Little Padsters: iPads in Early Childhood Education

Symmetry Shuffle By: Carstens Studios: Fun Way to Build Spatial Understanding of Flip, Turns, and Slides

2016-05-21T13:48:00.001-06:00

Young children are being exposed to elementary geometric concepts at a younger age than ever before.

Some attribute this to the new push due to "Common Core Standards", while others state the increased pressure for students to build their fundamental math concepts is a result of the United States less than stellar performance on the latest round of PISA testing.

Whatever the actual reason is, there is no disputing the reality, or the need for our nation's students to both competent and competitive members of the global knowledge economy.

Symmetry Shuffle by Carstens Studios does an amazing job of introducing and fine-tuning both a child's skill and their understanding of spatial geometric concepts such as flip, turns, and slides.

A student can choose between two different play modes "race" or "solve"; along with an option for "easy" or "hard "modes. There are also options for grid size and icons (used in the transformations).

The only downside of the game I encountered -other than a difficulty in solving some of the actual puzzles- was in using the "arrow controls" whist on my iPad mini. However, once I moved onto a full-size iPad this issue was reduce to only a minor nuisance.

I found the game play to be additive and I could feel the brain buzz as I was challenged with increasing more difficult puzzles.

Side note: I consistently suggest this particular app to parents whose children struggle to complete tasks on found on: https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-2/flip-turn-and-slide

I find this "pre-assessment" to be a good indication of a student's generalized understanding of this particular concept.

---------------------

Geometric and spatial thinking are important in and of themselves, because they connect mathematics with the physical world (Excerpt from "Progressions for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, June 23, 2012)

In The Forest: Learning to See the Path

2016-05-10T20:52:00.002-06:00

Recently, I reviewed an emergent reader title by Alexa Andrews titled, In The Forest, in which I rated the book with 1 out of 5 stars. This was a difficult review for me to write because I try very had not to be negative. And while I stand by my original review and rating I have written this post in an attempt to put a positive spin on this rather dull and otherwise tedious book.

Many of you might be wondering what business a negative book review about an emergent reader has on an blog focused on Educational Technology, so let me begin by answering that question.

This spring, I decided to take on a long time goal of mine to write educational product reviews. My goals was to write reviews that could help guide parents and caregivers in selecting those products that best fit their child's needs.

Sounds simple right...

Well as it turns out reviews aren't as simple as I once thought. However, whilst learning all about how to construct a good review, I have had the pleasure of getting to know a team, of what I consider to be dedicated consumer advocates. Most of these "advocates" don't write product reviews for "educational products" or even any profit, in fact a smile comes to my face when I think of the diversity of this talented group. In just a few short months, I have been treated to an insider's look at what goes on behind the scenes and in the creation those enthusiastic and passionate reviews, which ultimately help guide consumer's choices. Along the way this dedicated group showed me what a powerful force they truly are.

Some of the lessons I have learned thus far include:

Good reviews are not defined by word count, but by content
The power of free choice includes the freedom to make "bad" choices
Press enter a couple times to make it easier on your readers
To respect different points of views when it comes to "needed information" (aka dog collars)
Even the most different of opinions can benefit from a little bit of humor (aka Chocolate Teapots)
Never be afraid of admitting weakness (aka brain clouds in spring)
And always, always think before you press send

These lessons do belong in this blog because Padster's is all about the transformative ways in which technology is impacting education and the "impact" made by a devoted product reviewer should never be taken for granted.

So in the spirit of the bringing out the positive in an otherwise negative review here are:

"Three Ideas for Using In the Forest written by Alexa Andrews and illustrated by Candice Keimig"

The book could be used as a gateway for introducing young children to the various parts of the forest's delicate ecosystem and as a gateway to introducing Venn diagrams.
In The Forest has a very predictable and stable vocabulary. Using Fry's 1st One Hundred Sight Words. students could make a tally sheet and create a bar chart from the results of their tally
In the Forest could be used as an example for student's to create a "classroom book" with each child contributing a page to the story. Using services such as lulu classroom books could be sold as a fundraiser.

Combining App Centered learning and Purposeful Play Pedagogy

2016-05-10T17:33:00.000-06:00

Since concluding my app creation adventure (noted in a prior post), I have been attempting to document/review some of the educational products (such as books, toy, and other reference materials) which I have encountered 20+ year journey in education.

This is because I believe that, while apps can and have now proven to be very useful in education. I have also seen that without some type of anchor for the newly created knowledge or skill, the gains are usually short lived. In my humble opinion, young learners especially, need a mixture of hand-on and technology based programs. I also believe that one of the best uses for technology, has yet to be fully realized and that is in the area of formative assessment.

This does not mean that I no longer believe that technology is beneficial for young children, that is simply not so. Technology based learning can and does open the doors to knowledge in ways no other learning tool can.

What better way is there to show children different cultures and locations, other than maybe traveling the world?
Technology enables children to practice an experiment over and over in app such as GazziliScience
And much more....

Since creating this blog more than five and half years ago, I have seen 1st hand the huge effect quality research-based technology programs have on a child's educational outcome.

Problem is, I have also seen the harmful effects of technology programs, which are not based on solid research and have been developed more as a recruitment or sale pitch for schools, have on children and young adults. More over the impact these empty, self-serving technology initiatives will have the future of digital citizenship remains to be seen.

Most recently, my views have begun in earnest to combine those strategies which are founded in purposeful play and based on Vygotsky's social learning theories with the nuggets I have gleaned from my experience creating and managing technology programs. I believe this has led me to where I am now and why I have come to understand remarkable possibilities of combining "purposeful play" or guided play with an a carefully woven and correlated technology program has in improving the educational outcomes of our nation's children.

Lastly, I am exploring some of the possibilities technology has in facilitating data-driven decision making in education and formative assessment strategies. To clarify, I define formative assessment as a recursive process between a teacher and student; and one which monitors/tracks a student learning. Formative assessments, generally, are incorporated into a student regular lessons learning time and differ from summative assessments such as high stakes testing. Educational data science has become an emerging interest for me and I sincerely hope to explore the effects of connecting a child's learning to visible learning targets.

Definitions of Commonly Used Terms

2016-05-10T16:24:00.004-06:00

Below is my personal definition of some of the commonly use terms. This is an ongoing and evolving post. Please excuse the typos and other errors

Purposeful Play: play that is characterized by active movement towards a specific learning target.
Guided Play: see purposeful play
Learning Target: an age and/or developmentally appropriate "goal", often consists of either a skill level or an increase in specific content knowledge, and are generally correlated to a comprehensive research based learning framework.
Learning Framework: A learning framework can also be know as a developmental skills continuum or knowledge map. The key criteria of a good learning framework, is one which is based on strong research, solid pedagogy and contains developmentally appropriate expectations. Additionally, learning framework should also encompass learning targets (aka goals, benchmarks, and standards). These "goals" typically are compromised of both skill targets (i.e counting to 10) and an increased understanding of specified content sometimes referred to as knowledge targets (i.e. an basic level of understanding of the states of matter) Ideally learning targets are connected to prior and future learning learning and span several years of growth and/or development.

Examples of Learning Frameworks that I commonly refer to are:

Common Core
Experience Early Learning
ixl skill progress report

New Adventure: App Creation

2015-08-07T18:04:00.002-06:00

As many of you know for the last several years I have written solid educational app reviews and explored the ways an iPad can enhance a young child's world of learning. Now I am excited to announce my next phase of this remarkable journey. I am actively seeking to create my own line of educational apps by using what I have learned in the last 10 years There are two major reasons for my shift in focus: 1. All though there are thousands of educational apps out there there are only a handful of educational apps which are build on educational research and are fun to play. Additionally, many of the quality educational apps are missing key data metrics features. 2. There are certain types of educational apps that I continually look for but I am unable to locate. So if the mountain won't come to me, I will build my own mountain. In these early stages, I will be posting my app ideas to a site called Applits A Socially Driven App Creation Site. Here I hope to find out if others might be interested in the types of apps I would like to create and get feedback on my ideas. Also, I will be posting a brief summary of the app idea and any additional details I believe are educationally important to here on Padsters.

I sincerely hope my Padster readers join me on Applits and will be be among those community members who critique my ideas. I value your feedback whether criticism or praise and I look forward to hearing from you.

New Research Opportunity

2014-09-09T13:32:00.001-06:00

I am please to announce that I have been selected to complete an Op-Ed article on the Impact of Technology in the Early Childhood educational setting.

Looking for the ECCA Padster Blog

2014-09-07T20:30:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for the ECCA (Eagle County Charter Academy) Elementary Padster group or my Blended Learning project (learning.com) information?

Here is a link to to the new combined blog for more information:
ECCA Padster Group

App Review: All About Dragons

2011-02-24T12:04:00.004-07:00

App Review: All About Dragons by Storyboy

StoryBoy Kids Books are a wonderful way to entertain and educate kids anytime and anywhere. Its an instant portable world of stories for kids and parents to enjoy together.

From the Developer

This book is the perfect introduction to dragonology for young dragon lovers. Find out interesting dragon facts in this interactive StoryBoy book. And check out DRAGON CHECKERS for the iPad if you like this app! In this book, you can learn about the different stages in a dragon's life, parts of a dragon and types of dragons. Tap the arrows to see more interesting dragon trivia and explore the book to find hidden dragon secrets.

App Review: Arithmaroo

2011-02-24T11:52:00.002-07:00

Its a right brain approach. Instead of counting and reasoning, players see number patterns and relationships.

From the Developer

Arithmaroo is a 2010 APP STAR AWARD FINALIST!! "Arithmaroo is an instant hit!"- HyperHomeschool.com Leap ahead in math! Watch the "Ahas" kick in when players discover that seeing patterns is faster and easier than counting.

While entertaining players 4 to 40+, Arithmaroo fills in the missing steps to mastering math facts. Kids begin to add and multiply naturally and don't even know it.

App Review: Quizzing by Toddler Teaser

2011-02-22T14:20:00.003-07:00

Quizzing by Toddler Teaser
Skill Set: L1.2, L3.5, M1.1, M2.1, and C1.1
Important educational note: the shape diamond is identified as a rhombus.
This app would work well as an assessment tool with a caregiver noting the child's responses. App does not appear to track correct responses. The game consists of a mixture of tap to identify questions. The questions focus on basic concepts such as colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. The child receives with a sticker every few screens to motivate them to continue.

Preschool Skills: Introduction and Why

2011-02-20T20:53:00.003-07:00

Preschool Skills and Assessment:

Recently I have had the opportunity to do some in-depth research on assessing preschool skills. While I am not a big fan of assessment, I understand how assessment can be a valuable tool. The preschool experience can vary greatly. Some preschools focus on play-based learning, others can be very academic but what they all seem to have in common is the goal of preparing a child for the kindergarten experience. So with the wide variety of styles and environments how is a parent to know whether his/her child has the skills to succeed in kindergarten? Isn't there a checklist that shows a parent or caregiver where to focus to prepare a child? The answer is no. There is no single universal checklist to assess kindergarten readiness. Kindergarten Readiness is such a mosaic of cognitive, emotional, and physical skill sets creating an inventory of these skill is very difficult.

The benchmarks and standards presented here are research-based and provide an achievement guide upon which to record individual growth and development. By collecting and documenting a child's development overtime we are able to identify and anticipate children's strengths and weaknesses without this important data it would be very difficult to effectively plan and individualized a program specifically designed to meet each student's individual needs.

Young learners are rapidly collecting information that needs to be processed and practice. With each exposure to a task skill or experience a child makes a connection that are appropriate for his or her individual level of development. As experiences are repeated the child has multiple opportunities to build upon the foundational connections that were made from the prior exposure.

For that reason assessment is also challenging during early childhood. A child's development is rapid, uneven, episodic, and highly influenced by the environment. Learning opportunities that will presented at any given moment can be influenced by many factors and when assessed are also vulnerable to the same factors. Because of these unique needs, using a curriculum that spirals in its approach to the present skills allows the child to have multiple exposures to the same skill experiences. This spiraling effect provides many opportunities for the child gather, process and practice using new information.

But how does this affect my reviewing apps? In order to effectively review an early childhood education app, I felt it was necessary not only to assess the quality of the overall application, but also to reference a comprehensive and well researched list of preschool standards and benchmarks. This way, parents and educators alike can quickly select apps based on the needs of the child.

App Review: Baby Pad's ABCs and Animals (lite version)

2011-02-08T14:19:00.003-07:00

I decided today is free app day, there are so many great free apps it is hard to know where to start. But start I shall. So my review today is of Baby Pad's ABC's and Animals by Mezmedia. Since my main tester is two and a half years old, some of the apps I test are too advanced for her. This is not the case of this app by Mezmedia. One of my favorite features of ABCs and Animals is the exit icon. The icon is in the top left corner of the screen, the user must press and hold the icon before being exited from the activity. So many app developers put this feature in the bottom left corner of the screen and little ones seem to accidently tap it with out meaning to. This accidental interaction can lead to tears and frustration from these eager learners. So when I saw the clearly marked icon in the top left I was impressed! Now, about the actual app. ABCs and Animals Lite is a basic app with some good features. I would classify this app as a nicely digitize set of interactible alphabet flash cards. Each card has the target capitalized letter in blue, and a word for that letter. The sound effects are an added bonus. The letter "A" has the word Apple. The child can tap on the apple and bites will disappear. This pattern continues as the child progresses through each letter. The game is easy to use and understand, Amber had no trouble moving throughout the different screens. I would have liked a free play feature where Amber could explore which ever letter she wanted but I definitely think the app is worth the download. I experienced no issues with this app freezing or loading, I do feel the $1.99 price for the full version is a bit inflated in comparison with other similar apps.

App Review: Fish School HD by Duck Duck Moose

2011-02-07T17:58:00.003-07:00

Fish School by Duck Duck Moose is a great starter app for early preschool students. In some modes of this app, with a simple tap of the finger the fish organize into ABC, numbers, and shapes. Students can explore matching concepts, and colors in another mode. A favorite mode was free play, when the student double taps a fish in this mode the fish quickly swims off. Just like at the pet store. But these digital little fish grow and grow when the little one holds her finger on one.... She giggles as she says "big...big...fishy is big". With games like this young digital learners have the option to play and learn in short segments perfect for their 2 year old attention span.

App Review: Wooden Puzzles (Colors and Shapes) by Nordport Media

2011-02-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

Wooden Puzzles (Colors and Shapes) by Nordport Media is a simplistic recreation of the wooden shape puzzles many of us had as children. The user is expected to tap and drag puzzle pieces into their correct place on the puzzle board. There are 10 pieces to choose from and correct placement is rewarded with a chorus of delight. It provides the opportunity for new iPad users to learn the tap and drag concept. The app could be improved by providing audio feedback such as: "Great job you found the circle!" or " Can you find the red square?" I would expect this simplistic of an app to be free. I like the idea of using puzzle apps with early learners but I personally will be looking for a different app to meet my needs.

App Review: The Monster at the End of the Book

2011-02-07T13:50:00.004-07:00

The Monster at the End of the Book by Sesame Street, in partnership with Callaway Digital Arts, is a stunning example of what an interactive book should be. I originally chose this app because the book is a family favorite. As young children, this was one of the high request read-to-me story books among all four of my children. The digitalized interactive version of this family favorite is impressive. Grover is nicely animated and he encourages the reader to explore the interactibles on each page. The only drawback I found was some of the pages took longer than expected to load. The premise of the story is Grover does not want to get to the end of the book because he is afraid of monsters. Grover pleads with the reader to not get any closer to the end of the book, only to find out he is the monster at the end. Children of all ages will enjoy tapping on bricks and knots while they giggle their way through this digital treat.

App Review: Wild About Books ~by Random House

2011-02-05T15:57:00.011-07:00

Wild About Books by Judie Sierra pictures by Marc Brown is brought to life in this app by Random House. Essentially this app is a remake of the original story into an interactive book. The story is wholesome and entertaining about a bookmobile librarian who brings the world of reading alive to the animals at the zoo. As the story unfolds, I am reminded of pop-up books. When you tilt the iPad the graphics tilt, but the actual interaction is somewhat limited in comparison to other similar products. There are not many interactibles and the ones that do exist are not easy to locate. There is no sound or movement to guide the learner where to tap. There are nature type sounds, and the book has the option of being read aloud from either the beginning of the book or where the reader last left off. Arrows at the bottom of the screen allow for movement between digital pages. As the page is being read aloud each word highlights but individual word selection was not possible. The font is smaller than I would have expected in a child's story.
Bottom line if this is one of yours or your child's favorite picture books then it is sure to be a big hit. The "hyenas shared jokes" page was my favorite. The hide and go seek frog on this page will be a big hit with the younger ages. It is a good interactive book with some engaging features, but it isn't a great interactive book and I think the $4.99 price is a bit steep.
With vocabulary such as pretentious and redundant the average 2 to 5 year old may not be quite ready for this literary treat.

Case Study: Amber

2011-02-04T16:26:00.002-07:00

Case Study: Amber

Amber playing FIsh School HD
By: Duck Duck Moose

Meet Amber:
Amber is an observant fun-loving little girl. She likes to climb and color. Her favorite t.v. show is Diego on Nick Jr. Amber lives her with mom and her older brother. I started working with Amber about a month ago, her mom was looking for something more than daycare, but thought a structured preschool environment might be too much for this quiet little one. I must say she is a typical two year old with her ups and downs, but she is eager to learn. I first tried the iPad with this little bundle of energy about 2 weeks ago in an effort to provide a client research on which apps I felt would work best with preschoolers. When Amber was first offered the iPad she was more interested in the handle on the Griffon Standle iPad case than the actual iPad. But after 10 or 15 minutes, she started to explore the actual screen. There has been a slight learning curve for her to be able to use the iPad, having short little fingers being most of the issue. But the iPad has definitely sparked her natural curiosity. To say this is her favorite learning toy is not accurate. It is more like a toy box of her favorite educational toys. Today Amber is playing Fish School by Duck Duck Moose. With a simple tap of her finger the fish organize into ABC, numbers, and shapes. She can explore matching concepts, and colors in another mode. Her favorite mode is free play, when she double taps a fish in this mode the fish quickly swims off. Just like at the pet store. But these digital little fish grow and grow when she holds her finger on one. She giggles as she says "big...big...fishy is big". With games like this Amber has the option to play and learn in short segments perfect for her 2 year old attention span.

How it all began....

2011-02-04T13:39:00.003-07:00

It actually started rather suddenly, but not totally unexpected. I had received a few calls from friends and clients asking what I thought about using an iPad with young children and I must admit I was skeptical... very skeptical. The iPad is still new, and I normally like to wait for a new technology to have the second version release, to work out the bugs. But never the less, when I did find myself at an Apple Store, I decided to ask what they thought about using this type of technology for the preschool age group. Dave the store manager was frank but encouraging. He even shared some of his own experiences of using the iPad with his young son. Me...well I was still hesitant, but starting to warm up to the idea more and more. So when I was asked to consult with a local non-profit about using iPads in this very manner, I was ready to explore just what these doors to knowledge might offer the young digital generation. To say I was shocked or amazed would be an understatement. My head is still spinning with all the opportunities this device has to offer in the world of early childhood education. That is when I decided I needed to blog this information to all those interested... whether educator or parent. Please join me as I share some case studies and app reviews on this remarkable doorway to the future of education... The iPad.

iPads in Early Childhood Education

2011-02-04T12:51:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Padsters

This blog is a place for me to document and share my journey exploring the many uses of an iPad in an Early Childhood Educational setting.