Coming to the end of things seems kind of bitter sweet. It has been a long road, but it has truly helped to shape the way this thesis will go. With all I have learned within this masters program I am trying to apply it to my thesis and this will be a great way to show all I have learned and retained.

Over the break I was able to sit down with not only my kids, 3 under 5, but also my younger cousins who range between the ages of 4-8, to see how they organically interact with technology, and what they deem mot important from technology. I did not want to interfere while I observed these times over break because I simply sat and collected information on the ways in which I noticed they most used technology.

They all have tablets which are Amazon kid tablets, so they are focused around learning, games, and fundamental skills, but each was able to access what they liked the most and I noticed that through these devices learning seemed to be more fun to them, which enticed them to do it more. Over time I noticed how my 1 year olds, who are turning 2 in April, where able to grasp the ways the open their tablet when they wanted to access it, and not knowing what they were clicking, but always found a way to get through different apps. saw that when they were playing certain games their attention span was much more focused on their game then when they played some with less focus. All this is detailed in my observation log, which I plan to incorporate in my blogs.

For my outline this semester I have mapped out a plan to keep my focus strong through my thesis, and to meet all the goals I plan to achieve and show through my visuals. Each week I plan to post between 3-4 blogs. This will include different theories I may have, it will detail observations I have done, ideas I would like to see excited in classrooms, and much more insight on the tech side of early childhood education. I want the blog to be the center focus of my work and I plan to incorporate some of my literary findings in these post as well. I want the blog post to be casual, so anyone who reads may understand my focus and be able to make their own judgements. Mostly y blogs will be for parents of young children or even teachers who may be interested in a more tech based learning within early childhood education.

Outside of the blog post, in March I will start to prep a webspace for video content and place where I can upload different tech videos that I have found over my time in researching. I feel this will add another layer to my thesis and help explain the ways in which tech can be incorporated early on in eduction. I have found teachers on YouTube and other platforms such as Patreon and twitter who also share an interest in early tech based learning, and helping children develop digital literacy.

I also want to present an app. I want to end the project in April by presenting the idea of an app that I have that deals with tech and early childhood education skills that I deem important. I will use the data that I collected throughout this thesis process and come up with a detailed plan of an app to incorporate. It won’t be so much about creating the app as that takes time and I would need more time then we have, but I have been planning and getting an understanding of the different things I would incorporate in the app for early childhood education.

When May roles around I feel with those three elements I will have a complete thesis, with some improvements here and there of course, but I feel confident that these are all goals I a m able to achieve, as I have been working on them throughout the break.

While taking a winter/holiday break was refreshing and relaxing I had to return back to work January 2nd. Therefor I returned to work mode in all aspects that needed it. That included my thesis. I found myself being able to write more on my break from my Graduate Program when I was a little more sad or going through something. And I am not going to like these past couple of weeks and months (since November) have been hard for me. But maybe it’s best since sometimes that is when I produce the most work. From my break from the graduate program I wrote a total of 4 vignettes I believe. Which was pretty solid. I was hoping to write more but I’ve noticed that when I write just to write I don’t produce the best work. And my thesis is something I want to be proud of, it’s something I want that will be able to resonate with people. With that being said, I figure I share a piece I wrote over break below. Enjoy

You asked me while lying in bed if I felt loved by you. I had my back facing you as I submerged my head deeper into the pillow to fight any tears that would fall. No I don’t. When I said those words aloud I felt instant regret for knowing now there are no take backs. I said what I said. Scared that you would be angry with me I stood quiet as I let you speak. But every time you spoke I didn’t want to hear it. Mainly because I can’t believe it. All my life I’ve heard I was too much; too sensitive, too extra, too annoying, too professional, too mature, too innocent, too everything. For once maybe I just want to be enough. 

When I saw those messages between you and those girls I didn’t see the messages for what was said. Instead I saw those girls as something I wasn’t. Because what else could it be? You say I am too perfect and too good for you, yet these other girls are the ones you are chasing. How can I believe that I am the one you want or love? It’s not fair when you get mad at me for when I tell you that you don’t love me. It’s confusing really. Everything about it. I’m trying to make sense of it in my head but instead it keeps me up at night on a loop and I never come to any answers.