In a recent article in the Guardian UK a group of authors, publishers, teachers and librarians are calling on the government to make school libraries statutory.
This was a complete shock to me that school libraries were not statutory. How can we expect our children to explore the worlds that books open to them if they do not have access to books? How can we expect them to become literate adults if we do not support their education with access to the right tools?
Although anyone would support the right of prisoners to a library, as it can be part of the process of rehabilitation through education, why are we not offering this to our children? Research indicates that many young people who offend have low literacy levels, so are we to assume that we wait UNTIL they get to prison before we help them learn to read?
Access to books and reading is fundamental in us supporting our children’s literacy. We cannot afford to leave it until it is too late.
I was reading an article about one Headmistress’s view that education has become so focused on getting children through exams that the very passion or enjoyment for the subject has been lost.
In education surely we should be focused on engaging children’s minds and encouraging them to question whilst also learning the skills to apply the knowledge? Not to simply learn strategies to pass exams. We should be allowing our educators the freedom to inspire their pupils, not to be constrained to the teaching of skills and content to meet targets.
Education is a gift for a lifetime. The skills learnt need to be ones that can be applied throughout their life, not just to pass another hurdle in the education system. The ability to assimilate information, to question, to extract relevant material and apply it in a variety of settings are skills that are needed throughout life. The passing of exams is a natural by product of that. To simply teach content and strategies that hit targets is denying our children the value of a real education.
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?
I bet you watched and heard of children in others countries on infomercials at 3am talking about poverty, education shortfalls, and the bleak future these children face. The shortage of teachers and schools available leaves children who are left by parents searching for work to enter into the service industry, cleaning the homes of the small amount of wealthy, seamstresses, or manufacturing cheap American goods for export making even less than the products are worth. The scariest of trades comes when these children are kidnapped and forced into the sex industry.
Heartbreaking, and hard to imagine considering the luxury we gain from living in America. But companies are starting to take notice of elearning and the benefits that can be obtained from providing courses to children with refurbished computers.
eLearning can provide a fairly cheap and sometimes donated tool to bring students into learning and give them options other than poverty. It is a way to break the cycle of countries that are struggling to provide education.
eLearning can be the link that gives children success in the most unsuccessful countries and even in within the US, states that have large areas of poverty can benefit from programs that provide refurbished computers and software that enhances learning. Tools that could be used in community centers, after school programs and church outreach. eLearning is no longer just about books, it is a whole new opportunity for giving the greatest tool for advancement - knowledge.
As a student I am so excited about a article written two days ago on Econtentmag.com about Web 2.0 and ebooks in the classroom. Educators are taking notice the opportunity to not only save money from the rising costs of printing new and updated versions of textbooks each year but also the effects of green economics and more and more students looking for alternatives.
Bookshelf provides free software, allowing users to download, store, and manage etextbooks. With publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Elsevier, and John Wiley & Sons providing textbooks in the VitalBook format, users have the option of downloading directly from a publisher’s website or through VitalSource.
Just to give an example of the uses increase, last years NFP Read an eBook Week saw and catered to a small group of 1200 readers, however this year the group heard from and saw participation from some 30k users.
Jason Overby from the College of Charleston explains, new features are making the books more useful. “I’ve known about electronic books for quite a while, but I’ve never been a fan of what was available up until this point,”
The new options for not only download of textbooks, but to take notes and transfer chapters to mobile devices such as iPhone and Blackberry a student does not have to drag with him 5 textbooks, a laptop, and notebooks; the new student be more efficient and learn in a language that not only speaks his, but also is more likely to be read and studied. Since users are more comfortable with downloading content (thanks iTunes) it is now user friendly so use ebooks and etexts.
Like I said before, as a student this is a simple sell for me.
After polling several mothers and fathers, asking them how the like to enjoy reading to their children and would they consider using ebooks in conjunction with traditional paper books most were unaware that ebooks had advanced to a child level. Interesting idea, advancing to a child’s level.
I introduced them to Wizz-E.com and asked if they would share a moment with their children reading ebooks and report back their findings.
Here are their words:
I prefer paper books, but as our society is growing more electronically inclined I think it’s great that we’re keeping books in that process. At least the kids are still reading! That’s what’s most important.
I really think anything that gets kids reading is great.
-Vanessa T. Oklahoma
Putting ebooks in the hands of kids is a great way to blend technology that they are bombarded with daily and the excitement of reading. Which I believe todays kids are losing touch with. Meeting kids where they are will always prove more results than trying to force feed them something that they feel is old or out of touch with their lives.
Sarah P. California
We haven’t tried ebooks but I can’t say I find it appealing. I enjoy cuddling up w/ the girls to read in their beds or on the sofa. Putting them in front of the computer screen just doesn’t do it for me. They do some computer at school and a little at home, but there’s nothing like reading together and turning actual pages. Both peanuts are starting to read on their own now and enjoy quiet time in their room with books… it’s lovely. Then again, this is all coming from the least techy person out there. I don’t own a cell phone, have tivo/dvr (nor cable!) or whatever else it’s called. Bluray? What’s that? Twitter - huh? Just old school that way
-Susan J. South Carolina
Like anything else we expose our children too, ebooks should be a relationship between parent and child. Communication is important. The whole idea of ebooks if faster put into the hands of young people to give them a different source for material and education. I love the idea that ebooks could replace DVD’s in cars. Could you imagine giving your child a gift card to download the Titles the have been wanting to read just before a long car trip and then as the trip goes on allow them to read aloud or share the story they chose.
I think that as parents we are quick to give something to our children that will occupy them so we can be more comfortable. The easier the access to that comfort the better. DVD, video games, music they all are quick ways to entertain. But what if we changed the idea of entertainment. If a child is given the access to a book, one that will read a loud if he is not yet reading with sounds and animation - that becomes a game. Then they hooked on a story and they want to read more. Just like if you allow your child the taste of sugar before they experience broccoli most children will forgo the green for the yum.
My long point is this. Give your child the good stuff and they will grave knowledge instead of fillers. They world has enough ridiculous fillers, allow them to experience the magic of a book and the total losing of the time that comes from passion in literature. Ebooks are a great way to do that - like hiding broccoli in pizza.
-Tom H. Texas
In no way do we at Wizz-E.com feel that ebooks should deter moms and dads from page-turning-time with their little ones, but use the technology that is available and of the best authors and animators/illustrators to allow for educational time in a way that uses what kids already experience. I love what Tom said “…like hiding broccoli in pizza.”
Ebook “Pizza!”
§ Download books to your smart phone and use then in waiting rooms, while grocery shopping, running errands, in the dentist chair - since ebooks are much cheaper than paper copies, allow your child to download a new story for each outing.
§ Long car rides instead of hand-held video games
§ To distract while you are cleaning/preparing dinner instead of TV
§ As rewards, “if you finish this book you can download one of your choice”
§ While you are working on your laptop let your child sit next to your and “work” on his reading.
In a longitudual study done by the Children’s Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School, that concludes
“TV viewing before the age of 2 does not improve a child’s language and visual motor skills.”
The study done on children birth to age 3, published in the March issue of Pediatrics, didn’t measure any detrimental affects of television viewing. But the researchers say there are other indications that children younger than 2 should not watch television, which is the stance of the American Academy of Pediatrics as well.
“Contrary to marketing claims and some parents’ perception that television viewing is beneficial to children’s brain development, no evidence of such benefit was found,” Marie Evans Schmidt, Ph.D., lead author of the study, said in a statement.
BUT…programs like “Sesame Street,” “Between the Lions,” and “WordWorld,” all provided by PBSKids, have been shown to boost some of the pre-skills necessary for learning to read. There are even some efforts under way to help parents, child caregivers, and teachers of young children to use educational programming more formally. These programs also provide online support to enoucourage and enagage children into reading and words/languge skills.
Also, Tennessee Public Television is launching a program for children 3-8 that will enhance reading and the way kids learn to read. The program called “Raising Readers” is partnering with 20 PBS stations to bring reading to the fore front on education. Catching children early to start the fundamentals of reading and build the foundation through programs they watch everyday.
I know that my 5 year reads along with “Between The Lions” and “Word World” I too love playing the games online with him!
What do you see as the pros and cons of promoting educational television as a learning tool?
In most elementary schools the utilization of computers is a fast growing tool to teach and introduce not only a different medium to children, but to aide in the learning of a technology that they will need for the rest of their education careers.
Technology use in schools is more than just learning how to access the Internet or typing skills it’s an understanding of the control of information children see, hear and learn. An understanding between the teacher, student and parents. Most children come into kindergarten with some knowledge of computers, even if it’s just observance of their parents using them. They know what they are and what they are used for. Being the little curious sponges that they are, when offered the chance to get to use them and behave like those they have seen use computers, it is an experience in of itself.
In Collected Research using computers with Kindergartners can be useful as well as frustrating; maintaining these guidelines can help your classroom, living room, or homeschooling environment become more relaxed and learning can take place.
Keep the lesson short and sweet. Something interactive, colorful or with music with help hold their attention.
Having programs that are open-ended and can be done as the student controls, with the pace being set by the student.
Computers are used within the classroom, not set in another room or area. Something like “Centers” or “destinations” can be more accepted by the class.
The ability for audio to be used, so that those still working on letters and sounds can participate as well.
The use of media, such as a web cam or video camera to add to the picture or program they are using. This way they become part of the exercise.
After creating something the option to print it out and further color or bring home to share with others.
Programs that offer recognition and sound technology to emphasize sounds of letters or word phrases that can be followed along with.
Some of the greatest use of technology in the classroom is the option to have stories read through headphones as well as being able to follow along on a computer. A bonus would be to use story time that can be changed along with the flow of the story by the child listening and clicking on different points to enhance their story.
A subscription to a site like Wizz-e would provide another resource for online learning and reading.
A must is teaching children at a very young age what is and what is not safe behavior online. What to look at for and what to do in case they are asked funny questions online, who they can talk to about it and the understanding that some people are not good friends online.
Technology is growing and if we step back to far we will fail our children in the right they have to get ahead. Technology is here to stay, we must educate the new generations to master it.
Education is defined as: The process of giving or receiving systematic information.
Now, I don’t know about you but that tells me nothing about learning. Learning is more than being able to babble off useless facts or being able to regurgitate them for testing. When your learn something it becomes a behavior, a part of your understanding.
A baby, for instance does not become educated on how to sit up, or crawl; they learn to do these things. The same with a 3rd grader who is forced to write multiplication tables repeatedly, in which case he only learns how to get them done.
The new age of education is by far the most interesting and available to all children and adults. We have more colleges online than ever before, high school is online, even the academic side of getting an RN can be done online. Professors and universities are using online black boards to get student updates and post information.
Smart-phones, like the iPhone have applications for all ages to help you learn; areas of vocabulary to medical academics. The use of technology is growing, changing and infiltrating the classroom. My third grader uses my iPhone to work on his math skills, and my 5 year old can play the games and draw.
Major differences are in place from 10 years ago, grandparents are raising their grandchildren, 95% of all american children from the age of 5-17 have a computer in their room (this replaced their tv). Education is becoming electronic, and some of the coolest things are becoming more and more available to those who would not have the resources to learn about them before.
Learning is transforming, and it is bringing with it some really clever tools!
