Grand Children

My 3 grandkids stayed in the weekend and as well as exploring the 100 acres wood, making huts and drawing, Kymbali said matter of factly that she had been on to my Kikorangi Kids blog. She had found it when she was on classblogmeister for her blog. We looked at her class work and her setting up her term 2 self selected project on The History of Jewellery. She also said that they do their homework on the blog too. It was great to see comments from Kymbali's Mum about how well she did with her work.

Next she told me how her teacher went to hospital and had skped them while she was not at school.

Things often happen in the holidays that make ICT so real for me. This eposide showed me that blogs etc are for ordinary kids and their parents -it can't be held up to be something 'special' any longer -its just part of our kids life -just like reading books is. I need to be more active about using blogs I need to set mine up better.

notes for blogging thursday

Kids one -how to put kids on using paint pictures and special names
how to put on pictures of work
What about slide
how to get parents involved
My one -how safe is it (google bits)
Travel Buddy
Extra flash things -mine and the kids

Looking towards 2010

After reading my last blog with all the mistakes in I had better do a better check before I publish. Blogging beside a 11 month old -who loves the lap top is not a good idea.

R. at school is asking me about Reggio Emilia and while I have lots more information about the Reggio Way' I now need to start thinking about putting things into practice. I am not going to rush into it and the more I find out about our 2010 action research project I think that is where I will be aiming. The part from RE about documentation of the children's learning and finished 'product' will be where my I.T stuff will come in. I know its all about improving childrens thinking and therefore learning and I feel I am going to be on the right track.
Also our term 4 inquiry on "what makes a great New Entrant Room" will be a good start.

Action Research 2010

Both Lorraine and Robyn have posed some questions about this and I will spend some time on this blog pondering.

I have really enjoyed being on the whole rellco contract and the final year has come up really fast. I have liked having the amount of freedom we have had to follow our interests ,at our pace. I love my 2 blogs now and it didn't matter that I have taken much longer than other people to become a blogger. I still have lots to learn for my class one but now that parents are interested in putting comments this is the right time to learn more.g
Also we will use it more for our travel buddy experience.-I like it how 2 new things are connecting (TB and blogging ). I can't image life with out all the relection I do on this blog.


Often for me connections happen and those are what I am more likely to follow. Reggio Emilia -which I heard about in Wanganu - is really happening for me right now- my daughter in law has heaps of material on it, she knows people who have expertise and the centre she works at follows lots of their ways - including 'documention'.

As I am always looking for ways to improve the learning for my New Entrants- I am trying to make connections and come up with a Kath Murdoch styled inquiry learning for both me and the class. I think I want to do it together.

Paint

We had another session with L and this time we got on to paint. I used to think it was just for little kids to draw scribbly pictures - its not - its for us 'big ' learners too. I am going to have a play with it (and let my kids also), I know they will teach me some interesting things because when I showed them what I had learnt several of them told me that they already knew about that!!!

Apparently some photos from the time my Mum went to her great grand daughters Early Child care (and there were 4 generations doing things for my grandaughters blog)-well someone is making a big poster of it. I wish I had been there (it was the other Nana who was one of the generations.

My daughter in law (an EC teacher) is presenting with other centre members at a conference in Auckland soon and as she is still breast feeding our little blogger she will be there also. ICT is such a real part of my whanau now - isn't great that we can share such interesting things.

Travel Buddy

L. has just send an email seeing if my class want to take part in another travel budddy exchange with a school on the Isle of Man. I think room 2- 2009 are ready now as they 'love' Kikorangi so the connection is in place, some of the kids can 'write' so we can do exchanges re e- mail and I am ready to work with L. to set up our class blog (as I am loving playing around on this blog.)I have had a quick look at the school's web site and I bet they will exchange an otter??

This morning my Mum went to my grandaughter's (so its Mum's great - grand daughter)child care to be videoed to be part of her blog. Wow 4 generations of my family are part of this ICT learning world.