Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

In the beginning of the course we were asked to establish communication with a Early Childhood Professional form another country. I began my search for contacts and sent out emails and was unsuccessful in gaining communication. I also could not get the podcast to work. For this weeks blog post I am unable to introduce my international contact or discuss the podcast, so I chose to visit the website  (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/) I chose to focus on poverty in Kyrgyztstan. I chose this country because I had no prior information about the country or the poverty state they are in. 


After reviewing the information presented on the website I was able to come across some insights/ideas about Kyrgyzstan and poverty. 
-Majority of the population (about 60%) make a living from agriculture.
-At their independence, Kyrgyzstan was one of the poorest ex-Soviet Republics( estimated 32.9% of population living below Soviet poverty line)
-49% of urban people under 20 and 55% of rural under 20 years old lived in poverty in 2001 with 18% unable to afford even the basic food needs. 
-The government is working on reducing poverty. They have developed a 15 year vision, Comprehensive Development Framework, for the country. the first 3 year plan is the National Poverty Reduction Strategy. 


With looking at the statistics I found about this country, it seems as if the government is taking a step in the right direction in order to improve their countries current state of poverty. 




Refernces:
 (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/)

Sharing Web Resources

I chose an international website and subscribed to a free e-newsletter. Here is the link for the website: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/. The focus of this website is to provide professionals, parents and families with the latest information and issues relating to education and child care from birth to eight years. 

Although I did not receive anything in my email, on the homepage the website offers a quick overview of what was discussed in the latest newsletter. There is also a link to go to the current newsletter.

One current issue/trend that stood out to me from the newsletter was an article title $30 Million Available to Improve Early Education and Care. The article discussed how the Australian Government looking for quality organizations to apply for $350 million in grants to help improve professional development and inclusion. “The support provided allows staff working in early childhood to get the skills and support they need to deliver higher quality education and care services, including making their centre more inclusive for children with additional needs.” (Ellis, 2011) I think it is very important that government take a positive role in education. The Australian Government seems to be taking an active role on improving their Education and making sure the children benefit from their choices.

References:

http://ministers.deewr.gov.au/ellis/350-million-available-improve-early-childhood-education-and-care

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Hi everyone!!!! Hope you are all having a great start to this course and having luck establishing your contacts. For part 1 of this weeks post we were asked to establish professional contacts with early childhood professional outside of the United States. I first began searching the internet for early childhood organizations. I became unsure of what sites were real and which would offer me the best information. I decided to goto the resources that Dr.Klein set up for us. I have emailed about 5 professionals from the Global Alliance website. Two of the email addresses(Ireland and Netherlands)  immediately sent an email back saying they were invalid addresses, one office will be closed till January 9th(Armenia) and I have yet to hear back from the last two address( South Africa and Georgia). I am hoping that I will hear back from someone soon. I think it would be a more sufficient experience through emailing professionals as opposed to listening to the World Forum website and/or radio.
   
For part 2 of this weeks blog we were asked to "immerse yourself in one early childhood organization’s website in order to get to know specific ways in which the organization supports the early childhood community and the resources it offers." I have chosen to stick with this weeks theme of connecting outside of the US and chose the website for Early Childhood Australia: The Australian Early Childhood Advocacy Organization. This particular website offered a free newsletter which I subscribed to. I am hoping to learn about education in another country and possibly gain some new ideas and thoughts about how children grow and develop.  

My Supports

My Supports

What is support. Support is a person or thing that gives aid or assistance. I find myself relying on support from  a few things to get me through my everyday. Its amazing they things people rely on and the things people take for granted.The supports in which I look to are my cell phone, my car, computer, alarm clock and my family.

My first support is my cell phone. I know it seems crazy to have a cell phone as a support but I feel lost if I don't have my phone on me. I use my phone to check my mail, make phone calls and to look up places or directions on the internet. My phone is very helpful and sometimes I feel I rely to much on it. I have tried turning my phone off or not bringing it with me when I go out, but I find myself wondering if someone called me.

My second support is my alarm clock. This support is connected to my first one because my alarm clock is on my cell phone. My alarm clock is what gets me up every morning for work. I may hit the snooze button a few too many times but I eventually get up. If my cell phone is dead or I dont have it with me, I wont have an alarm clock and fear I won't wake up in time. If  I don't set an alarm the chances of me waking up on time or early are very slim.

My third support is my car. Having my own car is very helpful in getting from point A to point B. A few months ago my car broke down on me and I was without a car for about 2 months. My boyfriend and I now had to rely on one car for two people. I know many people do it everyday, but it was very hard trying to figure out how we were both going to get to work on time. Thankfully things worked out and we now have two cars and getting places is a whole lot easier. Without a car I found I was stuck at home. I felt as if I was constantly asking others for rides to the stores or work. Its amazing how a car can be viewed as such a valuable support.

My fourth support is my computer. My computer is very valuable to me. Though my computer I am able to take my grad classes, check my email, write papers, use the internet and stay connected with family through emails. Without a computer I wouldn’t be able to complete any of the listed tasks and I would feel disconnected.

My last support is my family. Without my family by my side I don’t think I would be half the person I am today. My family is the ones to help me out when I'm down or need help. They make me laugh and they make me made but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else. They support my decisions no matter what and are willing to help out whenever and wherever they can. Not having my families support would be horrible. I'm not sure how I would deal with that and don’t plan on it ever happening.

Imaginary Challenge:
If I was diagnosed with a certain disease I would want the support from my family, friends and to the doctors and nurses who were treating me. I would be worried about my family and friends during this time because spending so much time in and out of the doctors and hospital, buying medication and other necessities can become a monetary burden on myself and others. I know that with the love and support of those closet to me I would make it through with little worries and come out stronger in the end.

My Connection to Play

My Connections to Play!!!

"Don't play what's there, play what's not there."- Miles Davis

"If animals play, this is because play is useful in the struggle for survival; because play practices and so perfects the skills needed in adult life." Susana Miller

During my childhood, it was very rare that my parents let me sit around the house watching TV or playing video games or on the computer. I spent majority of my summer days and weekends playing outside with other kids in my town, at the park or using my imagination to come up with something to do. Growing up my dad worked at a park during the summer, so I would go with him and spend time playing at the park and would take day trips with other kids there to theme parks, baseball games or water parks. Looking back at my childhood I was never really bored or just sitting around. I chose the picture of dress up because it was one of my favorite things to do as a little girl. I loved to put on my moms heels and walk around pretending I was going somewhere fancy. I chose the picture of Barbie because that was my all time favorite thing to do. I am pretty sure that I didn’t stop playing with them till I was about 12 years old. Playing Barbie you were able to use your imagination and create situations and the dialogue.

            I think play is very different for children today. Children today are unaware of how to use creativity and imagination to their fullest potential. I feel children today are used to getting things handed to them. Many parents are not enforcing that their children spend time outside or socialize with other children. I feel that children need have play time in school and at home. Parents should limit the amount of time spent on TV, computer and video games. Limiting these activities will in many ways force children to find other things to do to keep them entertained.

            During my childhood play had a very important role. Play has helped shape me into who I am today and the way I interact with others. Play also helped me realize that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I want to be able to teach children what it really means to play and to express yourself through creativity and imagination.