Build it and they will come?
Many of you know that I just started as the admin / tech teacher/ librarian at a K-3 school in Vancouver. It's a lot of hats, but I am very excited to:
a. be working in the community that I live in, and
b. challenging myself to work in early childhood education. Lets face it - this is where it counts!
As always, I am excited to have the opportunity to teach technology. So imagine my surprise when I started to explore the tools at my disposal: books on vinyl, cassette tapes, VHS players, 5 computers that don't work, and NO WIRELESS! Not the luxury I have become accustomed to.
We are starting small; one personal iPhone, one personal 3G iPad, one library blog, one projector, a thousand ideas, and a very eager group of kids and parents.
But if you are questioning why blogging with Kindies? Think about it this way:
1. Kids get inspired to write and create when they know that they are connecting and sharing their work with their families, friends and classrooms around the world.
2. I believe that it encourages our young learners to take pride and ownership of their own work, while developing higher thinking skills by critically assessing and commenting on other's work.
3. I believe that as educators we have a responsibility to create a platform for teaching respect, and above all safety, in relation to technology and online learning.
4. And last, but not least, I hope that our students learn the power of creation vs consumption when it comes to technology.
We are starting slow and hoping to grow. Please feel free to check out our site www.annexlibrary.edublogs.org . If you visit our Blogging Guidelines Page, there is a more detailed outline of the purpose of school blogs and safety measures. Feel free to leave comment. Just remember -please don't identify our students by their full names. Use initials instead.
If you are a teacher and would like to connect/ do a shared class books study etc. please let me know.
Risha Golby
"Every child, every day, every chance."
Love the idea of this blog! What a great opportunity for your students to learn from and with others from around the world.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the start of your connected journey!
This is great! I think your belief "if I build it, they will come" is so true! Often the path to gaining resources for new technology by showing how we will use it intentionally to transform student learning. Good luck and I'll be checking in to see how it's going.
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