Welcome

Personal Photo: Me at the Statue of Liberty National Monument


Welcome to Techie in Kindergarten!

This fall I started my journey of obtaining my Technology Specialist Endorsement through Dominican University. I am currently taking a course called Edu 776: Integrating Technology into Programming, Services & Instruction. I will be using this blog to share what I'm learning and the process of bringing technology into my kindergarten classroom.

I received my bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Concordia University Chicago and my master's degree in literacy at Northeastern Illinois University. I have been teaching kindergarten for 11 years, 9 years in River Grove and 2 years in Northbrook.

I love working with kindergarten kids. Our days are spent with songs, games, and play, but there is a lot of hard work that takes place in our classroom as well. We work hard to become independent readers and writers as well as becoming a community of thinkers that collaborate peacefully. There is so much growth that takes place in our year together and it's satisfying to see my students come into their own. I am passionate about developmentally appropriate practice, whole body learning, and creating a love of reading and learning in all of my students.

GIF via GIPHY

I am very lucky to currently work in a 1:1 device classroom. Last year we piloted the learning first initiative in our district and it was a wonderful, though challenging learning experience for me. In the beginning I admit that I was doubtful of how much I could really accomplish with my 5 and 6 year olds. They, of course, proved me wrong. I learned to love our devices, especially the way they allowed us to share our learning with our school community and family and the excitement it brought to our learning. I am looking forward to learning more about how I can provide a meaningful integration of technology in my kindergarten classroom!

In my personal life, I live with my two black cats, Charlie and Izzy. I am looking forward to buying my own house in the next year, which I see as an exciting adventure. My hobbies include reading (my favorite read in the last year was Circe by Madeline Miller), hiking outdoors, trying new restaurants, traveling or planning trips, and keeping my indoor plants alive. I sometimes struggle to maintain a work - life balance during the school year, but over the years I've learned the importance of making time for interests outside of the classroom.

Personal Photo: Charlie the cat
     Personal photo: Izzy the cat

Thanks for reading! I look forward to sharing more of my ed tech journey on this blog. You can also find me on Twitter @MsRzewnicki. 

Comments

  1. Lauren MietelskiAugust 28, 2019 at 6:22 AM

    Hi, Laura.

    Thanks for sharing! I also just started the certificate program, so we may share some other classes in the future. What devices are you using for your 1:1 program? We use Chromebooks at the high school level, and it is quite difficult keeping them from being broken or lost by our students. Do you have those same problems and how does your school prevent or deal with it when it happens? What are some ways you use technology in your kindergarten class? For example, we have our students create slideshows, websites, and Google docs. Do you have any fun programs you are using that are tailored to your age level?

    Also, I do find achieving a balance difficult in my teaching-home life. I've found that designating time on Sunday to do some more work and preparing for the week helps me do less work during the week in terms of planning. As a high school English teacher, I am always bombarded with papers to grade, so that is an extra challenge for achieving balance. I've really had to learn to streamline my grading.

    Best of luck as the school year begins.

    Lauren Mietelski

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura RzewnickiAugust 28, 2019 at 8:47 AM

      Hi Lauren,

      I'm looking forward to having more classes with you in the program!

      Our 1:1 devices are iPads. Our district has provided us with awesome, age-appropriate cases and the iPads are kept at school. I'm sure older students have more challenges, especially if they are bringing them home and back. So far, none of our iPads have broken or been scratched. And we've even taken them outside to take pictures of living and non-living things! The main app we've been using is Seesaw. It's a sort of online portfolio that we are able to share with each other and our families. Families have the Seesaw app at home and can see what is posted. Almost like a safe, learning focused social media in a way. There is a photo feature, collage feature (new this year), they can draw, they can type or label something. We mostly use it to have them share and reflect on their own learning. For example, in a math center they might identify numbers, use manipulatives to represent each number, then take a photo of their work, record their thinking, and post it for me to review (I can them approve or delete).

      I sympathize with English teachers that have so many papers to grade. At my level I find that there is just a lot of time consuming prep for all of our activities because everything is so hands on. I've discovered that staying organized is one way I can really help myself out with this process. We don't have as much grading though!

      Laura

      Delete
  2. NMZumpanoAugust 28, 2019 at 10:56 AM

    Great to meet you, Laura. I loved your part about how you were proven wrong by your littles about them being able to successfully use technology! The amazing part about kindergarten is that they are so open to exploration and not afraid of technology. I also saw you spent a substantial time in River Grove- I grew up there! Like you, I also have two cats- they are fun, aren't they?

    Looking forward to learning with you this fall!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jennifer OrtizAugust 28, 2019 at 7:45 PM

    Hi Laura,
    I have also started my journey on obtaining my technology endorsement so I am sure I will be hearing from you in the future.
    I currently teach 1st grade and use technology to keep in contact with parents but also for students to sing, dance and move along! For brain breaks I use GoNoodle (which is FREE!) and have 2-3 students pick a video to move/dance along to. It is fun, interactive, and definitely gets their wiggles out!
    The growth between Kindergarten and first is astounding! Within these ages they are learning to read, tie their shoes, developing their little personality, and everything in between!
    Your GIF is too funny! I can definitely hear some of my students telling me this. Quick story, when I was student teaching I remember we were reading about Johnny Apple Seed. I remember I had asked my 1st grade students how they knew this took place a long time ago. Long story short, one of my students provides his evidence and says "Yeah this took place a long time ago, like in 2001!!" I couldn't help but laugh because he thought 2001 was a long time ago!

    I look forward to reading more from you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sophia EspinozaAugust 29, 2019 at 9:04 AM

    Hi Laura! Over the years I've taught PreK-5 and K is definitely one of my favorite ages! Whether it's swiftly learning to use technology or some other skill, they never cease to amaze me!

    At my last school we had an education technology team that helped us develop digital tools for online student portfolios, independent student documentation, and student-led goal setting. It was incredible to see students as young as four use these tools to reflect on their growth and better understand themselves as learners.

    I'm looking forward to hearing more from you about how technology should be used with our youngest students.

    ReplyDelete

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