Module 4

Storytelling...it has come a long way in the past 10 years or so! Digital storytelling- what a wonderous concept! While I have very fond memories of the picture books of my own childhood, I can't ignore the fact that there are new ways to tell a story.

Having a Smartboard in my classroom is a wonderful resource, and we view many stories in this way. Youtube is a wonderful resource, and one that I utilise daily in my classroom. There is a beautiful range of Eric Carle books and animations on Youtube which my Kindergarten class love.

Take one of the classics, Rosie's Walk. My Kindergarten students love the animated version available on Youtube (which incidentally was originally made in the 1970's on a film reel). I have a lovely story regarding this video. In my class I have a boy from Vietnam who has almost no English. His understanding of English is absolutely minimal, however, whenever he watches the Rosie's Walk video he laughs so hard. He loves it. This is a prime example of how visual little people can be. He gets a special enjoyment from the video that he would not get from the still pictures of the book. In this way "J" is included in the storytelling experience. We can build on his language by talking about the story.

I use Audacity to record myself reading the Benchmark readers for my children to listen to on an iPod. In this way, they can read along and listen to reading modelled by an experienced reader. I also use Audacity to record the children reading, so that they can listen to themselves and reflect on how they sound. I have found that this has assisted greatly with fluency and expression.

Module 3

I am very excited to report that I can now create a Google doc, presentation and a form! I just created a form with multiple choice questions for our Staff Christmas Party! The possibilities with Google Docs is endless.

I would definitely use this in the classroom- homework tasks could be done online, comprehension activities, writing, Maths tasks...as I said before- endless.

Presently I have Kindergarten, so I would have to put a lot of thought into how this could be utilised, but off the top of my head, children could keep an online journal of what has been learnt, they could put their spelling words into sentences and answer simple mental problems.

I love the idea of children being able to work collaboratively on documents, however, I feel this is more suited to primary and high school students.

As a teacher, I am sure we could use Google Docs to create programs, units of work and even work together to update policies etc.

At the risk of seeming a little too keen, I will be actively searching for opportunities to appropriately incorporate Google Docs into my teaching. I have jumped on board a little late for this teaching year, but next year is filled with possibilities!

Module 2

I have just completed the 2nd module in the Web 2.0 course. As I said the last time I completed the 2nd module, I am not sure exactly what information I should put in this blog. I will start with some of my reflections on looking at the links provided...

The 21st century learner need to be engaged with a range of resources- with technology being extremely important because these children have been born into an age where technology is a part of our every day lives. Most children have daily access to computers, iPads, ipods...it is imperative that, as educators, we understand the best ways to intergrate these products into our everyday teaching,

Having taught Kindergarten for the past two years, I have seen first hand how much knowledge these little ones come to school with regarding ICT- the students in my class were more adept at using iPads than I was! Fortunately that has now changed and we are learning from each other.

Having access to the range of tools offered in Web 2.0 will be a huge asset to me as a teacher, and to the young learners in my class.

Module 1 (Take two)

Hello all!

Here I am again, attempting the Web 2.0 course. I am looking forward to completing the whole course this time- bringing myself and my students into the 21st century.

Module 2

I have just completed Module 2, and am pleased to be well on my way in the land of IT.

Although I use email, Facebook and regularly search the web, I am not really internet savvy, so Web 2.0 is going to be an excellent tool to enhance my IT learning.

To be straightforward, I am not really sure what information to put in my blog. This is all very new to me, and I will be learning as I go.

Kerrie

Module 1

Module 1 was a great introduction to Web 2.0. The videos were useful and informative, and helped me understand more about the course. I already had a G Mail account, so fortunately I did not struggle too much with that particular aspect of the module. I am excited to be learning new skills and will be thinking of how I can utilise them in the classroom.

Cheers, Kerrie

Greetings!

Hi! Thank you for visiting my blog. My name is Kerrie and I am currently teaching Kindergarten at St Joseph's, Moorebank. This is my first year in Kindy, and I am thoroughly enjoying sharing this part of my young learners' journey. The children of Kinder Blue are a varied group, and each one of them bring something very special to our classroom.

I will update this blog regularly, so please visit again soon and share your thoughts and ideas about the wonderful world of teaching.

Best wishes,

Kerrie