Tracy Jones
CURR 501
Summer 2024
Narrative
My name is Tracy Jones, I identify as a lifetime learner. I have been in academic spaces for over three decades. There have been many changes along the way, especially with the use of technology. I went from having to stay at school to use the computer lab to having a laptop where I can be anywhere in the world as long as there is the internet. My early education journey has taken me from graduating high school, failing out of URI, becoming a licensed Cosmetologist, and then receiving my associate's degree in elementary education from CCRI. It has been a long journey with many ups and downs. When I failed out of URI, I felt alone, embarrassed, and worthless. I thought that school wasn’t for me, I thought something was wrong with me. I thought about the “Baby George” video from Wesch, when you fall, you get back up. So, when I graduated from CCRI, I noticed the difference in how I felt about learning and how I was guided and supported in every step that I made. I had gotten into a car accident and left school for over 10 years. I didn’t realize how fast time flies until I was looking back at it. During my hiatus from school, I married my husband, raised my son, enjoyed my family, and lived a wonderful life, all while listening to the little voice in my head telling me that I needed to finish what I started. I wanted to be a positive role model for my son, and I promised myself that I would graduate college before he did. With encouragement and support from my family and friends, I went back to school during COVID-19. It was a challenge for me being an older student having to rely on technology as the main tool for school. I was introduced to Zoom meetings for class, and everything was linked, I found it very difficult to navigate. I have gotten better at it, but I am not an expert. In Scott Noon’s technology model, I am in between a Technocrat and a Techno-traditionalist. I know the basics; a little more than enough to get by. I applied to Rhode Island College and got accepted into the Youth Development program which aligned with my values and my future career path working with young people. As a Youth Development major, I wanted to make an impact on the youth that I work with. I wanted to be a positive influence and champion for children, as Rita Pearson says. Juggling two jobs and schoolwork was difficult, but I stuck with it and pushed forward. I graduated with my Bachelor's in Youth Development in 2023, coincidentally, my sister was graduating with her master’s degree, and we were able to graduate together. It was a proud moment that my mother had been secretly waiting to experience for a long time.
I have had a passion for working with youth my entire life. I believe it is a calling. I was drawn to youth spaces. I started out babysitting, then I wanted to be a teacher for the longest time. Then I stumbled across afterschool programs now called out-of-school time spaces. I’ve been working with youth in out-of-school time (OST) spaces for almost twenty years. I started working at Sacred Heart Day Care Center where I held multiple positions over the years. I started part-time after school hours, helping the school-age youth with homework. Then became a teaching assistant, a toddler teacher, the site coordinator, and eventually the director of the center. I learned much of what I know about youth from working at Sacred Heart. It provided me with a foundation to build upon and grow into the caring patient person that I am today. Currently, I work at the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence. I started as the director of two elementary schools in out-of-school time spaces. With a great team, we were able to implement programs like sports, theater, dance, and MLL (multi-language learners) support programs in the schools. We also serve a variety of summer programs in schools that didn’t have any programming or activities past three pm. This summer I will be teaching a Pre-K class. It will be a short six-week program/camp. As I looked around the classroom, technology came to mind. I would like to implement it into the program. I believe the pre-k class would benefit from having access to technology as a choice of stations to choose from in the classroom. I envision small groups of 2-4 youth on a laptop, computer, tablet, or whiteboard listening to digital stories for story time and learning/reviewing their colors, shapes, and letters on a device that should come naturally to them since they are considered “Digital Natives”, as Prensky believes. Although technology comes easy to the youth, Boyd says, youth need guidance, they need to be taught to truly understand the use of technology. I believe teaching the youth technology skills will enhance their learning. It will improve their ability to multitask and improve reaction time. I read that interactive media can promote effective learning and development when they are used intentionally by their teachers. Technology in the classroom will be a small part of the day but a powerful one.
My plan to add Digital Literacy into the curriculum is to introduce technology into the classroom. I will ask for a meeting with the education coordinator and the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club to discuss the possibility of adding tech time to the pre-k curriculum for next summer. With all the rules and regulations about youth not using technology at the club, this might be a hard ask but I am willing to put my neck out there for the youth. I believe that the sooner we get the youth familiar with tech the more prepared they will be. Introducing technology to the pre-k class will have them better prepared for kindergarten in the fall.
Since the students do not have access to computers this summer, I would like technology to be in the classroom by way of starting up a digital library. Before taking CURR 501, a summer course at Rhode Island College, I would not have conceptualized creating a digital library. I thought it was way out of my wheelhouse. Taking this course has given me the confidence to try new things in the technology world. Using sites like Epic which has over 40,000 high-quality books to choose from. I will research culturally diverse stories that represent the students in the program. I will read them with critical lenses to make sure that they are representative of the students who are listening to the stories before introducing the material to the youth. I could also do a read-aloud with a small group of students. Each child could read a page from the book, I could record the child and send the video clip to the parents. This is a way to build relationships with families. I remember being a toddler teacher, having the toddlers choose a book for me to read to them, this particular child would always choose “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” He would lay near my lap and listen intensely to the story like it was the first time every time. One day I asked him to read me the book, and he said “OKAY”. He started reading the book, and to my surprise, he read it page for page, word for word. So, I ran and got my phone and asked him to read it again. I recorded him reading this book, it was the cutest thing ever. I sent the video to his mom; she was so proud and surprised that her son read a book at 3 years old.
To persuade the Boys & Girls Club to add technology to the pre-k summer program I would share videos of the students reading their favorite part of a story, with consent of course. Getting parents excited about reading would help my claim that adding technology is beneficial to the program. This would also be a great way to build community and connections and foster success in the classroom.
