The iPad is far superior to the workbooks- instant, self correcting, gives immediate feedback, kids progress at own levels and can be working at differentiated levels.
I love this post! thanks Michelle! I do believe that technology has to be part of the early years classrooms..but it has to be brought in in a way that it is not a treat. Kids need to see them as learning and exploration tool just like they see legos, blocks and books.
Other curriculum areas we use the iPad in are science (as a journal to record our observations) to check the weather, Social Studies- we tweet other kindergarten classrooms and find them on maps and the globe and learn about their lives; comparing similarities and discussing differences and even collaborating on play projects.
Wow! Super aplicada Miss Michelle, you are finding amazing things for us in the ECC! I do believe that ads are a wonderful tool althought, will they or could they replace workbooks, puzzles, boardgames, books, manual activities???
Debate on use of ipads in kindergarten and whether or not they are age-appropriate. Would you rather have them bash sticks together to see if they can make fire?! Have some faith that kids, even young ones, can benefit from appropriate use of technology! Keep them in this century! They can do things you never imagined!
Sooo true, but I 've worked with the ipad with my tutoring children and sometimes they get bored with some games because its not as fun as Angry Birds!! Jajajaja
Apps have to continually improve and become more creative and challenging.
Need center ideas? Use these action verbs to develop centers that will help your students develop fine motor skills - imperative for learning how to write.
Nearly all of my students are English Language Learners. These are great tips that can help broaden my understanding as a teacher of the process of language acquisition.
- the use of manipulatives (#8) is very important as it helps young children who are feeling uncomfortable with their lack of English to gain confidence that they know what the other students are talking about as they can rely on their visual abilities as opposed to their language abilities
This blog post resonated with me as I am always looking for new ideas to help my students learn to read. Guided Reading is practiced in many classrooms but I do not feel that experienced in it. This idea is relevant, simple and gives students ownership in their learning.
I would probably alter the activity slightly by having multiple bags ready containing different stories. Students choose a bag, dump it out, and then retell the stories to each other in a center, after we have read the book together.
A fantastic activity to help with Guided Reading. I am always looking for more ideas! This activity also helps with sequencing in math. Students can work independently with each other. Fantastic idea!
An interesting discussion of early childhood development and digital learning.
Lifelong Kindergarten is collaborating with Tufts University’s DevTech Research Group to make Scratch Jr, a new version aimed at kids in preschool to second grade. The expected launch date is summer 2012.
The new project raises questions about childhood development and digital learning
We want them to see digital technologies as something they can use to express themselves.”
There’s been a lot of buzz in the last few years about what it means to be literate in the 21st century. To Resnick, teaching kids to program was like teaching children of another generation how to write.
A version of this paper is to be published in Arthur J, Grainger T & Wray D (eds) (in press) Learning to teach in primary school, Routledge Falmer 'We need to think better if we are to become better people.'