Week 1 Blog

 Week 1 Blog

Hello, everyone. Welcome to my blog. 

Part 1:

My name is Bree'Ann Chanel French. I am married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two little boys. 

In my free time, which is pretty rare these days, I like to watch my boys play sports, attend college and professional games, go camping, cook, listen to music, read, and work in my vegetable garden. 
I am currently a Head Start teacher. I enjoy working with children and have always aspired to be a teacher. I believe working in education is exactly where I am supposed to be. I am also a graduate student pursuing my Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. My future professional goals consist of becoming an elementary principal. 

Part 2:

One ISTE Student Standard that fits naturally in a preschool classroom is Creative Communicator (Standard 6), especially indicator 6a, which focuses on choosing the right tools to share ideas and communicate meaningfully. This aligns with the Oklahoma Academic Standard for Pre-K English Language Arts, PK.1.S.4, which encourages children to orally describe personal interests and experiences with support. 

To meet both standards, students could help create a digital class book called "Our Favorite Things at School." Each child would draw a picture of something they love doing at school and talk about it with the teacher. The teacher would take a picture of the artwork and record a short audio clip of the child explaining their drawing. Then the pictures of the artwork and audio clips would be put together into a simple digital book that the class could enjoy during group time. 

This activity feels fun and familiar for young children, but it also builds early communication skills and introduces technology in a way that supports learning rather than distracting from it. To extend the learning experience, students could watch digital books or short videos created by other preschool classrooms and talk about what they notice, allowing them to compare experiences and learn about other classroom communities. 

Part 3:

This lesson aligns with Kolb's Triple E Framework because the technology is used intentionally to support learning with purpose, not just for fun. Kolb explains that effective technology integration depends more on the instructional choices made by the teacher than on the tool itself. In this activity, technology supports a familiar classroom routine instead of replacing hands-on learning. 

The lesson promotes and supports engagement by allowing children to talk about their own interests, which naturally keeps them focused and motivated. Drawing pictures and hearing their own voices make the activity exciting while the teacher guides and supports each child. The technology enhances learning by giving students an additional way to practice oral language and communication skills. Being able to listen to recordings and revisit the digital book also helps reinforce learning over time. 

The lesson extends learning beyond the classroom by allowing students to view digital books or videos created by other classrooms and share their own work with families. These experiences help children make connections between their classroom and the larger school community. Overall, this lesson reflects Kolb's emphasis on purposeful technology use that deepens learning and supports meaningful connections.  

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