“Our world and technology are rapidly changing; teachers and administrators face new choices every day about how to use interactive technologies”.
– Jerlean Daniel, Executive Director for NAEYC
This month the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) along with the Fred Rogers Center, released a new statement, Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8.
We’ve highlighted 3 key tips from this report and matched them with resources from Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train for you!
1) Select developmentally appropriate technology as well as content. Look for opportunities for co-engagement. Vinci Early Learning Systems, partnered with Sid the Science Kid, pioneers mobile learning for preschoolers through touchscreen systems and a curriculum which focuses on building young children’s learning capabilities.
2) Technology and interactive media can be valuable tools to support hands-on, creative, and authentic engagement in a child’s surrounding environment. The Dinosaur Train Geocaching Challenge is a family friendly outdoor adventure that blends technology, gaming, and environmental discovery. Get outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries!
3) Television can be an engaging experience. Create interaction and eliminate passive watching. Check out the Sid the Science Kid Tip Sheet: When You Watch – Five Ways to Start a Conversation. Enhance what children learn from watching Sid the Science Kid by engaging them in conversation about what they see on the show. These questions can help you get started.