Early Childhood Technology

I love technology.  I love using it.  I love finding ways to incorporate it into my kindergarten classroom.  I have a privilege of working in a school with small class sizes and lots of technology.  My students love their two tech times with the tech teacher each week, but they really have tech time daily with me.  This year I decided to apply to present a workshop at the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MiAEYC) Conference in April.  “Fun and Effective Ways to Use Technology in Your Early Childhood Classroom” is the name of my presentation.  So I submitted my proposal, was accepted and now I have to put together my presentation.  I went into techno overload.  I joined, perused and often tried every new technology idea that I came into contact with.  I not only have a mission, but an obligation to create an informative presentation that Early Childhood teachers can take back to their classrooms and use!  I created a simple classroom website.  I joined a ning.  I joined twitter.  I started my own ning. (Still in it’s infancy.)  Then I was asked – “Do you have a blog?”  Humph.  I don’t need a blog, I thought.  What can I say that’s important enough for someone else to read it?  Wow, these other bloggers are really good writers.  They sound so . . . professional . . . so . . . grown up.  I can’t do that. . . but then I thought about it.  Ok, perhaps I won’t have the most profound blog – but it will be MY blog.  If I want to show my co-workers and workshop attendees’ realistic things they can do, I should try them first.  I really can’t knock it until I’ve tried it.  So now I’m stepping up and acting like a real grown up professional.  I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and giving this blogging thing a try.  Who knows, maybe I’ll really like it.