EDUC 6162 - Establishing Professional Contacts & Expanding Resources

8/25/2013
Learning about the early childhood field from an international perspective has changed my view of education.  Until this course I hadn't really considered what it may be like to be an educator or a student in another country.  Even though I had traveled to Spain numerous times and experienced a few educational settings first-hand, I hadn't really considered their system.  I appreciated learning through my colleagues about various places around the world.  Stopping to consider what education is like in all these other places makes me appreciate how much support I do receive here in the United States - even though I sometimes feel like I could use a lot more support!  This support is not only from the government, but also from parents, the community, and other organizations.  Though I am coming away from this with a new perspective and appreciation, I need to remember that I still need to advocate for the early childhood field.  If we can get more support, then why not do it?

I hope to remain in contact with my friend in Spain.  There is much insight to be gained from international correspondence.  Perhaps I may even gain some new ideas or ways that I may be an encouragement to a colleague across the ocean. 

8/17/2013
Through recent correspondence with a peer in Spain I have learned that there are many similarities in the world of early childhood education there and here.  Improving the quality of care as well as assessments are actively discussed.  It's a pretty big issue there as well as here.  My friend noted that there isn't a large range of opportunity for professional development, but that some does exist.  Online classes are a great way to embrace learning experiences of others as the internet provides a world of opportunities to anyone.  A major challenge that she faces is what seems to be a lack of parental concern/guidance/involvement.  Children go to school to get an education and that is what parents expect from teachers.  I think I mentioned before the lack of intentional interaction as far as building relationships goes; as a teacher I can see how it would provide major challenges!

8/10/13
In the PEW newsletter there is usually at least one link to an educational issue or current event.  The last several weeks there have been updates on the campaign for nutrition standards in schools especially in regards to snacks.  This week it was noted that the USDA has finalized this process and established standards.  I followed several links to old and new articles on this issue this week.  Several questions were addressed in the Health Initiatives section of the website.  One question was whether or not this new initiative would cost the schools more money; it most likely will not.  I also discovered that the last time these standards (I didn't even know they existed to begin with!) were updated was in 1979.  I also learned that most children eat at least 1/2 of their daily calories at school each day.  By placing standards on the foods offered at school, especially in school stores, snack bars, and a la carte lines, the risk of childhood illnesses that are food related may decrease.

8/2/2013
Originally, I had planned to correspond with a friend of a friend in Portugal.  I haven't been getting regular responses from this person so I've corresponded more with my friend who currently resides in Spain.  She doesn't work directly with early childhood but has made note of differences that she sees in the field from her perspective.  The main thing that sticks out to her (and that stuck out to me the many times I've traveled to Spain) is that early childhood is more of a "care" rather than "education".  If young children that are not yet school age need to have care outside the home, the care is much like babysitting.  There is not much intentional interaction, activity, etc.  On the other hand, when children do become school age they receive an education.  The classrooms are very standard with rows of desks and not much decoration.  Other parts of Spain may do education differently, but the part she is in and the part I was in do hold a very different perspective on education that the United States.   

7/28/13
This week the PEW newsletter didn't have all that much that interested me.  There was one article that discussed the use of technology in classrooms - it seems to be growing at a rapid rate compared to just a few years ago.  Some teachers allow students to use their cell phones in class in order to interact in various ways or to look up information.  I think that allowing students to use cell phones in this manner is a fantastic idea.  I'm sure the teachers who allow it don't have such a big problem with cell phone use in their classrooms.  It came as no surprise to me that teachers in low income settings do have more difficulty consistently using technology.  I know that in my local school district they are considering using recent grant funds to purchase iPads to distribute to students.  Their reasoning is to save money in the long run; digital textbooks are significantly cheaper than traditional textbooks and allow for much more interaction.  It's really neat how students can highlight as they read, use tools to look up definitions, have text read to them, and many more options.  I am excited to see what the future holds as far as technology is concerned!

Something related to politics that I found interesting on the site this week is that the well-off and more educated populations in the United States "are more likely to participate in civic life online" just as they have always been more likely to do this offline (http://pewinternet.org/topics/Politics.aspx?typeFilter=5).


7/20/13
This week I finally heard back from my friend in Spain.  She offered to hook me up with another friend who teaches in Portugal.  I've accepted this invitation and am still waiting to hear back from this person. 


7/13/13
The email that I received from The PEW Charitable Trusts this week had quite the variety of information.  Articles included headline news from around the world and an article from the Pew research center regarding the polls. Another section is fun - it's entitled "Fact of the Matter".  The number included was 122; this is the number of calories that the average elementary students get just from school snacks each day.  It's kind of like a random fact of the week which is interesting and easy to remember.  It's also a quick read.  I actually read this little blurb quickly when I first received the email newsletter and didn't have time to read the newsletter in its entirety.  None of the articles this week were of much interest to me.  I'm anxious to see what next week's newsletter has to say.

Establishing Professional Contacts
7/6/13 - Unfortunately, I have not been in direct contact with an early childhood professional in another country yet.  I did make some contacts this week, though, and am anxious to being corresponding with two ECE professionals.

I contacted my great-aunt who lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt the past number of years.  Her husband was superintendent of an American school in Cairo and she taught Kindergarten.  Many people in Cairo sent their children to this school in order that they may learn English and receive a quality education.  My aunt hopes to get me connect with several of her colleagues.  My hope is that one of them will agree to email/chat with me on a regular basis!

I also contacted a friend who is currently living in Spain.  I love Spain.  I traveled there a few times in high school and also during my summers in college.  It is a country that I find so beautiful, full of rich architecture and history, and just fun!  I emailed an ECE professional for whom I was given contact info and am still waiting to hear back.  Hopefully this one works out!  If not, I do have several other persons I can contact to see if there are any leads.

Expanding Resources
7/6/13 - For my website I chose pewstates.org.  I am a visual person and, honestly, the photography stood out to me on this site!  I love the close up, artsy photo of a child's hands covered in paint.  That picture captures the heart of a young child.  They love to DO.  They love to show what they do and talk about what they do and why they do it.  They take pride in all they accomplish.

I love that the PEW has challenged this nation to move toward making the education system PreK-12 rather than K-12.  Including PreK would be a fantastic approach.  I'm excited to find out what else this organization is getting into as I further explore the site and receive weekly newsletters!