Welcome Observation for Early Learning Programs Participants!
On Monday, May 2 nd, we will begin to explore Observation for Early Learning Programs: Connecting What You
See with What's Best for Children. We all know that observation is an important aspect to the early childhood program.
The methods that we choose, along with the times we chose to implement them, are crucial to children’s success. We
will discuss how the environment lends itself to enhancing quality early childhood curriculum, and how our observations
steer our decisions on environmental decisions that foster learning and mastery with our young students. I wanted to
give you a quick introduction, give you your first assignment and make sure that you know how to get to the
blackboard course so we are all ready to go!
My name is Kathy Kashner and I am a STARS Technical Assistant Consultant for the Northeast Key along with
being a Professional Development Instructor for Community Education at Northampton Community College. During the
past 20 years, I have worn many “hats” in the early care and education field including; classroom teacher, center
director, trainer, and mentor. I am a wife of 14 years and a mother to three beautiful children (nine year old twinsboy/girl, and a three year old boy). We also have an adorable geriatric beagle (she is a rescue and we are unsure of her
age, we think somewhere around 11 years old). I enjoy Philly sports, but only because my husband was born and raised
in the Philadelphia suburbs. I enjoy gardening and taking walks with my family.
You will not have access to Blackboard or your course until the session begins on May 2, 2016. When
you have access to your course site in Blackboard, the objectives and other information will be available to you
through Blackboard.
Your course uses Blackboard for your course site. You may access Blackboard from the NCC home page at
http://www.northampton.edu by clicking the ‘logins’ area and then choosing ‘Blackboard/Online Learning’ or you can go
directly to http://northampton.blackboard.com . Please note this direct link contains no www and ends in .com rather
than .edu.
Blackboard Login Procedure:
Your Blackboard logon is your Lifelearn student ID#. That ID# begins with ll (two lower case Ls) and then
usually 4 or 5 digits. Your initial Blackboard password is your Lifelearn ID #. If you previously used Blackboard and
changed your password, use your current password instead.
When you logon to Blackboard, you may change your password if you desire. Also, please verify/change
your e-mail address. Instructions on how to do this are in the Blackboard Manual accessed from the NCC Online
Learning website. You can access and print a manual by going to the NCC Online Learning website at:
http://www.northampton.edu/onlinelearning. From the left hand menu, click on Current Students > How to Get
Started Using Blackboard to see instructions on using Blackboard.
You can email requests for technical assistance to helpdesk@northampton.edu.
Here are some tips for success in an on-line class:

Time matters. Set up a schedule for reviewing class assignments, including time for reading, researching,
writing and participation in discussion forums.

Feedback systems. You will get feedback directly through discussion forums. If you feel you need
additional feedback, please email or call me.

Networking. Sharing knowledge with each other is a valuable experience and an opportunity for an
even more meaningful and enhanced learning.

Savor the differences. This online training will have value-added features that you would not
experience in a traditional face to face workshop, such as access to the internet, the use of technology and
practice in communication skills when you’re working in groups from a distance.
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have a question about this training or specific
assignments. I welcome your questions.
A first assignment for you is to go login to your blackboard account and click “Observation for Early Learning
Programs: Connecting what you see with what’s best for children” link. Hopefully, you're in! If you are having problems
on May 2nd, please contact the help desk at 610-861-5413 or helpdesk@northampton.edu You can begin to explore
the buttons on the left-hand side of the page, including the “course home” button, which lists any new announcements
and places to go if you need help. Now go to the "start here" button and explore the documents that explain the
Blackboard system, technical requirements, student responsibilities and assessment criteria. Please remember that
this is not a graded course, but your participation is required to obtain and earn your professional development
certificate at the end of the course.
When you are ready, you can begin to navigate the “discussions” button, where you will be sharing ideas and
exploring questions. Some of the discussion questions will be available at the beginning of this session, and some of
the discussion questions will be available as the course progresses.
The idea behind this 24/7 professional development session is to be able to access it at your convenience.
Please do, however, check back often on discussion boards so you have an opportunity to see, respond to and interact
with other’s responses. Ideally, you can have a conversation with other participants through the discussion board.
P.S. Don’t wait until the end of the session schedule. Think of how difficult it might be to join a face to face
conversation just as everyone is about to wrap up and leave!
We will be having a one hour live webinar on Monday, May 9th from 1-2 pm. Please make sure that you are
available, have a computer with strong internet access, and are set up in time for the webinar to begin. Further
instructions on the webinar will be made available on the online workshop as the date draws closer. This will be an
opportunity to share knowledge immediately with one another, while learning some new information regarding
observation and environments.
A certificate of participation for 6 hours will be provided in the PA Registry System under My Learning Path –
My Transcript once the sessions is completed and closed; which typically will happen within the week after the workshop
completes on Monday, May 23, 2016. In the world of online learning, that translates into participation in discussion
boards and assignments. I can also monitor the things that you click on within the session. Please do more than just
click on buttons…have fun!
Please reply to this email so that we are sure that email communication systems are working.
I look forward to working with all of you in our journey of exploring new ideas. Thank you and have an outstanding
rest of your day!
Kathy Kashner,
Lead Consultant
Northampton Community College