Digital Directions - Summer 2013 - (Page 22)
“
We know that
children in K-3 learn
, by
touching and doing,
rather than by filling out
worksheets. Technology
should be providing an
experience that children
would not get otherwise,
to add a
to
their understanding.
sensorially
new
dimension
”
—Roberta L. Schomburg
Professor of Early Childhood
Education
Carlow University_Pittsburgh
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
younger students need significant guidance,
with step-by-step directions, while 3rd to
5th graders, though still requiring regular
supervision, can start enjoying more freedom
to learn through trial and error.
The key, whether students are in a
virtual school or a regular classroom that
incorporates online learning, is to use
technology in highly engaging ways for
each age group, and to leave enough
time offline for open-ended questions
and lessons about digital citizenship.
In the Kyrene district’s elementary schools,
students are granted more independence
as they negotiate the Web and become
increasingly responsible consumers of
information.
For example, with guidance from their
teachers, kindergartners write simple
sentences about community helpers, then
use Pixie software to create a slideshow
about them. First graders conduct online
research through a teacher-designed launch
page that links to safe, developmentally
appropriate sites. Second graders create
virtual tours featuring images and facts
about insects, then post them to a secure
district online-sharing site. While 4th graders
sometimes still use a launch page, they also
use search engines such as KidRex.org,
which are designed exclusively for children
and contain age-appropriate content.
“They have access to technology at home,
so they expect it at school,” says Jacinta
Sorgel, one of the district’s educational
technology specialists. “They’re able to stay
motivated because it’s something they do all
the time.”
Too Much Tech Time?
But some educators and childdevelopment experts worry about the fact
that young children, despite all their dexterity
and digital knowledge, don’t always know
when enough screen time is enough.
“The concern about self-regulation is an
important one, and teachers deal with it all
the time,” says Roberta L. Schomburg, a
professor of early childhood education at
22 >> www.digitaldirections.org
Carlow University in Pittsburgh. She is the
vice president of the governing board of
the National Association for the Education
of Young Children, based in Washington.
Schomburg adds that teachers need to
take into account developmental factors
when giving digital assignments to the
younger set.
“We know that children in K-3 learn
sensorially, by touching and doing, rather
than by filling out worksheets,” she explains.
“So I say to my students, ‘If you wouldn’t
give a worksheet to teach this concept, why
on earth would you give them an electronic
worksheet?’ Technology should be
providing an experience that children would
not get otherwise, to add a new dimension
to their understanding.”
In 2012, the NAEYC issued a joint position
statement on the use of technology for
children from birth through age 8 with the
Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and
Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College,
in Latrobe, Pa. The statement says that
when used intentionally and appropriately,
technology and interactive media are effective
tools to support learning and development;
limitations on the use of technology and
media are important; and ongoing research
and professional development are needed.
Even as the 640-student Riverchase
Elementary School in Hoover, Ala., is
increasing its use of technology in the
classroom, Principal Dianne Baggett
advocates limitations. Each spring, she
typically instructs little ones to stop running
around during kindergarten registration. But
this year was different.
“They were all sitting with a phone or some
other device, playing,” she says. “These
children have something in their hands all the
time, and that’s a concern.”
The district launched its Engaged
Learning Initiative in 2012-13, a pilot
program that aims to provide all
elementary students and teachers with
digital learning devices by the end of
the 2013-14 school year. Every student in
grades 3-5 already has a Nook e-reader,
and all teachers in grades K-5 have iPads
in the classroom.
Baggett, a believer that technology can
http://www.KidRex.org
http://www.digitaldirections.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Directions - Summer 2013
Digital Directions - Summer 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
DD Site Visit
Bits & Bytes
Test-Driving the Common Core
Flipped PD: Building Blocks to Success
Virtual Learning in the Early Years
Kindergarten the Virtual Way
7 Steps to Picking Your LMS
Cracking the Code
Powering the Crowd
Digital Directions - Summer 2013
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http://dd.edweek.org/nxtbooks/epe/dd_2013winter
http://dd.edweek.org/nxtbooks/epe/dd_2012fall
http://dd.edweek.org/nxtbooks/epe/dd_2012springsummer
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