 |
To live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must be able to use technology effectively. Within an effective educational setting, technology can enable students to become:
-- Capable information technology users
-- Problem solvers and decision makers
-- Communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers
These are some of the highlights of research on using classroom computers in early education* :
In the classroom, the computer is a valuable tool for teachers and young children, but not to the exclusion of other learning experiences; be sure to integrate the computer activities as part of the curriculum and to support children's use of it as a tool--not a "reward" for good behavior!
The teacher is key. You cannot rely on technology to do the job of teaching. The human element is essential for help, support and encouragement.
Using software that provides voiced feedback and instructions in the child's native language supports child-initiated learning for pre-readers.
According to Wenglinsky of ETS (Educational Testing Service), findings from the largest national study of computer use to date clearly indicate the negative effects of drill/practice software (one right answer) on student learning.
These research findings support the KIDWARE approach of using the computer as a tool for learning: KIDWARE maximizes learning gains with software that uses simulation and permits young students to experiment and explore concepts while they compose music, explore fractions by mixing paint colors, design architectural structures, create micro worlds and simulate many other real-life situations.
The teacher is key. MOBIUS offers a rich variety of professional development opportunities for educators.
KIDWARE is appropriate classroom software for young children because:
|
 |
KIDWARE provides an environment that is developmentally and linguistically appropriate.
- Offers a variety of open-ended and problem-solving activities
- Supports discovery oriented learning and active exploration
- Offers human-quality voiced instructions and feedback
- Offers child-initiated and child-controlled activities
- Offers age appropriate concepts within a meaningful context
- Allows for personalization and customization for each individual child
- Contains multiple levels
- Offers multiple language capabilities
- Offers multi-sensory experiences to accommodate differing learning styles
|
|
KIDWARE provides an environment that accepts and respects each child's uniqueness.
- Contains realistic representations related to social and cultural diversity, to promote awareness and sensitivity. Including:
-- gender/gender role equity
-- people of differing ages, cultures and abilities
-- different living environments
-- different types of families
- Offers multiple language capabilities
- Allows personalization for each individual child
- Supports alternative input devices for children with special needs
|
|
KIDWARE provides for development of cognitive and language skills.
- Supports discovery oriented learning and active exploration
- Promotes creativity
- Promotes learning, literacy, and numeracy within a meaningful context
- Fosters decision making, and problem solving skills
- Promotes cooperative learning with non-violent content
- Contains clear educational objectives
- Contains multiple levels and expanding complexity for scaffolding purposes
- Promotes expressive and receptive language development
- Stimulates conversation and promotes rich language development
- Integrates into classroom thematic units
- Supports emergent literacy
|
|
KIDWARE provides each child with opportunities for success.
- Contains human-quality voiced instructions in the child's own language
- Offers child initiated, child controlled experiences
- Promotes independence
- Offers positive, non-judgmental feedback to provide a risk-free environment
- Offers multiple solutions to problems
- Provides meaningful printouts
- Promotes collaboration and cooperative learning
- Presents non-violent content
|
|
KIDWARE provides a variety of learning experiences and uses a variety of strategies to promote and support children's learning.
- Offers a variety of open-ended and problem solving experiences for children
- Supports classroom thematic units
- Provides the opportunity for teachers to create classroom materials
- Provides on-line reports of child's software use
- Provides on-line assessment methods, including reports and forms
- Contains classroom integration suggestions, both on-line and in manual form
- Provides scaffolding for teachers' computer use
- Includes toll free technical support
|
|
KIDWARE encourages parent involvement
- Provides parent reports with activities to try at home
- Encourages parent volunteer opportunities
- Contains multiple language capabilities
- Encourages response/input from parents
- Promotes family literacy
- Provides meaningful, personalized printouts of children's work
- Encourages Head Start or school/home communication
|
KIDWARE® provides all this and more!
Call MOBIUS at 1-800-426-2710 or write to info@kidware.com for more information.
* Computers in Head Start Classrooms- The Head Start/IBM Partnership Project (1994--2nd Edition)
Wenglinsky, H. (1998). "Does It Compute?" (Princeton, New Jersey: Educational Testing Service. Winter 1998)
|
