TIPS ON ADDING TECHNOLOGY INTO A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

 Technology Lesson Demonstration Assignment

TIPS ON ADDING TECHNOLOGY TO A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

I chose to create a preschool class blog which I will upload content supporting our learning. Included in this content will be videos of me reading aloud our weekly books and informative age-appropriate YouTube videos such as virtual field trips. I will offer a technology station during free choice center time. At this station, I will offer a tablet with our blog site. From this blog site, students will be able to open links to the above-mentioned sites. I will also provide earphones and a hard copy of the read-a-loud books. I believe this tool would be effective in supporting learning in my classroom. One issue I found was that I really didn't like the distraction of the advertisements that play on YouTube. One advertisement that played while I was demonstrating was not student appropriate. I need to do more research on how to prevent this from happening during future use. Overall, I believe this would be a very effective way to integrate some technology into a preschool classroom as well as give students the opportunity to explore these videos at home.

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 Gaming in the Classroom?

The benefits of gaming in the classroom include problem-based learning, collaborative learning, realistic and immersive environments, motivation and competition, interactivity and feedback, achievement and rewards and playfulness (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 179). In short, gaming can be very motivating for students as it can be fun, playful, challenging and offer rewards. 

There are some challenges that are associated with classroom gaming. One is the focus on learning versus having fun (when winning the game becomes the students only goal and the instructional value is lost in this goal). Another is the goals of some games don't correspond with learning objectives. Another challenge is that some students have difficulty transferring learning from games to nongame situations. There also seems to be some classroom barriers with classroom gaming, such as when a teacher has negative perceptions toward the games, or lack of technology equipment to run the games, or too short of class periods to finish games (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 181).

I have not used gaming in my preschool classroom, but one strategy from the text I believe would be useful is that of of using gaming to replace worksheets and exercises (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 181). Doing this would relieve teacher workload, provide valuable feedback, and provide drill and practice reinforcement on already taught concepts. 

Gaming can be inappropriate in classrooms when the games are not aligned with the curriculum, meaning they need to be chosen for their connection to curriculum and carefully incorporated into the broader instruction (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p 182).

 Is ISTE a good source for professional development?

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/046c_3MomnNNMLU1BZL6LAZHg#ISTE_powerpoint

 How do I collect and analyze student data?

In my preschool classroom, I have not used technology to collect data from my students. I do collect data often from them, but it involves students physically marking "what type of pet they have at home" or "what their favorite food is". Then this data is collected and used for further discussion or teaching of graph or math concepts. I have only done this type of data collecting in class as a whole group. I have not directly taught my students how to do this, but through repetition, they are learning how it works. One way I collect data every morning is I have a magnet board in the classroom entry. On it, there is a question of the day, with a question like "Which food do you like most?" Then three choices are given in picture form. Each student has a magnet with their name that they place under the answer that they choose. Then later durning our morning meeting, we talk about the results. This is a good way to teach name recognition, take attendance, and talk about math words like "more, less, the same". I line their answers up in a graph like fashion as well. The question of the day changes every day and my students never seem to get bored of it!

How do I collect and analyze student data? 

Personal Philosophy on Educational Technology, by Becky Workman

  Summary

Technology is a part of our educational system because it enhances learning and is necessary in today’s world. Students need twenty-first century skills to be a part of a twenty-first century future. Educators have an obligation to include technology in their curriculum because research shows that it improves learning, therefore making it best practice. Studies show that students with a one-to-one student access to technology show increased student- learning, collaboration and communication (Kaufman & Kumar, 2018). Technology capitalizes on varied instruction and assessment (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 13). It is changing at a rapid rate, and educators have a responsibility to keep their technology skills current. Students today need to keep up with their peers in acquiring knowledge and technology to one day be competent, competitive and contributors in society. 

Biblical Defense

The implementation of educational best practices is the duty of every teacher. To disregard professional best practices is a disservice to his or her students. Staying current with everchanging technology requires work and effort by teachers. This may feel difficult as many educators already feel overwhelmed by the demands of the classroom. God understands this burden, and in 2 Corinthians 8:21, Paul teaches “For we are taking the pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of man” (James, 1994). This scripture teaches that God understands it is not easy but expects educators to use best teaching practices. Christian educators can find strength in Paul’s words “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, James, 1994). Humility is a key factor to one becoming a successful teacher. The best teacher will never arrive at knowing everything, and always has room to learn and improve. Proverbs 9:9 teaches “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (James, 1994).

Preschool Classroom Application

In the past, I have resisted integrating very much technology in my preschool classroom. I have integrated some, but my reasoning for keeping it minimal is because as an early childhood educator, I know that children need to learn through hands-on authentic experiences, as well as learn vital social skills. Young children today are also exposed to high amounts of technology (or screen time) outside of the classroom. Research shows that “higher levels of early childhood electronic media use are associated with children being at risk for poorer outcomes with some indicators of well-being” (Hinkley et al., 2014). The more sedentary technology use such as television viewing is associated with lower outcomes than interactive electronic games though (Hinkley et al., 2014). 

In my preschool classroom, integrating technology with young children involves consideration of potential associated health risks. Following pediatric guidelines for screen time is also best practice for an early childhood educator to implement. It is a fine balance to use best practice with both technology integration and technology restriction. In the past I have used interactive videos for teaching songs with movement and short videos for enhancing learning in areas such as science or language arts. I believe that I can and should incorporate more interactive technology in my preschool classroom. One idea for adding more technology is to add a few centers utilizing tablets. A reading center could provide book choices to listen to with headphones along with the physical book for students to follow along with. A science center might offer a tablet with some short animal videos to watch. A puppet center could offer a camera to create a video of their production with. A math or phonics center could offer a tablet with games with varied levels of learning and assessment with student and teacher feedback. Another interactive and enriching social activity could be to arrange a sister preschool class in another country (like pen pals) and connect with them through online class video calls. I do believe there are many ways to incorporate healthy technology for young children in a preschool classroom and look forward to incorporating some of these ideas and more in the future. 

References

Hinkley, T., Verbestel, V., Ahrens, W., & et. al. (2014). Early Childhood Electronic Media Use as a Predictor of Poorer Well-being: A Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(5), 397–500.

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James, K. (1994). The Holy Bible : the 21st Century King James Version : containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. 21St Century King James Bible Publishers.

Kaufman, D., & Kumar, S. (2018). Student Perceptions of a One-to-One iPad Program in an Urban High School. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 4(2), 18.

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching : transforming learning across disciplines. Ny, Ny Pearon.

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 How do teachers meet the demands of a standards based curriculum and meet the individual needs of students? That is the topic of todays video, watch below!