Share Your Ideas and Resources

It has been some time since I have posted. Once the ISTE conference ended and I returned to Chicago, I was fully focused on my life transition. I left my position at the TEC Center to start doctoral studies at New Mexico State University in Curriculum and Instruction and moved across the country to the “Land of Enchantment”.  This change has created many different types of “uncomfortable” situations for me, from acclimating to a whole new city culture and living in a new demographic community to taking on an identity as a student and building a new local learning network.

While this change has been overwhelming at times, I am grateful I decided to make this choice.  A significant reason I made this life shift was that I needed to “walk the talk”.  When I was reflecting on the statements I’ve made in this blog and my role as an early childhood professional, I kept asking myself, “how could I authentically encourage others to have uncomfortable conversations about diversity and culture if I didn’t put myself in vulnerable situations?” Just as I have stated in a previous post, the late Dr. Maya Angelou’s word from Oprah’s Master Class helped reaffirm my choice and gave me confidence in my decision. She said:

“Maybe the hardest part is that if you teach, you have to live your teaching. You can’t say you do not as I do but as I say. No, no.  You have to say I’m doing my best to live what I teach.”

In this new community, I’m getting a deeper sense of the cultural dynamics in the American southwest, the role of education in preserving and eradicating different communities, and aspirations for future generations. I’m also looking for similarities and differences in concerns about technology and media designed for young children. One commonality that I’m noticing, even now, is the importance of cultural relevancy, diverse representation, and honoring cultural communities.  However, this looks different across different communities.

Since my blog focuses on technology and media, I wanted us to use Padlet to share stories and examples of ways we’re using these tools in culturally relevant ways in early childhood settings, whether it’s informal or formal, and in the home.  If you don’t have any stories you would like to share, you can also post resources or sites you go to gather ideas for your practice or with your children. This Padlet page will be just one way we use modern tools to help us learn from one another and curate ideas and resources.

Link to Padlet site: http://padlet.com/armstrong_amanda/techanddiversityinec