Selecting software young children

Educational programs which freeze up or frustrate a user can immediately discourage users, especially younger children. Be aware of both potential problems as you evaluate software you see or that you've purchased.

Fritz Luecke, manager of computer software for Weekly Reader Software, suggests that you determine how easy and helpful the program guide booklet is that comes with the package. Many parents, teachers, and students want to be able to insert a program into the computer and use it without having to use a guide, particularly if that guide is confusing or incomplete.

Finally, you might want to look at the NEA catalog of educational software. With the proliferation of educational software packages, the job of separating the good from the mediocre gets tougher every day. Approximately 50 NEA reviewers have been testing educational programs submitted by software authors and publishers. Those which meet the NEA's stiff requirements are given an "NEA Teacher Certified" stamp of approval, and are included in a catalog of approved software. The General And The Specific For example, software that stimulates a student's creativity might be more useful than a program that deals with a specific learning problem in school, notes Kent Kehrberg, director of software for the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium.

Tutorials, Simulations, And Drill-And-Practice For example, when shopping for software, parents should know the three basic types of educational programs—tutorials, drill-and-practice, and simulations, notes Sherwin A. CTR is sold as a subscription, and is delivered weekly to subscribers, who also receive access to review database. He also holds degrees in elementary education and educational psychology. Skip to main content.

By: Warren Buckleitner Can you give us some guidelines to use when selecting apps for young children 8 and under? Are there some hallmarks of quality apps for early childhood?

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? Software which encourages self-expression or invites a child to give creative responses to questions is characterized by few preset responses; children may be asked to use computer "tools" such as a word processing program, preprogrammed musical tones, or a color palette to create their own stories, composition, designs.

Two examples of open-ended software follow. Among the most complex and intriguing programs for children who know how to read, simulations ask a child to play a role in a specific situation. The child is presented with alternative choices to help solve a problem or move through an experience. Later choices are based on the consequences of previous ones. For example, a simulation for older children might involve a journey for which children must decide which supplies to buy, which direction to travel, how to meet specified hardships, and so on.

Younger children might be asked to shop in a grocery store, using pictures to select food to be eaten by a family in a week. As yet, few simulations are available for younger children. This computer language, which uses a "turtle" triangle to indicate direction, was developed for children at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Seymour Papert. Children can think of a design such as a house or circle, determine the programming steps needed to represent it graphically, and use the turtle to create the image on the computer screen.

Originally designed to help children learn mathematical concepts and programming while exploring the capabilities of the computer, LOGO provides a computer environment in which children can experiment creatively and develop a sense of their own power over the computer.

Whatever the degree of structure, finding copies of programs to preview or to try out with children is often difficult because computer stores seldom carry a large stock of children's software. Also, a program may not be available for every make of computer. Check first to see if the program you want matches the computer on which it is to be used.

To locate software to preview:. As you preview, remember that a program adults enjoy is not necessarily appealing to children; conversely, software which delights children may miss the mark with adults. This app can be used for multiple players and there are several levels of difficulty.

This app is great for grades 1st through 7th. Students can learn words and how to spell them based on sight. Students also get used to hearing the words as they play so they pick up on pronunciation. An important feature of this app is that there are no links to external sites or social media so that there are no distractions. There are no ads or third party site links, making it a kid-friendly app. ClassDojo is an excellent software tool that you can easily integrate into your classroom.

It is easy for teachers and students to learn to navigate. What makes the ClassDojo a preferred software for classrooms is its compatibility with devices such as the Android, iOS products such as iPads, iPhones and iPods, and all laptops and computers. So far, ClassDojo has been ranked highly in multiple blogs and site for its innovative and interactive use in classrooms while meeting very basic needs of teachers, students and parents altogether.

Count Sort Match. Count Sort Match is a great app that is fun and easy to use in classrooms for young children to learn how to count. It is essentially a match game that lets students match the right number with the right word to describe that number.

It is an easy app to get students learning numbers and counting. Hungry Fish. Another popular app is Hungry Fish. This software lets students find coral reef numbers with a number match with the number on the fish.

As the fish eats the correct number, the fish grows bigger.