Technology Kinergarten Style
I’ve been teaching Kindergarten for the past 4 years in West Vancouver. Every year I fight the powers that be to include more technology into my classroom. We have very limited classroom time but even less time in the computer lab. I’m on maternity leave this year and just found out that the students did not get a regular time!! I fully support incorporating technology into the classroom as early as possible. In the past I have found that the students that have difficulty in reading and printing are able to produce work they are proud of. Technology also gives these students the opportunity to shine in an area where others may not.
Technology isn’t going away and the children love using computers. I’ve found that as the years go on the students get more tech savvy and at younger ages. Strommen and Lincoln explain that as technology has changed in our environment from TV’s to computers the teaching environment has not changed and is in desperate need of catching up.
Children’s traditional classroom tools – pencils, notebooks, and texts – are still vital. But for children to assemble and modify their ideas, access and study information, they are inadequate. Computers, video, and other technologies engage children with the immediacy they are used to in their everyday lives, and bends it to a new pedagogical purpose. (Stolmenn/Lincoln)
I feel that schools need to catch up with society in the use of technology. Teachers who are fearful of computers need to step up and seize this opportunity to reach students at all levels. Technology is here to enhance learning not destroy it. If technology is used properly it it not just teaching typing and word processing but computer programing, collaboration with others (within school and world wide), and allowing for creativity and self expression.
I found a great website that explains ways to incorporate technology into all Kindergarten curricular areas. I’m tired of going to the computer lab with the students and only using Kid Pix and Zoombinis. I realize there is a lot that can be done with these programs but I am also looking to expand how and what I teach in the computer lab.
http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/primary/curriculum.html
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/research/?i=53593
http://www.playfulefforts.com/Archives/Papers/EUS-1992.pdf
http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/english121/projects/10b/jessy.htm
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6 Responses to “Technology Kinergarten Style”
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Thanks for sharing your resources with us. I do agree with you. We need to tap into their culture and use it to make learning more effective for the students. Keep on fighting to get the computer time for your kids!
I absolutely agree that schools and teachers need to “catch up with society” with respect to the use of technology. My daughter is entering kindergarten this September and I was very interested in knowing more about the use of technology at her school. I looked at whether the admin and staff were tech savvy and how committed they were to incorporating technology in education. To be honest, I transferred her out of the catchment school b/c I felt they were in still in the Jurassic Era. I will definitely keep track of how things go when she starts school. It’s great to know that teachers of very young students recognize the importance of allowing even the youngest minds to connect with the Web!
Hi Shannon
Great work on your Position Paper. As a fellow sd45 employee I find it strange we have to struggle for resources for students when our kids have every gizmo and gadget in the world. I have a wee one in school and I have mixed feelings about her accessing technology. I guess I should face the facts that technology is here to stay.
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Hi Shannon
I sent you a long comment but I see it was lost in cyberspace! Get the parents on your side. It opens up a complete new teaching experience – they are so wired at that young age.
hi dave
yes computers are here to stay. i’ve found there is so much that the kindergarten kids are capable of doing with the right resources. i would love to dive deeper into this…perhaps i’ll have to change my field study quesion
I’d love to hear more about what you decide to do with technology in the classroom. I know the kindergarten teacher at my school finds computer difficult to integrate within her class. I would like to give her some suggestions. It would be nice to work with her as a buddy class. KidPix has a lot of options, but it is certainly not the only thing for a K teacher to use.