secret ingredients of app development for early childhood education
DESCRIPTION
A webinar presented 8-1-2012TRANSCRIPT
Fran Simon, M.Ed. | Karen Nemeth, Ed.M.
Early Childhood Technology Network
The Secret Ingredients of Early Childhood App
Development: Make Your Apps Rise to The Top
Fran Simon, M.Ed.
Karen Nemeth, Ed.M.
About us
3
The secrets are not
what you think
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4
We’re serious about interactive tools for young children in preschool programs…
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Cute
Fun
Engaging
Educational
Our objective today is to share what “high quality” REALLY means in ECE classrooms
Skills
“High quality “
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How do you know the product teaches the concepts or skills you
claim it teaches?
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Cookie cutter approach to app development
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Let’s digress: Why free and $0.99 apps are bad
(Free trials on SaaS, not so bad!)
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Poll: What’s Your biggest challenge
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Poll: What is your top marketing priority right now?
we need get deep into how children learn
You want to know how to sell apps, but first…
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Young children are explorers
Developers need to know how young children learn
and what EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
want* and need**may not be compatible
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most the Early Learning apps… have high/moderate entertainment and production value, BUT
• low educational value
• are redundant
• are rote/skill based
You may think this doesn’t apply to your apps– but are you sure?
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Make your products meet the specific
needs and requirements of early
childhood EDUCATORS
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Where EC Educators get their guidance: NAEYC & FRC Tech Position Statement
+=
Technology & Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8
15http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children
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Find it. Read it.
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“… A framework of principles and guidelines for best practice in the care and education of young children, birth through age 8. “• Research on how young children develop and learn
• What is known about educational effectiveness
NAEYC, 2012
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Choices and problem solving
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Long term “units of study” or projects for depth (sometimes called themes)
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Encourage children to work together and interact
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Balance of challenge and achievement that grows with
child
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Respond to and build on children’s interests
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Individualize, differentiate, meet the needs of children with
different languages, abilities and various cultures
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Capture and use data about progress
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NO one app or site can encompass all elements of
DAP
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Direct Instruction
An instructional approach that emphasizes the use of carefully sequenced steps that include demonstration, modeling, guided practice, and independent application.
DAP is about exploring concepts and skills so children discover the answers
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Direct Instruction and DAP
• DI can used to introduce specific skills and concepts• DAP used to:– practice – refine– explore the uses of that skill
Just because DI is commonly used with older kids does NOT make it right for preschool!
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DAP: As the term implies, one size does not fit all
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Different settings…Different
Ages…
Different strategies
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• Creative Curriculum• High Scope•Tools of the Mind•Investigator Club•Curiosity Corner•High Reach•Opening the World of Learning
Crosswalk foundationbuilt from key commonalities of DAP AND
•Project Approach•Montessori•Project Approach•Montessori•Reggio Emilia
Commercial Curricula Respected Approaches
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Then there are standards
* State* Common Core (coming soon)* Head Start * Special needs (OSEP)
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Math is more than counting and number identification
Number concepts and quantities• Measurement and comparison• Number relationships and operations• Geometry and spatial relationships• Patterns
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Language and literacy is more than identifying the alphabet and sounds
Literacy Knowledge and SkillsLetter recognitionPhonological awareness• Book Awareness• Early writing• Print concepts
Language Development• Receptive• Expressive
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And the SECRET is…Know what early childhood educators need
to facilitate learning with young children and be intentional about the tools you provide!
DAP + Curriculum content/standards
= Apps at the top!
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Don’t skip theSubject Matter
Expertsfor
developmentand marketing
Our book Our Site
Gryphon House
Early Childhood Technology Network
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Join #ECEtechCHAT,
Wednesdays, 9 PM Eastern
Tweet#ECEappdev to continue the
conversation
BONUS SLIDES
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Looking into the rearview mirror at your instructional design
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Common practices that are inappropriate for children in early education settings
Instructional Design
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Don’t do th
isDevelop apps that are just
like Worksheets or
flashcards
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Provide
Feedback
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Don’t assu
me
UnderstandsThe learner
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Don’t Provide empty Entertainment. Develop products that help children develop meaningful, transferable concepts
and skills