MCOATT teachers will be able to:

A.  Design, develop, and implement student learning activities that integrate information technology for a variety of student grouping strategies and diverse student populations.  (Level 4 Proficiency)

     Over the past few years, using technology in the classroom has been a primary focus.  I learned how to use scanners, digital cameras (Exhibit #1), and the Internet (Exhibit #6) with children.  I have broadened my knowledge to include the use of Power Point (Exhibit #2), children's software (Exhibit #3 & Exhibit #4), and voice recordings (Exhibit #2).  These lessons demonstrate appropriate use of technology and enhanced children's learning.  Each of the activities above integrate state or national standards for students. 

     The Who's Who Board (Exhibit #1) incorporates technology use into the classroom environment in a natural way.  It is displayed in our entrance way and used for a number of meaningful purposes.  It helps children and adults become acquainted with each other, promotes name recognition, and develops a sense of classroom community.  The self portraits (Exhibit # 4) are displayed around the computer.  These displays/activities recognize cultural diversity among the children in the classroom.  The students are children of faculty, college students, and staff.  Because the University of Michigan-Dearborn is a commuter college, children are coming from varying distances and communities (For example:  Dearborn, Detroit, Allen Park, Northville, South Lyon, etc...).  The Dearborn area itself is known for its large Middle Eastern population.  Thus, the children bring a wealth of varied cultural practices to the classroom.  In addition, the mixed-age classroom setting results in differences of children's ability/developmental levels. 

B.  Identify and apply resources for staying current in applications of information technology in education.  (Level 4 Proficiency)

     Since I began teaching, I regularly share my uses of technology with others through professional conferences and publications.  In addition, I've applied for and received funds for grant projects relating to technology.  The following are some of my works related to technology usage.

Articles Co-Written and Published:

     Trepanier-Street, M., Hong, S., & Bauer, J.  (2001).  Using technology in Reggio-inspired long term projects.  Journal of Early Childhood, 28, 3, 181-188.

National and Statewide Conferences I've Presented:

     Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children  (March 2003)
  Session Title:  "Applications of Technology in a Reggio-Inspired Program"
     Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan

     Michigan Collaborative Early Childhood Conference  (January 1999)
  Session Title:  "The Use of Technology with the Reggio Emilia Approach
     Hyatt Regency, Dearborn, Michigan

     Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children  (March 1999)
  Session Title:  "The Use of Technology with the Reggio Emilia Approach"
     Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan

     Midwest Association for the Education of Young Children (April 1998)
     Session Title:  "The Use of Technology with the Reggio Emilia Approach"
     Seagate Centre, Toledo, Ohio

  National Association for the Education of Young Children
  Session Title:  "Integrating Technology into Reggio-Inspired Long Term Classroom Projects"
     New Orleans, Louisiana

Participation in a Funded Grant:

  Chancellor's Technology Grant (1997)
     University of Michigan-Dearborn
     Purchase and use of technological equipment in classroom

     Because the University of Michigan-Dearborn's Child Development Center is part of the School of Education, I currently mentor college students every semester.  On average, I supervise and mentor 10-15 students each term.  While placed in my classroom, they observe management techniques, curriculum development, children's growth, technology use, and parent-school collaboration strategies.

    Over the past year and a half, I have participated in the MITTEN (Michigan Teachers' Technology Education Network) Project twice through the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The MITTEN Project is a PT3 grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education and involves the mentoring of student teachers in the use of technology in the classroom.  As a result, my own professional development has grown.  While being a part of MITTEN, I attended training sessions focusing on assistive technology, current issues pertaining to technology use in schools (the digital divide), website development, and educational software.  The preservice teachers and I created a website at the end of each semester exhibiting our work.  This was shared with and presented to children's parents, university lab students, and colleagues.

     In addition, I am a current member of MACUL (Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning).  As such, I receive newsletters pertaining to technology use in education, attend local conferences, and make connections with other educators. 

C.  Demonstrate knowledge and use of uses of multimedia, hypermedia, telecommunications, and distance learning to support teaching / learning.  (Level 4 Proficiency)

     The Power Point presentation (Exhibit #2), self-portraits (Exhibit #3), writing names (Exhibit #4), and the people blocks (Exhibit #5) are all lessons that develop curriculum through the use of technology.  Self-awareness is a large focus of the kindergarten curriculum.  Children learn about themselves, their bodies, the five senses, and their families throughout the year.  We also focus on representing thoughts on paper, developing drawing and writing abilities.  As children wrote their names, they developed such skills as letter recognition (identifying letters on the keyboard), fine motor abilities (manipulating the mouse to form the letters), and observation skills (seeing the different fonts and sizes of the letters).  Interactions with one another are also very important to build a unified classroom community.  The children were able to work through previous conflicts with one another and set up social situations by using the block people.
     As I've grown technologically, I've found my abilities to communicate with families have also improved.  For instance, the activities implemented daily are posted and shared with families on our Parent Board.  To do this, a daily curriculum form was created on the computer.  This filled out once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  The creation of websites exhibiting classroom work have also increased communication.  Both this site and the one previously created are available to the parents.  Furthermore, families are given my email address as well as my phone number in order to make me more accessible to them.  Parents who are unable to come into the classroom regularly have expressed appreciation for these other forms of contact.  Our program as a whole (Child Development Center) has web pages to inform parents about our program, school calendar, and upcoming events.
     Next year, I'd like to learn how to incorporate video clips into a website.  Currently, I record with the digital camera and use the video capture card to retrieve photographs of the children in the classroom.  It's a goal to insert video clips online so parents can see their children in action.

D.  Demonstrate knowledge about and use of instructional management resources that assist in such activities as writing and updating the curriculum; creating lesson plans and tests; and promoting, reinforcing, and organizing data regarding student performance.  (Level 3 Proficiency)

     Finding our cities in Yahoo Maps (Exhibit #6) was a great evaluative tool.  While working with individual children and observing their dialogue with their peers, I was able to determine who knew their addresses and phone numbers.  Approximately half of the children had these skills.  I planned follow up center activities on subsequent days and targeted the children who needed more help in this area.  Writing names with Kid Pix (Exhibit #4) also helped me collect data on who could spell their names and who needed more instruction.  As children work at centers, their actions and abilities are recorded on observation sheets.  This data is then reviewed periodically as report cards are completed.
     The computer is also used to organize curriculum data.  Recently, I created tables and charts to show my college students the curriculum content typically covered during the school year.  This is helpful to them as they plan lessons for the children.  To date, I've completed the following areas:  language arts, math, and science.  These sheets are not intended to be a copy of everything covered within the school year, but as a guide for lesson planning.
     This area is an area I feel I could use more growth in.  Next year, I would like to make individual portfolio files (on the computer) for each child.  At the end of the school year, each family could have the option of bringing in a CDRW to burn them a a copy.  This would give them the opportunity to have a record of their child's work/progress during the school year. 

E.  Use information technologies to support student problem solving, data collection, information management, communications, presentations, and decision making including word processing, database management, spreadsheets, and graphic utilities.  (Level 3 Proficiency)

     The Developmental Reports (Report Cards) for children are done on the computer using Microsoft Word.  Doing these on the computer is much quicker than doing them by hand.  In addition, I have less paperwork cluttering my office since these records can be stored on disks.  Also, I now keep a record (on disk) of the parent letters distributed throughout the year.  When parents have a question or concern, I can quickly refer back to the letter containing the information requested and the date it was distributed. 
     I wrote a letter to the parents informing them of our classroom participation in the MITTEN Project (MITTEN Letter).  The MITTEN Project is a PT3 grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education and involves the mentoring of student teachers in the use of technology in the classroom.  I found the parents to be very interested and excited about this project.  The Power Point Presentation (Exhibit #2) was shared with the families during a classroom luncheon.  I've received several requested for copies of the CD.  This is going to force me to learn how to use the CD Reader / Writer Software at our school. 

F.  Demonstrate appreciation of equity, ethical, legal, social, physical, and psychological issues concerning use of information technology.  (Level 3 Proficiency)

     All of the activities exhibited demonstrate legal and ethical use of computers with young children.  All sources, software, and materials were identified for both the children and their parents.  By focusing on the children for this project, I feel each individual child received special attention.  While working on the computer, children received one-on-one instruction from an adult.  This minimizes any risks for students while using the Internet.  Children's individual characteristics and abilities were highlighted, addressing their needs. Hand drawn portraits and computer portraits (Exhibit #3) were compared to identify individual children's strengths and weaknesses.  Additional lessons were planned to provide support for children in areas of difficulty. The children were able to work at the activities exhibited for several days.  This allowed each child enough time to finish the lessons.  This was especially important since only a few families had the software needed in their homes. 

G.  Use information technology to enhance continuing professional development as an educator.  (Level 4 Proficiency)

     Over the past year, I have participated in the MITTEN (Michigan Teachers' Technology Education Network) Project through the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I have mentored two student teachers by modeling appropriate uses of technology with young children.  The creation of two websites exhibiting our work resulted from these experiences.  Our initial website can still be viewed.  This was shared with and presented to children's parents, university lab students, and colleagues.  Furthermore, I attended training sessions focusing on assistive technology, current issues in technology use in the classroom, educational software, and website development.
     Through participation in the MITTEN Project, I have made several "technological" contacts to help extend my professional development.  I plan to visit the classrooms of some of the other supervising teachers to learn and see first hand the technological strategies used to enhance learning.  I was also approached about co-presenting some of my materials at the MACUL conference next year.
     As cited above, I regularly attend professional development sessions and have presented on technology use with young children at both state and national conferences.  I have also co-written an article focusing on technology (cited above).  In November of 2003 I will presenting at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's national conference in Chicago (Session Title:  The Multiple Ways Children Represent Their Thinking in Projects).