Revisiting Childhood Through A Digital Story

Over the past few weeks I have been in the process of creating my own digital story, which is essentially a movie made from pictures, audio, and voiceovers. This experience has taken me on a ride down memory lane as I search through childhood pictures that resurface cherished memories and unforgettable moments from the past. This project has enabled me to incorporate an important aspect of my life, my relationship with my older sister, into my academic work and explore technology with my own interests in mind. In addition, working on the story helps me to calm down and de-stress after crazy days spent in class, completing homework assignments, and being in a never-ending realm of energy and animal crackers: the kindergarten classroom. 

As I put the pieces of my childhood back together, I realize that I have lost sight of what’s important in life: family, relationships, and living for the moment. It has also helped me to understand how important it is, as a teacher, to provide students with the opportunity to incorporate their values, interests, and ideas into their learning in new and exciting ways. My advice to anyone reading this blog, whether you are a teacher, student, or just have nothing else to do, TAKE ADVANTAGE of this wonderful tool. Create a story. A project. A poem. A biography. Share, appreciate, and proudly display your own interests and ideas. Give your students the opportunity to learn in different ways and display their learning in a way that supports their needs and interests. 

Kindergarten!

When I was first told that I would be working in a kindergarten classroom this semester, I didnt know how to feel. Part of me was anxious that I wouldnt learn as much as I would in a higher grade level classroom. The other part of me was excited to experience something so new and be a part of helping young children build the foundation for their learning. A few weeks in, I cant tell you how happy I am to be in the environment i'm in. I work with wonderful teachers who provide me with valuable resources and skills that I know will help me in whatever grade I chose to teach. These teachers really make me feel like i'm a part of the kindergarten team which is really important to me as a future teacher. 

At a planning session this past week, I learned about an activity the teachers do with their students to help them learn the letters of the alphabet. For the activity, which they called the ABC beanbag toss, the teachers took a shower curtain and drew 26 boxes- each box had a letter of the alphabet in both uppercase and lowercase form, and the boxes where drawn randomly around the surface. Next, the teachers took 26 beanbags and wrote a letter of the alphabet in uppercase and lowercase form in permanent marker on each one. To play the game, the teacher hands a student a beanbag, and the student must say the letter thats on the bag and the sound it makes. Then, they go to the "start" square (which is a small box that says "start" on one of the corners of the curtain)  and toss the bean bag to the matching square on the curtain. The game ends when all the squares are filled up. 

The next say, I watched as the kids played the game, and I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone so excited to learn the ABCs and toss a beanbag in my life.

Just goes to show how such a simple idea can go a long way!