Introduction

                                                       Welcome to my blog!

My name is Sam or Miss Milne in the classroom. Currently, I am an Assistant Teacher in a Kindergarten classroom. I am creating this blog to document my skills this semester as I learn about new and existing technology to enhance literacy lessons in my Kindergarten classroom. Currently, we have two chrome books and two iPads. Our students use this as a technology center during literacy and math centers. Our students enjoy using technology in this center.

In the beginning of the year, it was difficult to get students accustomed to technology. We spent a few weeks helping students log on to the class account, log on to our different online accounts, and choose appropriate content on the websites. To make things easier, we included a "technology expert" in our classroom job list, with the previous expert training the following expert, so that by the end of the year, everyone will be an expert!

One thing my co-teacher and I like is that we can really use this technology to differentiate lessons. The students pick from a "menu", which is a list of appropriate games, book levels, and apps depending on their learning needs. We have different colored arrow sticky notes, dividing the class into different levels based on skills. The Kindergarteners use Raz Kids and EPIC to practice reading ebooks. Also, our students use ABCya and Starfall to play games.

On the two iPad's, our students use a variety of different apps, varying based on independent needs. All of our students use Writing wizard and Letter School to work on handwriting. We just purchased 2 stylus' to help our students with their grip. Most students use different phonics apps, such as Kids Academy and Phonics Farm. Also, many of our students use apps that make sight word practice fun, such as sight word machine and reading monster. For our more advanced learners, we use apps like Word Master, Words With Friends, 2 Pics 1 word, and Reading Magic. These apps help with some concepts we are working on such as spelling practice, compound words, blending sounds, r-controlled words and segmenting multisyllabic words. Like I said before, our classroom is all about differentiation and we really like technology as a tool to help us with this even more.

I look forward to acquiring new skills to integrate technology to enhance my lessons. I am excited that I will be able to really use technology to add to my existing lessons and objectives. We are fortunate to have endless information on the internet in our hands and I would like to teach my students how to use this information in a safe, fun, and new way.

In this blog, I will be referring to how the CCSS and the ISTE (technology standards) can be applied in every resource I find. Also, I will use refer to knowledge as discussed in TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) to apply what I have learned are effective instructional strategies using content, pedagogy, and technology.

While there are many ISTE standards that I will use, I will be focusing on ways to enhance my lessons to adapt for specific needs for individual students.

I will be using the following ISTE Standards:

ISTE.5.A.- Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.

ISTE.5.B.- Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.

ISTE.1.A.- Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.

ISTE.3.A.- Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

ISTE.3.C- Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Also, I will be using specific online tools to help students with phonemic awareness and learning about print, using the following standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.B Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

In addition, the following standard I will use for my storyboard and my digital story to teach my students about Concepts About Print:

CCSS.RF.K.1-1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

a. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

b. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

c. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

I will also be focusing on comprehension and improving writing. Students will be able to determine the key details of a text and write narratives or retell stories using technology by using the following standards:

CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.RI.K.1-With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3- Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.1- Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2- Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

CCSS.ELA.W.1.3- Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

CCSS.ELA.W.3.6- With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

By applying standards to what I know about TPACK content, my digital tools will be used in a way that is engaging, and content that shows my knowledge and research regarding literacy and early childhood education.