On the road…

I have been remiss in attending to my blog over the last few months- forgive me. I finished my Ed.D. in May and have been traveling doing a new research/writing project on How Ideas Spread…a new website which will showcase the travel and emerging thinking in this area is on the way…

 

Warmly,

 

Julianne

Something to consider…

I have been remiss in attending to my blog. But, I have just completed the first complete draft of my dissertation and was at the TED conference- so these have been busy times.

I wanted to share a couple TED talks that spoke to me and I hope they will speak to you too…let’s think and approach things differently.

1.20.11

I just finished what was probably the best class I have had the opportunity to teach with the greatest growth and change from the participants. I loved it.

We shared photos and this one, of a little boy who was so determined to master the tree pose in yoga, spoke to me. So I share it with you.

Warmly,

Julianne

Survey on Documentation as a Vehicle for Professional Development

Letter of Invitation for Participation in Survey

January 13, 2010

Dear colleague:

You have been invited to participate in an exciting online survey designed to better understand the way teachers are using documentation practices in their classrooms. You have been invited to participate in this survey as a result of your professional affiliations in early childhood education. This survey will be available through the link below for a short period of time and your participation is important so please take a few moments and complete the survey to share your views and experiences.

You will be asked to describe and discuss the way you use documentation in your own practice. This will involve sharing your habits for collaboration, reflection and other classroom practices. All of this information will be self-reported in an on-line survey. The research will be conducted by Julianne Wurm, using SurveyMonkey as the tool to collect your responses. The research will be conducted on-line.

RISKS AND BENEFITS:
The risks and possible benefits associated with this study are that the survey may take longer than anticipated for some individuals. If a participant become frustrated or tight on time they can abort the survey at any time or come back and finish it at a later date.
PAYMENTS: There is no compensation for participation in this study.
DATA STORAGE TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY:
The investigator will protect the confidentiality of participants by using a password protected account to collect data. All data will be anonymous and responses will not be linked to any name, school or email address. Finally, all data at the end of the survey will stored on a password protected lap top.
TIME INVOLVEMENT: Your participation will take approximately 15 minutes.
HOW WILL RESULTS BE USED: The results of the study will be used to examine the possible transformative effects documentation can have on teacher practice as enacted in early childhood classrooms.

Click here to take survey

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Julianne Wurm
Doctoral Candidate
Teachers College, Columbia University
415.608.9249

NAEYC Position Statment on Technology

Worth reading and noodling over…

http://reggioway.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/pstech98.pdf

Rolling into the holiday season

12.10

Dearest colleagues:

Forgive the silence on my end- I have been so busy with my writing, revisions and travel that time has been flying by. I have been spending a bit of time exploring the intersection of technology and education- one of my great interests.

A few sites I am enjoying and you should check out as well:

http://www.brainpop.com/

http://www.khanacademy.org/

I think we are just at the beginning of exploring and developing this space and the research on the benefits to young children are clear (taken from the NAEYC position statement)

Used appropriately technology can enhance children’s cognitive and social abilities

I have attached the rest of the position statement to this blog- check it out and let’s talk about how we can use technology to enhance our programs.

Checking in

11.6

Wow these have been busy times! Between the book, dissertation and other projects- I have been living some long days . With that said, it is my pleasure to debut the cover of my new book (and I love it so much-the designer Brad Norr is amazing).

More on-line classes, free webinars and an extension of the book tour through February are on the horizon…more to come from me!

Another FREE webinar

One month into the school year: Where are you? Reflecting, Planning,Taking stock.

Join us for a Webinar on October 26

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/299294338

In this webinar we will build on some of the work we began over the last month and will use our reflective journals to both look back and look forward.

This is a great opportunity to gather with a group of colleagues or teacher-friends and talk about your practice!

Warmly,

Julianne

Title: One month into the school year: Where are you? Reflecting, Planning,Taking stock.

Date:Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Time:7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

More from John Dewey

I love learning the back story to things and getting connected into primary sources of information. In my work in Reggio, Loris Malaguzzi was attributed with the ideas that there is no such thing as pre-school just as there is no such thing as pre-life. We are not constrantly in preparation for something. In reading more John Dewey I realize that this concept actually originated with him and was woven into Reggio-inspired practice.

Dewey says ” Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself. “

And

“Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. “

John Dewey

Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself.
John Dewey

The good man is the man who, no matter how morally unworthy he has been, is moving to become better.
John Dewey

The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.
John Dewey