This video was prepared by the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books. Originally meant solely for a DK sales conference, the video was such a hit internally that it is now being shared externally. … Well worth a look - very clever.
January 23 celebrates National Handwriting Day. I admit my own handwriting has become worse as I have become more comfortable with a keyboard and screen than a pen and paper. But what about our kids? My own children prefer to type up their homework than write it. Is the art of handwriting to become a lost skill?
“Though computers and e-mail play an important role in our lives, nothing will ever replace the sincerity and individualism expressed through the handwritten word,” David H. Baker, WIMA’s Executive Director, is quoted as saying on the WIMA Web site.
Many kids are digital natives. Many of them have grown up with technology being part of the furniture, just part of their lives that they use for education and for fun. This video from edutopia profiles a 9 year old girl who uses technology as part of her life. A great reminder that they may well be techno savvy but they are still children. They still want to listen to stories. They still want to be creative. And they are certainly tapped in to what being a child in 2009 is like and what they want!
Many teachers have come to the view that in order for learners to engage with their education in the 21st Century, they need to have greater access to the technology that is now embedded into their every day lives. Our youngest generation are learners born into a world where mobile devices, games consoles, the internet, interactive TV and constant 24-7 multimedia are common place. Children are being exposed to technology from a very early age, yet research has shown that some of these children do not know how to use it effectively because they do not have the support at home. So should our schools be helping them by putting technology at the heart of the curriculum? If we are preparing our youngest generation of learners to be prepared for roles that they will fulfil in the future then technology will, undoubtedly, be at the heart of that.
There is a growing interest in finding ways to use technology in classrooms. Ollie Bray a teacher in Scotland has recently won the Microsoft European Innovative Teachers Forum Awards for his use of Nintendo DS and ‘Guitar Hero’ to engage with his pupils. This may cause a ripple of horror amongst more traditional teachers or parents. But engaged learners are better learners so shouldn’t we be grabbing the opportunity to engage with children with both hands?
So playing games at school maybe shocking but the technology is now there to use to enhance the educational experience and teach children how to use the technology. Win-win – they learn on two levels. Allowing children access to online educational games makes learning fun as well as learning how to navigate the computer even from a very young age. Ebooks have already proved particularly successful with low-ability and reluctant readers. A larger proportion of boys fall into this category than girls. Not only do they reflect the young learner’s world more appropriately than paper books but children still find technology ‘cool’. Therefore, reading on personal electronic devices or laptops individually or together on a whiteboard makes those who are reluctant more interested. A key element in successfully remediating struggling readers is helping them learn to enjoy reading. Even capable readers can enjoy quality content via eBooks and because they are a different medium to paper they can be actively encouraged to read more.
I was shocked when I saw the statistic that one in five children currently leaves UK primary school without reaching the expected level in reading and writing. If we can use the technology to engage them perhaps this statistic would change? Getting children to read more has been proven to increase literacy levels. Does it matter in what medium they increase their exposure to reading?
Children are being prepared for jobs that do not exist yet. The way in which they are educated needs to prepare them for the exponential change they will see in their life time. Technology is one of those changes. We should be doing what we can to equip them with the skills they need to interface effectively with technology. I am not suggesting we throw out traditional methods of teaching but that we embrace the technology that can engage our youngest learners to ensure they are equipped with the skills they will need in their changing lifetime.
I was reflecting the other day on the differences between my own education and that of my children. My memories are of blackboards and chalk, the teacher at the front talking at us as we furiously took notes, glued to the desk until it was time for lunch. I can remember very little of the content.
Whereas, in my own children’s education they are engaged in multi-sensory experiences. When they learn about a topic they create art, they create video, they create music, they use computers. They put their learning into different contexts which appeals to their different learning styles. Using a multi-sensory approach embeds their learning at a much deeper level.
But most importantly they are having fun. When they come home from school and can’t wait to tell me about what they have been doing it reinforces the learning yet again.
So for me the future of education has to be about finding different methods to engage children in learning, finding multiple ways to reinforce the message, using multiple tools to keep their attention. When their life outside school is a bombardment of multi-sensory experiences their education within school has to mirror that to keep their attention. Engaging our youngest minds, both in and out of school, by using a variety of formats and content has to make for a richer learning experience. What do you think?
While the WORLD celebrates Earth Day today in big and small ways we like to think the by creating great ebooks for kids we are doing a BIG part. There is the BIG question of “are ebooks better for Mother Earth?” the answer is yes & no depending on what you are comparing them to.
By FAR they are much better than purchasing new books. They save paper, labor, carbon, machine gases, output from production and emissions into the air. If you are comparing them to old books that are reused or vintage, then not as much.
BUT, the greatest thing about Wizz-E.com, they are ONLINE books. So no using materials to make a reader, no cost in printing, no use of products what-so-ever. We are using the BIG 3 “R’s”. They are reusable, recyclable and they reduce materials.
When you little one asks about Earth Day or comes home from school with excitement to share about how he can be the super hero for the Earth, listen with a warm heart and show him or her the great things about ebooks and how the have the power to save!
“parents are just not ready to utilize ebooks for their children.”
I asked the commenter why and the response surprised me:
“Learning is not a game, and how can a child learn from games or electronic books?”
After taking a moment to consider the response I could give I asked myself the same question. The answer came swiftly and strongly. Today’s children are bombarded with electronica, video games, iPods, iPhones, Blackberry’s, Laptops, Wii (Nintendo) and PlayStation.
Those aren’t even the items that preschoolers are using; they are learning to read from Leapfrog’s “laptop”, Leapster Handheld game consoles and even playing Dora the Explorer and Diego games on Nintendo DS they can even “Build-a-Bear” on the Wii.
So I ask you, is learning a game?
OF COURSE!
Ask any teacher how they teach the alphabet - with the alphabet song, or teach kindergartners how to remember numbers, a game, a song or a rhythm. Children learn math from games such as Count the Beans, Stack the Pigs and blocks. So why can’t they learn reading from a book online that is a animated version of the 2D book on their bookshelf?
Children learn through repitition: hearing, seeing, and interacting with information. The more we can visualize the information they are to take in, the more information they will want to take in.
In 1895 Charles Post began adding gadgets, pamphlets and gizmo’s to “entice” buyers to purchase his cereal. His “add-ins” would promise that Grape Nuts could cure appendicitis, make your blood redder and raise your IQ. By 1903 Post was getting $1 million in sales. Why? Because people want to get more for their money. They want to think that the money they spending is getting them more than cardboard, oats and grain. With the addition of Post’s “incentives” people felt better about spending the money they did not have on the this new idea cereal because they were getting a cure or an advantage, or something they could use after the product was gone.
Today, in 2009, we want the same thing. But who of us would buy a cereal that promised a cure for appendicitis or would raise our IQ; probably not most of us. We still want our money to go further and in this economic hardship if we can do that it’s exceptional.
The same idea is still used and is accepted in most things. However, the Publisher that’s responsible for the Harry Potter series is getting slack for selling the books as well as Harry Potter book toys through Scholastic Book Club, the club that is sold through your child classrooms. They argue that they are bribing kids to read. Scholastic’s Judy Newman says ”We’re losing kids’ interest [in reading]. We have to keep them engaged,” when speaking about selling items other than books to kids.
The idea behind the argument is kids are being desensitized to the world around them. Books are not just enough, they need to come with a toy, games, kit, doll, etc. If you have not noticed it before everything marketed to kids comes with something or has a cartoon, tv show or doll right along with it. Even kids toilet paper has a cartoon friend to remind them when enough is enough.
So is enough enough? Do we really need to give a “prize” to out kids to get them to do what they need to do to succeed? eBooks are all book. They have animation and sounds, but a doll doesn’t come with the finishing of the story. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from finish the book, then reading the book without the sound. The child is challenged and entertained while doing something that will encourage them to read again.
Today we are talking to Gina McClain who is a Director of a very large children’s ministry.
I asked her about ebooks and online reading and here is what she had to say.
NIL: Do you think teachers could use [ebooks] them or could have a place in schools or education?
Gina: I don’t see why not. but i think they’ll apply more to older kids than younger. there is just something about a child’s tactile nature. they need something tangible and an online resource won’t offer that.
however, kids already read books then take online quizzes on them. (i.e. Accelerated Reader program) So, we know it works in some capacity
NIL: I did not know that!!That is very cool! In that program do kids excel and retain the information well?
Gina: well, it’s assumed that if they pass the AR test (70% or higher) then their comprehension of the material indicates retention. If they do not meet the 70% passing grade then it’s assumed retention was not adequate and they don’t receive credit for the book
As a parent of 3 children and a leader to over 10k kids each week Gina has a great insight to what educates and inspires kids to learn. I was very surprised to hear that kids are reading books and then testing on them in school online. What a great tool to enhance learning as well as reading. It is true that reading books and online learning go hand-in-hand.
By 1903 Post was getting $1 million in sales. Why? Because people want to get more for their money. They want to think that the money they spending is getting them more than cardboard, oats and grain. With the addition of Post’s “incentives” people felt better about spending the money they did not have on the this new idea cereal because they were getting a cure or an advantage, or something they could use after the product was gone.
