This is episode 2 of the Passing Notes Podcast Tech Series. The Tech Series is focused on the different aspects of technology use in the school.

For episode 2 we focused on Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom. Often times when technology is first integrated into a classroom at any grade level we see technology being used for replacement behaviors, meaning that a device is being used instead of a worksheet. Many teachers struggle to move past that point and lack the training or confidence to move towards using a device to achieve higher order thinking skills. Episode 2 of the Tech Series is focused on an Early Childhood teacher who uses technology to allow his students to create and demonstrate their knowledge.

Alberto Jiménez Hidalgo is a kindergarten teacher at Arthur Elementary in Oklahoma City Public Schools. Alberto is a phenomenal teacher. In the 2015-2016 school year, Arthur Elementary received a tech grant from Apple which allowed the school to provide more technology for their students and training for their teachers. Alberto’s classroom is fully integrated with technology, a buzz of student engagement, overlapped with student choice and ownership of learning. After visiting Arthur Elementary for their iArthur Technology Showcase, I knew I had to pick his brain about his experiences implementing technology in the early childhood classroom. You can find Alberto on Twitter @MrAlberto_JH

Below are the questions I prepared to ask Alberto (there were some follow up questions in the podcast that are not included below):

1. Share about your educational experience and background.
2. What types of technology do you use in your classroom? How did you determine this?
3. Does technology play a role in how you set up your classroom?
4. How do you set up routines and procedures for using technology in your classroom?
5. What role does student-choice play in your classroom?
6. Explain how you manage technology in your classroom?
7. Do you notice a difference in engagement in your classroom?
8. How has technology changed your classroom?
9. How does technology enhance the learning experience of your students?
10. How do you plan a lesson with technology use in mind?
11. What roles does technology play in assessments?
12. Let’s talk about how you use Seesaw in your classroom.
13. What advice do you have for teachers who want to integrate technology but feel overwhelmed about where to start?
14. What are your favorite educational apps?
15. What resources do you use to help guide you?

This episode was recorded at and mastered by Design Tunnel in downtown OKC!