This lesson emerged when the children received an e-mail from the Kindergarten students at the Northwest Early Childhood Center in Detroit, Michigan. After using the projector to display the e-mail on the large screen at group time and reading it together, we worked  to compose a reply using Microsoft Word. Included in our letter was a question that we had posed to our own group of children, "What do you need to fly?"

Lesson Two - Sharing our Creations with Microsoft Power Point

This lesson was created after observing the children making use of our project center to create things that move through the air. The children were excited about their creations and were anxious to take them home to share. In order to document the process and valuing individual work, Aimee developed a slide show in Microsoft Power Point that displayed digital photographs of the children with their creations and allowed for their language to be recorded as they shared the thoughts behind their representations during a large group instruction period.

Lesson Three - Making a KWL Chart with Kidspiration

Following varied and numerous explorations designed to allow children to build understanding and make connections to the concepts of flight, it was necessary to summarize and reflect on the children's ideas and misconceptions. To help organize ideas and plan for the future direction of our project, we used the KWL chart on the Kidspiration software in collaboration with the children.


Lesson Four - Using Kid Pix to Represent our Ideas

Kidpix Deluxe software provided children an opportunity to incorporate technology into representing their understanding of the concept of flight

Lesson Five - Revisiting our Representations

Interpretation of the children's representations using the Kidpix software revealed a variety of misconceptions related to flight. The children possessed isolated understandings; they had yet to make the connections necessary for a comprehensive awareness. Several lessons that included an industrial strength fan and a household strength blow dryer were presented to support children's insight. Revisiting these lessons, along with images that documented prior understanding was made possible by creating a slide show using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Lesson Six - Researching Flight on the Internet

The internet provided a means of research and allowed us to interact with technology for the sake of confirming the knowledge acquired through hands-on exploration.. We read through information, participated in simulations and manipulated illustrations to help the children make connections and gain more valid understandings.

Lesson Seven - Writing Back to our Friends Across Town

Corresponding with our kindergarten friends provided another opportunity to integrate technology into a lesson which included our exploration of flight along with a focus on early literacy skills. The children from the Northwest Early Childhood Center included their ideas about the concept of flight within the body of their response, and gave us the opportunity to practice reading and writing skills while discussing and summarizing our understanding of flight.

Technology Integration 

• The digital camera allowed me to document the on-going exploration.
• The palm pilot served as a tool to record children's language throughout  the process.
• The projector functioned to communicate ideas during large group brain storming sessions.
• Microsoft Word provided a means to document the ideas shared during large group discussions.
• The internet linked the children's ideas about movement with the ideas from children across town via an e-mail pen pal relationship.
• Kidspiration software organized children's thoughts and misconceptions and provided a visual representation of their thinking throughout the process.
• Kid Pix Deluxe software provided children with an opportunity to conceptualize their understanding while utilizing technology.

Questions or Comments: kathfili@umd.umich.edu

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