Originally published by PBS Parents

Is anyone else fascinated when parents turn to their offspring for help programming (or even answering) their smartphones? Children’s seemingly pre-wired proficiency with today’s technology is amazing. The high-tech world is advancing at lightning speed, and as “digital natives,” no one’s adapting more quickly than kids.

Case in point, toddlers love to talk on the telephone. They’ve always loved talking on the telephone. Today’s toddlers, however, are infatuated with cell phones, and parents beware: even a 20-month-old knows the difference between the real deal and a toy stand-in (and far prefer the former).

It’s not surprising, therefore, that according to a recent CNN report, four of the top 10 best-selling educational iPhone apps are designed for children under the age of five. And the benefits of such advanced technology may go beyond mere distraction from a checkout line’s candy display.

The Benefits of Apps

According to developmental psychologist Peter Gray, engaging with an app is preferable to a passive activity such as watching TV. “[Kids are] interested in tools where they can actually make something happen,” notes Gray, which isn’t surprising because “we are a tool-using species.”

“These ‘mobile kids’ are the purest breed yet of natives to the wireless world where the rest of us are refugees,” concurs Neil Swidey through a Boston Globe article. “Parents use [digital technology] to distract a less-than-thrilled child in the grocery store, but quickly become amazed by how instinctively tech-savvy even a toddler is. This generation will use technology far more than we can even imagine today.”

“Touch-based devices like the iPhone and iPad harness this fundamental human instinct and remove the complexity of the keyboard and mouse for interacting with the computer,” notes Bryan O’Malley of Axeva.com. “As a result, it’s possible for young children to explore the world of computer learning at a much younger age.”

Abbie Davies, president of My First Yoga, also agrees that many apps are “beneficial for the younger set.” Yet she also points out that “while apps can both educate and stimulate, just like any other form of media, it is important for parents to make informed decisions about the apps being downloaded for or by their children.”

Criteria for Choosing Appropriate Downloads

Parents who turn to apps as a way to educate, entertain or merely distract their children are overwhelmed by the thousands of options combined with hundreds of ratings and user comments. What guidelines can parents use to make informed decisions regarding which apps to download – and which to avoid?

Brett Singer, the founder of DaddyTips.com, advises “I’m very careful about what apps I put on the device because there is no way (that I know of) to block inappropriate content. I either stay with certain publishers (Sesame Street apps are always appropriate), or try the app out myself before I give it to the kids.”

User reviews and comments can also point parents in the right direction. Notes Singer, “Reading user reviews on the iTunes store helps, and online app guides are a good place to start. The posted age ranges are useful, but like movie ratings, parents should consider their own values and standards.”

“When choosing an iPhone app for a child of any age,” advises Davies, “make sure to think about [your] objectives. Will this app be an educational tool? A time filler? Even if an app is amazingly educational, it’s always important to remember to encourage using apps in moderation.”

Lynette Mattke, co-founder of MomsWithApps and Publisher at PicPocket Books, reminds parents to “remember [that] kids are best engaged when the features in an app address as many senses as possible and when these features offer variations on a theme, and are not too repetitive. For instance, putting different outfits on different characters offers variation and holds a child’s interest, while shooting or popping identical objects gets repetitive.”

Mattke also recommends book apps, which are “fun and educational, and often stimulate conversations that continue long after the device is put away.”

“A ‘bookapp,’” notes Mattke, “is a term used to describe a book that is downloaded as an app and displayed to be read on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Some bookapps have animations and other interactive features. Most have audio recordings.”

When to Be Cautious About Apps

Possibly more important than knowing what to look for in choosing an appropriate app is knowing what to stay away from. The most important goal is protecting a child’s privacy and ensuring his safety.

To that end, Stanley Holditch of InternetSafety.com advises parents to be wary of apps that require peer interaction. “Marketers and app developers are quickly learning that kids are the most active social networkers,” warns Holditch. “Peer interaction at young ages can and does lead to cyberbullying. Parents should base their decisions on whether or not to allow a child to engage in peer interaction through social networks and apps based on the child’s maturity level and the average maturity level of their peers [rather than] the age requirements of the network or app.”

Another feature of which parents should be wary: geolocation apps. “Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, GoWalla and even Apple’s MobileMe data network are all embracing geolocation as the latest way to bring people together,” mentions Holditch. “Parents need to be wary of this trend, since the essential component to all geolocation apps is revealing the user’s location in real-time. Depending on how vigilant the child/parent is about privacy settings, these apps are capable of revealing the child’s exact location in real-time to complete strangers.”

The Future of Apps

There’s no arguing that we’re only at the beginning of the app revolution.

According to Casey Ayers, president of MegatonApps, we should “expect educational gaming to take the forefront in kid-targeted apps,” while Jesse Feiler, author of Get Rich With Apps believes that “lots of drawing programs” will soon hit the market. William Weil, co-founder and CEO of Tales2Go, believes that “niche educational apps…within categories such as behavior, writing, science, math” are about to break loose.

Barbara Pritchard, executive producer at Smashing Devices, believes that the children’s book publishing industry will hit the app world by storm. “Enhanced books allow us (as designers and producers) to add interactivity into the reading experience, fully engaging kids and encouraging them to want to read more. [Of the] Top 10 titles in the iTunes iPad app store for kids, five are ebook titles. We think this trend will only continue to get bigger.”

O’Malley summed up the trajectory of iPhone apps by noting, “I suspect that someday we’ll look back at the early 2000′s as a major turning point in the way we consume information. Our children will be the first to grow up in the Touch Generation. Without the steep computer learning curve that past children faced, imagine how much faster these kids will be absorbing information?”

Imagine, indeed!

Subtle animation brings a brook trout to life as well as others in its habitat. The touch-screen sound effects make the reader aware of the unseen life also living near the lake, and contribute to the ambiance of the lake’s environment.

This meditative story can be enjoyed on its own by following the activities of the fish. But multiple layers of meaning can also be revealed if questions are asked. A fish has to eat to survive but discovers a new way to get food, there are many bugs with remarkable capabilities and functions, and the natural cycle continues and there is beauty in this constant rhythm and activity. The duality of being an individual but also belonging to a group or community, suggest another concept of connectedness – being part of something bigger – that can be explored by families or in the classroom.

With adult guidance, the fun facts and related web links offer ample opportunity to discuss and learn more about brook trout and their habitat, the biology of fish, insects, birds and water life, and natural ecosystems and their conservation. Creating an awareness of nature – our environment that everyone shares – can help us learn to enjoy it, utilize it wisely and take care of it for the future.

The video below gives an example of how access to materials like tires, cloths, crates, and spare, loose parts from the “Playpod” can offer children the opportunity to experience higher levels of creative activity and cooperation during playtime.

When I was a kid, my friends and I had “forget-to-come-home-for-dinner” fun building “forts” and other installations in empty lots using scraps of construction materials, fallen branches, leaves,…whatever we could get our hands on. Not only were we building with our hands, but we made up elaborate stories about our “village” as we went along. Watching the school kids play in the video below reminds me a lot of those magical playtimes!

Click on the image above to go to the YouTube trailer!

Meander Art’s new release – “BOO!” is a Halloween-themed picture book by Gina Ricci featuring Sophie and Sam. It has also just been released as a PicPocket Books app. Get to know the author, Gina, as she describes the inspiration behind her writing and illustration, and especially her newest picture book, Boo!

"Boo!" picture book by Gina Ricci on the iPad

About Boo!:

Sophie (the little witch in Boo!) and Sam (her cat) have been in my life for years. In fact, Erin, my daughter, was my inspiration for Sophie.

Sophie and Sam celebrate Halloween!

With her cat Sam, tucked under her arm, Sophie made her debut in “Splish! Splash! Splosh!” the first of many adventures Sophie and Sam take together. Their latest story is “BOO!” – a Halloween night full of black cats, bubbling cauldrons, and a haunted house.

Sophie and Sam in "Splish! Splash! Splosh!"

“BOO!’s” richly detailed illustrations bring to life the magic of Halloween and the playful, rhyming adventure, which young children will love to read.
About Gina:

I was born in England, but have lived in America for the last 30 years. I’ve always loved to draw and paint. One Christmas, my sister Louise was visiting, and we had such a bad snowstorm that we were stuck indoors for a week. We sat at the dining room table and decided to make our own Christmas cards. On the back of them we wrote “from Me and ‘er.” And that’s how Meander Art was born.

Each year I designed another card, wrote a poem for the inside, and from those first few cards came my designs and the stories for our children’s books.

At the heart of Meander Art’s books are wonderful childhood memories, splashing in puddles, building sandcastles, trick-or-treating, and more. We want our stories and artwork to make children smile, and for the parents to remember when they were young–those days of endless summers, the first chill of Autumn, memories of building snowmen, and best friends.

Look out for another Sophie and Sam–whimsical tale from Meander Art– coming this winter “Snowflakes are Falling.”

In between book signings, Mo gave a talk and slide show about the inspiration for his work in metal and other mediums besides his famous picture books, and his process in creating this sculpture. Museum founder Eric Carle was in attendance for the event, so I got to snap this photo of two of my picture book heroes:

Mo Willems and Eric Carle

And if you are a fan of Eric Carle’s work (who isn’t?!), I highly recommend a visit to the museum to check out their exhibits, including the one on Eric Carle’s work and life. Make sure to pay the red elephant a visit, too!

Scholastic.com has published these ten questions to ask you child about the school day as suggestions to get the conversation flowing. I tried several of them last night as I was saying goodnight to my kids, and they led to some good talks.

1. Tell me about the best part of your day.
2. What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3. Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
4. Tell me about what you read in class.
5. Who did you play with today? What did you play?
6. Do you think math [or any subject] is too easy or too hard?
7. What’s the biggest difference between this year and last year?
8. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they’re fair?
9. Who did you sit with at lunch?
10. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?

"Sunnies Bunnies," by Margie Blumberg, illustrated by June Goulding

The Sunny Bunnies picture book is available as an iPad and iPhone app from PicPocket Books, and in traditional print format from MB Publishing.

These sunny bunnies can’t wait to dig their toes into the sandiest spot in Carrot Cake Park. There, with big sister leading the way, they’ll build a castle, fly a kits, and – of course – jump in the waves! This endearing rhyming tale with its cheerful illustrations captures a perfect summer day.

"Lunchtime, munchtime...!"

Michele Torres recently contacted PicPocket Books to let us know that her students have been working with a number of our apps for reading. Mrs. Torres uses the book apps to get her students excited about new titles and subjects and they write book reviews in their writing journals, record reviews in Photo Booth and also present book recommendations to their classmates and “Reading Buddies” from younger grades. Mrs. Torres noticed that the recommendations from the more advanced readers and the inherent appeal of the iPod touch device are successful ways to get reluctant readers more motivated and interested in reading.

In addition to book apps for reading, the class uses several apps for math.  The students do math drills, complete story problems, and listen to math lessons. Torres uses lessons from iTunes U to supplement some of the concepts they are learning in class.  “If a student isn’t “getting it” I look for a lesson to download and have them complete it on their own,” she says.

Michele says, “I love that the kids are so excited about using these amazing little pieces of equipment.  Using the iPod Touches engages my students in learning and increases their motivation.  I am able to accommodate the many learning styles of my students by finding different apps for the students to use.”

The flip side of having a huge variety of specialized apps in the App Store is that finding appropriate educational apps in Apple’s vast collection takes some research. “I didn’t want apps that the kids would just play a game on, I wanted to use the apps to supplement what the kids were already doing in the classroom,” explains Torres. For age-appropriate and subject appropriate recommendations, she turned to MomsWithApps. Through their popular website and catalogue of apps, MomsWithApps brings developers of family friendly and educational apps and app users like educators and parents together to share best practices and feedback.

Visit the MomsWithApps website for info and articles about family-friendly and educational app

A recent day found students from Mrs. Torres’ class reading and discussing PicPocket Books’ Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape, written by Dr. Heather Manly, N.D. Because of the contact information for the publisher and the author is included in the app, Mrs. Torres was easily able to contact PicPocket Books and the author to provide feedback and ask questions – most importantly, “When is the next book in the Human Body Detectives series coming out?” PicPocket Books directed Mrs. Torres to online resources on the author’s website to supplement science lessons and also let the class know that the next adventures will be published as apps in the early summer of 2011.

Human Body Detectives: "Battle With the Bugs" now available on iTunes

A number of factors make this kind of communication with the readers, author and publishers of book apps much more direct and immediate in comparison with previous models form the traditional print world. Publishers are benefiting from reader feedback, and readers feel that they can be more connected by giving input on what kind of content is useful for them.

Torres’ students have an “iTouch Notebook” to record their notes and feedback on apps and iTouch activities. Torres added, “I love when the kids come to school and tell me, ‘Mrs. Torres, I did some research last night, and I found a couple of apps you should check out for us.’  Most of the time, the apps are very appropriate for what my goal for them is, and that is to learn.”

This article was originally published on the MomsWithApps website, on May 7, 2011.

Ways you can make a difference

by Linda B. Gambrell

There are a number of things that individual classroom teachers can do to encourage summer reading. In a study conducted with elementary–age students, Jimmy Kim found that reading four to five books during the summer was potentially enough to prevent a decline in reading achievement from spring to fall.

The key to overcoming summer reading loss is finding novel ways to get books into students’ hands during the summer break. Here are four suggestions for classroom teachers:

1. During “teacher read–aloud time,” share information about a variety of books. Students are more likely to read books they know something about. During the 15 to 20 minutes that you would read aloud from a single book, give a brief overview of multiple books instead, making sure you share a balance of narrative and informational texts reflecting a range of reading levels. Encourage students to make a list of the books they want to read over the summer. If a teacher shares 12 to 15 books a week during the final four weeks of school, students will be introduced to 50 or 60 books for potential summer reading.
2. Share “3–a–day.” If you can’t devote 15 to 20 minutes at a time to book sharing, try taking 5 minutes each day during the last month of school to share “3–a–day,” quickly sharing a narrative text, an informational text, and something else, such as a book of poetry. Using this approach, you could share up to 60 books with your students.
3. Distribute older books to students to take home for summer reading. When I was a classroom teacher, I carefully guarded my own library, making sure I could account for every book. As a consequence, the number of books in my classroom library grew substantially each year. I’ve since come to realize that students, like adults, gravitate toward newer titles. While there are some classics we will want to retain in our classroom libraries, perhaps it is time to weed out some of the older or never–touched books and give them to students for summer reading. If the books in your classroom library have been purchased with school funds, first obtain permission from your principal.Giving students books to take home on the last day of class is a powerful way to increase the likelihood of summer reading. You might want to duplicate a book plate that students can paste inside the front cover of the books they select. This book plate might say something like “Happy summer reading from your 5th–grade teacher, Mrs. Brown.” Books given to students by the teacher often become favorites and are highly likely to be read over the summer.
4. Explore other ways you and your school can promote access to books, particularly for students from low–socioeconomic families. Suggestions include keeping the school library open during the summer months, taking a class trip to the local library during the last month of school to ensure that every student has a library card, and working with local businesses to sponsor the purchase of books for each student to take home on the last day of class.