It’s Center Time with the Early Learning Network!

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Explore and create : Playground

Gail Lovely
Wendy Oliver
Come play at the Early Learning Network Playground and explore how technologies are being used by young learners and their adults, at home, at school and everywhere in between. Come join a sandbox of discussion, learning, and fun. The Early Learning Network Playground is THE place to explore best practices, tools, and research related to technologies and young children. Listen, discuss, and learn through presentations and conversations with others who are passionate about learners ages 3 - 8 and share promising practices. Through your conversations with educators, developers and other participants, you will learn more about the affordances and limitations of technologies and how they can fit in early learning environments.

Audience:	Coaches, Teachers, Technology coordinators/facilitators
Skill level:	Beginner
Attendee devices:	Devices not needed
Topic:	Innovation in early childhood/elementary
Grade level:	PK-2
Subject area:	STEM/STEAM
ISTE Standards:	For Coaches: Teaching, Learning and Assessments Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences addressing content standards and student technology standards. For Educators: Learner Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness. Designer Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
Additional detail:	ISTE author presentation
Disclosure:	The submitter of this session has been supported by a company whose product is being included in the session

Proposal summary

Purpose & objective

The Early Learning Network Playground is THE place to explore technologies designed for young children by playing with them. As you explore and play, engage in conversations with others who are passionate about learners ages 3 - 8 and share promising practices. Through your conversations with educators, developers and other participants, you will learn more about the affordances and limitations of various tools and how they fit in early learning environments. In addition to open exploration and conversation, the playground will include presentations from educators and others about topics related to the use of technology in early childhood.

Tools, resources, products and practices around robotics, computational thinking, creativity, literacy, coding, STEM, and active learning will be represented, shared discussed and available for you to join in the learning and fun.

Outline

The playground will have multiple stations with different technologies and scenarios. During the playground, there will be short presentations by researchers and practitioners who will share concepts, research, and/or examples from real-world practice.

Supporting research

Bers, M. U. (2008). Blocks to robots: Learning with technology in the early childhood classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Alper, M. (2013). Developmentally appropriate New Media Literacies: Supporting cultural competencies and social skills in early childhood education. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 13(2), 175-196.

Donohue, C. (Ed.) (2015). Technology and digital media in the early years: Tools for teaching and learning. New York: Routledge & Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children

Marsh, J. (2006). Emergent media literacy: Digital animation in early childhood. Language and Education, 20(6), 493-506. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2167/le660.0

Simon, F. & Nemeth, K. (2010). Digital decisions: Choosing the right technology tools for early childhood education. Lewisville, NC: Gryphon House, Inc.

Takeuchi, L. M., & Vaala, S. (2014). Level up learning: A national survey on teaching with digital games. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.

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Presenters

Gail Lovely, Suddenly It Clicks!

Gail began her career as an inner-city teacher of young learners. She is an early adopter of technology, earning her Master’s Degree in Educational Computing from Pepperdine University in the early 1980s. Gail has been an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University, University of Houston, and the University of Northern Iowa. She had long-time columns for Scholastic, Classroom Connect, ISTE and others. Gail is proud of her book “Using an iPad with Your Preschooler” (with Gayle Berthiaume.) Gail founded the ISTE Early Learning Network and was one of the first at NECC/ISTE Conferences to focus on using technology with young learners.

Wendy Oliver, Kamehameha Schools