Daniel Donahoo: The Future of Apps for Young Children: Beyond ABC & 123. Apps on multi-touch devices like the iPad or Android smartphones have the potential to revolutionize early childhood education, and help build a stronger foundation for lifelong learning in the 21st century. But, this potential needs to be realized. It is not a given that technology in the hands of young children will benefit their development. We need everyone who is involved in developing digital tools for children to be thoughtful, purposeful and not settle for second best.
Investors, developers, producers, authors, programmers and parents all need to be alert to understanding how and why these tools can support children and make sure we all do our part to make their experience a valuable one. The "natural" user interface that now exists on screens is cleverly designed to respond to children's core fine motor skill development. Interactions like these could be combined with physical world activities to create new ways of engaging children across the early childhood curriculum. Encouraging Children to Share the Story of Their Own Learning. An ant colony with queen ant and eggs constructed from blocks and playdough by four and five year olds. Young children learn best through active, hands on, social experiences. And they don’t need photocopied worksheets to share what they are learning. Providing open ended materials and resources allows each child to share the story of their own learning – they can express their knowledge and share their ideas, providing an observant educator with insight into what the child knows, how they learn and the role each child takes as a learner within the group.
I have been excited to see many examples of learning in action in Immy’s kindergarten class. The children have been learning about insects and other minibeasts within the local environment. And they have been supported to tell the story of their learning with a range of creative materials. When we arrived to collect the children recently we were invited into the classroom to see what they had been working on that day. Related Posts. Inbox (4) - tracy - Rapidaction.com.au Mail. iPod Apps for Preschool. Within the past few months, I have started using the iPod Touch in the classroom, and have been on the lookout for good preschool apps.
The kids love it (of course)! It amazes me how intuitive young children are with tech gadgets. Even children who typically need my assistance with “real world” activities, pick up the iPod and start touching, poking, and flicking “pages” like they’ve been doing this all their lives (maybe they have). Here is a list of my favorite iPod apps for preschool. Kidztory I LOVE the Kidztory apps! Teach Me Toddler Don’t get turned off by the word “toddler” in the title. Wheels on the Bus One of the cutest things I’ve ever seen! ABC Tracer + Words On this app, children trace uppercase and lowercase letters and numerals. Memory Game: Sweets & TreatsMemory Game: AnimalsMemory Game: Robots These are three memory games.
Whizzit 123 Lite I have the lite version of this app, but you can also buy the regular version. These are apps that my class and I have enjoyed. iPads for Education | Victoria, Australia. 5 Great iPad Apps for Early Childhood Teachers. Children these days are practically born with an iPhone in their hands. But while mom and dad might think the electronic “Dancing Hamster” is the best babysitter known to man, teachers have the power to download some pretty useful learning tools on their classroom iPads, apps that will revolutionize the early childhood classroom. Check out some of these top-rated iPad apps for early childhood teachers. 1. Swapsies Currently rated 4.5 in the Apple iTunes Store, this simple App shows toddlers and preschoolers the things they can be when they grow up. 2. Start your students reading young -– very young! 3. For just 99 cents, this App actually contains five activities in one!
4.Toddler Flashcards While it’s obvious why flash cards are useful, this App takes it to the next level: The voices are in four languages! 5. Develop fine motor skills in this app designed for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years old. Planet App: Kids' book apps are everywhere. But are they any good? 5 Great iPad Apps for 3 – 5 Teachers. Posted on April 15th, 2011 in Certification Map | 5 Comments » When you reach the middle grades, it’s not just about ABCs, counting and learning to read anymore. You’ve got serious content. Students want serious technology. Fortunately, there are some win-win situations if you’ve got access to an Apple iPad in the classroom. Check out these great iPad apps useful in elementary classrooms of students in 3rd through 5th grades. 1. Turn your students into a geography whizzes with this interactive game that teaches them about the 50 states, capitals, abbreviations, landmarks and major cities!
2. Put out by the same developers of Stack the States, this iPad App really engages students in geography as they have fun learning about the countries of the world. 3. Magnicode’s multiplication tables tool for kids is a great App for teachers to turn a repetitive subject into an engaging electronic activity! 4. Make book reports easy and fun! 5. Top 10 iPad apps for kids. The 9.7-inch screen is a magnet for kids’ sticky fingers, but the huge selection of apps available for Apple’s tablet guarantees that every child loves playing with the iPad. Whether it’s an educational app or a digital book, an interactive game or a streaming TV service, there are a huge number of apps available for kids to experience on the App Store. With apps ranging in price from free to $10 a pop, it can be difficult to know what apps are worth spending the money on. Essential Kids has collected ten of the best iPad apps for kids to help you decide. 1.
Animalia for iPad Price: $4.49Graeme Base’s classic picture book, Animalia, has been given a new lease of life in the form of an interactive iPad app. 2. 3. 4. iWriteWordsPrice: $2.99By tracing a series of numbers around the screen, iWriteWords teaches children how to write letters of the alphabet in the iPad’s screen. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10 best iPad apps for kids. Toddler and pre-schoolers take to the iPad and iPhone like the proverbial duck to water. There's something so intuitive and simple about touching things on the screen that they just dive in without needing to be shown how it all works.
The problem is that the App Store can be a confusing place if you're looking for the best iPad apps for kids. For example, the lowest age rating that Apple uses for apps is 4+, but there are many apps that can be used by, and are clearly aimed at much younger children. Even children as young as one can use an iPad to some degree, so long as you're careful about them not damaging it, and have a case that's tough enough to protect it from the inevitable bumps and scrapes it's going to have to endure. When you're choosing apps for toddlers or preschoolers you need to be sure that what they are getting is age appropriate, educational and something they will actually enjoy playing. So, without any further ado, here are our ten best iPad apps for children. 1. 2.
More Kindergarten iPad Resources. Study Shows iPads in Kindergarten Class Improve Literacy. Image Source: Inquisitr.com Initial results from a research study in Auburn, Maine show that kindergarten literacy scores increased in classrooms where iPads were used. Auburn is the first public school system in the US to provide iPads to each of their youngest students; and they are monitoring the iPad program carefully. The research findings are part of a randomized control trial, as explained by a report from the Auburn School Department: During the Fall of 2011, the district provided iPads to half of Auburn’s sixteen kindergarten classrooms. The study results were presented last week, and they are very positive: The School Committee was pleased to learn that the study results were quite positive.
Here are a few quotes from the Auburn School Department report on the iPad program that caught my eye: On how the iPad is fitting into classrooms: On children’s engagement levels when the iPad is used, and why the classes using iPads do better: Why might the iPad classes do better? A Preschool Pattern Recognition Game - for iPad.