Ringkasan Teknologi Untuk Kanak-Kanak

Topic 1: 21st Century Skills Begins in Early Childhood Education

Children will need to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive global landscape, and at the same time be able to collaborate with others from all over the world.

Experts worldwide acknowledge that today’s children need more than the traditional 3Rs (i.e. reading, writing and arithmetic) to prepare them for 21st century.

What are 21st Century Skills?

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (PS21), introduced the 4 Cs which are a set of abilities and ways of thinking that can help kids thrive as 21st century citizens.

4 Cs:

1.      Collaborate with others.

2.      Creativity and Innovation.

3.      Critical thinking and Problem Solving.

4.      Communicate Clearly.

In addition to the 4Cs, children should also be prepared with the following KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLSs:

        i.            Civic Literacy.

      ii.            Global Awareness.

    iii.            Health Literacy.

    iv.            Environmental Literacy.

      v.            Information Literacy.

    vi.            Media Literacy.

  vii.            ICT Literacy.

Parents Fostering 21st Century Skills:

·         Collective Set Of Play Materials Encourage Sharing, Turn-Taking And Social Skills.

·         Ways Of Thinking That Come From Different Ethnic Groups And Cultures.

·         Out-Of-The-Box Thinking.

·         Solve Common Household Problems.

·         Participate In

·         Family Decisions And Problem Solving.

·         Bring Themselves Under Control.

·         Kids To Pay Attention.

·         Read Stories In Ways That Encourage Kids To Listen, Focus And Remember.

·         Computer Games That Require Kids To Think Flexibly.

·         Inventive Thinking.

Teachers Fostering 21st Century Skills in the Classroom:

·         Nurture sense of wonder.

·         Emphasise effort over ability.

·         Encourage use of objects/materials in multiple centers/areas and diverse ways.

·         Ask thoughtful questions.

·         Use the KWL mindset (What I know, What I want to learn, What I learned).

·         Provide effective feedback. “There is growing evidence that feedback that explains why the practice is incorrect is more valuable for learning than feedback that simply flags errors.”

·         Notice Patterns.

·         Use technology and social media tools.

·         Collaborate with others.

·         Represent an idea/learning/instructions in multiple ways.

·         Let Your Students Lead the Learning.

·         Helping and Teaching Others.

·         Encourage Creativity.

·         Develop Critical Thinking Skills.

·         Innovative Solutions.

·         Flexibility and Adaptability.

Topic 2: Digital Technology and Children

Digital technology has become part and parcel of their lives and as they enter school, they expect teachers to be using digital technologies in teaching language, mathematics, science, the creative arts and others.

Heinich (2004) defines ‘educational technology’ as the use of hardware (such as computers, laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboard, LCD projectors), software (powerpoint slides, Microsoft word, Apps, animations, videos, audios, flash cards) and procedures (such as lesson plans) in enhancing human learning performance and competence.

The advent of the internet has brought about a Learning Revolution which evolved from individuals rather then from governments and causing "upheavals in the learning sphere but outside of the education system" (Witte, 2014).

The Learning Revolution has evolved because of the convergence of FOUR KEY ELEMENTS, namely; the Internet, Content, Digital Tools and Devices.

The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices.

The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of differentwebsites you can access through the Internet.

It's important to realize that the Internet is a global network of physical cables, which can include copper telephone wires, TV cables, and fibre optic cables. Even wireless connections like Wi-Fi and 3G/4G/5G rely on these physical cables to access the Internet.

A server is where websites are stored, and it works a lot like your computer's hard drive. Once the request arrives, the server retrieves the website and sends the correct data back to your computer.

No one actually owns the Internet, and no single person or organization controls the Internet in its entirety.

These days, you can't go one mouse click without stumbling on digital content. Also known as digital media, digital content comes in many forms, from text and audio and videos files, to graphics, animations, and images. Typically, digital content refers is anything that can be published online. Following this line of thinking, it is safe to say that if you are on the internet, most likely you are looking at, watching, or listening to a piece of digital content.

The web provides thousands of TOOLS which are mostly available for free. The earliest communication tool was email and today WhatsApp has proven to be a very popular messaging tool enabling people to communicate with each efficiently and effectively using smartphones.

DIGITAL DEVICES such as laptops, tablets and smartphones (and even wearables) has enabled learning anytime, anywhere and at any pace as well facilitating content creation by anyone (see picture).

But with the introduction of ‘touch technology’ which started with the iPad, children and even to toddlers were able to technology quickly.

At a very young age, children become capable of what the psychologist Jerome Bruner called “enactive representation”.

In 2001, the education and technology writer Marc Prensky popularised the term ‘digital natives’ to describe the first generation of children growing up fluent in the language of computers, video games, and other technologies.

Digital technologies can enable children to become more active and independent learners, taking charge of their own learning through direct exploration, expression, and experience.

Framework for Integration of Technology in the Classroom:

Content Knowledge (C) – Teachers knowledge about the subject matter to be taught and learner by children.

Pedagogical Knowledge (P) – Teachers have deep knowledge about the teaching strategies and techniques.

Technology Knowledge (T) – This is the knowledge and skills teacher have about certain ways of thinking about, and working with technology, tools and resources.

Topic 3: Effects of Digital Technology on Children

Increasingly there is evidence to suggest that there are both positive and negative effects of technology on children.

As children continue to become more immersed with technology, many adults have begun to wonder whether or not this exposure to such a high amount of digital technology is a good thing or not. On the pro side, there is an argument that technology is preparing children for the ‘real world’ that they will have to enter into. On the other hand, however, others argue that children using technology are becoming socially isolated and ridden with health related issues.

The Positive Side of Technology for Children:

1.      Acquiring Technology Skills.

2.      Technology Enhancing Learning.

3.      Technology Enhancing Interaction.

4.      Visual Attention.

5.      Hand-Eye Coordination.

6.      Spatial Skills.

7.      Problem-Solving Skills.

8.      Improves Language Skills.

9.      School Readiness.

10.  Developing Skills & Talents.

11.  Assistive Technology.

The Negative Side of Technology for Children:

1.      Technology Has Taken Over The Lives Of Children.

2.      Obesity.

3.      Safety

4.      Using Technology As A Pacifier.

In the 1980s, play time for young children was watching cartoons on TV (such as ‘Tom and Jerry”), playing with cards, playing football, playing badminton, hide and seek, police and thieves, hop n scotch, rope skipping and others. Even when computers made their appearance, the desktop PC DID NOT attract children as much because the mouse, joystick and keyboard made using desktop computers difficult for young children.

NAEYC Guidelines on the Use of Technology with Children:

1.      Caring For Devices With Children Early On.

2.      Interactive, Age Appropriate And Can Encourage Participation.

3.      Monitor Screen Time.

4.      Keep It Interactive.

5.      Match Use With Age.

6.      Have Fun, Stay Engaged.

7.      Promote Digital Literacy.

What Should Teachers and Parents Do?

·         DON’T use screen time to replace personal interaction.

·         DON’T let children under the age of two use tablets.

·         Use Technology Strategically.

·         Keep it Interactive.

·         DON’T use time with a tablet or smart phone as a reward for positive behaviour.

·         Match Use with Age.

·         Have Fun, Stay Engaged.

·         Promote Digital Literacy.

·         Teachers should not fear open-source technologies.

·         Monitor the use of technology.

·         Teach responsible usage.

·         Be familiar with technology.

·         Use classroom technology intentionally.

·         Offer alternatives to technology.

Topic 4: Engineering for Children

STEM is a curriculum that integrates ideas from four specific disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics and application to real-life situations.

“In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledgebased economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.” (National Science Foundation, 2016)

Children are natural-born engineers.

When a child engages in an engineering task he or she attempts to solve a problem relevant to their lives by applying what they have learned in science and mathematics lessons. Teachers can inspire children at a young age to build their natural curiosity by teaching engineering concepts through hands-on learning.

Why Engineering for Children?

·         Hands-on, project-based learning is the essence of engineering.

·         Children learn that failure is an important part of the problem-solving.

·         Engineering activities encourage children to be active learners and to break away from passive learning.

·         Being involved in engineering activities taps in to the natural curiosity of children and to work in teams.

Engineering involves finding out how things are constructed and work, and thinking about what can make them work differently or better.

Preschool children can begin to develop concepts in engineering as they design, build, and test solutions through their play—as they construct sand castles (see picture) and build cities out of blocks.

How humans influence their impact on the surface of the world. Engineering refers to using tools and developing fine and gross motor skills. Tools can help children develop eye-hand coordination.

Examine the basis of one’s opinions, an important basis for engineering thinking.

Problem-solving skills should be considered a basic literacy. How the human-made world that they live in comes to be.

By trying, failing and rethinking their designs. Failure is good. Each failure informs a future design that brings an engineer one step closer to success.

Engineering Activities for Children:

ACTIVITY # 1 - Paper Building Blocks.

ACTIVITY # 2 – Bridge Construction.

ACTIVITY # 3 – Pyramid Catapult.

ACTIVITY # 4 – Dough or Plasticine and Blocks.

ACTIVITY # 5 – Building and Playing with Books and Cars.

ACTIVITY # 6 – Stacking Coloured Plastic Cups.

ACTIVITY # 7 – Balloon Powered Car.

Topic 5: Tools and Digital Devices for Teaching Children

Hence, a computer is a device that accepts instructions from programmes (or software) and performs various kinds of tasks such as calculations, storing information, retrieving information, showing information on a screen, getting other devices to work and so forth.

In 1981, IBM launched the IBM Personal Computer that coined both the term Personal Computer and PC. Early personal computers; generally called microcomputers were sold in shops.

A laptop, often called a notebook or "notebook computer", is a small, portable personal computer with a "clamshell" form factor, keyboard on the lower part of the "clamshell" and a thin LCD or LED computer screen on the upper portion, which is opened up to use the computer.

A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a thin, flat mobile computer with a touchscreen display, which in 2016 is usually colour, processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single device.

Slates and booklets do not have a physical keyboard and text input and other input is usually entered through the use of a virtual keyboard shown on a touchscreen-enabled display.

iOS is a proprietary mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. primarily for its iPhone product line which was first introduced in 2007.

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google Inc is an open source platform.

Windows Phone is a series of proprietary smartphone operating systems developed by Microsoft.

An LCD projector is a type of video projector for displaying video, images or computer data on a screen or other flat surface.

An interactive whiteboard (IWB) is a large interactive display that connects to a computer.

Friedrich Froebel, the German educator and founder of the Kindergarten Movement is respected for his work on early childhood education. His ideas particularly those involving toys and play provide a starting point on how we currently teach children and for improving the opportunities they have for play.

·         Gift One: Yarn Balls.

·         Gift Two: Sphere, Cube & Cylinder.

·         Gift Three: 8 Identical Cubes.

·         Gift Four: 8 Identical Rectangular Blocks.

·         Gift Five: 8 Cubes and Triangular Prisms.

·         Gift Six: Cubes and Rectangles.

Assistive Technology (AT) for kids with Learning Disabilities (LD) is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits.

Assistive Technology can address many types of learning difficulties. A student who has difficulty writing can compose a school report by dictating it and having it converted to text by special software.

There are AT tools to help students who struggle with:

1.      Listening. Certain assistive technology (AT) tools can help people who have difficulty processing and remembering spoken language.

2.      Mathematics. Assistive technology (AT) tools for math are designed to help people who struggle with computing, organizing, aligning, and copying math problems down on paper.

3.      Organisation and Memory. Assistive technology (AT) tools can help a person plan, organize, and keep track of his calendar, schedule, task list, contact information, and miscellaneous notes.

4.      Reading. There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help individuals who struggle with reading.

5.      Writing. There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help students who struggle with writing.

Speech or Voice Recognition Software:

·         Abbreviation expanders.

·         Alternative keyboards.

·         Audio books and publications.

·         Electronic math work sheets.

·         Freeform database software.

·         Graphic organizers and outlining.

·         Information/data managers.

·         Optical character recognition.

·         Personal FM listening systems.

·         Portable word processors.

·         Proofreading programs.

·         Speech synthesizers/screen readers.

·         Talking calculators.

·         Talking spell checkers and electronic dictionaries.

·         Variable-speed tape recorders.

·         Word-prediction programs.

Topic 6: Technology for the Language Arts

The language arts focuses on the words and images that words represent children listen to, speak about, read about and write about.

·         Listening involves making connections between spoken words (abstract oral symbols) and their meanings.

·         Speaking involves taking command of the words by using them orally to communicate with others.

·         Reading involves translating written symbols into the oral symbols that they represent and the meanings attached and is a receptive skill.

·         Writing involves encoding written symbols so that they will convey information to others.

·         Viewing involves interpreting the images for which words stand and connecting visual images in videos, computer programs, and websites with accompanying printed or spoken words.

·         Visually Representing involves presenting information through still or motion pictures, either alone or accompanied by written or spoken words.

Materials development refers to all the processes adopted by educators in the production, adaptation, design, evaluation and research of materials for language teaching and learning (Harwood, 2010).

Materials which are as attractive and user-friendly as possible should be created in response to a perceived need on the part of the users, and not because they are simply available.

·         communicative abilities.

·         exchanges of information.

·         involve different kinds of texts and different kinds of media.

Materials can be:

1.      Informative (informing the learner about the target language),

2.      Instructional (guiding the learner in practising the language),

3.      Experiential (providing the learner with experience of the language in use),

4.      Eliciting (encouraging the learner to use the language) and

5.      Exploratory (helping the learner to make discoveries about the language).

Tomlinson (1998), suggested the following are the principles for the development of materials for language learning:

·         Materials should be designed and developed to impact learning, i.e. when the materials attract the attention of learners, the materials are of interest to learners and materials which make learner curious.

·         Material developers should help learners to feel at ease.

·         Materials should help learners to develop confidence.

·         Materials should be perceived by learners as relevant and useful.

·         Materials should facilitate self-involvement.

·         Materials should expose learners to language in authentic use.

·         Materials should direct the attention of learners to the linguistic features of input.

·         Materials should provide learners with the opportunity to communicate in English.

·         Materials should take into consideration the different learning styles of learners.

·         Materials should take into consideration that learners have different attitudes and should offer variety and choice.

·         Materials should maximise learning potential by encouraging intellectual, aesthetic and emotional involvement.

Martinez (2000) summarized several benefits of using authentic materials:

·         Students are exposed to real discourse.

·         Keep students informed about what is happening in the world.

·         Language change is reflected in the materials.

·         Ideal to teach/practise mini-skills such as scanning.

·         Help student extend their vocabulary.

·         Authentic materials can encourage reading for pleasure.

Gardener and Miller (1999) mentioned several disadvantages:

·         Complexity of the language may be too culturally biased.

·         Learning burden low frequency and of peripheral use to the learner.

·         Not readily available.

There are various kinds of media that we can use to teach listening. They are:

1.      Radio: Listening to the radio is one of the most accessible ways a learner has of developing listening skills.

2.      CDs: CD players are the simplest and cheapest way to provide listening practice opportunities for students in classroom.

3.      Video: The use of video to help develop listening skill has received much attention since it began to appear regularly in language classes in the mid 1970s.

What part of listening ability we can develop by using technology?

·         Hearing the sounds.

·         Understanding intonation and stress.

·         Predicting.

·         Understanding colloquial vocabulary.

·         Common vocabulary.

The benefits of recording one’s own voice should be obvious by now. However, let’s highlight a few more benefits:

·         The time spent recording one’s voice can be considered as more time spent practicing the language.

·         Saying the words out loud rather than in ones’ head makes students more confident to speak in public.

·         Gradually eliminate mistakes.

·         Increase confidence.

·         Audio files are more convenient to practice with because it can be done anyway.

Using the most appropriate online educational video service provider is extremely important so each teacher has the confidence in advance of the quality of the content and instruction provided.

Mobile apps are just one part of the picture for ESL learners. Total immersion is the best way to learn a language. That means spending time conversing with native speakers, and practicing vocabulary by speaking, writing, and reading will always be important. However, mobile apps for ESL and TESOL provide an amazing addition to the arsenal of tools available to motivate ESL learners.

Topic 7: Technology for Mathematics and Science

"I certainly don't think that the traditional ways of teaching science or math in schools are very productive or engaging for any kids, including high achieving kids," Reed Stevens, a professor of education and social policy at Northwestern University.

According to AMTE (The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators), technology has become an essential tool for teaching mathematics in particular due to its ability to show students a variety of ways to approach mathematical ideas and processes.

All teachers, and math teachers in particular, have been posed the all-too common question from students: Will I even use this in everyday life? With technology, mathematics teachers will be able to easily demonstrate to learners that “YES”, they will use mathematics in their daily lives.

‘Manipulative’ comes from the word ‘manipulate’. One of the meanings of the word ‘manipulate’ means to handle or put together skilfully. Here, manipulatives are concrete objects, image or drawing that can be viewed and physically handled by children in order to demonstrate an abstract concept. They are objects that children and teachers use to illustrate and discover mathematical.

Manipulatives not only allow children to construct their own cognitive models for abstract mathematical ideas and processes, they also provide a common language with which to communicate these models to the teacher and other children.

In addition to the ability of manipulatives to aid directly in cognitive processes, manipulatives have the additional advantage of engaging students and increasing both interest in and enjoyment of mathematics. Children who are presented with the opportunity to use manipulatives report that they are more interested in mathematics.

On the World Wide Web there are essentially two types of “virtual manipulatives”:

·         STATIC VIRTUAL MANIPULATIVE – essentially “pictures” - visual images ordinarily associated with pictures in books or drawings.

·         DYNAMIC VIRTUAL MANIPULATIVE – On the other hand, dynamic manipulatives are essentially “objects.”

Benefits of Using Virtual Manipulatives to Support Mathematics Learning:

An ancient Chinese proverb says, “I hear and I forget. I listen and I understand. I do and I remember.”

1.      Virtual Manipulatives can help students understand abstract concepts in mathematics.

2.      Virtual manipulatives may lead to more complex, richer understandings of concepts.

3.      Students need guidance in understanding the concepts that manipulatives represent.

4.      Students report that virtual manipulatives are easy to use and as engaging as concrete ones.

Several factors should be considered when selecting virtual manipulatives:

·         Can the level of difficulty be adjusted for different students?

·         What type of feedback do they provide?

·         Will teachers need to provide feedback and support?

·         How clear are the instructions for use?

Apps in the Classroom:

1.      Overview. Apps are expanding the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom, making it more interactive, immersive, and engaging.

2.      Getting Started. If you’re just getting started teaching with apps, it’s helpful to begin by setting goals for student learning.

3.      Selecting Apps. On the following pages are five key considerations and some questions to ask yourself as you explore, evaluate, and select education apps.

4.      Engagement. As a teacher, you know what happens when students are deeply engaged. The classroom comes alive and motivation and retention are improved.

5.      Developmental Appropriate Practice (DAP). In determining whether an app is developmentally appropriate, consider: Is the user interface age appropriate? Does the subject matter appeal to the intended grade level? Does the design appeal to the intended level?

6.      Instructional design. In evaluating whether an app’s design meets your learning goals, you might consider: Does the app effectively communicate its subject matter? Does the app align to your learning goals for students? Does the app have a specific purpose and how does it achieve that? How does the app build on skills and guide the student? Are there relevant opportunities for feedback, assessment, and reflection? Does the app offer personalized or adaptive features that are based on a student’s skill level?

7.      Motivation. Apps can help create a learning environment that keeps students motivated and engaged.

8.      Accessibility. In evaluating such apps, consider: Does the app include a range of levels for a variety of users with differing skill levels? Does the app support multiple learning modalities? Does the app let users personalize the user interface? Does the app take advantage of features such as VoiceOver or closed captioning?

9.      Enjoy the Adventure.

Teaching Mathematics Using Apps:

1.      This suite of apps are a must-have for any school using mobile devices, as well as for parents who want to encourage mastery of math concepts for their children.

2.      All three games offer five levels of challenge, they start with the rudimentary concept and gradually progress over several grade levels.

3.      Mental math is such a key component for success in building a strong foundation in math, and building on this early on helps all other math concepts fall into place with relative ease.

4.      Mastering these facts takes time and lots of practice, Math Evolve has taken care of all of that in an enormously engaging format.

5.      In order to open the series of locked doors, you must perform either addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or any combination of operations.

6.      It incorporates critical thinking, problem solving, and strategic planning skills, all while you’re “playing” with math concepts, with great gaming style!

7.      Your child chooses the number they want and the counting begins. Each number is outlined as it is counted up the number line.

8.      Several students came looking for me and my iPad to continue playing during extra help.

Video is uniquely suited to:

·         Take students on impossible field trips--inside the human body, or off to Jupiter.

·         Take students around the globe, to meet new people and hear their ideas.

·         Illustrate complex, abstract concepts through animated, 3-D images.

·         Show experiments that can't be done in class.

·         Bring great literature, plays, music, or important scenes from history into the room.

By exploiting the medium's power to deliver lasting images, teachers can:

·         Reach children with a variety of learning styles, especially visual learners, and students. With a variety of information acquisition styles.

·         Engage students in problem-solving and investigative activities.

·         Begin to dismantle social stereotypes.

·         Help students practice media literacy and critical viewing skills.

·         Provide a common experience for students to discuss.

Topic 8: Creative Arts and Technology.

The creative arts consists of the following components:

·         Drama - Many children enjoy taking an object and pretending that it’s something else.

·         Visual Arts – Children love activities like finger-painting, pasting, colouring pictures, and folding or ripping paper.

·         Music – Children like to listen. They also love to get involved in music play.

·         Dance - As with music, children will often start moving and dancing without you prompting them.

Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young. - Aristotle

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and life to everything… Without music, life would be an error. – Plato

Play is central to children’s development and learning. Children’s interactions with technology and media mirror their interactions with other play materials and include sensorimotor or practice play, make-believe play, and games with rules. Therefore, young children need opportunities to explore technology and interactive media in playful and creative ways.

What is a podcast? It is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can make and freely distribute podcasts, making it a democratic and vibrant medium. If you've got a smartphone or tablet, the easiest way to find and listen to podcasts is through a dedicated podcasting app.

Some general questions to ask when looking for quality apps:

·         Can you individualize the experience for a specific child?

·         Can the child control the sound or background music?

·         Are there multiple language options?

·         Can more than one child play at once? (especially a consideration for teachers)

·         What does it cost? You can get a lot of value for one or two dollars in the app store these days, if you know what you're looking for. If you find something you don’t quite like, keep looking. It’s likely that you can find a better app at the same price.

·         Are there multiple levels, so there is always a challenge?

When do you feel an app is not worth a child’s time?

·         Commercial agendas, licensed characters and tie-ins to toys or movies.

·         Too hard, or too easy.

·         No way out of an activity

·         Gender and ethnic bias

·         Poor quality illustrations, narration and music

·         "Free content that is really just a sample."

Topic 9: Character Education and Technology.

Character most often refers to how 'good' a person is. In other words, a person who exhibits personal qualities like those a society considers desirable might be considered to have good character—and developing such personal qualities is often seen as a purpose of education.

The Six Pillars of Character are:

1.      Citizenship

2.      Responsibility

3.      Fairness

4.      Caring

5.      Trustworthiness

6.      Respect

Character education are steps taken in school to supports the social, emotional and ethical development of children. It is aimed at instilling in children important core, ethical and performance values such as caring, honesty, diligence, fairness, fortitude, responsibility, and respect for self and others.

As Dr. Thomas Lickona, author of Educating for Character, stated, "Character education is not a new idea. It is, in fact, as old as education itself. Down through history, in countries all over the world, education has had two great goals: to help young people become smart and to help them become good."

Fables can also be described as tales which have a message in their narrative such as a parable might have. Fables can often pass into our culture as myths and legends and used to teach about morals to children and kids.

Aesop is the name of the man credited with the authorship of a collection or book of fables. Aesop was a slave who many believe lived in Samos, a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea but others say he came from Ethiopia.

Each one of Aesop's fables has a lesson, or moral, to teach to children - just like a parable or allegory. A moral is added at the bottom of each of Aesop's fables.

Working with fables enables children to:

·         Build ethical and moral development.

·         Build classroom community.

·         Develop and understanding of metaphor.

Teaching Method:

1.      Read aloud or show a video of the story.

2.      Examine the words in the story – discuss their meaning

3.      Get the children to identify the value of idea the fable transmits

4.      Ask children about how the characters in the fable feel

5.      Ask children to give examples from their daily lives the values from the fable.

Topic 10: Issues on Technology and Children

A Wake-Up Call For Educators:

1.      How Much Screen Time Is Too Much?

2.      What about 'Educational Screen Time'?

3.      How to Limit Kids' Screen Time?

Technology is a poor substitute for personal interaction.

Out in public, Dr. Steiner-Adair added, “children have to know that life is fine off the screen. It’s interesting and good to be curious about other people, to learn how to listen. It teaches them social and emotional intelligence, which is critical for success in life.”

Children who are heavy users of electronics may become adept at multitasking, but they can lose the ability to focus on what is most important, a trait critical to the deep thought and problem solving needed for many jobs and other endeavors later in life.

Texting looms as the next national epidemic, with half of children aged 12 to 17 sending and receiving 60 or more text messages a day, Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Center found in a study released in 2012. An earlier study by researchers at JFK Medical Center found that teenagers send an average of 34 texts a night after they get into bed, adding to the sleep deprivation so common and harmful to them. And as Ms. Hatch pointed out, “as children have more of their communication through electronic media, and less of it face to face, they begin to feel more lonely and depressed.”

There can be physical consequences, too. Children can develop pain in their fingers and wrists, narrowed blood vessels in their eyes (the long-term consequences of which are unknown), and neck and back pain from being slumped over their phones, tablets and computers.

The Developmental Health Debate.

Dr. Larry Rosen's experience as a research psychologist and computer educator has allowed him to witness both the positive and negative effects of technology use on young minds. Rosen is a professor of psychology and author of Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn. In the end, he sees innovations like social media as developmental pluses for what he calls the “iGeneration.”

But in a perfect world, technology wouldn’t be chosen at all, according to pediatric occupational therapist Cris Rowan. Author of Virtual Child: The Terrifying Truth About What Technology is Doing to Children, and founder of Zone’in Programs Inc. Rowan’s outlook on child technology use is bleak — and irreversible.

She cites the research of Dr. Gary Small, Director of the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Center. Small studies how children’s brains today, specifically the frontal lobe, are developing differently than their parents’ due to technology exposure. “As young malleable brains develop shortcuts to access information, these shortcuts represent new neural pathways being laid down,” he writes in his book iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.