Megan Sunderman

Reflection Paper

Foundations of Instructional Technology

EDIT 603

9/26/2017
 Due to the fact that I just graduated in May with my Bachelor’s Degree and I am just

starting out as a teacher, I do not have a teaching position in a school. However, I am starting my

own daycare business and I would one day like to turn it into a pre-school. Since my business is

just starting out I do not have a mission or a vision statement. My idea for my mission statement

would contain something like this; “At Ducky Day Play, we believe that every child has the

potential to learn, every child is treated equally, and every child should have fun. Our staff are

highly trained and devoted to their students and their learning. My idea for my vision statement

would contain something like this; “At Ducky Day Play we aim to meet the needs of each and

every child, engage each child in their learning, and create, as well as, provide a

welcoming/respectful community. We work to provide the best learning experience.” To support

the mission and vision statement of a school teaching practices are aligned.

Within in my daycare/pre-school my roles and duties include greeting the children as they

enter each day, maintaining a healthy and safe environment for all children and parents. Teaching

and caring for the children. Engaging with the children and encouraging them. My roles and

duties also include meeting and fulfilling each child’s need. How I would and will align my

teaching practices to support the mission and vision of my daycare/pre-school is by always

talking with the children in a respectful and appropriate way. I would get down on the children’s

level and I would talk to them, not at them. I would constantly talk to the parents about their

child, whether it is about how their child is doing or explaining what their child did that day.

Communication is key and I believe parents need to be involved in their children’s schooling.

Learning and activities would be hands on and each child’s need would be met. According to the

Scholastic article Hands-On Is Minds-On by Samantha Cleavertion, “Hands-on projects engage

kids who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, who need movement to learn best. They also engage
students who are auditory leaners, who talk about what they’re doing, and visual learners, who

have the opportunity to see what everyone else is creating. For social learners, the time spent in

small group conversation will strengthen their knowledge.” The article also stated “When you

combine activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the

brain. ““The more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain information.”

Says Judy Dodge” [ CITATION Sam17 \l 1033 ]. In my daycare/pre-school the mission and

vision statements will be fulfilled everyday throughout the day so that children receive a great

experience and education. Concerns, frustration, and/or challenges will be faced in supporting

the mission and/or vision of a school.

Due to the fact that I am just starting out as a teacher, I do not have a teaching position in

a school, and I my daycare is just starting out I do not have concerns, frustrations and/or

challenges that I face in supporting the mission and/or vision of my daycare/pre-school. I think

concerns, frustrations, and/or challenges that I could face in supporting the mission and/or vision

in my daycare/pre-school is financial challenges, in which might prevent certain learning

materials to be bought or certain activities to occur. A Financial challenge might also prevent

children’s needs from being met, and/or certain materials bought to enhance learning. I think

another concern, frustration, and/or challenge that I could face in supporting the mission and/or

vision is parents. Parents might not like something that is being done, parents might complain

and/or have concerns about certain things and this can affect future learning for the children. I

think there will always be concerns, frustrations, and/or challenges that a teacher will face in

supporting the mission/ and/or vision of a school. Teachers need to be strong and face the

concern, frustration, and/or challenge and think about how they can handle it and/or fix it.
 My sister and I run the daycare together and one day when we open up a pre-school we

hope to hire more people and teachers. My sister and I collaborate with each other. We plan out

ideas together. We might not always agree on something or an idea, but we work it out and find a

happy-medium that is best for our business and the children. My sister and I work together to

make everyone feel welcome. We also work hard and discuss what is best to meet the needs of

each child. We engage each child and work as a team. Mattie J.T. Stepanek once said “Unity is

strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration wonderful things can be achieved.”

Working as a team and being on the same page is very important, teamwork helps create a better

place and helps achieve a common goal.

Since I do not have a classroom there is no big technology being used, such as computers,

iPads, SmartBoards, etc. In my daycare though I do have educational technological toys, such as

talking books, talking animals, a toy tablet and a toy phone in which all these toys talk, sing and,

dance. These toys help children learn the Alphabet, letter sounds, animal sounds, numbers,

shapes, colors. These toys also help teach young children how to use real technology, such as

how to use a phone, and how to use a tablet or iPad. Children are learning about their future.

These toys help children prepare for the future as well. As my business grows I would love to

integrate more technology into my daycare and one day into the classrooms at my pre-school. I

would like to add computers and iPads because these technologies are capable of so much and

can teach children so much more. We can read and watch videos on a variety of technology

devices. Technology keeps children engaged and actually gets them involved. I think it is

important to start showing children how to use a computer and iPads at a young age because

today we basically do everything on computers, iPads and/or tablets. Our technology is

constantly changing and children need to be prepared for the future and need to know how to use
these devices from the start. According to the article, Teaching Curriculum with Technology:

Enhancing Children’s Technological Competence During Early Childhood by Belinda

Gimbert and Dean Cristol from the Early Childhood Education Journal, “Developmentally

appropriate software that is infused with current curriculum encourages children to explore, use

their imagination, and solve problems. Technological   tools   enhance   the   development   of

attention span in young children. Specifically, studies by Guthrie and Richardson (1995) and

Talley et al. (1997) concluded that children were intrinsically motivated to use computers. These

researchers claimed that children spent longer and more focused sessions at the computer than

they did in other non­computer related activities. Young children with special needs benefit from

multiple uses of technology. For example, assistive technologies such as alternative keyboards,

PowerPads and Touch Windows can support children with special physical needs. Children with

language disabilities and autism were afforded opportunities that advanced verbal, non­verbal,

and   social   interactions.   The   role   of   the   classroom   teacher   and   the   learning   environment

determine  how   effectively   technological  tools,  curriculum,   and  standards  support  children’s”

[ CITATION Gim04 \l 1033 ].  Technology can be used for any age. I believe young children

need to be taught how to use technology because technology benefits us greatly. Technology is

constantly changing and therefore we also need to keep ourselves and children/students up to

date with the technology. Technology can teach students so much, such as math, science, social

studies, ELA, etc. Not only can technology teach these subjects it can help teach them in many

different ways, such as through physical interactions, visual, and auditory.  
 Starting out as a teacher and starting my own daycare business leaves me with so much

opportunity to learn. There is a lot I still don’t know and a lot I need to learn. I will have to create

a mission and vision statement and align them to my teaching practices to support both the

mission and vision statements. I will be faced with concerns, frustrations and/or challenges in

supporting my mission and/or vision of my daycare/pre-school. I will incorporate technology

into my lessons and into my daycare/pre-school. I will use technology to its full potential. I want

to teach the young children how to use technology and learn from the technology. I will

incorporate the technology to enhance learning with the Alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors,

songs, reading, etc. Technology benefits everybody and enhances the school setting.

Works Cited
Cleaver, S. (n.d.). Hands-On Is Minds-On. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from Scholastic/Fiskars:
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751901

Gimbert, B., & Cristol, D. (2004, March). Teaching Curriculum with Technology: Enhancing
Children's Technological Competence During Early Childhood. Retrieved September 26,
2017, from Springer Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B
%3AECEJ.0000012315.64687.ee