Children's+Space-+Erica's+Page

Greetings

Week 1 Voki

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Week 2

Check out my classroom! __http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/classroom_designer/cd_launch.jsp?RoomId=984534 __

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Week 4



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WEEK 6

The technology I reviewed was My StoryMaker, a product on the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's website.I was unaware of this tool until I took the class Aesthetics ans Everyday Learning last semester. During our section on story books, we were informed of the site, but we never explored the tool in class. I was tampering with the site during one of my classes, and my high school students thought that this tool was very cool. Young children who are in the stages of early literacy who are learning how to ready and write would benefit the most from the StoryMaker tool. The site actually allows the children to choose their characters, their actions, and add and removed words from the story. When complete, the children are able to print the story out. The only draw back of the site is that it tool is rather hard to navigate, and children need to have adult guidance when using the site. Also, if you want to remove objects and elements of the story, you must start over again, which can be frustrating for a young child. The StoryMaker technology gets a rating of a 4.

WEEK 7

— [|Fred Rogers]
 * "When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives."**

This quote speaks volumes to me in that I feel that children are at their best when playing. They pour their everything into play and creativity, and too many people fail to see the significant of play in a child's life. A child's life shaped every day during their play, and so much of their development takes place during play. It breaks my heart that there are people that are actually advocating for recess and other forms of creative outlet to be banned in schools. Play is to a child as work is to an adult, and deserves that same amount of reverence and respect.

WEEK 8

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I choose this video do to the fact that play therapy for children with Autism is proving to be an effective method of children who have this disorder. Children with Autism often struggle during play because they lack the social skills needed to effectively function with peers. For a long time, professionals were baffled in regards to how to treat children with Autism, and found that play therapy is aiding an increasing number of these children. Play therapy is offering some answers to the unique and complex world that is Autism.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Throughout this course, my understanding of play has developed exponentially. Play is an integral part of childhood development, and benefits a child on a social, cognitive, and emotional level. Children need an outlet for creativity, and for processing the world around them, and play is that medium. Children are at their purest during play, it is what molds them, what they thrive on, and how they succeed. Adults should give as much value to play as to academics because they benefit a child just the same. Depriving children of play is depriving them of development and apart of their happiness.