Foundation Phase teachers are increasingly using technology in their classrooms. Teachers in South Africa now have access to free online courses, webinars, and social media platforms like Twitter and Pinterest to connect with other educators. Young students are also starting to use technology at earlier ages. Kindergarten and Grade 1 teachers highlighted use social media, blogs, Skype, and digital portfolios to collaborate globally and enhance learning. While classrooms were once isolated, technology now allows easy connections between classrooms worldwide. The conclusion is that technology, used appropriately, can support good teaching by allowing students to learn in ways that align with their digital interests and skills.

1. How Foundation Phase
teachers around the world are
using technology in their
classrooms’
by Fiona Beal
fiona@schoolnet.org.za

2. Let’s introduce social networking
Since the theme of social networking in
education runs through my presentation, I’d
like to introduce a video here called ‘Gotta
Share’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soAk3F0wX9s)
(see the next slide)

3. Outcomes for today
I would like to:
• show that times are changing for teachers
in South Africa
• find out what teachers in the Foundation
Phase around the world are doing with
regard to using technology
• draw a conclusion about technology and
teaching

4. 1. So what is changing for
teachers in South Africa?

6. Free online courses and free webinars are rife
http://schoolnetsa.blogspot.com/p/free-short-online-courses.html

7. Twitter and Tweetchats for teachers
http://www.edchatsa.co.za/
@schoolnetsa

8. Pinterest boards

9. TeachMeets
http://teachmeet-southafrica.wikispaces.com/

10. Tablets and BYOD (Bring your own
device) in the classroom

11. Free classroom motivational programmes
http://www.classdojo.com/
A review: http://lachhull.blogspot.com/2012/02/classdojo-school-approach.html

12. It’s the era of global projects

13. Tons of amazing free tools on the
Internet (http://www.pil-network.com/)
Microsoft’s Songsmith Microsoft’s Autocollage
Windows Movie Maker Photostory 3 for Windows

14. E-books are so easy to create and read

15. Skype and mystery Skype conversations
with global classrooms

16. e-classroom
http://e-classroom.co.za/

17. 2. How are Foundation Phase
teachers around the world using
technology in their classrooms?

18. Flickr photo ‘Kindgergarten
kids ‘by Jeffrey Kehrig

19. “Everything I learned about
education I learned in Kindergarten”
play
create
socialize
discover
experience
express
move
relate

20. Starting young
Preschool teachers will be the first to tell you
that children today start young with technology.
Take a look at this video about Abby ‘What
digital natives want from their library’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_zzPBbXjWs
(see the next slide)

21. Matt Gomez
Kindergarten teacher
http://mattbgomez.com/
‘My hullabaloo’
‘Kindergarten have only ever known the
technological world.’

22. Take a look around Matt Gomez blog
The screencast I used in the presentation can’t
be included in Slideshare so I would urge you to
note:
• Matt’s Twitter global project
• Matt’s use of Symbaloo to keep his
compilations of videos and songs together
• Matt’s Research Centre
• Matt’s approach to Maths

23. Kindergarten around the world Twitter project
http://kindergartenaroundtheworld.blogspot.ca/p/sign-ups-project-description-faq.html

24. Grade R Gleanings…
From Matt Gomez…
• Instead of just writing…Get the class writing
short sentences on the class Twitter account
• Learn about the world in real-life terms with
classes across the globe
• A blog can hold everything together for a
teacher
• Participate in a Twitterchat called #kinderchat
to learn more from others

25. Kathy Cassidy
Grade 1 teacher, Canada
http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org
‘Mrs Cassidy’s classroom blog’

26. Take a look at Cathy Cassidy’s
presentation called ‘A day in the life of a
student in Mrs Cassidy’s class’
http://www.slideshare.net/kathycassidy/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-grade-one-
student-presentation

27. Take a look around Cathy Cassidy’s
classroom blog
The screencast I used in the presentation can’t
be included in Slideshare so I would urge you to
note:
• Cathy’s use of Twitter in her class
• Cathy’s use of blogs and Skype in her class
• The way Cathy includes her students blog
addresses on the right of her blog
• The way Cathy gets her students to explain
what they do

28. Using Twitter in Mrs Cassidy’s
class
Take a look at this video where one of Mrs
Cassidy’s Grade 1 students explains how they
use Twitter in class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_zzPBbXjWs
(see the next slide)

29. Using Skype in Mrs Cassidy’s
class
Take a look at this video where one of Mrs
Cassidy’s Grade 1 students explains how they
use Skype in class ‘Skype in our classroom’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=
3BH2r6tk1MM
(see the next slide)

30. Using blogs in Mrs Cassidy’s
class
Take a look at this video where one of Mrs
Cassidy’s Grade 1 students explains how they
use blogs in class ‘Our blog’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Wav6WdGeY&feature=pla
yer_embedded
(see the next slide)

31. Mrs Cassidy and digital
portfolios
• Take a look at this video where Mrs Cassidy
and her students explain their use of digital
portfolios ‘Primary Digital Portfolios’
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0f6E-
DfiUM&list=UUW3ARFUZbF3d9dY3nM2RfRw&index=1 )
(see the next slide)
• Mrs Cassidy has created a wiki about this
http://primaryportfolios.wikispaces.com/

32. Other Grade 1 examples
Pam Roberts from Somerset House, Somerset West creates ebooks
uing Youblisher.com
http://www.youblisher.com/p/550920-Our-Love-Book-by-Grade-1-
Roberts/
http://www.youblisher.com/p/465168-Christmas-Cheer/
http://www.youblisher.com/p/451668-Kleure/

33. Other Grade 1 examples
Carrie Sorenson from the USA uses Learnist Boards to
collect and display resources on a topic.
• First Grade writing sites (http://learni.st/users/52903/boards/12860-1st-
grade-writing-sites)
• Write numbers from 1-20
http://learni.st/users/52903/boards/12871-write-numbers-from-0-to-20-represent-a-
number-of-objects-with-a-written-numeral-0-20-common-core-k-cc-3

34. Other Grade 1 examples
Orge Karaoglu from Turkey gets her 6 year olds
students to draw pictures which are then
animated. See this video ‘Daisy and Dragon and
the magic wand’
http://vimeo.com/5109036

35. Gleanings from Grade 1 teachers
• Previous to the Internet, classrooms were
more isolated. Now, those classes can all be
Before interconnected classrooms linking with
the advent of the Internet, easily were forced to be isolated learning
hives. other classrooms and experts to ask
Now, those hives can all be interconnected as classrooms can easily link with
other classrooms and experts to ask questions, compare experience and learn together.
Tools suchas Skype, Twitter and blogs make connecting and collaboratinglearn
questions, compare experiences and with classrooms
from anywhere a possibility.
together.
• Tools suchas Skype, Twitter and blogs make
connecting and collaborating with classrooms
from anywhere a possibility.

36. • Instead of just writing in a book…get the class
writing short sentences on the class Twitter
account, and create blogs
• Use Skype to enhance the classroom
Before the advent of the Internet, classrooms were forced to be isolated learning
experience
hives. Now, those hives can all be interconnected as classrooms can easily link with
• Start learning about digital footprints while
other classrooms and experts to ask questions, compare experience and learn together.
Tools suchas Skype, Twitter and blogs make connecting and collaborating with classrooms
they are young. Digital portfolios
from anywhere a possibility.
• Keep your resources online so that you can
share with others

37. Grade 2 examples
See this Grade 2 Dinosaur Research iPad project
from Parklands College ‘Dinodile’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVOENJfztfo

38. Grade 3 examples
Linda Yollis Grade 3 blog, USA
http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/
Note how Mrs Yollis linked with a high school
chemistry class who taught her Grade 3 class
Science via a Google Hangout

39. Ready-Made PowerPoint presentations
can be useful to a busy teacher
http://www.pppst.com/

40. Gleanings…
From Grade 2 and 3 teachers
• Develop storytelling in a fun way which can
then develop into good writing skills
• Learn information in innovative ways
• There are many ready made Powerpint
templates, video clips and songs for teachers
to use.

41. 3. Conclusions about using
technology in the Foudation
Phase classroom

42. The all-important question…
“Is technology essential or
even necessary for good
teaching to take place?”

43. “If children do not learn
the way we teach then we
must teach the way they
learn.”

46. Before you go…important links
• Don’t forget to follow e-classroom on
Twitter @eclassroomsa
• ‘Like’ e-classroom Facebook page
• Visit the SchoolNet blog for teacher tips
with technology:
http://schoolnetsa.blogspot.com/