ADE634

Use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate and evaluate information; Construct new knowledge; Communicate with others effectively.

How much are they really learning through their passion for computer-based entertainment? How do we maximise the educational benefits of that passion, without, of course, killing it stone dead? Or - and there will be some who continue to believe this - should education and entertainment remain on entirely separate tracks?

With Skype, teacher mentors can deliver personalized training directly to the classroom on subjects teachers need.

Skype can double as a quick connection to a teacher, librarian, or even a traveling parent for a child in the midst of a homework crisis.

One important way to inspire children to read is by reading aloud to them. Schools can arrange to have an author read a story over Skype so that the entire class can enjoy a favorite book and then ask questions for an author study

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.

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.

The Big6TM is an information literacy curriculum, an information problem-solving process, and a set of skills which provide a strategy for effectively and efficiently meeting information needs

It can be used whenever students are in a situation, academic or personal, which requires information to solve a problem, make a decision or complete a task. Using a multi-level approach, students can develop competency in information problem-solving and decision-making that will carry forward into lifelong, useable skills.

research study in Auburn, Maine show that kindergarten literacy scores increased in classrooms where iPads were used.

Model it, live it, talk about it. It's all "using" technology.

 Games can help kids learn how to synthesize information and apply it, two higher-level thinking skills that are vital parts of information literacy.

choosing mainstream games rather than purely educational ones as kids are more likely to reach for those.

Recognizing and using individual sounds to create words, or phonemic awareness.

Understanding the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds, or phonics.

Developing the ability to read a text accurately and quickly, or reading fluency. Children must learn to read words from left to right rapidly and accurately in order to understand what is written. 

Make informed decisions. Information literacy will help your children acquire relevant information and filter out biased or unreliable information

  Encourage, support, and guide your children in exploring their interests. Point them to various resources—such as printed materials, videos, and computers—that they can use to find out about the things that interest them and to communicate their ideas and feelings.

Use "The Big Six" to help your children with their homework. Help them (1) determine what is expected from their homework assignments, (2) identify the resources they will need to complete the tasks, (3) locate and access the needed resources, (4) read or use the available information, (5) apply the information to the tasks, and (6) evaluate the quality of their final product. In addition to helping your children master subject-area content, "The Big Six" helps them develop information problem-solving skills