NAEYC Conference

I am bursting with things to share from the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference in Washington DC last week. I am most excited about the new technology finds from two excellent sessions I attended on bringing technology to children and teachers.
We are already using a blog in our classroom, but now I know about http://www.glogster.com, a place to combine pictures, audio and words. I plan on playing with it to figure out how to help my students make their own contributions.
Next, I learned about Bee-bots. These are little programmable robots that move 15cm for each programmed step. So, you can press forward, forward, left, forward and it will move 30 cm forward, 15 cm to the left and another 15 cm forward. By using mats that are blocked off in 15cm grids, you can program the bee-bot to follow a path. The kids are learning basic programming and robotics. You can also make the grids learning tools by putting, shapes, numbers, or anything else in the grids and challenge the kids to program the bee-bot to get to the right one.
There is also a Web 2.0 program called voicethread. This lets you post an image or video and comment on it. Then, others can come in and also add comments. There are multiple ways to input--you can comment by recording to your microphone, telephone, text, record on the voicethread site or use your webcam. This tool allows you to have a conversation about something with multiple inputs. I am just beginning to devise ways to use this tool. I am thinking of just putting up a "story starter" photo and having the kids comment on what they think the story could be.

I also learned about SimplyBox, which I have since found out is a lot like the application Delicious (which I have never used, but plan on investigating). With SimplyBox, you can visually organize  websites. I thought this might be a great way to organize places for kids to visit on the web. I could have a math box, an animals box, and a letters box. The kids would have a visual to navigate, instead of just words, which is all bookmarks have.
Then, there is Create-A-Graph. This place is amazing. You can survey your kids with a simple question, like "Do your shoes have laces, velcro, or slip on?" Then, when you have the answers, you can input the data and make a pie, bar, line, area, or XY graph. It is a great way to create a visual for the information you collect from your students.  There is some research that suggests kids should be exposed to visual charts and data early in order to better to understand it later.

When I plow through my notes and find the other sites, I will post again. I am going to include a link to Arnie Duncan, our US Secretary of Education, Dancing to Greg and Steve.
Enjoy!




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Technology in Early Education?

I have spent the last three days at the VPA Leadership Academy in Killington and have participated in the "Technology and Differentiation" Strand with Jim Moulton. I have a lot of new tools in my tool box to share with staff and am not sure what the best way to do that is. We are almost to the point that all of our staff have lap tops and more and more of our meeting spots have WiFi so maybe a county wide meeting with laptops would work for us?

My other thoughts other than the "how" is the "why". I know there are a lot of different philosophies about technology in the early education classroom. I hear things like "We only have ten hours with them and they spend enough time in front of screens at home, they don't need to do that here too." Or "we are here to teach foundational skills and social skills, we don't need technology to do that in early ed."

I have been trying to find some innovative early education programs who are using technology as one tool to intentionally teach kindergarten readiness skills. I am not really finding one although I would love to put something together based on what I am seeing as I travel to different classrooms in our early ed collaborative. Some supporting sites that I have found are:

http://www.projectapproach.org/
http://pbl-online.org/
http://jimmoulton.org/1.html (links to many many resources)
http://www.edutopia.org/technology-overload
http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2008/making-most-early-education-technology-1597

Stuffed Animal Sleepover

Check out the fun that the Bookmobile and the Swanton Public Library had with a simple idea! Five libraries in our county did this on the same night. It brought kids into our libraries twice in two days!
What did we do?
We invited kids to leave their stuffed friends at the library for a sleepover. They came back Saturday morning for breakfast, special certificates, and a power point story. Of course kids were happy to pick up their stuffed friends too! I'm not sure who had more fun. Look and see! http://swantonlibrary.org/

Dr. Seuss

This month the Fairfield Laboratory Preschool is delving into Dr. Seuss's rich literary canon. When we get back from February vacation, we'll celebrate his birthday a few days belated. While we read through some of Dr. Seuss’s old favorites, we can continue to build on important learning skills.

Rhyming
Dr. Seuss was a master of rhyme. There’s a Wocket in my Pocket will introduce the kids to “nonsense” rhymes. Fox in Socks adds rhyme to tongue twisting delight. Hop on Pop is full of simple rhymes that will help kids begin to see the patterns in words that sound alike. Being able to generate rhymes is an important pre-literacy skill that helps kids understand the connection to sounds and letters by changing only the first sound in a word. You can support this at home coming up with rhymes for everyday objects. Or choose a word (like “plate” at dinner) and see how many rhymers(real words or nonsense words) that you can think of together.

Imagination
Dr. Seuss likes to imagine new creatures and give them names. It is form him we know about Whos, Diffendoofer Day, Sneetches, Zax and other wonderful, imaginary characters. Reading about these creatures allows the kids to explore their own imagination and think up their own imaginary beings, places, and machines.

Socail Skills
The Sneetches teaches us to be kind to everyone no matter what they look like.

Yertle the Turtle teaches us to not be bossy, even if we are King. We need to be fair so that everyone can have a chance to be happy.
The Cat in the Hat teaches us to have fun, but to also be responsible and clean up after we play.
Getrude McFuzz teaches us to be happy with what we have and be careful of when we are jealous of others.
The Lorax teaches us to respect living things of all kinds and to take care of our resources responsibly.
Green Eggs and Ham teaches us to try foods, even if they look totally disgusting, because they might be delicious.
Horton Hears a Who teaches us that a "person is a person, no matter how small."

In honor of the master's upcoming birthday celebration, I invite you all to pick up your favorite Seuss and have fun sharing wordplay, whimsy, and humor with your children.

Family Literacy Night

On Tuesday January 20, the Franklin Central Early Education program held a Family Literacy Night. About 16 families participated. We shared a dinner of pizza and salad. As folks finished dinner, Deb Grennon, Bookmobile Librarian, read Ella Sarah Gets Dressed to an enthralled group of parents and children. They especially liked her fancy red hat. She demonstrated how to pull kids into a story, help them ask questions and make predictions, and how to voice different characters.

Then, families moved their way through seven different activities to reinforce early literacy skills in preschool age children. They support letter identification, sight word recognition, sound and symbol matching, and playing with words and letters. Activities included matching upper and lower case letters, writing in shaving cream and sidewalk chalk, finding letters in magazines and newspapers to make words, I Spy words and letters with items from the kitchen cupboards, cutting out pictures from magazines and catalogs and organizing them by their first letter, and putting letters together with clothespins on a hanger to form names and words. The parents and kids tried all of the activities and then received printed directions to take home. All the materials needed for activities would typically be found at home, or be very low cost. The idea was that parents would be able to do these activities at home with their kids to help build those important early literacy skills.

At the end of the evening, the kids chose a brand new picture book to take for their home library. We also made resources available for parents to take home about the importance of reading with their children and promoting their early literacy skills.
We were also happy to see the St. Albans Messenger sent a reporter to cover the event. Hopefully we’ll see a small blurb in next weeks paper.
We also wanted to thank Mimmo’s of St. Albans for the pizza donation and Pricechopper and Hannaford’s for the drinks and paper goods.

New Education Secretary to Focus on Early Education

Duncan Vows Focus on Early Childhood Education, Innovation
Arne Duncan, President-elect Barack Obama ’s pick for Education secretary, promised a new emphasis on early childhood education at his confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Sen. Tom Harkin , D-Iowa, who chaired the hearing at the request of ailing HELP Chairman Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass., said he wants to see a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, and the Department of Education to boost early childhood education programs.
“So many of these kids, we get them in kindergarten . . . and we have a tough time,” Harkin said. “Somehow, we have got to make sure that every child comes to school ready and able to learn.”
Duncan said he would work to do something “dramatically better” in early childhood education, and he said Obama was committed to the creation of a commission on early childhood education.
Duncan, outgoing Chicago school superintendent, spent last week on Capitol Hill visiting members of the committee, and during Tuesday’s hearing, he won praise across the board, from both sides of the aisle.
“President-elect Obama has made several distinguished Cabinet appointments – I think you’re the best,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander , R-Tenn., who served as Education secretary under President George H.W. Bush.
“I think you’re a high-altitude, high-achieving guy,” said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski , D-Md.
For a full version of this story and the latest coverage, please visit CQ Politics.

Reading is Fundamental

I am looking forward to working with local schools and other Vermont-based Reading is Fundamental Programs! Happy New Year!

NEWS

Contacts: Deb Grennon 802-868-5077 fgibookmobile@yahoo.com
Layla Wright-Contreras 202-536-3528, lwright@rif.org

Debora Ann Whitney Grennon of Franklin, Vermont named
Reading Is Fundamental Ambassador for VERMONT
Volunteers in 50 states to expand reach of nation’s oldest and largest
children and families’ literacy nonprofit organization
Franklin, Vermont, December 19, 2008, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) announces that Deb Grennon of Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile will represent Vermont as a RIF Ambassador.

The RIF Ambassadors initiative, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, bestows a working honor on RIF volunteer coordinators in 50 states, recognizing the valuable role of committed local volunteers in advancing RIF’s mission of a literate America in which all children have access to books and discover the joy and value of reading. The initiative will also provide a structure of support for selected ambassadors to promote children’s literacy and RIF in their communities.

Each RIF Ambassador will be responsible for three activities through 2009, allowing them to select an option best suited to their interest and the region they work in. Activities include blogging, children’s letter writing or collage campaigns, congressional member site visits or meetings, organizing a local gathering, outreach to a new group, photojournalism, publicity of their local RIF program, or engaging children in summer reading.

Locally, the Bookmobile has been a RIF program for three years. During this time, they have nurtured fruitful partnerships with Building Bright Futures Council, Early Childhood Programs, Head Start, Childcare Provider groups, Vermont Start with the Arts, and many local businesses to serve 652 children annually with RIF programming.

“RIF is able to help over 4.6 million children in the U.S. discover the joy of reading, thanks to engaged and committed volunteers,” said Carol H. Rasco, RIF president and CEO. “The RIF Ambassadors program will allow us to further connect will all coordinators in all states.”

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF’s website at www.rif.org.
Discover the Joy!