Early Childhood Technology Integration

Dr. Mitchel Resnick of MIT spoke at this summer's Building Learning Communities Conference about "A playful approach to materials."  This is what early childhood is all about and especially in Kindergarten and 1st Grade.

Some interesting data:

1991-2007:  16 year olds born when the web took off.

2001:  5-6 year olds born when blogging took off.

Many students that enter Kindergarten and First Grade classrooms have experience using technology.  It is not so much teaching them how to use technology that they need, it is guiding them to meaningful uses of technology in their development.  Granted many children are entertained, baby sat, and can in reality spend more time with a piece of technology than another human being.  We do not want to utilize technology in this way, but we want children to understand that these tools, when used in a meaningful way, can be much more than entertainment devices:  they can be powerful learning tools.

The web is full of activities for children to do, but how do we separate the "wheat from the chaff?"  There are several resources that are available to assist educators!

Information Sites:

Kathy Cassidy (Year 1 Teacher): http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337

Kinder Korner: http://www.kinderkorner.com/

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: http://www.free.ed.gov/

Student Progress Monitoring: http://www.studentprogress.org/

K8 Access Center: http://www.k8accesscenter.org/index.php

Internet Resources for Teachers: http://www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/toolkit_pg25.html

Online Games and Activities:

Game Goo:  http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooeyhome.html

Kerpoof: http://www.kerpoof.com/

Whyville: http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice

The Magic Key:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/index.shtml