I found this video and it made me think of some of the things we were talking about in class. We are in a time where everything you do and say can be seen by anyone on the web. There are things we can do to make our information private when we are blogging. I hope you enjoy this video and it helps with some questions that we asked in class.
In this article it discusses the importance of teaching young children new technology. Since teachers spend alot of time with children they need to know what is out there. I enjoyed reading this article.
http://thenjournal.org/review/234/
It’s a sentiment Herrington and Moran give voice to in the opening chapter, when they explain that
[t]eachers, because they are working closely with young people, often see changes taking place in society before the rest of us. Though they may want to adapt their classroom practice to these changes, they may find adaptation difficult because of the nature of the school and classroom or because change is, for all of us, often difficult. Change may be particularly difficult for teachers who are still relative newcomers to the world of multimedia.
As I was flipping through the numerous amounts of television channels I have, I was taken by a commercial selling a product on teaching your baby how to read. I was automatically against this new product and even found myself telling the television why I was so against this product. After my three year old asked me why I was yelling at the TV, I decided to research this “great” product. What I found on www.monkisee.com was a page full of reasons why this product is so wonderful and what it can do for your baby. On the left hand side, there was a list titled “Why Teach Your Baby To Read.” The two points that really grabbed my attention were “Strengthens bond between you and your baby” and “It will show you just how amazing your baby is.” Of course, I had an argument. First, you should bond with your baby every day. There are so many more beneficial ways to bond with your baby that would make them smarter and happier without using this product. From the time my son was born, I read to him or made up my own stories to tell him which helped strengthen our bond. I didn’t sit my one month old on my lap and put and book in front of him and say “Okay little one, let’s teach you how to read.” Second, the comment “it will show you just how amazing your baby is” jus t sounds awful. I think everyone should think their baby is amazing no matter what. No one should need a program to tell them this! Another problem that caught my attention was that the creators give another method to teaching babies to read other than by using flashcards with sight words. They included a DVD for the parents to use instead of the interaction with the baby. I think this contradicts with the statement “Strengthens bond between you and your baby” because what bond would parents create if they are simply sitting their child in front of a TV screen? Plus, how can you teach your baby to read when, most of the time, the baby cannot even speak? Not only that, but how much of the material read can a baby actually comprehend?
As an elementary education major, I have taken many courses about teaching children to read and comprehend. The two go hand-in-hand. Just because a child can read well does not mean that the child is able to comprehend everything that he/she read. You have to teach both. I just cannot see how anyone is able to teach a baby not only how to read, but also how to comprehend.
As I said earlier, I read to my son everyday and always have. He has chosen a few of his favorites over his three years of life and because we read those favorites frequently, he has started to memorize specific phrases or sentences that go along with each page. This was not done because I forced him to do this; he has learned to do this on his own. We have been reviewing colors on a daily basis for about a year and a half, since he learned to talk, as well as his alphabet. He is now recognizing what each letter looks like and we will soon start going over his numbers. He can count to fifteen and is developmentally on track or above others in his age group, according to his doctors and fellow teacher friends of mine. The difference between what I do with my son compared to what others may do with their children is that I have introduced him to all different kinds of material, but I have not forced him to learn it.
I truly believe that this program has been created for those parents who believe in the next best thing. I think this program will place too much responsibility on our young children. Yes, the younger a baby is, the easier it is for them to learn, but should we continue to put this large amount of pressure on them to learn? We have already placed a large amount of learning benchmarks on our children, how many more do we need?
I encourage anyone who reads this blog to visit the site.
After the horror that George W. Bush created with his No Child Left Behind it is great to see that the new administration is taking an early stand on Early Childhood. http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/Education/ allows anyone to see what Obama’s stance on Education is, he realizes the importance of a child’s first five years of life and how those years can set a precedence on how that child will learn throughout their lifetime. As a future educator it is reassuring to see that the President is committed to promoting higher education for all and is attempting to have the highest number of college graduates in the world by 2020. Hopefully he will be able to stand behind these proposals and back them with the finances to make them come true. As well as convincing his successor with the need to continue with the successful programs that his administration begins.
Reading to students is crucial for their development, especially at a young age. Children who read are known to have higher IQs, as opposed to those who don’t. Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. Every child deserves to be read to and deserves to learn how to read. Not only does it help the child mentally, it is a great bonding experience between the parent and child. Little Ones Reading Resource is dedicated to helping children learn to read and providing them with the resources to do so. Follow this link to learn more about Little Ones Reading Resource.
