Exciting New Experience!

Today, I am excited because I was able to use technology in a new way. I was printing the course reading materials for this class online and had to bring my kindergarten students into the computer lab so I could get the 78 pages copied so I could read them at my convenience. As my students were sitting around waiting on the papers to print I began to start opening computers to www.starfall.com. I am using the little readers and we have read about 7 in class. As I moved around the room and put students on the computers, I could see the joy and excitement on their faces. You could have heard a pin drop in that room. We were there for 30 minutes and they were amazed! Every student was able to read books that we have used in class and participate in the learning activities each book provides. We do have 3 computers in our classroom and one is set on the starfall website. Up to this point I have only put my readers on this computer. The children rotate through the literacy stations once every 7 days. I was able to provide assistance to individual children as they worked at the computer.

I wasn't sure I could manage a group of 20 five year olds all on the computers at once but it was so easy. I was able to challenge my readers and also provide letter recognition and letter sound skills for those students needing extra support. Different ability levels are provided on the website. This experience ran so smoothly and I was impressed with the interest, motivation, and utter joy on their faces. They were all excited and I was able to secure another day this week for the lab. This is the first time I have used the computer lab with my students. Usually, all the times are taken when I would need to use it.

I am so excited about our success today and I am eager to find other useful websites that provide interactive activities for kindergarten students. As we left the computer lab, several students said they had so much fun and wanted to go again. I feel I am spreading my wings by using technology to teach literacy and reading skills as well as all other subjects. By achieving this hurdle today, I feel more confident using the computer lab with my students. I plan to sign up for a regular time if I can find one. This has been a great opportunity for my students.

This class is teaching me to integrate technology in all areas of the curriculum. Now I am hoping to add more new experiences for my students in the future! Learning is GREAT!