing the Smartboard using proper wrist extension**
 * This smartboard is positioned on our wall higher than the majority of our children can reach.
 * Yuko’s board is actually adjustable and can be moved up and down on a track.
 * While we do provide a stool or chair whenever working on the smartboard, some children prefer to simply stretch and reach!
 * We sometimess even discourage the use of a stool to encourage this stretch and practice.

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 13: Child writing the letter B – proper wrist extension, etc.**
 * One of our favorite uses of our smartboard is to enhance our handwriting program in Kindergarten.
 * Offers modeling of correct formation and practice on a larger scale
 * Allows for graphomotor strength development and the opportunity to write on a vertical space with a straight wrist, which some OTs argue is easier for children

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 14: Skywriting**
 * You may wonder what the rest of the children are doing while one child is on the board? Sky writing, tracing backs, writing on individual chalkboards or whiteboards, wall writing, etc…

Video: Making and Dancing the Alphabet Yuko: The children are creating the letters of the alphabet with their bodies as they listen to Dr. Jean’s “Letter Dance.” The song says the name and the sound of each letter! And here they are punching out the letters to the “Lettercise” song! The big letters on the smartboard really catches their attention. You could purchase her CDs through DrJean.org. Video: //How do I Spell my Name?// //Yuko**:**// These two children are trying to figure out how to type the boy’s name in lowercase! Listen to discussion they have over the letter d and b.
 * SIDE 15: Cognitive Development – Pre-Kindergarten Language Arts**

Yuko: This child was stuck thinking of words with the SH sound in them. After he outsourced all his options, we looked at an online children’s dictionary. We use the computer often to look up pictures for children’s art work if we can not find it in a book.
 * SLIDE 16: Child using the on line dictionary to spell**

Yuko: This child was pressing the letters on the keyboard and suddenly noticed how the letters and numbers appeared on the screen. He observed what was happening on the screen as he typed.
 * SLIDE 17: Sivan admiring his work**

Video: //Reading Lesson// //Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 18: Kindergarten Language Arts**
 * In this video, you will see my kindergarten class in the middle of a Shared Reading lesson. We are using an easy reader book called __Yoga Class__.
 * Like many early reader texts, this book does not come in a big book format. So instead, we scanned the book’s pages and inserted the pages into a Smartboard Notebook file, thus created our own “big book” with easy to see text and interactive features!
 * In this way, technology allows us to hand-pick any book for any mini-lesson, rather than be restricted (by budget or publishers) by the small and expensive selection of big books available to teachers.
 * You will see children interacting with the lesson in many ways. watch for:
 * whole group participation and connecting with text
 * page turner
 * tracking the text with a pointer
 * going on a word hunt with the smartboard pen

Video: //Retelling a Favorite Story// //Suzanne:// Video: //Alphabet Chart Practice// //Suzanne://
 * One of the major components of our reading curriculum in Kindergarten is hearing stories read over and over again, and experiencing those stories in different ways (such as acting them out, telling the story on a felt board, using puppets, watching a movie of the story, etc)
 * This year, one of our “star books” was __Yo! Yes?__ by Chris Rashka. In this video, you will see the children re-enacting this favorite story.
 * here is some alphabet practice with our interactive alphabet chart while the students follow along with their own charts on the rug

Video: //Math and Hugs// //Yuko:// Here the children are playing a game with interactive dice. It combines number recognition with the writing of the number. See what happens when they recognize their numbers match.
 * SLIDE 19: Pre-Kindergarten Math**

//Yuko//: We used the smartboard to graph which type of bread the children liked. The children have to press their fingers on their name, drag it across the board, and then place it above the appropriate heading which was a bit tricky for them to do because of the muscle control and coordination involved.
 * SLIDE 20: Graphing**

Video: //Child Proves the Pattern// //Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 21: Kindergarten Math**
 * This video captures part of a math lesson on patterns. The children were playing a game on the smartboard where only part of a pattern was revealed (in this case //circle, circle, triangle//, //circle, circle, triangle//), and the students had to predict the remaining pattern hiding behind the shade.
 * We join this lesson after mason has just predicted what shape will be next – a circle. watch as he comes up to the board and touches the shade to reveal the hidden shape below.

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 22: Number Eating Vortex**
 * This is a fun game that we created using smartboard software. Each of these spirals is a “vortex,” and in this game, the goal is to select a number, like she is selecting #15 here, and drag it into the correct “vortex,” either less than 10 or greater than 10. What is so fun about this technology is that the vortex will actually throw a number out and return it to the play if the wrong vortex is selected! If it is thrown into the correct vortex, it disappears into the void!

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 23: Monster Squeeze**
 * This is a numeration game called “monster squeeze” where children practice the relative value of numbers.
 * Although we traditionally play this game with hands-on materials (number lines on the tables, monsters on popsicle sticks), we have come to realize that, by converting games like this onto the smartboard, it provides an opportunity to teach or experience a game in a way that allows all children to easily see and experience the game first hand as a whole class.

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 24: Racing Dice**
 * This is the evolution of the game Yuko showed us earlier with the interactive dice and number formation practice. To play “Racing Dice,” at each turn, the children roll two dice, add the dice totals, and record the sum in the appropriate column.

// Suzanne: //
 * SLIDE 25: Shade Numbers (#3)**
 * in this popular game, a number is hidden behind the shade and the children are asked to guess the number based only on the visible portion, and then “prove it” by telling us how they know.
 * This activity forces children to not only recognize, but also verbally describe the shape and formation of each number.

//Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 26: Shade Shapes**
 * The game can even be played with shapes, letters, sight words….anything!

Video: //Look What I Made// //Yuko:// This child was given a blank page with several shapes on them. We told, “See what you can do with these shapes?” This child learned that pressing “X” deletes things! She also knows the icon for creating another page! She has great problem solving skills. When all her attempts fail, watch how she solves the problem to her dilemma! While this child’s intention was to drag the red rod down, she discovers midway that she is drawing with her finger! So she decides to go with it and make a balloon that her mom is holding! She writes “mom” above the person….and just in case you didn’t know whose mom?!?!? Its her mom!
 * SLIDE 27: Creative Exploration**

Video: //All You Do is Press This// //Suzanne://
 * As this child will show you, there are still many stylistic choices for an artist to make while using the smartboard!

//Yuko//: Here are some more creative works of children. For this drawing the children were given the motivation to draw a picture with a person in it.
 * SLIDE 28: Child's Drawing**


 * SLIDE 29: Child's Drawing –** She was asked to connect the dots and to see what kind of shapes she could create on the board. This is what she made.

// Suzanne // :
 * SLIDE 30: Making Shadows**
 * Children can even be creative using only light and shadows!

Documentation has always been a way for educators to assess learning. The educational philosophy of Reggio Emilia emphasizes documentation as a vital element of its approach. They believe that documentation: It makes visible the nature of the learning processes and strategies used by each child. It ensures that the group and individual children have the possibility to observe themselves from an external point of view. It is a tool for assessment/evaluation and self-assessment and self-evaluation.
 * SLIDE 31: Documentation – Why is documentation important?**

It allows young children to document their work without needing to know how to read or write. It captures the growth of the child over a period of time. It provides a way to educate parents about child development. It can help transform subjective assessment into objective assessment.
 * SLIDE 32: How can technology aid in the process of documentation?**

Children Documenting their Work: //Growing Tadpole Story// //Suzanne://
 * SLIDE 33: VIDEOS**
 * Part of our science curriculum this year was studying the frog’s life cycle, so at the end of our unit, we challenged the students to make a movie that would teach others what they know about how tadpoles change and grow.
 * These videos were then posted on our class website for families to enjoy at home.

//Can You Move?// //Suzanne//:
 * Rather than have a “save shelf” in our classroom, we teach the children to record their creations thru digital photography.
 * Here you will see a video of two boys working, against all odds, to take a picture of their Lincoln log building!

Teacher’s take photos to document children’s work. Portfolios created for each child.
 * SLIDE 34: Digital Photography by Teachers**


 * SLIDE 35: Empire State Building -** Their motivation was to build a tall building in the city. This child labeled his/her building as well.


 * SLIDE 36: Pre-K Block Building –** The children are studying construction. They were asked to draw blueprint of a building and then recreate it. You can see his blueprint in front of the building.


 * SLIDE 37 and 38: Light Table Creations -** We have light tables in the classrooms as well as my office. The children love to make designs which, of course, they cannot keep. So we take pictures to record their work.

Allows them to record their findings. Allows them to record creations they cannot keep. (KLP Creation Book) Allows another medium for artistic exploration.
 * SLIDE 39: Digital Photography by Children**

// Suzanne // :
 * SLIDE 40 and 41: Jack taking a picture of Lady Bugs and then showing it to Eric**
 * Our students have become so comfortable using photography to record their own work that they now ask to use it across other parts of our day. For example, the first day that these ladybug larvae arrived in our classroom, one child eagerly recorded the insects with the camera, telling us, “We need to take a picture so we don’t forget what they look like when they grow.”
 * And as you can see in the next photo, the child was eager to share his photography with a friend, proudly announcing, “Look, I got it!”


 * SLIDE 42, 43 and 44: Artistic Photographs by Kindergarten Children**

I hope that today we have shown you a number of creative and exciting ways to integrate technology into the early childhood setting that allows for play, socialization, cognitive development, problem solving and creativity. We know it may have felt a bit rushed but we wanted to give you as many examples as possible. We would love to answer any questions you may have and welcome you to look at the portfolio we brought with us as well as the KLP Creation book.
 * Conclusion**