Digital Citizenship Inside Kindergarten

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology(Ribble).What it means to a kindergarten class is that they need to understand that there are bad sites and people on the internet. This topic would need to be discussed carefully so that you do not scare the children away from using the internet or computers at all. Teachers should find videos that are useful in explaining the proper way to be safe on the internet. Here is a website that i found that had a good video explaing internet safety http://www.badguypatrol.ca/default.htm.
It is important to promote and teach Digital Citizenship to your students because they need to know what websites are safe to go on. Children need to know what is appropriate to put on the internet and who is an appropriate person to talk to online. Children should be aware of the dangers of the internet but also the fun the internet can be to use. Children should understand the nine themes of Digital Citizenship. 1.Digital Access             5.Digital Etiquette
                                               2.Digitail Commerce       6. Digital Law
                                               3.Digital Communication  7. Digital Rights and Respect
                                               4.Digital Literacy            8. Digital Health and Wellness
                                                                     9. Digital Security (Murray)
Issues that can arise in teaching Digital Citizenship to kindergarteners is that as teachers we can  overlook students and not realize what they are looking at online. Teachers need to monitor the websites being viewed by students not just in younger grades but older ones too. Students at young ages might not think what they are doing to viewing is dangerous and it is our jobs as educators to make sure they know what sites they should visit and to avoid pop ups.
Resources that teachers can use to promote Digital citizenship in the classroom are interactive games and cites that are good and to show or give an example of what is a bad site for them to visit. Explain to the students the difference between our community we live in and a digital community. Teachers can use videos such as http://thinkuknow.co.uk/5_7/hectorsworld/ to show the students videos about how to use the internet safely. 
I have created a prezi to show this information in a different way. This would be a good tool to use to teach about Digital Citizenship to your class. 

I found this information very useful. For more information of Digital Citizenship visit my Works Cited Page and click the links :)

Learning to Unlearn

Teachers all over have to learn, unlearn and relearn information all the time. Im in my second year of college studying Early Childhood and Special Education. I am learning about what it takes and what I need to do to be the best teacher I can be someday. But, when it comes to my job or where I am going to teach there might be certain ways that they do something and if I do it differently I will have to unlearn my way and relearn there way. There are many instances in life not only in teaching where you have to unlearn how to do something you know how to do or think you know how to do and relearn it another way. Some people may think that the teacher always need to have the room set up a certain way or that this has to be done this way. When in reality its your classroom, you can set it up how you want it and teach the information your way. You just need to make sure you are following rules and guidlesines. Teaching should be fun and you should not feel like you are in prison as a teacher or a student. Breathe and enjoy your profession, your classroom, your school and your students.
It can sometimes be difficult to want to unlearn and relearn information you already know. Sometimes teachers have to go to mandatory seminnars where they can learn how to better teach. Each year there is more technology and more resources to teach. Each year teachers need to unlearn the old and relearn the new information. At first teachers are timid about forgetting old methods of teaching because they are comfortable but once you relearn the information a new way it is easier to understand. Students get bored so you have to as teachers make learning fun the only way to do so is "out with the old, and in with the new".

Interactive Whiteboards in Today's Classroom

I believe that interactive whiteboards can be useful and or can be a waste. I feel that if a school or a teacher is going to invest in the money on the whiteboard that it should be used more than any other tool in the classroom.My class and I have read articles that talk a lot of the pros and cons of the IWB.  In the articles that my SEDU 183 class read, many of the articles talked about how the teachers and students were excited about the board. But, after a few months it was untouched and not used. It became more work for the teacher to have to use the tool the way it was intended. It was intended to teach material in a way that students could come up to the interactive bored and actively participate. When students were unable to come up it became just as boring as the other methods of teaching the material. So now you have bought this thousand of dollars whiteboard and your students are still not understanding or participating in class. This tool could be a great tool if used properaly. Do not just teach to your students, teach with them. Have you students come up and show, demonstrate or explain to the classroom. When you are not just preaching information instead you are interactive teaching your classroom results will be much greater.

My own experience through having whiteboards is when I was in high school.  A few of the classrooms had the boards, but it was very rare to see a teacher using the board in class. If they did use it we were never allowed to go up and interact using it. It was like some sort of prized possession and if we got close to it, it would shatter into a million pieces. Plus, I cant remember the teachers ever really using it in a way that we could come up and interact. It was using as an updated projector machine. We used it to copy notes or to be shown how to do something on the computer since you can make the whiteboard into a computer screen. Just like in the article by the washington post they say that the teachers weren't using the IWB correctly in the classroom. It became less of a fun new interactive whiteboard to a useless, dust gathering waste of space. 


I feel that this tool is good for a differentiated classroom. In a classroom you do not know the learning styles of the students you are getting until you have them. Some of your students might be hands on learners or visual learners this board would be good for them to use. They would be able to see the information or even be able to learn through experience. The IWB is a great tool if used correctly and used directed at students that could benefit from it. 

Differentiation

As I understand Differentiation, it is a  framework for teachers to involve their students in providing students with different learning styles to acquire content; to process the information,or make sense of the ideas being taught. Teachers are to develop teaching materials and assessments so that all students within the classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability. Teachers can use many different tools in the classroom to help with making sure all the studnets are learning effectively. You can never pick the students you have in your classroom each year so you as a teacher must be prepared to teach all of the students you have to their best ability. 


I experienced differentiation through looking at a powerpoint about differentiation. I learned alot about how to use differentiation in the classroom. I learned about how it is important to let students to opt out of material they can demonstrate they know and to progress at their own pace through new material.It is important to make sure that you area not holding other students back while using the differentiation method of teaching. I feel that it is good to use differentiation in the classroom because it allows you as a teacher to see which students can do the material and what students may need more help. I also experienced differentaion through a assignment where I had to make three profiles of students ranging from abilities so that I could see how I would use differentiation.It taught me a lot to have to figure out how I would adapt material to fit each students personalities and ability to learn the material I as the teacher am teaching. Each child is different and can be taught you just have to take the time to teach them.

In a differentiated classroom the role of technology I feel may play a role in the classroom.I feel that you can use technology to help incorporate teaching strategies. You can have some of your students working on the computer with skills such as math games or reading games. You could also find websites that showed you how well they are doing on online worksheets. this would be a great tool to have in the classroom. I feel that you should incorporate as much technology and other resources into your lessons to have a diverse classroom with many ways to learn.

Twitter and Me

Twitter! Where do i begin, well at first I was not a fan of twitter I found it to be confusing and was not sure what the purpose of a #hash-tag was. After I got a personal Twitter I learned to enjoy using my twitter as a new social networking site. When Prof.Smith asked us to create a professional twitter and use it for teaching I was not that thrilled of the idea. I have grown to enjoy using it in my SEDU183 class and in learning how to use it as a future educator. I really enjoyed using my twitter to take our quiz. I liked that we collaborated as a class to get answers and to hear what our classmates thought of the questions. I do see myself using my twitter in my classroom, not as much as a communication device to parents but as a homework posting site, updates for class or reminders. I want to become better at using twitter before becoming an educator so that I can use it to the best of my ability for my students. Twitter is a good social networking site different from others like facebook. I think they all have their ups and downs.

I thought this picture fit well as we do want our students to be tweeting :)

"The Final Frontier"

In my Secondary Education class, Tech and teach and learning  my group and I were asked to create a Google drive presentation on the information we gathered after reading Peggy A. Erthmer's "Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs:The Final Frontier in Our Quest for Technology Integration." After I read this article I learned about how teachers all over the world do not integrate as much technology as they should. I learned that many teachers are comfortable with the way they teach and do not want to change. Therefore, my Professor asked our class to create this presentation to "Call to Action" the teachers to want to incorporate technology in there classrooms. During this process I learned about the advantages to using technology in the classroom and ways teachers can incorporate the technology in a manner that they students will enjoy. My outcomes from this assignment are that while reading and doing research on the topic I learned a lot about to create a Google drive presentation and collaborating information with my group members to create a great presentation to express to teachers that using technology in the classroom has many benefits. I enjoy working in a group and really enjoyed the ideas my group members brought to the idea. Hope you check out the presentation and enjoy watching and learning from it as much as I did making it.

All About Me Post

Hey Everyone, my name is Emily Elizabeth Wilson. I am 19 years old and a sophomore at Edinboro Universtiy of Pennsylvania. I am studying Early Childhood and Special Education. I hope to someday teach Kindergarten. The reason I wanted to become a teacher was beacuse I use to work at the WLD Ranch as a horsemansihip instructor and then as a camp counsler. I have a great love for horses and for riding and through teaching others to ride I grew a great love of children. When i was asked to be a counselor I couldnt resisit the opportunity. I loved my campers and the bond we created those summers was indescribable. I decided to duel major and add Special Education because the children I had as campers were the specal needs kids. I had some of the best times with those children, they were a challenge but made me laugh and I loved to watch them as the week went on. These children had to  overcome obstacles and challenges such as being away from home, away from mom and dad and the fears of some the other opputuiites they were given. It was then I realixed that teaching was the job for me.

I feel that technology in learning can be complicated. I know personally I find myself sometimes struggling because I am a hands on learner and to not have something in front of me can be a personal challenge. I do enjoy learning how to use new technology that will help me in teaching and in life. I hope that when I am a teacher I can incorporate technology in my classroom.

I feel that technology in teaching is that same way. It can be easy or difficult depending on the person. Like I said I am a hands on learner so teaching with technology could be just as difficult as learning with technology. I know that in my classroom I will use technology of some sort so I need to be good at using that technology. I would need to watch my future students to see if their were children that struggled when I used technology and perhaps adapt my teaching strategies for those children. 

A belief statement I have as a future teacher is that students learn best when actively engaged.

Children should be active in the classroom. My students should give feedback and be able to answer questions. I believe that enthusiasm is contagious, and that my students will be enthusiastic if I am enthusiastic about the material. My challenge as an educator is to strive to be enthusiastic in my presentation of material, and will use humor and a positive attitude to evoke similar behaviors from my students. I really loved Winnie the Pooh growing up and when i saw this video I thought it was super funny. This is defiantly something I would share with my class to get a good laugh out of them :)