The outcome of this conference was to build a better understanding of the state of the evidence and a develop a new section of the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development that will be useful for families, professionals and policy makers.
The Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development is produced by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development (CEECD) and the Strategic Knowledge Cluster on Early Child Development (SKC-ECD). Respectively based at the Université de Montréal and Université Laval (Quebec, Canada), these two organizations have built over the years a solid network of international experts who gather, synthesize and comment, in their respective domain of expertise, the most up-to-date scientific knowledge available on the development of young children, from conception to age five.
Recently, the Technology in early childhood education section of the Encyclopedia was published. Dr. Roskos and I contributed a piece titled Teaching Early Literacy with E-books: Emerging Practices. I hope it helps shed some light around what we know and what we don’t know about teaching with ebooks.
Even our youngest students expect learning spaces that seamlessly integrate digital tools, accommodate a mobile lifestyle, adapt to individual learning styles & encourage collaboration. The Google ecology provides the technological means to support this type of pedagogical approach, however, teachers must become develop a more complete understanding of mobile technology hardware, web-based software & OS. How does an elementary teacher incorporate the affordances of the Google ecology into meaningful learning? Join Dr. Jeremy Brueck as he highlights a variety of GAFE tools and Chrome extensions young children can use to tell their own stories, boosting reading and writing skills. Come discover new ways to use the Google ecology to support and enhance the reading and writing process.
Sprouts and STEM: Growing What We Know About Early Childhood Education and Technology
Digital tools are playing an increasingly important role in classroom learning. In order to design high-quality learning experiences for our youngest students, early childhood educators must be informed and judicious in the manner in which they integrate these technologies. Join Jeremy Brueck as he explores appropriate and innovative ways to integrate technology into classrooms in support of young children’s learning. Drawn on his own research, child development theory, and developmentally appropriate practice as a foundation, Brueck will demonstrate how digital tools can enhance early learning, support teaching goals, and improve teaching practice. Brueck will discuss the role of digital tools in:
Creating engaging and educational experiences for young children that balance with other hands-on learning experiences
Helping educators with management, organization, and professional learning
I just returned from 3 days in Columbus, Ohio, where I took part in the Ohio Educational Technology Conference. I had a wonderful time learning, sharing and collaborating with friends and colleagues new and old. Monday was a special day for me, as I was presented with the Collegiate Innovator #BestEdTech Award. Tuesday was by far my favorite day though, as I was able to participate in #OETCx, the official ALTconference. I also presented two official conference sessions centered around my ebook research and various ebook related projects I’ve been involved in. As I promised in both those sessions, here are the resources I shared for those of you looking to get started with ebooks in your district, school or library.
Most children use the summer break from school to relax and play. Most parents hope their children will learn something over break, and with all the offerings of mobile technology, the options are vast—and confusing. So which technological amusement is more teacher than babysitter? How can children benefit intellectually and academically from the many apps available on iPads, smartphones and other mobile devices?
The challenge for parents is to make sure that their children are using technology appropriately—that they are exercising their minds and not merely their thumbs. Jeremy Brueck, director of the Digital Text Initiative at The University of Akron’s Center for Literacy, offers the following tips. Read the rest of this entry…
As it takes so much time to locate and evaluate apps, I was wondering:
-Do you have favorite app review sites? (there are so many now, and video reviews cropping up, so people can see apps before they buy them.)
-Do you have a system, and if you do, what is it, for listing your favorite apps to share with others? Is your favorites list available online/can you share it? I am interested in ways others in the group are organizing this info, and to take a look at your lists, if possible.
-In schools/programs where teachers in various classrooms may be exploring and finding new apps-are there systems set up to share about these discoveries with others?
So many apps, so little time- thanks for sharing tips from your workflow about these questions.
I’m often asked to provide lists of apps for schools, districts or teachers. This is tricky because of the wide variety of apps. In general, I’d say that there are way more skill and drill type apps available (flashcards, letter games, puzzles, etc…) most likely because they are simple for app developers (non-educators most often) to create. Apps that support higher-order think skills are less in numbers. I think the most important thing for a teacher to consider is what they want their students to accomplish using the app and then consider whether an app is actually the best resource for this learning experience. I like to point admins and teachers to the SAMR modelwhen asking them this and then try to help them discern is the are using the app as simply a substitution for something they have always done or if they are able to use the app to help redefine the learning task.
