Episode 015: Tech in Early Childhood


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):
- Share about your educational experience and background.
- What types of technology do you use in your classroom? How did you determine this?
- Does technology play a role in how you set up your classroom?
- How do you set up routines and procedures for using technology in your classroom?
- What role does student-choice play in your classroom?
- Explain how you manage technology in your classroom?
- Do you notice a difference in engagement in your classroom?
- How has technology changed your classroom?
- How does technology enhance the learning experience of your students?
- How do you plan a lesson with technology use in mind?
- What roles does technology play in assessments?
- Let’s talk about how you use Seesaw in your classroom.
- What advice do you have for teachers who want to integrate technology but feel overwhelmed about where to start?
- What are your favorite educational apps?
- What resources do you use to help guide you?
This episode was recorded at and mastered by Design Tunnel in downtown OKC!