CHS250 2019 January All Units Discussions Latest

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 1 Discussion

Coffee Date with Vygotsky and Piaget

Two prominent names in child development theories are Piaget and Vygotsky. Through research they both bring significant applicable theories that can be viewed daily as we observe children in our care. When we plan experiences for children in our classrooms, it is wise to consider the impact of educational theories.

Read the viewpoint selection Coffee Date with Piaget. Coffee date with Piaget.pdf There were four points discussed as to how his theories would be applied. Research Lev Vygotsky and create your own coffee date (4 points) with Vygotsky using Piaget as the guide.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 2 Discussion

Scientific Methods for Toddlers and Preschoolers

For this discussion board, read the above and watch the video, choose an age and provide an example of a science inquiry. To answer this DB question, think about what would young children wonder about in their play experiences, their interests and attention span.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 3 Discussion

Technology

Technology is changing the way we look at the world. As in any new behavior, we need balance, modifications, intentionality and responsibility to appropriately integrate technology tools in the classroom. Technology in Early childhood is a topic where people have strong feelings either for or against. Change isn't easy for anyone and most of us were not born with technology but into technology, which means we have to adapt to this form of communication and problem solving.

     Think about the evolution of a camera from one that had flash bulbs and film rolls, to Polaroid with instant pictures, to 35 mm and zoom lens to today using an ipad or cell phone that captures pictures, videos, has editing functions to save, email, share and delete all on one device.  Technology is here, for better or worse, we need to model and teach responsibility. We all realize the negative of seeing devices used for babysitting or electronic worksheets and we do not set up a computer or technology center, we integrate the tools into engaging centers.                 

     After reading the resources on digital cameras, apps and ipads and researching tools such as, Osmo, Tiggly, Dash and Dot, Proscope mobile and Ozobot, come to the discussion board with how you would create an appropriate digital classroom. Consider things like your curriculum, how you would approach it with the children, how much time would be spent on these tools, and why you think it's important to connect these tools to your classroom areas.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 4 Discussion

Moving Water

Consider the following scenario:

There is a full bucket of water on the floor in the middle of the room, and an empty bucket four feet away.  Your challenge is to devise a system that would move the water from the full bucket to the empty one.  You can move the water in whatever fashion you wish, but you cannot lift or move either of the buckets.  Use whatever materials you want to create your system.

Describe your thinking and the process and tools you would use if you were to do this yourself in your answer post.

Compare what you did to what others did.  How creative were the other solutions?  Did others move the water more effectively than you did? Please reply to two classmates on these questions.

How would you guide your students and what questions would you ask? What words would you highlight during this process and use examples for your third and final reply post.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 5 Discussion

Group Activity Sharing

This is where you should create a thread and attach your document to share with the class. It should reflect the research you are investigating so that the entire class can benefit from your information of the topic.  If everyone shares what they are learning about their assigned topic in this thread throughout the week, we will all learn from each other. Remember, your topic is assigned in the announcement area.

Review the work from classmates and provide constructive feedback on each topic.

Do you have any personal connection with any of the material that you can share?

In your fourth comment (your first required post will be the comment posted by you as you begin your research) specify one fact or idea that you will bring to your classroom and implement in your planning. This can be something that you researched and will use or by reading your classmates posts and will use in your classroom.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 6 Discussion

DQ1 Pinterest Board Links

Pinterest is a knowledge curation tool where users pin Internet links onto boards.  You can follow other's boards and repin other's pins onto your boards.  There is a button you can install that will help you pin articles automatically from your browser (see Goodies below) as well as apps for different devices.

Here are some links to help you get started if you are new to Pinterest:

All About Pinterest

Goodies

Develop a Pinterest board about STEM, pinning articles and website links to the board.  Search Pinterest to repin interesting pins that others found as well.  The link could look like this for your username and the board titled STEM: http://www.pinterest.com/username/STEM/.

https://www.pinterest.com/ecenanci/stem-steam-for-prek/

Share your Pinterest board link here for others to follow and repin ones they like.

DQ2

This course lends itself to the subject of increasing words for your preschoolers as it's part of every activity we plan. We have tier 1, 2 and 3 words that we need to cultivate in our discussions with our children. After reading the links, how will you be intentional in creating awareness and usage of vocabulary words to add and enhance your daily discussions. Think about the availability you have when employing naturalistic, informal and structured experiences.

http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/24_3/helarticle/small-kids,-big-words#home

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/choosing-words-teach

http://www.manorisd.net/ourpages/auto/2013/8/9/43067726/word_walls_unplugged_Gray.pdf

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 7 Discussion

Building an Interest Center

A good portion of what is experienced in a quality preschool room happens in interest centers. These are areas set up in your classrooms that have a certain purpose. Examples might be an art area, a science table, library and reading rug, mathematics materials and table, sand and water play area, a place where children can play out and handle roles in a vets office or grocery store. It is in all of these areas that children will get to investigate, experiment and learn STEM concepts.

      For this DB assignment you will need to describe an interest center of your choice that will give your children a learning experience regarding 1 of the STEM topics.

Let’s think about this for a moment…

The first thing you need to do is to build out a purpose or goal. For this discussion board example I will suggest a science center with rocks of different sizes, colors and shapes.

      We have been studying the 3 different rock classifications, Metamorphic, Sedimentary and Igneous rocks.  Materials will include journal pages and colored pencils and markers and four magnifiers in addition to the rocks of those three classifications.  Word cards will be placed on the table that includes the 3 types of rocks, smooth, rough, jagged, round etc. to encourage vocabulary development. There will be four chairs at the table. The outcome is hoped that the children will use the magnifying lens to identify similarities and differences in the selected rocks and record them on a journal page using the writing materials and note the classifications.

      In the DB entries you will describe the center and its purpose, include materials you will need to have on hand, how you will limit the number of students using the center and how you will assess the centers’ ability to convey what the students will gain from participation.

       1st post is the answer post including all points above.

      2nd post you need to reply with a sister interest center to a classmates’ interest center. An idea might be having non-fiction books on the library rug to peruse for information on rocks. This correlates to the journal-writing center and will give additional information through pictures, diagrams, and fact related material.

       3rd post is the same as post #2

At the end of this discussion board we will have established a plethora of interest centers on numerous subject topics of study.

Select the link above to see pictures of real examples of interest centers in a variety of formats inside and outside.

 

CHS250 STEM in ECE

Unit 8 Discussion

DQ1 Family Connections

Decide on a form of communication that utilizes technology in the form of a newsletter, web page, blog, etc. to communicate to families what their children are doing in your classroom regarding your chosen project and involving the STEM subjects.

Describe your communication medium. Why did you choose it?

Discuss what you would include in this communication that would let parents understand what basic concepts you are providing for their children in class.

What suggestions for family activities specifically can you provide to the families in this communication your have chosen?

DQ2 Course Reflection

Reflect on the course and share your answers to the following questions:

What was the most interesting or useful thing you learned during the course?

What suggestions can you offer that might improve the quality of the course?

If you could give one piece of advice to incoming students about this course, what would that be?  Your responses may be share anonymously with future classes!