Answer

Name: XtraMath

Type: Website

Age Range: K to Age 8/Grade 3

Description: XtraMath is a math fluency program that help students master addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, which are the building blocks for  child’s math education and are essential for development to a later understanding of fractions, decimals, multi-digit algorithm and high-level mathematics. It is usable for both parent and teacher guidance, home and classroom teaching. The program helps students learn arithmetical facts, aiding them in being able to recall answers when needed making it more efficient compared to the traditional processes like counting fingers or pieces. In the usage if sophisticated methods to aid mastering of arithmetic, XtraMath

2. Name: Witty the Robot

Type: Software

Age Range: K to Age 8/Grade 3

Description: Witty the Robot is the animated, personable guide for young users learning about the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. He oversees the journey through thirteen chapters of information in an interactive digital learning tool. The app is high-quality and entertaining as the tour guide is animated and personable, calling users by name and responding to oral answers on the screen to answer questions. The intentional mechanization of its voice creates the illusion in the minds of the students that the robot is alive. The app is verily entertaining and educational. In highlighting the app as an amazing educational tool, it is described as

Name: Promethean Board

Type: Hardware

Age Range: K to Age 8/Grade 3

Description: Promethean Board is an interactive whiteboard most useful as a projector when connected to an external device like computer or camera. This allows teachers and students to manipulate items on large screens by use of electronic pens, hence enhancing interaction. The immersive learning technology with its full range of features elevates engagement of students with tablet-like experience which ideally captivates the learners’ minds. The Promethean board is surely a powerhouse solution for early childhood education, offering top notch performance in its features and resources.

Key Features:

–              Single license of operation software

Name: Seesaw

Type: Hardware

Age Range: K to Age 8/Grade 3

Description: Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio that documents student learning with built-in creative tools and provides an authentic audience for student work. Seesaw excites students to express themselves with, reflect on their learning progress through the creative tools, hence it encourages student engagement.

Key Features:

• Provides thousands of ready-to-use activities for teachers to use in classrooms.
• Enables collection of student responses digitally and reduce paper work in learning.

Title: Summer Institute project

Description: The project authors facilitated in a medium sized Midwest public university. The summer workshop afforded participating early childhood education teachers exciting opportunities to interact with various instructional tools and technology applications. Further, the practicing teachers explored various strategies to integrate specific technology tools into their lessons in a manner consistent with constructivist pedagogy. The development opportunity was meant to agitate thoughts on adoption of suitable technology in a professional development of early childhood education in classrooms.

Location: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto

Program aids in freeing up the mental faculties of the child for more complex problem solving.

Key Features: Student activities are simple and straight-forward, taking only a few minutes each day. Enables teachers to receive progress reports for their students via emails or online. It is free and non-profit, therefore blocks ads that would be distractive to students during classroom teaching. Operational in computers, tablets, and even phones. Students are awarded certificates of achievement when they successfully complete an operation

‘Perfect for young dinosaur-lovers, especially. The robotic tour guide is loaded to the brim with information, ranging from the physical characteristics of T-Rexes to their home to their diet’. Since the information is presented visually, orally, and interactively using the device’s touch screen, a wider array if learning skills are enhanced for this age of preschool learners.

Key Features:

– 13 chapters

-Interactive, animated pages

-Personalized

-Loaded with information about T-Rex

-Creative and fun

(ActivInspire software) with every board, therefore does not require annual subscription fee.

–              6 point touch that allows for multiple users or use of both hands to gesture.

–              Tools needful for high-quality presentation, including math and media tools.

• Features for seeing and hearing that enable teachers to better understand progress of their students and provide more differentiated instruction.

Presenter and affiliation: School of Early Childhood at George Brown College and the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development

Findings: The research found that the use of the various technology platforms of interaction would enhance integration into instruction, that would greatly support he task of teaching and learning.

Benefits: While participants were exposed to a wide array of technologies that can greatly influence early childhood education, their conclusions were univariate, highlighting especially the progressive benefits.

In my classroom, I look to use the various technologies as teaching aid, by enhancing childhood brain development as well as mastery of knowledge and skill.