FOSS technology and the younger elementary student
FOSS For the Elementary School StudentsPedagogy: How is the child best served in Kindergarten through Third grade
In a journal published by Alliance for Childhood called Tech Tonic: Towards a New Literacy of Technology, which is posted in our efiles and can be found here: Alliance for Childhood, the authors suggest a broad view of technology that is not limited to electronics and puts the teacher in the primary role of educator in the classrooms of young children. A broader view of technology would include scissors, glue, gardening tools, etc. The teacher, then, bears the daunting responsibility of determining what educational activities best supports the child’s cognitive and emotional development and her repertoire of tools and technologies should include everything form the crayon to the blog. The responsibility is not new, technologies are. What is also new is the pressure to include electronic technology into the classroom. A pervasive view of these new and ever advancing forms of technology is that they are necessary to survival in education and the world so, the sooner they are introduced to the child, the better.
The reality though is that the goal of education remains the same, to motivate students toward learning so that their world becomes ever more meaningful to them. Educators have an expanding toolbox and they must evaluate new tools and determine which ones fit into the objectives of the class and with the student’s abilities. As with all technologies, the child’s readiness to use a particular e-technology will be a critical factor in determining if it will be a part of their program. In the very early years of school, electronic technologies should be weighed against the objective for the child’s growth to determine if it supports it or is just fluff serving some other purpose.
This is not to say that electronic technologies should not be included in the early years but for it to be effective, the teacher will have to have tried it out, understand its capabilities and use it wisely. It should be well integrated into the program so that information that is meant to be conveyed through the electronic media is also presented through traditional means so that the opportunity for repetitive exploration takes various forms to facilitate natural learning styles of all the students.
FOSS is an exciting concept and will continue to have a positive impact on education. Educators, however, need to investigate all software and know its intended use and potential for supporting their curriculum and their objectives. The human brain develops along the same path and by the same means no matter what tools and technologies are presented. A child’s ability to use a tool properly for the purpose that it is intended depends on where he or she is developmentally – what does the child understand about the tool and its purpose and how he or she can use it to accomplish a goal? We don’t give scissors to very young children and putting a hammer in the hands of a two year isn’t likely to have results that benefit the child.
There are so many software packages available for use with young children but a teacher must decide how it fits with goals of the class and if it is the best way to teach concepts and motivate learning. One very simple painting program that is available through FOSS is Tux Paint Newbreed Software/. It might serve to reinforce the elements of design and give students an opportunity to use the elements in guided free play. The program can be configured for younger or older children. It is worth a teacher’s time to explore as an option.
The internet provides many sites that inform young students about art history and culture. I think that teacher will have to evaluate whether these resources are the best for the intended purpose on a lesson by lesson basis. One website which I found might be to have potential is one that provides the video of Alexander Calder presenting his circus. It shows an 18 minute video in which each one of Calder’s animals, characters and circus equipment is presented within a continuous routine. This in conjunction with other means of presenting Calder, his family and his art could be springboard for the creation of wire animals and characters within the classroom. Roland-Collection.com
One very good use of a blog for a kindergarten class whose link is below, is where the teacher managed the blog for the whole class. It is very well organized, easy to navigate and demonstrates a great pride in the work the class is doing together. If the students have the opportunity to look at the way their class is being projected to the outside world then that is a great motivator and source of pride for them individually and collectively. They are likely to be future bloggers and journal writers as they will build on what they are learning in a meaningful way. The link to the Kindergarten blog is jsriley.typepad.com
posted by The Pedagogics @ 11:08 PM
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Pest control in the perennial garden
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If you have any good tips please post trhem on my blog
One of the many advantages of growing perennials is the ability of these beautiful flowers to return to full bloom season after season. While this ability to bloom repeatedly is one of the things that makes perennials so special, it also introduces a number of important factors into your gardening plan. One of the most important of these is a proper pest control regimen.
While a garden full of annuals starts each season as a blank slate, the perennial garden is essentially a work in progress. The fact that the plants stay in the ground through winter makes things like proper pruning, disease management and pest control very important. If the garden bed is not prepared properly after the current growing season, chances are the quality of the blooms will suffer when the next season rolls around.
One of the most important factors to a successful perennial pest control regimen is the attention and vigilance of the gardener. As the gardener, you are in the best position to notice any changes in the garden, such as spots on the leaves, holes in the leaves, or damage to the stems. Any one of these could indicate a problem such as pest infestation or a disease outbreak.
It is important to nip any such problem in the bud, since a disease outbreak or pest infestation can easily spread to take over an entire garden. Fortunately for the gardener, there are a number of effective methods for controlling both common pests and frequently seen plant diseases.
Some of these methods are chemical in nature, such as insecticides and fungicides, while others are more natural, like using beneficial insects to control harmful ones. While both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, many gardeners prefer to try the natural approach first, both for the health of the garden and the environment.
There is an additional benefit of the natural approach that many gardeners are unaware of. These days, it is very popular to combine a koi pond with a garden, for a soothing, relaxing environment. If you do plan to incorporate some type of fish pond into your garden landscape, it is critical to avoid using any type of insecticide or fungicide near the pond, since it could seep into the water and poison the fish. Fish are extremely sensitive to chemicals in the environment, especially with a closed environment like a pond.
As with any health issue, for people or plants, prevention is the best strategy to disease control and pest control alike. The best defense for the gardener is to grow a garden full of the healthiest, most vigorous plants possible. Whenever possible, varieties of plants bred to be disease or pest resistant should be used. There are a number of perennials that, through selective breeding, are quite resistant to the most common plant diseases, so it is a good idea to seek them out.
Happy gardening,
Stan
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