Sharing Web Resources

The name of the organization I have selected is The National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/ (NAEYC). NAEYC's mission statement is "to promote high quality learning for all children, birth through age 8 by connecting practice, policy and research. While researching the topic of dual language learners for this week's application assignment, I found this sight particularly helpful. I have found the following position statements to serve as a supportive guide when assessing young children who are dual language learners:

-Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners
 http://naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ELL_Supplement_Shorter_Version.pdf

-Where we stand on assessing young English language learners
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/WWSEnglishLanguageLearnersWeb.pdf

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1

For this week's blog assignment I chose to use the alternate assignment for part 1 and have reached out to the World Forum Foundation, http://worldforumfoundation.org, to request information regarding international issues related to the field of early childhood education. I have also registered with the site and was able to watch a short pod cast by Ebenezer Lartey, the new World Forum National Representative from Ghana. Mr. Lartey explained on the podcast how very excited he is to be able to be the representative for his country and how he hopes to improve the lives of young children and their families within this new position. Unfortunately, with his heavy accent, the podcast was very difficult to understand. I was not able to access the World Forum Radio.

I then researched the Global Fund for Children website, www.globalfundforchildren.org. This website describes what the organization is about, how to get involved, and also offers a variety of blog topics based on how the Global Fund has helped children around the world. I'm looking forward to accessing these blogs throughout this course and broadening my knowledge related to educational issues occurring around the world.

Part 2

For the second part of this blog assignment, I have selected The National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/. I chose this organization because I have found their position statements to be very helpful in the past. This organization is a resource that directly relates to my current work as a Speech Therapist working in Preschool Early Intervention. The position statements found on this website provide guidance to follow for implementing best practices in the field of early childhood.

My Supports

Daily supportive factors that I access everyday within my work environment include: using my computer to type reports, using email to communicate with staff and schedule appointments, using a daily planner to keep track of appointments and  track due dates, consulting with colleagues, using materials for assessment, accessing templates to compile information, using files to keep information organized, having a work space to keep materials and my computer in, having a cafeteria so I don’t have to pack my lunch every day, establishing and maintaining friendships within the work place that help to keep me sane and make me laugh. Did I mention my daily dose of coffee that gets me up and moving?

Each one of these supports are needed for me to be able to work with families, evaluate children, communicate with staff and grow as a professional. Without these supports in place I would not be able to complete my job in a timely and professional manner. Without professional relationships I would not be able to grow and learn from other people’s experiences.

Living without these supports would make my work life very difficult. It would impact my ability to communicate and coordinate schedules, keep track of due dates, and limit collaboration with colleagues.

One challenge that could significantly affect my daily life would be if the computer systems at work would crash and I would lose all of my saved information including: reports, templates, resources, contacts, calendar, and mode of communication. If the computers were to crash, I would at least have my “paper” calendar with appointments. By having one thing that is not electronic/computer based I would still be able access the days and times of appointments and names of the children that I am scheduled to work with.