Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children - Education For Kids Preschool

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Friday, July 28, 2017

Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children



General Words:
Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children. Mobile technologies need to be leveraged as a key ally in education reform. This chapter considers ways to harness the potential of these technologies for  learning. Mobile technologies, combined with high-quality teaching, authentic assessment approaches, and extended learning beyond the school day, have unique potential to help children develop important new skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. 
Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children
Description:
Based on their ubiquity, low cost, and familiarity, the anytime, anywhere availability of mobile devices can support deeper learning opportunities and promote a more integrated 360-degree learning experience. Mobile technologies also have the potential to reach and inspire populations of children from economically disadvantaged communities and those who are geographically isolated. However, there are substantial design and market challenges to the effective use of these technologies. 

Multi sector leadership is needed to connect disparate efforts by research, industry, and policy professionals. Through industry innovation and policy incentives, mobile technologies may support learning in new and profound ways. Throughout this chapter, we identify a series of studies and “best practices” that show the “pockets of potential” for mobile learning that already exist globally. We conclude the chapter with recommendations to transform mobile learning into a force for dynamic educational impact. 
Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children 
OVERVIEW On November 10, 1969, the show Sesame Street premiered on open-circuit televisions across the United States. The first scene featured a Claymation interstitial of “the number 1,” a major technological breakthrough at the time, followed by the introduction of furry Muppet Monsters and the now famous opening theme music. Today, Sesame Street is the single largest informal educator of children in the world, delighting families in almost 140 countries across the globe.

 However, because of the digital revolution that accelerated at the turn of the 21st century, children need not wait for a daily program broadcast to learn their basic literacy, math, and social skills. They can now watch, pause, replay their favorite parts, and keep a personalized playlist on chocolate barsized devices that they keep in their pockets. As mobile devices become central parts of children’s lives, the evolution of Sesame Street and all the media it inspired suggests a powerful opportunity to reinvent education for a digital age. 

This chapter sets out a framework to take better advantage of the educational power available to educators who seek to leverage the potential of mobile technologies. Mobile devices are fast becoming ubiquitous media technologies in children’s lives in the United States and globally. More than half the world’s population owns cell phones, with the number of mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide estimated at 4 billion at the end of 2007 (Roberts, Foehr, and Rideout, 2005; Michael Cohen Group, 2007; International Telecommunication Union). And it’s not just phones that are rapidly evolving. 

In the past few years, Nintendo’s DS has become the fastest-selling handheld gaming device in history; major toy companies have shrunk their gaming systems into miniature versions; and Apple redefined media players with the advent of the iPod. Since 2005, ownership of portable digital music players, digital cameras, and cell phones experienced double-digit growth among children aged 4 to 14 (NPD Group, 2008). 
Harnessing The Potential Of Mobile Technologies For Children
Conclusion:
The Center on Media and Child Health predicts that over half (54%) of 8- to 12-year-olds will have cell phones within the next three years. Devices such as mobile phones, iPods, and even handheld videogame consoles have features that can uniquely help children develop important skills they’ll need to be literate, to cooperate, and to succeed in the 21st century. We must not let this opportunity slip away.

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