Tech, Tots & Time

Our kids are surrounded by technology and have nearly unlimited access to televisions, music playing devices, and computers, just to name a few.  While such technology has its place and is certainly valuable, parents must give some thoughtful consideration to the amount of time their children spend using it.     

We’ve all seen reports showing the negative effects that too much tv time can have on kids; obesity, poor sleep quality, and even behavioral problems are just a few cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics.   A Mayo Clinic article addressing this issue shares several ways to reduce kids’ screen time:

         Eliminate background TV. If the TV is turned on — even if it's just in the background — it's likely to draw your child's attention. If you're not actively watching a show, turn off the TV.  (This is one I personally need to work on.)

            Keep TVs out of the bedroom. Children who have TVs in their bedrooms watch more TV and videos than children who don't.

            Don't eat in front of the TV. Allowing your child to eat or snack in front of the TV increases his or her screen time. The habit also encourages mindless munching, which can lead to weight gain.

            Talk to your child's caregivers. Encourage other adults in your child's life to limit your child's screen time, too.

            Suggest other activities. Rather than relying on screen time for entertainment, help your child find other things to do. Consider classic activities, such as reading, playing a sport or trying a new board game.

            Set a good example. Be a good role model by limiting your own screen time.

Unplug it. If screen time is becoming a source of tension in your family, unplug the TV for a while. You might designate one day a week a screen-free day.

So what about computers and tablets?  While there hasn’t been as much research in this area as there has been regarding television usage, most experts recommend no more than an hour a day with these devices.  Used responsibly, they can have great benefits for our kids.  PBS.org offers these strategies for maximizing the positives:

            Ask lots of questions as your child uses a computer or handheld device. Though it's tempting to walk away when your child is engrossed in an activity, make time to ask him about the games and activities he’s undertaking. Get him in the habit of thinking about what’s on the screen by asking questions like these: How do you play this game? What happens when you move there? Which character is talking?

              Don't let screen time substitute for physical activity.
 Turn off the computer as well as your own cell phone regularly and get your child playing outdoors, making arts and crafts, looking at books, singing songs, dancing to music, building forts, making up stories or exploring.

       

            Introduce your child to software and websites that fan his creativity. Drawing pictures, coming up with stories and making rhymes are ways for your child to convey what he may not be able to express through everyday conversation. Your child may want to share what he's made or keep it to himself.  Either response is okay.

            Get your child playing digital games alongside others.
 Look for games and apps that have "explore" settings, which allow your child to play with others rather than compete against them.  Encourage your child to play with siblings and friends; discourage him from using video games as a fallback activity when no one else is around.  Allow yourself to join in, getting to know each game firsthand.

            Find opportunities for your child to make decisions and try something new.
 Even simple choices — choosing a character, finding a background for a picture, selecting a game — are good opportunities for your child to explore.  If your child seems bored with one activity, suggest something new; this could be a different level of the same game, or a new game altogether. (Unless you point them out, your child may not realize he has other choices.)

Keep one child or group from dominating content choices.
 Activities shouldn't be limited to those their friends say are "for boys only" or "for girls only." Talk to your child about the importance of taking turns using the mouse and computer.

My best advice for using technology wisely is this: be intentional about these resources and have a plan.  Decide how technology is going to fit into your daily routine, and be firm with your kids about this decision.   That way, you’re not creating a digital babysitter, and your child is not using technology mindlessly.  

For more information on this topic, visit the link below.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/media-tips-babies-and-toddlers 

Here's an interesting video that addresses the topic of children and media.

Tech for Special Tots

Special needs students are those who have one or more of the 13 legal definitions qualifying them for special education services, including but not limited to a learning disability.  More than 6.5 million American children are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  In recent years such disabilities have been on the rise, or at least it seems that way perhaps due to the increase in awareness and in recognizing early signs and symptoms.  For example, it was recently reported that Autism Spectrum Disorder affects 1 in 88 children, not 1 in 110 as was previously speculated.  For special needs students, technology can be an invaluable tool.  Here I’d like to explore some apps that are designed for students with special needs but can be beneficial for any young learner.

Articulation Station was created by a certified speech-language pathologist to help both children and adults pronounce letter sounds more clearly.  I bought this app for BT who has some trouble making /s/ and /th/ sounds.  The free trial version installs only the /p/ sound, and users can purchase additional sounds as needed for as low as $2.99 per sound.  There is a “pro” version that includes all 22 target sounds for $49.99.  Both versions have high user ratings and install to iPad only.  Users can choose to work with the target sounds within individual words or in sentences.  Two especially notable features of this app are 1) the ability of the user to record his/her own voice repeating the sounds back and 2) the ability to set the target sound as the initial, medial, or final position in a word.    

Speak Colors HD is another speech therapy app that is designed for preschoolers with language delays, Autism, Down syndrome, and other developmental disorders.  It installs for $1.99 and has a user rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  Children can record their own voices as they work to increase vocabulary skills and receptive and expressive language. 

Fun with Directions is just that – it helps little learners follow directions, practice listening, and work memory and auditory processing of language.  There are multiple versions, ranging from a free trial that includes only two directions to More Fun with Directions HD ($5.99), which includes color, comparative, and spatial concepts. 

Touch and Learn Emotions is a great tool for helping kids read social cues like facial expressions and body language.  It’s FREE and customizable in many ways. 

For more information about apps for special needs students, visit the link below.
Best Apps for Special Needs Kids 

Tech and Early Literacy, Part 2

There are so many great early literacy apps, that I decided to write about them in multiple posts.  In Tech & Literacy Part 1, I shared some great book apps for preschoolers.  However, before children can become capable readers, there are some basic literacy skills they must acquire:

•     Vocabulary – knowing the names of things
•          Print motivation – having an interest in and enjoyment of books
•        Print awareness – this includes understanding that print is read from left to right, and being able to point to a word on a page
•         Narrative skills – being able to describe something or tell a story
•         Letter knowledge – knowing the alphabet
•         Phonological awareness – being able to hear and mimic the smaller sounds within a word

Check out these iPad and iPhone apps for developing early literacy skills with your tot. 

Elmo Loves ABCs installs to iPad for $4.99 and has a user rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  Kids can trace the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet to practice writing and letter identification.  Users also build vocabulary while playing games with Elmo.  It’s worth noting that there is a FREE preview version of this app called Elmo Loves ABCs Lite.  It gives you the opportunity to explore the features of the full version using letters A, B, and C only.  You have to purchase the full version to “unlock” the rest of the alphabet.

Lakeshore Learning Materials has developed two apps that are among my favorites.  Sound Sorting Beginning Sounds has the user choose three pictures from eighteen options that all begin with a single consonant sound.  

Users must then

match additional pictures to one of the original three based on a common beginning sound.  

Users can tap any picture to hear the name of the objects.  This app costs 99 cents and has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  It can install to both iPad and iPhone devices, but you have to pay for each one separately.  

Tic Tac Toe Phonics (also by Lakeshore) presents a twist on traditional Tic Tac Toe whereby users have to answer a phonics question correctly in order to place their X or O in a square.  This will certainly require some assistance from parents, especially for preschool users.  Questions range from identifying numbers of syllables to filling in missing letters from a word.  All questions have multiple-choice answers.  Tic Tac Toe Phonics rates 4 out of 5 stars, and it’s FREE!          

First Words Animals features 45 illustrated and animated animals through which kids learn to recognize and match letters and sounds.  Options allow parents to adjust the difficulty for various ability levels.  These include limiting the length of the words (words can be anywhere from three to ten letters long) and providing hints for spelling.  First Words Animals has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and costs $1.99 to install to both tablet and phone.  

These apps are so much fun, in addition to being incredible learning tools.  I encourage you to consider them if you’re looking for educational apps for your young child.  For web-based reading tools, explore the links below.  

Hubbard's Cupboard

Literacy Websites for Preschoolers

  

                 

Organizing and Socializing

I’ve always been a “type-A,” organized person.  As a kid I was notoriously orderly; I would meticulously clean my room, and I took pride in keeping my desk and personal cubby at school neatly arranged.  Although I continue to operate this way (whether I want to or not), it’s become more of a challenge since becoming a mom.  Many moms will tell you they suffer from what I like to call “mommy mush brain.”  Severity of this condition ranges from being slightly forgetful to being a complete scatterbrain.  While I don’t have a cure for all aspects of “mommy mush brain,” I can at least share with you a way to better organize your web browsing as you seek to learn more about using technology to educate your little ones.

Social bookmarking is a tool that I began using a few months ago.  It’s much like bookmarking with your browser, where you create a list of web pages you frequently visit.  Social bookmarking, however, uses a web-based tool to organize these sites, and because it’s online, you can access this list from any computer, not just on your work or personal computer.  Of course the “social” part means that you can share your bookmarks with anyone you want to see them.  Thus, it becomes a great learning tool, kind of like Twitter or Pinterest.  You simply create a user account and password, and the service will allow you to add a button to the toolbar on your web browser.  When you visit a website you like or think you’ll frequent, simply click on your social bookmarking button and add it to your list.     

There are several social bookmarking sites available.  Some of the more familiar ones are Delicious, Diigo, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Newsvine.  I use Diigo because it was simple to sign up for an account and easy to install the “diigolet” button to my toolbar.  Whenever I find a site that I like or feel could be useful to me, I click the “diigolet” button.  This brings up a box where I can enter a description and tags related to the site (so I can remember exactly what the site is and what I can use it for), and then I add it to my Diigo library.  I have links grouped together in lists, and because I’ve already added tags, I can easily sort my links and narrow any search among them without having to scroll through the entire library.

Diigo allows users to make information public or private; this is useful for those who may want to share professional information, but keep personal links to themselves.  Just as one might follow another colleague or mentor on Twitter, individuals can view and subscribe to someone’s social bookmarking site to learn from the information he or she has already gathered.  Parents and children can also benefit from social bookmarking as they explore learning tools on the web.  When parents find a great educational site, they can add it to a list they’ve created just for their child; this list will be available for them to access at home, at grandma’s house, or anywhere else.   

Here is a link to my Diigo library:  

http://www.diigo.com/list/elanabrister

All of the links I’ve posted so far in this blog are in the “Tech for Tots” list.  Feel free to view any of the other lists as well.  Social bookmarking is truly a user-friendly tool that is well worth the minimal effort it takes to get started.      

Tech and Early Literacy, Part 1

My son BT has always loved books.  His favorite book as an infant was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See.  There isn’t a night that goes by in which he fails to ask to read books before bedtime.  I love that he loves books!

The iPad has many great features, but one of my favorites is the fact that it can function as a tablet reader.  Books, textbooks, and magazines can all be installed to the tablet and read anywhere, anytime.  In addition, there are numerous apps available that promote reading skills.  While nothing can replace the value and memories of snuggling up with your child to read a good old-fashioned book, sometimes the convenience of a tablet can’t be denied.  Whether it’s waiting in the pediatrician’s office, getting the family car serviced, or being stuck in line at the local DMV, it’s much easier to pass the time with a tablet or iPhone rather than a bunch of books or other toys.  Some of BT’s favorite reading apps are below. 

We’re big fans of PBS at our house, so it makes sense that one of BT’s favorite book apps is The Monster At the End Of This Book by Jon Stone.  The book features Sesame Street’s Grover who is both the subject and narrator of the book.  As Grover narrates, the text appears highlighted in “thought” clouds above his head.  Thus the user associates the spoken word with written language.  This app received a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, and it was most recently updated in February 2012.  It installs to both iPad and iPhone devices for $3.99. 

Dr. Seuss is a popular author in BT’s personal library, and there are several Seuss books that have been made into apps.  Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Green Eggs and Ham are installed on both my iPad and iPhone.  Mr. Brown has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and costs $2.99.  Green Eggs and Ham has a user rating of 4 out of 5 stars and is also $2.99.  Both apps have these options: “read to me,” “read it myself,” and “auto play.”  In addition, the user can tap objects within the illustrations to hear its name spoken and see its written word. 

 

One thing I really like about these books is the feature in which it reads to the user.  Not only does the user see and hear the words, but he/she also develops a sense of reading with fluidity and inflection.  Although these book apps are more expensive than others I’ve shared in previous posts, they are still cheaper than traditional books, and you are essentially getting two copies when you install to both iPad and iPhone.   

There are many products, such as those made by LeapFrog and V-Tech, which promote early literacy.  And I’m sure many of you have seen the infomercials for Your Baby Can Read, a collection of DVDs, books, and sliding flash cards designed to build early language and reading skills.  All of these are great, but the cost can add up.  Even some websites like www.abcmouse.com and www.looneytunesphonics.com require an annual or monthly subscription fee to use their resources.  If you’re looking for free tools, I encourage you to explore these websites.

http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/other.asp

http://www.starfall.com/

http://pbskids.org/games/reading.html

Tech, Tots & Triangles

Early literacy has long been a major focus of parents and educators of young children, and there are many products designed to promote reading skills.  But have you ever thought about the toys in your home that are designed to build early math skills?  Let’s take a look at exactly what concepts are considered early math skills and how we can use technology to reinforce them with our little learners.

According to About.com, early math skills include the following:

•    Using numbers to express quantities of objects

•    Recognizing numbers expressed as spoken words, written words, and written symbols

•    Using words to count forward and backward from one to ten

•    Counting objects from one to ten

•    The concepts of addition and subtraction using objects

Parents should also be aware that these concepts-none, more, less, most, smaller, smallest, bigger, biggest-as well as being able to identify common shapes (circle, square, triangle, and rectangle) are among early math skills as well.  Sorting objects by size, shape, and color is yet another skill children will acquire as they learn basic math concepts.

There are so many ways to teach early math in our daily activities.  Shapes and colors surround us, and there are countless opportunities to, well, count!  (Pun intended.)  My family moved into a new home around the time that my son BT was just beginning to count.  Soon after he could easily count from one to seventeen.  Why seventeen, you ask?  Because that’s how many stair steps lead from the main floor to the upstairs.  Every time we went up together, we would count each step.  We still compare sizes of fruit when we eat snacks (“Which strawberry is the biggest/smallest?”), and we think about subtraction as he devours his goldfish crackers (“How many crackers are left now?”).  We look for numbers everywhere we go.  For those of us with Apple-based tablets and/or smart phones, there are numerous apps designed to promote math skills at all ages and ability levels.  Below are two of BT’s favorites. 

Monkey Math School Sunshine has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and can be installed to both your iPad and iPhone for 99 cents.  The app is appropriate for children ages 3 to 6, and it features nine interactive games that teach sequences, patterns, counting, addition and subtraction.  It is a brightly designed, uninterrupted game that rewards correct answers with animated celebrations and prizes for the user to place in an interactive aquarium. 

Bugs and Buttons also has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and is available for both tablets and phones for $2.99.  While much of this app centers on imaginative play, there are also aspects of basic math such as counting, identifying patterns, and sorting.  Plus, the app has really cool audio, which BT loves.

If you’re interested in free, web-based tools that promote early math skills, consider these sites:

www.akidsmath.com

www.pbskids.org

www.softschools.com/math/games

Tots and Tablets

As parents we are faced with many questions related to events and milestones in our children’s lives.  At what age should I introduce solid foods?  What’s the right time to potty train?  When do we begin structured sports and other leisure activities?   Parents may want to consider this question as well: how old should my child be before I allow him or her to use technology?  Kids have always wanted to imitate the things they see their parents doing.  Little girls want to paint their nails and put on makeup like mommy; boys want to shave and wear neckties like daddy.  Why would we think anything different about technology and mobile devices?  Our children see us using technology daily for a myriad of tasks, so it shouldn’t surprise us when they show an interest in these things from very early on.  (I’ll look at some of the arguments for and against early use of technology in later blog posts.)

My sweet, almost 4 year old son (I’ll call him “BT”) loves our iPad.  He is very facile in using it, easily swiping and opening the folders that hold his apps.  BT and I have many apps that we enjoy using together, and I’ll talk more about those later in this post and in subsequent blog posts.  But let me first assure you that I would never put such a delicate and costly device in the hands of a three year old boy without first taking some precautions.  If you’re going to invest in an iPad or other tablet, get an appropriate case to protect it.  We have an Otterbox, which is said to be indestructible (if it survives BT, we’ll know for sure).  When we purchased our iPad, we also bought the protection plan that Apple offered; it covers a variety of issues that you might encounter, and it was inexpensive compared to potentially having to replace the entire device.  Once your tablet is protected, you can relax and feel comfortable putting in little hands.   

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are over 500,000 mobile apps.  A friend of mine recently commented on Facebook that the only thing her iPad won’t do is clean her house, and to that I ought to reply, “It’s only a matter of time.”  If you’re new to the app world, it’s worth noting a few things.  First, some of these apps will install to both your tablet and your iPhone if you own both devices (I’m not sure how that works in the Android market).  For each app listed, you’re shown several items of information: its icon (that’s the picture that will appear on your tablet screen), its category (such as “education” or “games”), when it was most recently updated, its user rating based on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, and its cost.  I recommend reading the reviews before making any purchases because what might have garnered an app a poor review during its initial release may have been improved with an update.              

To promote and develop your preschooler’s critical thinking skills, try Innovative Mobile Apps’ Little Solver-Preschool Logic Game.  As it’s described in the app store, “Little Solver is a fun and exciting game to help kids sharpen their minds by developing critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills.  While matrix analogies are nothing more than a comparison that points out relationships between things that are different, cognitively for kids it plays a significant role in developing analytical reasoning, problem solving, perception, and spatial relational skills.”  What does BT like about this app?  He likes the colorful pictures of toys, animals, foods, and other objects.  He gets excited when he answers correctly and receives positive feedback from the app.  I like the analysis provided at the end of each session, showing the accuracy he achieved at each level.  This app costs 99 cents and received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.    

  

I am not naïve to think that everyone reading this blog owns an iPad, but I will assume that you do have access to the internet.  Below is a link to a free online tool that you can use with your little ones.  We all know Fisher-Price as a popular toy maker, but if you visit their website you’ll find a variety of web-based educational tools.  Choose the “Games and Activities” tab at the top of the F-P homepage. You will find learning games and resources for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.  As a musician, I really liked “Let’s Play the Piano” for preschoolers.  There are also tons of coloring pages parents can print out for their kids; after all what kid doesn’t enjoy coloring?  Check it out!     

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/default.aspx