Four digital tools

Four digital tools to help students practice integrity and practice technology use in and outside of the classroom

by Ms. Davis

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/04/21/four-digital-tools-to-help-students-practice-integrity/

The article by MindShift came out with four different tools that can help students promote honesty when in the classroom. The apps that I decided were the best for early childhood users were the Remind app, and the Now Comment app. These two apps deal with integrity of children, but also help children in working with technology in new and creative ways. The Now Comment app provides students to be able to give feedback on certain materials that the teacher provides, feedback on other student’s work, and group discussions about what was learned in class that day. The Remind app helps parents stay involved in the child’s school work or assignments, where they can sign up to get messages of assignments that are due each day. I think the Remind App is most helpful for students who may be forgetful or who do not want to do homework. The app can help them stay up to date with assignments by their parents receiving information on their assignments each day. It not only helps children stay up to date with school work, but it help parents stay involved in the child’s academic abilities which will benefit if the student may be struggling or need extra help. My favorite app on the site was the StopBullying app, which I think,would be more suitable for older children, but in an early childhood setting they can still be introduced to bullying by other children in different ways. The app lets you anonymously report bullying or harsh words that another child is saying to the school provider. I think this is a great way to help children who may be afraid to come forward about an issue that is happening at school.

These new ways to provide integrity of children in the classroom can help greatly with families, especially the“Remind” app because it helps families stay connected to what their children are working on in school. I was a nanny for two elementary school children for a year and a half and the number of times they forgot to write down homework assignments, left textbooks at school, or forget their homework folders was more than I could count. If their parents were able to have an app like this that can remind students what their homework for the night is, and have an uploaded copy of the worksheet, I think it could help greatly for children who accidentally forget their homework, or children who miss school so they will not fall behind. This also allows children to be honest with their parents by being able to tell them the exact homework they have for that night.

Early childhood students will start to be introduced to technology a lot more in this generation than in previous years. Technology is growing at a fast rate, and introducing children, even as young as kindergarten, to new types of educational apps and resources can benefit them in the future. If children are exposed to technology through the use of Ipads or computers they can use some of these apps in order to help them provide feedback to others, and also help provide feedback to teachers as well. They can also stay up to date with homework assignments they may have forgotten to write down, or have forgotten at home. I think these apps also help young children get used to experimenting with use of computers by being able to type about certain opinions that they may have about new materials brought up in class.

Today’s guest blogger is Ms. Davis

“I have been working with children ever since I was 16 years old, working in preschools, as a nanny for families with special needs children, and at summer camps. I really enjoy finding resources and new technology that can help teachers implement material in new and creative ways. I am a big advocate for incorporating UDL into classrooms as well, and I hope I can provide you with many useful resources.”