Welcome Back

Since starting this blog several years ago my life has taken on a few changes, nonetheless, my views regarding the importance of early childhood technology education have not wavered. In fact, they have gotten even stronger than ever.

In the fall of 2012, I was blessed with my 1st grandchild and he is amazing. I doubt anyone who knows me will be surprised to hear one of the 1st gifts my grandson received was an iPad. In fact, the iPad was a shower present from my son…. DGS was still in utero at the time.

You might say, the Apple (literally and figuratively) doesn't fall far from the tree. :)

Over the last couple years, I have watched this newest member of our family connect his physical world and his digital world in ways I could never have imagined. One of the most mind boggling examples of this, is DGS (dear grandson) can identify all of his ABCs and he is not yet two years old. Previously, this ability might have been classified as some form of hyperlexia, but I assure you DGS is quite the social butterfly. I have seen many, many other examples of these technology learning shifts in my DGS that I cannot recall seeing when my own children were little, and I hope to share some of these future posts.


For now, I wanted to take a moment to reconnect with those who have followed my journey since the start and welcome those who are just joining me.


My goals are to still share the great apps I come across, but I feel the need augment my reviews and share my experiences; how I see technology may be shaping the minds of the youngest of learners. Additionally, I have invited others to share their experiences of how they see technology shaping the early childhood learning environment. I promise it will be an exciting journey and I hope you will share it with me.


Thank you,

Keri

Friday, February 4, 2011

How it all began....

It actually started rather suddenly, but not totally unexpected. I had received a few calls from friends and clients asking what I thought about using an iPad with young children and I must admit I was skeptical... very skeptical. The iPad is still new, and I normally like to wait for a new technology to have the second version release, to work out the bugs. But never the less, when I did find myself at an Apple Store, I decided to ask what they thought about using this type of technology for the preschool age group. Dave the store manager was frank but encouraging. He even shared some of his own experiences of using the iPad with his young son. Me...well I was still hesitant, but starting to warm up to the idea more and more. So when I was asked to consult with a local non-profit about using iPads in this very manner, I was ready to explore just what these doors to knowledge might offer the young digital generation. To say I was shocked or amazed would be an understatement. My head is still spinning with all the opportunities this device has to offer in the world of early childhood education. That is when I decided I needed to blog this information to all those interested... whether educator or parent. Please join me as I share some case studies and app reviews on this remarkable doorway to the future of education... The iPad.

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