New Media & New Literacies

    Game Introduction The open-source game I’ve chosen is ABCya! Alphabet Bingo, a fun and interactive online game designed to help young children recognize and learn the letters of the alphabet uppercase and lowercase or the sounds of the letters. The game can be found on the ABCya website (www.abcya.com) and is free to use. In Alphabet Bingo, children listen to letter sounds and match them to letters on their bingo card. This simple but engaging game encourages listening, letter recognition, and phonics skills.   Integrating ABCya! Alphabet Bingo in a Classroom Activity This game would be a great addition to a unit focused on alphabet and phonics learning, which are key literacy skills in preschool. For this unit, my learning objectives would be to help students: 1. Recognize all the letters of the alphabet. 2. Identify letter sounds. 3. Match letters to sounds in a fun, pressure-free setting.   Using Alphabet Bingo in the classroom can reinfo...

  Case Study 1: The Remind App in a Preschool Classroom     In my preschool classroom, I utilized the Remind app to enhance communication with parents and strengthen family engagement. The app allowed me to send real-time updates, reminders for activities, and photos of the children’s daily experiences. This approach helped parents feel more connected to their children's learning and daily routines, fostering a more engaged community The app's direct messaging feature meant that parents received updates, reminders, and announcements straight to their phones. This connection kept them informed about classroom events such as theme days, field trips, or special activities like show and tell. Moreover, Remind allowed for private conversations, giving parents a convenient way to ask questions or share any concerns about their child’s experience. The ability to connect directly, even outside of drop-off and pick-up times, was especially beneficial for building trust and...