iPads for children #iStoreMomsandKids

I had the good fortune to win an invite to the Tech-Moms & Tech Savvy Kids event at the iStore in Sandton on Friday. Thanks to Rattle and Mum!

We have the tablets at home, but we are still struggling through the maze of all the apps that are available. We are also not sure about the management of the tablets in the home.

I got a few pointers at the iStore that opened up my eyes to the possibilities for our children.
I could only jot down a few, because I had a toddler in tow who kept coming to swing on the doors and asking me to join her where they were being entertained by the friendly iStore people.

iPads for children from Pre-School to Secondary School:

- A study that has been done about the impact of iPads on learning has yielded a much higher result for children using the devices.
- iPads in kindergarten have also been successfully implemented in South Africa
- Parents should be comfortable with their decisions about daily screen time as well as be discerning about the apps.
- Management from parents are the most important factor in the use.
- iPads are starting to change the classroom - 200 schools in South Africa are already using iPads. (There are different funding models available).
- The applications are classified in manuals regarding primary school and secondary school.

- "Technology and media should not replace activities such as creative play, real-life exploration, physical activity, outdoor experiences, conversation, social interactions that are important for children's development." - Marli Hoffman

-  They are combining traditional teaching with new technology in pre-primary school.

- Benefits of iPads for Preschoolers:

•  at ease with technology from a young age
• promotes active & engaging learning
• compliment traditional learning
• adds another dimension

- The criteria for selecting an app:

•  The outcome is important
• Read the description
• Age level
• Read critiques
• Become familiar with the app

- iPads in primary school. The teacher says they are "iPaddling along with their children", but it's all good. The children are teaching the teachers. 

- The children are making sense of their own world through the use of iPads, for example their own interests, research and basic presentations, as well as creating books. Keynote delivers amazing projects by the children.

Enough said! 

It seems I got more than a mouth-full about the positive impact of the iPad in education.

My Toddler did not need any convincing, and had a great time! 

An interactive Peter Rabbit being read to the children

Catching bubbles

Sliding down the slopes, with Emma & Melinda (Melinda's Memoirs Mumbled),
Max (Tanya's Dear Max) and Katie (Sue Stuart)

Mieka got grass burns on her bum for doing that... 

(Because she did not want to put on the leggings I wanted her to wear. *The best way of learning!*)