Hatch technology received an impressive nod from Education Talk Radio yesterday. EduTalk hosted Sheila Miguel, award-winning Assistive Technology Specialist for Florida’s Miami-Dade School District, in a blogtalkradio.com show on Technology in Pre-K Special Education. Ms. Miguel discussed the tangible results her district gained after implementing TeachSmart® Learning Systems by Hatch in multiple Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) special education classrooms in Miami-Dade Public Schools.

Ms. Miguel, an Educator Innovator Award winner, emphasized the importance of creating developmentally appropriate technology specifically targeted to children between cognitive ages three to five. At first she was highly skeptical that software and systems labeled for special education and Pre-K could be completely tailored for those purposes and would lack substantial content for early learners.

However, she was soon impressed with the usefulness of the TeachSmart® Learning System as an effective teaching tool in her district’s Pre-K special education classrooms. Ms. Miguel specifically discussed the benefits her teachers experienced in progress monitoring and parent conferences. The ability to record audio and video of children performing activities on the interactive whiteboard in digital portfolios allowed teachers to share authentic work samples to show students’ progress during parent-teacher conferences.

After implementing TeachSmart® Learning Systems into as many classrooms as she could get funding for, Sheila polled her teachers who were using the systems and received phenomenal feedback. “One of my students with profound ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) who shows tremendous anxiety with circle time activities began to come closer to the carpet when he heard the [SMART Board™] interactive whiteboard slide down,” said a Miami-Dade teacher. “Now he hears it hum and runs to the circle. He points to it and says ‘touch’ and participates in our activities happily.”

Listen to the entire 30-minute interview today!

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Teaching in the Digital Age: Smart Tools for Early Learners

February 14, 2012 |  Brian Puerling  |  View Recording  |  View Slides

Teaching in the Digital Age: Smart Tools for Early Learners

February 14, 2012 |  Brian Puerling  |  View Recording  |  View Slides

See also: Smart Tools and Technology for Teaching Early Learners: A Brief Interview with Brian Puerling

Brian Puerling, M.S., NBCT

When the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team needed the nation’s premier total classroom solutions supplier to help rebuild a preschool for an upcoming episode, we were so excited they turned to Hatch Early Learning! Little did we know just how special this opportunity was going to become.

After the devastating flood in May 2010, much of “Music City” was left under water. Although eight of the buildings at The Lighthouse School were damaged beyond repair, the Sweatt family who operates the school provided shelter, food, water, clothing, counseling and myriad social and financial services to the community recovery effort. It was amazing to see the community of Nashville, TN come together to help rebuild this school and we recently received this very kind letter from Mrs. Janice Fagan, the Preschool Director.  Allow me to share her letter with you.

Marcy Daniel:

I would love to share our story.

In about the mid-ninety’s our high school upgraded their computer lab and donated really old dinosaur computers to our preschool.  We were able to put a couple of games on them for the K4’s, but nothing really educational. However, we were thankful for what we had. Then came the devastating floods of 2010 in Nashville that completely wiped out all the K4 buildings and we lost all our teaching tools and toys – we lost everything.

We were so blessed and thankful that Extreme Makeover chose to rebuild our preschool! That was a huge blessing, but the technology that HATCH installed in our classrooms is simply amazing. Four of our preschool classrooms have iStart Smart computers.  It is so child-friendly – just by recognizing a photo of themselves they touch the screen with their fingertip and the fun begins.  Through games and themes the children are having fun while the technology monitors and captures data on how the children are progressing in core skill areas.

H  -  Honored us by providing the best for our preschoolers
A  -  Allowed us to have the state of the art technology
T  -  Trained our teachers – and return to our school whenever we need them
C  -  Challenged our teachers and preschoolers to engage in learning
H  -  Hands on learning for the students

We will forever be grateful for what you have given to us.  Attached are some comments from our teachers and students.

Mrs. Janice Fagan
Preschool Director

“I love computer time.  It is fun!  I get to do letters, numbers, shapes and blocks. ”
Kalia Warner-Dalton, Preschool Student

“Thank you so much for the amazing computer programs.  Our children have benefited in so many ways.  Some students have struggled with our traditional seat work but when we give them the opportunity to develop a skill using the Hatch programs they have been able to do it.  At the beginning of the year, we had a student who would not put his work on paper.  He knew the information but had a hard time putting what he knew on the worksheets.  We were able to use the Hatch computer to determine what he knew and to give him a means to express that knowledge.  Thank you for creating and sharing such an amazing program.”
Mrs. Laura Price (K4 Preschool Teacher)

“iStartSmart by Hatch is a child friendly user program.  It’s very helpful that the child can go to the computer, find their picture and operate the system.  The programs reinforce what is being taught in the classroom.  We are very thankful for Hatch.”
Mrs. Rachel Demaree (K4 Preschool Teacher)

“I am very grateful to Hatch for everything they have done for us here at Lighthouse Christian Preschool.  The computers with the fun teaching programs, and the ability to use it as a DVD player is a huge blessing. Pam, the support person who trained us was great!  She was very personable and knowledgeable and we always have a great time while we are learning. There are so many wonderful toys and teaching aids for the children to enjoy. Even the shelves, tables and chairs are from Hatch.  We have been truly blessed by your generosity.  We will continue to use it all to bless and teach many more children for many years to come!”
Ms. Pam Champa (K4 Teacher)

“The Hatch program has been such a wonderful tool for our classroom.  We love that it is easy for the children to use, learn, and have fun all at the same time.  Because of the Hatch program ‘Start Smart’ we have seen a huge improvement in the areas of phonics, math, and basic computer skills.  Thank you so much Hatch, for helping us ‘start smart!’”
Ms. Lacey Ivens (K4 Teacher)

Marcy Daniel

Sue Bredekamp is presenting a Hatch Super-Power Webinar on March 15^th titled: Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education. Participants can expect to learn about effective practices in curriculum and intentional teaching strategies that prepare children for success in school and life. They will find out how to use research-based practices every day to make a difference in the lives of young children. Register today!

Guest blogger and Hatch Super Power Webinar speaker, Sue Bredekamp, took a moment to share with us her thoughts on how early childhood has changed in recent years. Be sure to register for her upcoming webinar, Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education on March 15, 2012. Participants can expect to learn about effective practices in both curriculum and intentional teaching strategies that prepare children for success in school and life.

I have been in early childhood education for 40 years and the field has changed dramatically in that time, but an incredible amount of change has occurred in the last 10 years. Here are some of the current trends that have had the greatest impact:

• Universal Pre-K movement & increased public school presence
• Calls for alignment of PreK to grade 3
• Emphasis on learning standards – Head Start outcomes, common core & state Early Learning Standards
• Accountability culture – assessment of teacher effectiveness & child outcomes (CLASS in Head Start); state data systems (QRIS)
• Demand for evidence-based curriculum with literacy & mathematics focus
• Increasing linguistic and cultural diversity (need to more effectively serve Dual Language learners)
• Home visiting and Early Head Start expansion
• Inclusion/Response to Intervention
• Structured activity in children’s lives (obesity crisis)
• Threats to child-guided play
• Increasing role of digital media at home & in schools, and in professional development
• Higher teacher qualifications in Head Start, PreK (we don’t have the workforce we need)
• Achievement gap present at preschool and growing over time
• Political & economic landscape (Early Learning Challenge Grant, ESEA, increase in childhood poverty, etc.)

The following table appears in my textbook and I think it captures some of the ways the field has changed in response to these trends.

Continuity and Change in Early Childhood Education

Sue Bredekamp is presenting a Hatch Super-Power Webinar on March 15^th titled: Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education. Participants can expect to learn about effective practices in curriculum and intentional teaching strategies that prepare children for success in school and life. They will find out how to use research-based practices every day to make a difference in the lives of young children. Register today!

Dr. Sue Bredekamp is an early childhood education specialist from Washington, DC who serves as a consultant and author on curriculum, teaching, and professional development for state and national organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Council for Professional Recognition, the Head Start Bureau, and Sesame Workshop. From 1981 to1998, she was Director of Accreditation and Professional Development for NAEYC where she developed and directed a national accreditation system for early childhood centers and schools. She is the primary author of NAEYC’s highly-influential publication, Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, the 1987 and 1997 editions, and co-editor of the 2009 revision. Her introductory textbook, Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation was published by Pearson in January 2010.

Dr. Dale McManis

Parents are a child’s first teachers. In a recent blog post about the importance of building a strong foundation for success in kindergarten through high quality pre-kindergarten programs, I mentioned the importance of parental involvement. A  review of the literature by Anne T. Henderson and Karen Mapp

WePlaySmart

(2002), “A New Wave of Evidence,” demonstrates that when parents are engaged with school, so are their children. Teacher outreach to parents is related to consistent gains in student performance in both reading and math.

With barriers such as language, culture, non-traditional households, extended work hours and other social factors confronting parents today, it can be difficult for teachers to build relationships. Schools must make parents feel like partners and parents must be willing to dedicate their time and commitment to their child’s education.  Communities are discovering that the effort involved is well worth the investment from both schools and parents. High-performing schools are bridging socioeconomic and cultural differences by recognizing, respecting and addressing families’ needs through trusting, collaborative relationships. In the end, children are the winners.

In their blog, “The Home School Team”, James Comer and Norris Haynes outline how schools, parents and communities can work together successfully. They remark that incorporating technology with digital portfolios could quickly connect teachers and parents, allowing parents to review their children’s actual schoolwork, schedules and suggestions from the teacher. Advances in technology now support digital portfolios thereby providing parents who would otherwise be disconnected with an intimate understanding of how they can support classroom learning goals at home.

Significant and meaningful parent involvement improves student growth and performance. Real-life examples like the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project, which was implemented at the Susan B. Anthony Elementary School in Sacramento, California, show us how parental involvement can break down barriers that stand in the way of students’ long-term success in school. Due to language barriers, lack of parent education and many other socioeconomic disparities between themselves and teachers, parents once felt marginalized and disconnected from the school. After working with a community organization to implement a home visitation project that resulted in higher parental involvement, parents and teachers were able to address students’ behavioral issues together. The school reported a reduced suspension rate after only one year of implementation and marked improvements in student achievement and test scores.

The work by Henderson and Mapp found that when families are actively involved with children’s education, regardless of socioeconomic factors, children earn higher grades and score better on standardized tests; they attend school more regularly, have improved social skills and are better behaved in school; and they are more likely to continue their education past high school.

How are you using technology to build bridges in your school?

Dr. Dale McManis

“The greatest part of each day, each year, each lifetime is made up of small, seemingly insignificant moments. Those moments may be cooking…playing catch with a child before dinner, speaking out against a distasteful joke, driving to the recycling center…. But they are not insignificant, especially when these moments are models for kids.”

- Barbara Coloroso (20th Century), U.S. Parent, Educator, Author. Kids Are Worth It (1994)

One of the beauties of teachers is that they recognize in seemingly ordinary moments what those who are not teachers don’t see. An everyday circumstance or a negatively perceived behavior becomes a Teachable Moment – an opportunity to help a child learn, develop and grow to his or her full potential. It means taking the time to notice, stop and engage.

As educators, we must cultivate the social and emotional skills of young learners to help them achieve success and develop confidence. Children’s social and emotional skills are essential for school readiness and are central building blocks for cognitive development and gaining knowledge.

Every day in the classroom provides endless teachable moments. For example, suppose that Jacob is playing at the water table and you notice he has arranged the rubber ducks in order from largest to smallest. Taking a minute or two to ask Jacob open-ended questions about his work creates a teachable moment during which you also enable him to talk about seriating, among other math skills.

Teachable scenarios can extend beyond cognitive development to address social and emotional development. For example, Jacob is at the water table and his classmate Lucy wants to join him, but will not ask him whether she can help with the ducks. The teacher observes Lucy’s hesitation and quietly asks Jacob whether she can watch him work. Jacob agrees and makes room. The teacher looks up and signals to Lucy to come closer. She says to Lucy, “Would you like to help too?” Lucy nods. “Can you ask Jacob the same way that I did? He is really good at working here and he can help you.” Lucy shrugs and quietly asks Jacob whether she can play too. He readily agrees and as Lucy steps to the table, the teacher backs away saying, “You two have fun! I cannot wait to see what you do next. If you need me, I’ll be at the next center.”

Although there are a number of ways this interaction could have gone, the teacher noticed Lucy’s hesitation and due to other interactions the teacher has observed, the teachable moment became one of modeling and guidance.

Sometimes teachers need modeling and guidance, too. What techniques, cues, modeling tips and strategies do you integrate into your daily life as an educator to increase successful social and emotional development of your young learners?

Jenne Parks