Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.  Teachers:

A.  Design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
B.  Apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
C.  Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
D.  Plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
E.  Plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology enhanced environment.
       During my student teaching experience, I taught a four week cross-curricular unit of study on weather and seasons.  I planned developmentally appropriate learning opportunities with technology by choosing programs that relied heavily on visual and auditory stimuli.  For example, the children made  concept webs of the four seasons (using pictures), weather pictures, and slide shows with stamps of objects. I also designed an electronic book, Tornadoes! that included voice overs that read the book to the children during center time.  My cooperating teacher had selected appropriate software for the children to view during center time, such as picture dictionaries and other electronic books.  This software also provided a lot of visual and auditory components.  I was fortunate to have a cooperating teacher who values technology as much as I do.  I also taught the children to use computers as tools.  We used Graph Club to make a graph from weather information we had collected.  The children  illustrated math facts into slide shows and then shared them with their classmates and after we made pictures using MS Paint, we colored them and added words.  I believe technology should be integrated into curriculum so children become comfortable with it and use it in their day-to-day lives.  I do not believe it is meant to be taught in isolation so I did my best to integrate technology seemlessly into the curriculum as a valid and useful tool.  As I planned my lessons, I made open-ended requirements so children who needed more practice with technology concepts could still find success.  For example, I set a minimum requirement of 6 objects to be added to our seasonal concepts webs.  Then, those children who could exceed that were free to continue and those that could not still participated and benefited from the experience.
       During my student teaching experience, I attended an in-service about the appropriate use of technology.  Accomodations were made so that the first graders could use the lab properly.  I adjusted the height of  their chairs, taught them to use two hands on the keyboard, and taught them to put  their feet on the floor when typing, and take occasional breaks.  All of these fundamental skills support current research that conditions such as carple tunnel syndrome can be prevented if computer users are taught how to use computers properly early in their lives.  I continue to seek appropriate ways to integrate technology into the education of young children.  While student teaching, I learned that young children are capable of much more complicated use of technology than we sometimes think.  If they are presented with new programs, allowed to explore, and given specific directions and adequate time, they can use technology to produce amazing products that show how well they understand technology. 
       While I was student teaching, I also learned how to use the web design program used by Chelsea School District.  Email and web sites are great ways to communicate with parents, but it is important to consider the availability of such resources.  My cooperating teacher and I decided that there are not very many web sites available that are appropriate for non-readers and when you go on the Internet, there is always the chance that children will inadverantly access something that is inappropriate.  During my unit, the weahter person for each day looked up the daily temperature on the school district web site.  This helped the children to gain some basic knowledge of how to navigate on the web.  The children also were able to view the National Weather Service web site  that was linked to my  self-produced electronic book on Tornadoes.   I also use the internet to learn about technology and to collect teaching ideas.  For example, I decided to do MS Paint weather pictures after exploring technology lesson planning ideas from a school district in Oklahoma.

Picture:  The children are working in the lab.                                                                              Questions or Comments:  indigo@dmci.net