Librarians are often a great source for information. Here are websites they recommend for kids, on various topics. (I enjoy reading content for children sometimes, to help me better understand certain concepts in science, etc. as it is understandable and often simpler/quicker and in a form that makes it easier to share with young children.)
Panel discussion- many questions and concerns often raised by parents of young children and early educators about using tech with young children were discussed, as well as what the research shows, policy connections and resource recommendations.
Great new app that was recommended to me. Great potential for young students and possible applications for French Immersion or other second language students. Key premise is that students are shown an image and then have 30 seconds to record their voice as they add to the story. Finished product becomes an iBook that others can listen to.
Families.com is a great website for parents and families. There is a lot of information on a variety of different topics. This site provides a discussion forum where members can post topics to gain advice or knowledge from other members. I recommend it as an easy way for parents to stay informed and connected with other parents.
This website would be useful for parents and families. Not only do they offer a plethora of blogs, there are message boards, as well as money saving ideas and coupons. This website offers a lot of support to parents or all different types of families. For example, you can sort the blogs you are reading, by selecting "Jewish Family", "Single Parent" or "Fatherhood" just to name a few. Members can comment on blogs and offer their opinions and support. The only thing I did not love about this site is that there are lots of advertisements.
If you follow the link on this page to the article "Worlds Apart, One City, Two Libraries & Ten Years of Watching Inequality Grow" http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/fall2012/Neuman.pdf you will get a sense of what the authors learned during their 10 years of research and implications/recommendations related to closing the achievement gap/how it relates to technology use by children and families.
A kid oriented, free web browser, search engine, w/ extras. Free, but w/ membership options. For parents worried about their kids safety on the internet this might be a nice option.
This group reviews software for kids and they have a preschool section. They say they are independent and don't take advertising money from the software companies. And, it actually writes reviews that are negative.
Hmm-didn't notice an "About Us" to learn more about who is reviewing/their process, and wondered why they don't have any Software Mackiev products listed at all, an important publisher of early childhood software for Mac users, or Tech4learning, which also has good educational software. Haven't looked around for software review sites for awhile- good to look and see what is available.
I read some of the reviews and most of the software is very "drill and skill", not discovery based. I think this leads parents and teachers to think that "drill and skill" is the way to go and I am uncomfortable with that - computer-based worksheets.
TeacherTube is a website for teachers and parents to visit to find videos on various topics. Users can search for video's based on subject and the video's are often rated on their quality.
TeacherTube is a site for teachers to upload instructional videos for other teachers to view or for home learners. Members of this site are encouraged to make constructive comments, as if they were in a classroom listening to a lesson or in a meeting listening to a proposal.
I thought it would be an effective way to use this website in a child-life setting. For instance, if a child was very ill and was contained to a hospital room, he/she could prevent from getting far behind in school by watching his lessons being taught online.
This is a site I would recommend to all teachers, and the best part - it's free!