EDUC 6162-2 :: Week 4 :: Sharing Web Resources

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

I saw recent news about the Australian government's movement to strengthen and improve upon the Early Childhood Education Workforce. The government has developed a program to help educate and commit to ensuring everyone in the child care education workforce is highly skilled and gets the proper training. They offer scholarships and raise funds.

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The information about this initiative shows that the government and politicians take seriously the plight of early childhood education workers. They want to ensure that children get the best possible start and that means hiring and educating the workforce properly.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

Seeing the efforts the government is taking in this regard to training the workforce showed me that it is a daunting and ambitious endeavor but the government is determined to make sure their young children and the teachers are supported.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/september-2012-early-years-workforce-strategy-published.html

EDUC 6162-2 ::Week 3: Introducing My International Contact

EDUC 6162-2 Colleagues:

I would like to introduce you to Jody. She is an early childhood professional living and working in the Middle East. She has lived and worked in many diverse locations and is an expert on childcare and education.

She is also a colleague in our class which makes her the perfect collaboration partner for this part of the course. Here is a link to her blog for this course so you can get to know her better.
http://jodykruger.blogspot.com/
I have emailed Jody about the issue of poverty for this week and I will update you with the findings as soon as she replies. Thank you and enjoy Jody.

EDUC 6162-2 Week 2 ::Sharing Web Resources

Initially I chose to subscribe the the California Association for the Education of Young Children but found their site lacked up-to-date information and a newsletter for free. Currently, you have to be a paying member to get updates and other resources.

So I went back to the resource list and chose to follow the Early Childhood Australia and subscribed to their free newsletter that comes out every two weeks. Here is the link to that site:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Their mission statement is as follows and gives you an idea about what they do:
"Early Childhood Australia will advocate to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years."

One thing that caught my attention as I navigated the waters of the site was a position statement and apology  from the organization made to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. I found the statement to be very respectful and compassionate. I don't think the USA has ever done anything similar with regard to the native people of this land. That is why this took me by surprise. I don't think any of our early childhood organizations has offered an apology to the natives of this land like the Aussies did here.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/position_statements/a_statement_of_regret_and_commitment_to_aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_children_and_families.html

The letter speaks to the issue of ongoing racism that occurs in Australia towards the indigenous population.
This web site and organization has a lot of information that I will be pouring over during the remainder of this course. Enjoy!

EDUC 6162-2 Week 1:: Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part One:
This assignment had me thinking about what fun it would be to have an ECE professional from a different country to share and grow with. What a fanstastic idea! I wish I had thought of it sooner. I know a few people from different countries that work in the school systems, but not in the early childhood field. I used those contacts to meet the two contacts I will use for this portion of the class.

My friend John started a non-profit organization that helps teach children in rural and very poor parts of different countries. He started off in Mexico then moved to Vietnam and China. He is now back in the States looking to get funding so he can run the program in places like Florida, Mississippi, and other very poor places. One of his volunteer teachers agreed to be a contact for this assignment.

I then reached out to a classmate who lives and works as an early childhood educator in Qatar. Jody will be the perfect person to bounce ideas off of and to collaborate on class projects. I look forward to learning more about her culture and beautiful country through this project! I love having pen pals!

Part Two:
I chose to immerse myself into the early childhood organization that is part of NAEYC but in my state. The California Association for the Education of Young Children is a branch of the larger NAEYC. I chose this organization because I wanted to learn more about the programs and training they offer in my state. I am already familiar with Pre-K now, one of the resources listed in the Blog Assignment Resources list so I decided to choose one that was not on the list and one that would allow me to interact outside of class.