Where to begin?

 Where do I begin as a 1:1 ipad class and running a guided reading program?

During the past 6 years I have taken time out of the classroom to raise my children and prioritise them and settle back into living in NZ. Being there for them in their preschool years was really important to me and I am grateful that I had that opportunity to do that.  In saying that, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to train as a Reading Recovery teacher and work with tamariki in that capacity for 3 years. Thus offering the flexibility and also keeping my head in the educational space. During this time I was also fortunate to do DFI through Maniakalani, which helped me to see how valuable digital technology can be in a classroom setting. Then, in 2023 I began to take on more days reliving, which sparked my passion to return to the classroom. 

This year I am back full time in a classroom and have been given an opportunity to teach an amazing group of year 2 and 3 children.  Digital technology has always interested me,combining it in an educational setting was exciting for me but also left me with so many questions .How I can maintain my classroom reading program and effectively integrate technology into it?  What parts of my reading program, independent rotations do I value that I don't want to lose?  How can I adapt to meet the needs of a digital classroom? I set off on a mission to create a reading program that works for my tamariki, that has variety, fun, engaging activities all while being purposeful and providing tamariki opportunities to practice, learn, create and share.

Comments

  1. PīwakawakaAugust 25, 2024 at 12:47 PM

    You have done a wonderful job at implementing a digital aspect to your kopa, but also balancing that with the requirements of reading, writing and maths programmes. Some of the reading, writing and maths can be addressed via the digital forum, but with our age group, we still need to connect via guided group work. Well done of melding all of the above, and running it seamlessly. I have got a lot of ideas from watching your practice that have been adapted for my own tauira.

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  2. ToutouwaiOctober 8, 2024 at 3:15 AM

    Kia Ora Kate
    Your passion for teaching shines through with everything you do for your tamariki you teach and you inspire me to integrate technology into my classroom too. The resources you share, have helped my tamariki to experience using technology for their reading and maths. They are always trying to scan QR codes and discover what they can.
    As a new teacher to year one and two, I wondered how I could manage times like reading, where we actually need to have a little quiet and through rotations of the listening station and iPads, we are finally able to spend quality time with each group for guided reading.
    I am so happy to be on this learning journey with you Kate and thank you for answering all my questions, or steering me in the right direction to sort it out myself.

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