MakingConnections

The Commonsense Approach to Developmentally Appropriate Evaluation of Software, Websites, and Apps Developed for Young Children

"Little Digits is a fun educational app that teaches children about numbers by putting a new spin on finger counting. Using the iPad multi-touch screen, Little Digits displays number characters by detecting how many fingers you put down. Children can learn to associate the number on the screen with the number of fingers they place down, whilst enjoying the unique characters and animations of the Little Digits world."

"Kids practice essential skills as they play four exciting games per letter/number: INTRO - discover the letter's shape, name and sound TAP - learn where to start, change direction and finish by tapping the dots TRACE - learn the letter trajectory by tracing it WRITE - test your knowledge by writing from memory"

"The Young at Art® philosophy, as set forth in the books of the same name emphasizes that children's art is not a "frill", not merely "charming" but the very foundation upon which all education can be built. It was first introduced with the publication in 1978 of The Anti-Coloring Book®, railing against the proliferation of stifling "art" activities consisting of drawings created by adults that children were expected to merely color in; neatly and within the lines. The Anti-Coloring Books don't merely burst free of those lines, but eliminates them completely!"

" In the AT world, mobile devices such as iPods, iPads, and iPhones are providing new and exciting options to access a huge array of applications.  This blog site is devoted to the use of these devices, highlighting apps that are particularly relevant to young children and school-aged individuals with disabilities, their families, and their instructional teams."

Posts on stylus for iPad/iPhone for young children

"Welcome to Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years: Tools for Teaching and Learning. The work of 25 contributing authors, this bookoffers early childhood teacher educators, professional development providers and early childhood educators in pre-service, in-service and continuing education settings a thought-provoking guide to effective, appropriate and intentional use of technology with young children. "

"Helping students to develop mouse skills can be a challenge. There are free activities online for helping children to build mouse skills. There are games and various drawing programs"

"Easily create videos in the classroom! Students as young as five can make videos to tell stories, explain ideas, or document their learning. 30+ lesson ideas supporting Common Core make it easy to get started!"

Article by Patsy Pierce et. al.

"The BeginningReads program supports teachers, parents, and tutors in bringing children into reading. Before children learn about written language, they have developed a substantial oral language word bank. The goal of BeginningReads is to connect student's oral language knowledge with written language. The texts do this by placing a premium on words that are both highly concrete and phonetically regular-words such dog, cat, pet, and big. Each level has 12 4-page books that share a set of concepts, which allows young readers to see the same words in many different texts. Each book is provided as a double-sided PDF ready for printing."

"Tiggly Toys have silicone touch points so your tablet reacts to them just like your fingertips. Tap and the screen reacts"

"The "Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs," released jointly by the Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) on September 14, 2015, states that all young children with disabilities should have access to inclusive high-quality early childhood programs, where they are provided with individualized and appropriate support in meeting high expectations."

""Technology and Literacy: Promises, Promises and Promises", from Once Upon an App: A Survey of Apps Related to Language Development 2015."

"Reflector and Stand Simply attach the included reflector and stand to your iPad. Osmo works with all iPads, including the iPad Mini and iPad 2."

"Here are the AAP's revised guidelines on children and screen time:"

"Toward this goal, the Academy convened the invitation-only Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium in May. Supported by the AAP Friends of Children Fund, this two-day event brought together leading social science, neuroscience and media researchers, educators, pediatricians, and representatives from key partner organizations. The goals: evaluate available data, identify research gaps, and consider how to provide thoughtful, practical advice to parents based on the evidence."