Technology and the 21st century tot: expert advice for parents and educators
Parents and educators are overwhelmed with conflicting messages about kids and technology - are screens the best teaching tool ever invented or dangerous distractions?
To help sort out inconsistent information about when and how to use technology with infants and preschoolers, Vernon Area Public Library will partner with Community Parent Network for two presentations on Thursday, September 22. A daytime event geared toward parents will begin at 12 p.m. in the library's annex, 4 Indian Creek Drive in Lincolnshire. An evening event for educators and parents is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the Adlai E. Stevenson High School West Auditorium at 1 Stevenson Drive in Lincolnshire. Both events are free and open to the public.
The speaker is child development expert Gail Lovely, a pioneer in the burgeoning field of technology in education. Lovely works as an expert consultant for school systems and other institutions as they explore the new opportunities that technology brings to the learning process.
Lovely, whose clients have included PBS and publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, sees "magic" in the way technology can aid learning at home and in the classroom. Touchscreens "connect small fingers and young brains with computer-based learning tools. The multi-touch environment also adds the possibilities of natural interactions like swiping to turn a virtual page," said Lovely.
She also points out that portability and the way a tablet is held contribute to easy use. "We sit on a couch and read books in our laps; we stretch out on the floor and draw with crayons. We can easily do this with tablets as well," Lovely adds.
In her field work Lovely has observed 4-year-olds scan a QR code with tablets to view a video showing an alternate ending to a story their teacher had read to them. She has encouraged a young child presumed to be struggling with social attachment to record herself as she explained a picture she drew of her peers, naming each one, a clip that could be shared with the child's parents. And she has seen a pair of 3-year-olds lying side by side, playing a game on tablets and sharing with each other as they learned.
At 12 p.m. on Thursday, September 22, at the Vernon Area Public Library Annex, Lovely will present "Literacy, Learning, Laps & Laughter with Technology." In this hands-on workshop she will guide parents and caregivers to swipe, tap and co-play with toddlers and preschoolers, preparing them for learning. Parents are welcome to bring their children. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for those who would like to bring a lunch. The library will serve coffee and dessert. Register with the library by calling 224-543-1486.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 22, in the Stevenson High School West Auditorium, Lovely will explain the best practices for using technology tools to encourage brain development, support language skills and get children ready to read. She'll show educators and parents how to use robotics, coding and touchscreens in the classroom and at home to support and inspire young learners. This program is for adults only. Register with the library by calling 224-543-1486.
The Vernon Area Public Library District serves a population of 42,900 within a 29-square-mile area that includes Lincolnshire, Prairie View and parts of Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills and unincorporated Vernon and Ela townships. For more information about the library and its services, visit http://www.vapld.info.
The Community Parent Network (CPN) is a non-profit parent education initiative begun in 2012 by parents from Kildeer Countryside School District 96, Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 and Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103. CNP seeks to provide compelling parent education programming for families within the Stevenson High School District 125 boundaries while collaborating with other area parent education groups. For more information, visit http://communityparentnetwork.org.