Innovation at Next
Generation: ideas inspired by the ECC Conference 2013
Melissa Clarke Reynolds developed a global ethical brand. Mini
Momos.com. with the underpinning idea Love to Play / Love the Planet. Have fun
doing good.
She believes we need to teach resilience in our lives and in our centers.
Look at life, ask the question: “Is it a
good thing? Is it a bad thing? Too soon to tell!”
Some of the best things in life happen from what seems like the worst.
Melissa asks us to look at where toys are made – where are they going?
Most toys have 3 months of use, 3 months in the cupboard and 3 thousand years
in the landfills. Almost all soft toys are made with some child labour.
No one can see the future:
What matters to you?
What outcomes do you want?
How could someone help you get these results?
What actions would they take?
To follow through with these ideas, what will you do?
Ict with Brian Puerling as the key note speaker . Director of Education
Technology, Cattherine Cook School, Chicago, who we found most inspiring. He
loved our centres and would have liked to have spent more time here, we would
have loved to have him here for a week.
Suggested we check out the ICT Position Statement at NAEYC http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children
Technology should enhance our teaching! How? Why?
What is your philosophy for ICT? Personally and the centre philosophy.
Do you think you should have lab carts that wheel in the ICT equipment
and then wheel them out? (Not at Next Gen)
What are your hopes and what would help achieve this?
What are our big ideas for the centre?
Try out safe social media for children. Try a twitter tree, tree on the
wall, each child has a bird on the tree, children can add a new tweet to the
tree. Develops concept of tweeting to children. Set up classroom twitter
account, tweet thought from the Mat. Let’s follow Brian’s classroom in Chicago.
Share exciting moment of the day, share something you learnt that day.
email Brian: puerlingtech@gmail.com
Practice, discuss, explore some more.
PLN professional learning network
https://twitter.com/hootsuite
Empower Teachers to recognize their own learning
style.
When setting up an activity see if you can make it richer. For example
if you are going to make muffins see if there is a professional baker you could
skype with the children. Asking questions and seeing if they will do some
baking at the same time over skype. Could we film the children baking step by
step as a how to video? Once its on blogger they can make the recipe again at
home. Could we skype Jill?
Get experts in to the centre. When it comes to planting ask someone from
Kings if they would mind coming to talk to the children.
Make children the “experts” to help scaffold each other’s learning.
Getting children to be ‘tech support’ or ‘art curator’ for a week at a time.
Children can approach the experts if they need help or want to see an idea
developed further, encouraging them to figure it out as peers before coming to
a teacher.
‘Tech expert’- a child that is comfortable with using the ipad/ipod and
can help the other children if they are stuck when wanting to take photos or
use an app for example.
‘Art curator’- this child would be in charge of art activities for the
week. Deciding what activities and equipment are put out each day. The other
children will also be encouraged to ask this child for help etc. the ‘art curator’
will also have to help ensure the equipment is being used appropriately and
throughout the day check in on the area to ensure it is all going to plan.
‘Outdoor play specialist’- this child would be in charge of the outdoor
set up for the week.
These specialists would be told on the Monday week before they are to
have the job. Discussion throughout the week reminding these children would be
beneficial. On a Friday each child will have a chance to sit down with a
teacher to plan out the next week. We could have a photo catalogue made up of
the different activities available at the center, however this should be used
as a last resort if the child is stuck. By planning the Friday before we have
time to come up with ways to make the children’s ideas work. I.e. if they
wanted ramps for running the bikes over it would give us time to find the
equipment. Same with the art, rocket ship building will take lots of boxes but
with a few days warning we could wrangle it together. Any idea the children
come up with we need to try and find a feasible way of making it work so that
we are not squashing their creativity or interest.
We could start a writers group. Find a children’s author/ illustrator
to talk or have skype sessions with the children about different ways to come
up with stories and illustrations. Show children a variety of different
children’s books so they can be confident that being different is ok, not all
their drawings/books need to be the same. Publish book as e-book, or publish in print.
Make author notes, what will your book be about? How will you illustrate the
book?
Individualised reflections and evaluations, give parents questions.
By getting ‘experts’ in we are showing the children that we are also
still learners and that asking for someone that specializes in an area is the
best way to learn about it. We are trying to encourage a passion for life long
learning.
Setting up a separate blog for teachers reflecting on chapters of
educational books/ talks or activities. Lets have an open floor discussion on
this blog about ideas, what we like/dislike. Book Club try reading the first chapter of a book and reviewing the
ideas with other teachers.
How can we implement apps into our everyday learning (i.e. weather app)
what ideas do teacher have? Can we be more innovative?
Make children take charge; send them out to take a picture of the
weather each morning to discuss at mat time. How is it changing?
Compare relevant apps with the children, what do they like/ dislike
about each one? Are some giving us mixed information on the same topic? I.e.
weather? Why do some work better than others? I.e. photo editor. Are the apps
we are using tools or consuming apps? Check weather app each day, is the
information correct?
HD Marine life. App.
Film children describing their art or experience, put it on blogger as
a regular thing same as we take a photo of a tower they build, video them
talking about it.
Have an interest of the morning. Show pictures or videos from the
morning during mat time. Share exciting things/ achievements that have happened
in the centre, i.e. did Gabe spend all morning building a tower, take photos to
share, get him to tell the story of what happened. Did someone do a nice
picture in the morning; get them to stand up ad show their peers. Making
children feel proud for their achievments each day. Encourage children to share
their challenges they overcome, i.e. did Zara finally climb to the top part of
the pirate ship? Mat time should be a celebration of our peers and what they
have to offer, bringing meaning into every activity.
Blog of the day- each day we could have a child’s blog that we look
through at mat time, share the learning experiences with everyone.
Employ teachers who share your vision.
