Learn to Fish-Evaluate Apps Yourself!

NAEYC National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development San Francisco, June 2013

Lilla Dale McManis, PhD-Research Director dmcmanis@hatchearlylearning.com LillaDaleMcManis@DrLDMcManis

Copyright 2013.

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

----Lewis Carroll

Did you know?

• “App Store has been subject to over 10 billion downloads and AndroLib claims Market has exceeded 3.2 billion downloads. These numbers are undoubtedly impressive and awe-inspiring, but how many times are these billions of downloaded apps actually being used? A study by software company Localytics states that 26 percent of applications downloaded are only opened once.”

http://www.phonedog.com/2011/02/01/how-many-times-are-downloaded-applications-actually-being-used/

Did you know?

• Would you be surprised to hear that more than 60% of the apps in the App Store have never been downloaded, even once? That's the conclusion of analytical firm Adeven. Christian Henschel, Adeven CEO, said that there are only a "couple of thousand apps" that get downloaded in number from Apple's on-line applications store.”

http://www.phonearena.com/news/400000-apps-in-the-App-Store-have-never-been-downloaded-says-report_id32943

Purpose & Learning Objectives To provide you with the tools and understanding needed to evaluate Apps at your local program or classroom level… • Why it is important to systematically evaluate Apps

yourself?

• What are the key areas to consider?

• How does the “Early Childhood Educational Technology

Evaluation Toolkit” work? *Disclaimer: Photos and APPS do not imply endorsement.

Setting the Stage…

Let’s first briefly visit NAEYC & Fred Rogers position statement

http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children

When used intentionally and appropriately, technology and interactive media are effective tools to support learning and development.

• Active, hands-on, engaging, and empowering;

• Give the child control;

• Provide adaptive scaffolds to help children progress in skills development at their individual rates; and

• Are used as one of many options to support children’s learning.

• Technology and interactive media should expand children’s access to new content and new skills.

Intentional use requires early childhood teachers and administrators to have information and resources regarding the nature of these tools and the implications of their use with children.

• To better meet the needs of individual children;

• Supporting enhanced communication with families; and

• Providing children new opportunities for exploration and mastery.

• Cost and maintenance must also be considered.

APPS, APPS, & More APPs

• Apps on mobile devices making way into early childhood classrooms at unprecedented rate

• Reported in iLearnII study, Joan Ganz Cooney Center found as of mid-2011 already over 800,000 Apps

• Representing a multibillion-dollar market

So What’s There?

• Cooney Center analyzed 200 Apps

• 100 in top selling category

education category of iTunes store

• Almost 50% of top 25 sellers for elementary

• In Education category overall, toddler/preschool Apps most popular (at 58%)

• As well as area w/ most growth from 2009 to 2011

Their Conclusions….

• Assessing quality and learning value is difficult

– Common standards of educational value for Apps not present

– Few reputable reviewers

– These reviewers’ inability to keep up with all the Apps there are currently and that keep coming

Their Recommendations

• Cooney Center calls for creating a common set of education standards and

• To take the opportunity to do so in the App market while it is still forming

Let’s Check an App Out….

Recent Case In Point….

http://childrensappreview.blogspot.com/2013/05/are-toca-boca-apps-really-educational.html

May 29, 2013

Early Childhood Educational Technology Evaluation Toolkit

• To address, evaluation tool developed for software review which includes Apps on tablets.

• Areas chosen informed by research and key considerations identified as important by field of educational technology, specifically as relevant to younger learners.

• Tool published mid-2012 by NAEYC in journal “Young Children” & 2012 book “Spotlight on Young Children and Technology”.

How do I know the technology and content are appropriate and children are learning?

What would you like children to learn? A first step is to establish learning goals for the children. For example:

– approaches to learning (such as curiosity, flexible thinking, persistence)

– language/literacy

– mathematics

– social studies

– science

– social-emotional (like cooperation, identifying emotions)

– self-help

Then it’s time to evaluate: • Educational value

• Engagement to enhance learning

• Child-friendliness

• Interactivity

• Monitoring of progress

Educational value

• learning versus focus on winning?

• content based on research/standards?

• feedback is informative/teaches?

Age-Child Appropriate

• appropriate cognitive skill(s)/subject matter?

• set in interesting context?

• pre/non-readers can navigate?

• free from bias?

Child-Friendly

• simple/clear choices?

• multiple, positive opportunities for success?

• after adult support, children can use independently?

Enjoyable/Engaging

• enough activities with variety?

• appropriate use of rewards?

• graphics realistic and appealing to intended age?

• activities match well to attention span?

Progress Monitoring- Assessment

• covers all the key areas the software teaches?

• easy to use and interpret?

Individualizing Features

• can be customized for child’s needs?

• allows creation of new activities?

Integration

• initial training/professional development on integration included?

• ongoing training/professional development opportunities?

Activity Time…..

Evaluate provided examples using the Toolkit

App Evaluation Activity: Dora 3D Pyramid

App Evaluation Activity: Reading Raven

App Evaluation Activity: Toca Boca Hair Salon

Closing Thoughts

We hope this session and the Toolkit will:

• free you from the current situation in which many App reviewers do not have a strong background in – child development

– Education

– teaching pedagogy

• are reviewing based on – personal preference

– bells and whistles

– pro or con agenda

Apps versus Learning Systems Software

• Single Apps might be better for enhancement than main component of the curriculum.

• While tempting to always go free there is something to “you get what you pay for”.

• Less may be more.

• There are still many very good more comprehensive learning systems which meet a high standard according to the areas of the Toolkit.

• No matter how the App or any software comes into your classroom, YOU as the teacher are in the best position to decide if it is a good addition to your children’s learning environment.

Action Plan

To help you incorporate the information from this session, consider this Action Plan:

• As a result of what you have learned in this session, what are the things you will want to do differently?

• When you succeed incorporating this new information, how will it impact your work?

• What kind of help do you need, and from whom, to implement your new information?

• How might you share what you have learned and your successes with parents and with colleagues?

Q & A

To Say Thank You….

• eBook

http://hatchearlylearning.com/resources/ebooks/evaluating-technology-ebook/

Resources • How to Evaluate Technology for Early Learners: Hatch

Webinar http://hatchearlylearning.com/events/how-to-evaluate-technology-for-early-learners/

• Finding the Education in Educational Technology: NAEYC Young Children Journal

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/article/finding-education-in-educational-technology

• Joan Ganz Cooney Center: Publications http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/publications/

• Fred Rogers Center: ELE http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/resources/early-learning-environment/

• And we invite you to visit the Hatch Early Learning: Blog

http://hatchearlylearning.com/resources/blog/

Good places for social connections

• LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network

• Twitter: #ecetechchat

–Every other Weds. night @ 9 EST

• Facebook: NAEYC Technology & Young Children Interest Forum