Reflections...

     As I finish up a course named "Integrating Technology Across Content Areas" I am happy to tell you that this has been time and money well spent.  You can't help but worry as you begin any new course!  I have added many new tools to my bag of 'tricks' and am excited to create more activities to start the new school year come August. 

     I started this course by creating a GAME plan for advancing my competencies in technology integration. My goals were to: collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation and engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.  
These are not goals that end now that this course is coming to a close.  These are goals that I am continuing to improve upon as I plan for the new school year.  I suspect that I will be working on these goals for the duration of my school career.  Are we ever 100% effective?  I know I'm not!  I can't imagine being 100% effective, but who doesn't want to be??? So I will keep striving up, up, and (hopefully, not 'away'!)!!


Here's and update on how I'm progressing.  My new class blog can be found at Dills' Darlings! I am starting to work on uploading important documents and forms parents might want so they can find what they need.  I will add links to other web pages that may be helpful.  All of this will be ready for the start of the year (one less thing to do in August, can I get an AMEN?).   I think this class blog will be an integral part in communicating with my parents and truly enhance my students' skills digitally and within other content areas.  Killing a bunch of birds with one stone..... I'm thinking, YES!

I am very excited to be incorporating more 'real world' activities into my classroom.  The project that I worked on during this course was all about the Lost and Found.  If you've ever been around kindergarten kids you know that they can't quit talking about this thing!  When a child goes to look in the lost and found they get this look upon their face....how can I describe it....hmmmm, similar to the look I get on my face when I walk into the Apple Store.  It's like 'ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh'.  They are truly transfixed on the Lost and Found! Our unit was so much fun, for them and myself!  We sorted, counted, tallied, organized, compared, predicted, created a commercial....and then when others claimed their items we did it all over.  The students were so engaged.  For a kindergarten student 'engaged' can be synonymous with 'excited'.  Let me remind and tell you that we did this project that last week of school..... yep, the last week!!!!  Many students didn't want to leave the room because they were afraid if someone had some questions about the lost and found they wouldn't know who to ask!!!!!!  At the end of the unit/year one boy said "I wish we had a few more days of school so maybe we could find some more things and try to find the loser."  (OK...by 'loser' he meant the person who 'lost' the items..... Remember, kindergartners here!  That was the appropriate way to use the term 'loser'!  Ha!  I love kindergarten!)

Here's the 'commercial' we made to encourage others to come find their belongings:

One idea I received from a classmate to enhance my lesson would be for the students to participate in a skit about someone losing an item and what to do if you find something. I see this lesson as something that could be done multiple times throughout the year and additions could be made to stretch the students' learning. 

I would like to incorporate using the GAME plan with my students.  They will especially like the acronym.  Even kindergartners can look at where they are and discuss what they need to improve upon and even come up with ideas to do it! 

Good luck to everyone as they being their summer relaxation/preparations for next year! Here's my little sweetie I'll be hanging out with!