During the years that I've been teaching at Dalton's First Program I've come to appreciate computer technology and to recognize that it is a powerful and creative resource for teachers. It provides a multi-faceted medium that children find compelling.
I have increasingly used technology to support students' learning. For some of my young students using a computer to write is an important organizing tool. Editing and revising become less labor intensive and more experimental. The ease with which words and ideas can be moved is inviting and complements children's emerging understanding of how to clarify their thinking for writing. Researching on the web is thrilling and stimulating for them. Children enjoy searching for information and are delighted to incorporate their findings into their research. Integrating visual, written and audio elements into multi-media projects encourages children to produce work that is complex and non-linear.
I have found that incorporating and integrating technology into the curriculum promotes higher level thinking in my students. The medium invites children to become more analytical about the fundamental elements of communication. The medium helps them to become more cognizant of the idea of communication as well as to gain a more appreciative perspective about what needs to be included in written work for effective communication to take place. Their work becomes more developed and complex as they construct a more articulated paradigm of the reader. The reader grows in importance when young authors' work is showcased within the medium. They become enthusiastic producing work that will be seen by others. They feel challenged, stimulated and deeply motivated to produce work that will be appreciated and understood. The medium gently coaxes children to view their work through the eyes and minds of others and encourages them to internalize the need of their readers for clarity.
Last year my third graders developed a collection of goals and initiatives related to their reading. One idea, among many, was to create a web page about the books they were reading that year. My co-teacher at the time, Catherine Koatz, and I were delighted. We were excited at the prospect of providing the children with a forum in which they could share their literary discoveries with an audience.
As the year progressed we broadened the scope of our web site to include whole studies as well as highlights of smaller ones. The web page was to be a vehicle for sharing and chronicling our work with an audience. We were most pleased with our construction of a Virtual Museum of the Native American. Our students had the fun twice over: they had the fun of guiding guests through the actual museum and sharing their virtual museum with family and friends.
As the directors of this project, Catherine and I sometimes found ourselves tempering our children's enthusiasm and even, at times, forestalling their efforts to publish. Though we marveled at their industry, there is an apparent price that we pay for young children's digital adventures; it takes time and skill to organize and implement digital projects. Catherine has an extensive background in computer technology and assumed leadership responsibility for our digital enterprises. She spent an enormous amount of time tweaking their pieces, creating links and laying out photos and headers.
I remain committed to the educational value of incorporating technology into curricula strands. At their best, technology based projects can be child centered, experiential and interdisciplinary. It is possible to engage our students in projects that offer them a variety of avenues of approach as well as a variety of opportunities for expressive success. Integrating technology into our curriculum provides a vehicle for culminating activities that children find intriguing.