Nobody can deny that the tech revolution is more underway now than ever before. The world is changing so rapidly. Is it changing how children learn? Short answer – YES!
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It is the most exciting time to be a learner. The most successful children of tomorrow will be the ones who can use technology to FIND information, think creatively, assimilate it, and then self-express/communicate it. That’s why Imagine Tomorrow's program focuses on using technology as a tool for learning.
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It’s an interesting fact that the children we’re teaching today will have jobs tomorrow that have not even been created yet.
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I find it to be such an exciting time because learning is at your fingertips. I strongly believe, just as I did in 1991 when I founded Imagine Tomorrow, that technology is one of the coolest and most engaging learning tools. It incorporates the three main leaning senses. Children see the applications on the screen, hear the accompanying audio, and touch the keyboard or touchscreen... The more senses involved in this interactive experience, the better the retention of information learned during the process.
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One other reason I love technology is… It doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t know the age of the child, the sex, or the color of the skin. It doesn't attach a label to its user as gifted or learning disabled. Technology levels the playing field for all learners.
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So is the way kids learn changing? ABSOLUTELY...and Imagine Tomorrow has the program that is preparing children to use technology to be life-long learners.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Kids & Technology: 3 MYTHS!
MYTH: Kids who use technology miss out on 'good old fashioned' play.TRUTH: Kids who use technology still have ample time for tea parties, hide and seek, and tag. Parents must be the ones who encourage balance. Just as you would want an avid reader to sometimes put the book down and go out and play, the same applies to the child on the computer. Children need balance between independent activities and social activities, and between quiet activities and physical activities. Parents must help them manage their time and achieve that balance.
MYTH: Technology prevents children from having the social interactions they need.TRUTH: Technology connects us! Children see that at an early age. They see they can communicate with others by emailing, texting, skyping... If the concern is too much texting or screen time, then limits need to be set by parents to achieve the proper balance. Children can learn at an early age how to use technology as a tool to communicate and collaborate with others--anywhere in the world! That is something they will need to know to be successful in their future.
MYTH: Technology and multi-tasking hurt children's ability to focus.TRUTH: Technology is not what affects focus. Content and method of delivery affect focus. When content is made fun and interesting, children focus better. A child in a classroom might focus better on a hands-on experiment versus a boring lecture on the same topic. Technology creates a multimedia experience that reaches children through multiple senses - sound, touch, and sight. Studies have shown that engaging multiple senses can help children learn and better retain what they have learned. Multi-tasking is a great skill when performed effectively. Knowing how and when to give something more focus and attention over another distraction is a useful skill. Children are developing these higher capabilities at a younger age. What is described as "lack of focus" can simply be a sign of boredom and the failure to challenge their growing minds.
MYTH: Technology prevents children from having the social interactions they need.TRUTH: Technology connects us! Children see that at an early age. They see they can communicate with others by emailing, texting, skyping... If the concern is too much texting or screen time, then limits need to be set by parents to achieve the proper balance. Children can learn at an early age how to use technology as a tool to communicate and collaborate with others--anywhere in the world! That is something they will need to know to be successful in their future.
MYTH: Technology and multi-tasking hurt children's ability to focus.TRUTH: Technology is not what affects focus. Content and method of delivery affect focus. When content is made fun and interesting, children focus better. A child in a classroom might focus better on a hands-on experiment versus a boring lecture on the same topic. Technology creates a multimedia experience that reaches children through multiple senses - sound, touch, and sight. Studies have shown that engaging multiple senses can help children learn and better retain what they have learned. Multi-tasking is a great skill when performed effectively. Knowing how and when to give something more focus and attention over another distraction is a useful skill. Children are developing these higher capabilities at a younger age. What is described as "lack of focus" can simply be a sign of boredom and the failure to challenge their growing minds.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Imagine What's Ahead
"What an exciting time it is to be a kid!"
That is something I have said repeatedly over the years, starting back when I introduced "multimedia computers" to my first learning center for kids--in 1991. In that year, I had attended a multimedia technology show which was demonstrating the newest computers and software geared toward business uses--but I immediately knew this was "where it's at" for learning. As I set up my first computer learning center I thought, "What an exciting time it is to be a kid!"
The creative uses of technology for learning seemed endless to me. As I expected, the kids in my classes were fascinated with it, and fully engaged in the learning process as they collaborated to create projects using the latest computers and software. In the years that followed, as more and more children were given the opportunity to experience the Imagine Tomorrow program, we continued to adapt our content to constantly be at the cutting edge with the rapidly changing technology.
When I look around today, two decades later, I see kids tapping at apps on smartphones, texting and emailing each other, downloading music, playing games online, researching topics in an instant through searches, watching tutorials on YouTube, skyping with faraway friends, taking their own digital photos and videos, and sharing ALL OF IT with friends and family--with a few taps of the fingertips!
Looking at all of this today, and imagining what is ahead, I say the same thing: "What an exciting time it is to be a kid!"
That is something I have said repeatedly over the years, starting back when I introduced "multimedia computers" to my first learning center for kids--in 1991. In that year, I had attended a multimedia technology show which was demonstrating the newest computers and software geared toward business uses--but I immediately knew this was "where it's at" for learning. As I set up my first computer learning center I thought, "What an exciting time it is to be a kid!"
The creative uses of technology for learning seemed endless to me. As I expected, the kids in my classes were fascinated with it, and fully engaged in the learning process as they collaborated to create projects using the latest computers and software. In the years that followed, as more and more children were given the opportunity to experience the Imagine Tomorrow program, we continued to adapt our content to constantly be at the cutting edge with the rapidly changing technology.
When I look around today, two decades later, I see kids tapping at apps on smartphones, texting and emailing each other, downloading music, playing games online, researching topics in an instant through searches, watching tutorials on YouTube, skyping with faraway friends, taking their own digital photos and videos, and sharing ALL OF IT with friends and family--with a few taps of the fingertips!
Looking at all of this today, and imagining what is ahead, I say the same thing: "What an exciting time it is to be a kid!"
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