http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0407.pdf

What are the challenges of Blended Learning ?

Among the challenges of offering Blended Learning are:

How to manage instructional complexity

How to design it.

How to manage the roles and responsibilities.

How to create a seamless learning experience.

How to meet expectations

How to control costs

How to manage instructional complexity: In blended learning the instructor has a wider choice of delivery mediums to combine. With that wider choice also comes greater complexity and pressure on the instructor and designer. This is due to the variety of combinations of technology and possibly the lack of patterns to follow for that particular mix. These issues need to be addressed up front and taken into account during the design. We also need to take this into account due to its effects on the learner. It is easier to finish an online module and start another online module, for example, than it is for that second module to be videoconferencing based. Such changes require the learner to adapt. Time, guidelines, and even brief demos might need to be provided for the learner.

How to manage the roles and responsibilities: Unlike traditional classroom learning in which there usually is a single instructor, in blended learning you might have multiple individuals, each taking a modality or role in the blend. Up front clarification of instructor and assistant roles is essential for success and the reduction of potential conflict and learner confusion.

How to create a seamless learning experience: Good communications among instructors and careful planning is another important element in the success of blended learning. Make sure that instructors and assistants communicate with one another throughout the instruction, not just before the course. Make sure that as different segments of the blend are designed, all prerequisites are met by the previous learning objects. Arrange learning objects or alter meeting times to insure each segment reinforces the previously acquired knowledge or skill and introduces new concepts seamlessly in spite of the different modality of delivery.

How to meet expectations: As with any new technology, there are those that endorse it and there are lagers. While many perceive the lagers to be difficult, a greater challenge is posed by overly eager fast endorsers. These overly eager individuals tend to overestimate the benefits and make others develop false expectations. Manage the expectations carefully so you can meet them and have success. Management of expectations is also important for instructors and learners to realistically perceive the benefits and work to be performed during the training or course.

How to control costs and meet ROI goals Blended learning offers great flexibility and great effectiveness as it can chose the best medium for every objective, however, the challenge is to make the blend not only effective but also efficient. In cases where multiple instructors are used it is natural for each to perceive their part of the blend with disproportionate importance. As a result, without controls, ROI will suffer. From the design stage put in place cost controls that work hand in hand with quality assurance and learning effectiveness measures.

by : shaikhah al-qasim

Blended Learning

What are the challenges of Blended Learning?
Among the challenges of offering Blended Learning are:

How to manage instructional complexity

How to design it.

How to manage the roles and responsibilities.

How to create a seamless learning experience.

How to meet expectations

How to control costs

How to manage instructional complexity: In blended learning the instructor has a wider choice of delivery mediums to combine. With that wider choice also comes greater complexity and pressure on the instructor and designer. This is due to the variety of combinations of technology and possibly the lack of patterns to follow for that particular mix. These issues need to be addressed up front and taken into account during the design. We also need to take this into account due to its effects on the learner. It is easier to finish an online module and start another online module, for example, than it is for that second module to be videoconferencing based. Such changes require the learner to adapt. Time, guidelines, and even brief demos might need to be provided for the learner.

How to manage the roles and responsibilities: Unlike traditional classroom learning in which there usually is a single instructor, in blended learning you might have multiple individuals, each taking a modality or role in the blend. Up front clarification of instructor and assistant roles is essential for success and the reduction of potential conflict and learner confusion.

How to create a seamless learning experience: Good communications among instructors and careful planning is another important element in the success of blended learning. Make sure that instructors and assistants communicate with one another throughout the instruction, not just before the course. Make sure that as different segments of the blend are designed, all prerequisites are met by the previous learning objects. Arrange learning objects or alter meeting times to insure each segment reinforces the previously acquired knowledge or skill and introduces new concepts seamlessly in spite of the different modality of delivery.

How to meet expectations: As with any new technology, there are those that endorse it and there are lagers. While many perceive the lagers to be difficult, a greater challenge is posed by overly eager fast endorsers. These overly eager individuals tend to overestimate the benefits and make others develop false expectations. Manage the expectations carefully so you can meet them and have success. Management of expectations is also important for instructors and learners to realistically perceive the benefits and work to be performed during the training or course.

How to control costs and meet ROI goals Blended learning offers great flexibility and great effectiveness as it can chose the best medium for every objective, however, the challenge is to make the blend not only effective but also efficient. In cases where multiple instructors are used it is natural for each to perceive their part of the blend with disproportionate importance. As a result, without controls, ROI will suffer. From the design stage put in place cost controls that work hand in hand with quality assurance and learning effectiveness measures.



link..

http://blog.brainhoney.com/what-brainhoney-is/what-is-blended-learning/

Video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LilegXH1jao&feature=related

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI3LlmKYx6I&feature=related

                                                                                                                    ...    DANA  ...

Blended Learning

 

What is Blended Learning?

1. Blended learning combines online with face-to-face learning. The goal of blended learning is to provide the most efficient and effective instruction experience by combining delivery modalities.

2. "The term blended learning is used to describe a solution that combines several different delivery methods, such as collaboration software, Web-based courses, EPSS, and knowledge management practices. Blended learning also is used to describe learning that mixes various event-based activities, including face-to-face classrooms, live e-learning, and self-paced instruction." By Purnima Valiathan

Why use Blended Learning?

1. "Students not only learned more when online sessions were added to traditional courses, but student interaction and satisfaction improved as well." DeLacey and Leonard, Harvard Business School, 2002

2. "Providing several linked options for learners, in addition to classroom training, increased what they learned." Peter Dean (this is quoted everywhere but I haven't found the study although, experientially this is the case.)

3. Speedier performance was detected on real world tasks by those who learned through blended strategies as opposed to those that learned via e-learning along. Thomson & NETg, 2003.

4. "Adults don't just "learn" in one way. Likewise, associations should not make the mistake of providing just one way for adult learners to receive their educational content." by Judith Smith

How does one design Blended Learning?

To design blended training, the instructional designers start by analyzing the training or course objectives and braking them down into the smallest possible pedagogically (for children) or andragogically (for adults) appropriate chunks (learning object).

After the course or training has been chunked, the best approach to deliver each segment of instruction (learning object) is identified. In some cases the best approach might be using online learning but in others it might be live instruction, for exapmple.

The course is then aggregated by grouping the instruction logically while taking into account the medium of delivery. In this way, one may require a few lessons online and some others live, for example.

Link

http://weblearning.psu.edu/blended-learning-initiative/what_is_blended_learning

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgvX7IrjHrU&feature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LilegXH1jao&feature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFj86CXADe0&feature=related

by : reem al_hawas

blended learning

Blended learning: why everything old is new again - but better

"Blended learning is a powerful training solution that combines e-learning with a variety of other delivery methods for a superior learning experience. This article reveals what makes blended learning so powerful, and how to choose the right mix of delivery methods for the best blend of skill enhancement and sustainability to ensure a company's long-term competitive advantage." Caroline Gray, Learning Circuits, March 2006

Added: 29 March 2006
Reviewer's Note:
Caroline summarises: "The obvious advantage of the blended learning solution is that learning becomes a process, rather than an event. Blended learning puts training into the job environment, provides a forum for every learning style, includes reinforcement and coaching, and uses minimum effort and resources to gain maximum results."

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LilegXH1jao&feature=related

(please lees voice )

Link

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/yrk12focusareas/learntech/blended/index.php

Alaa ali Al-othman

 

Blended learning

please ..

In Video music, 

 low voice

 

  .. Blended Education: Application Examples

Curriculum

An overview of the primary classroom sees children learning to read, beginning to add, and exploring numerous topics for the first time. Most classrooms are brimming with children, lacking an aide and overloaded with information. By investigating each subject within a primary classroom, teachers can envision how blended learning can be a real part of early childhood education.

Incorporation of technology into the primary classroom can be as a simple as bringing the students to a website which better illustrates a story explored in class. For example, if a class reads "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" written by Bill Martin, Jr. to further extend upon the story a primary teacher may set a website such as Animal Vocabulary on a computer in the technology center.

Communication

Blended communication could be the most successful form for the new generation of parents. Quite often information relayed to a primary student quite often does not make it to the ears of a parent. Besides traditional classroom visits, parent/teacher conferences and telephone calls, many teachers of all students are realizing that reaching parents through emails, websites and discussion boards are more fruitful in contacting parents. Designing an online community where teachers can post and explain information about their teaching methods can help clarify classroom procedures. With the same regard, parents can ask questions, review announcements, and become an active part of the classroom through a virtual environment. Searching within Yahoo groups, numerous groups can be discovered which join parents and education groups. “Some schools are exploring the use of video conferencing and 'streamed' (stored for viewing at home) videos to promote parent understanding and involvement in student learning" (Starr, 2005).

This blended communication is even opening up a place for parent input to class learning. Teachers can design questions through online questionnaires from places like SurveyKey. Educators can ask parents about issues with in the class, specific needs and concerns. As parents respond, a teacher can make adjusts and improvements. Once again this is extremely important within younger students, as they often have a difficult time expressing experiences which they may
have in class.

Reinforcement & Enrichment

Teachers at every level grapple with the difficulty of addressing the needs of each child within a classroom, however this challenge is extremely prevalent within the early childhood classroom as students are exploring the building blocks of education. This challenge can be aided with blended learning.

Studies have been surfacing for years that foreign language instruction should begin at the elementary level instead of postponing that learning until high school, however due to budgetary concerns, foreign language classes seem like a frill (Walker, 2004). By teaching another language to young children, we give them the greatest chance to fully absorb a second language. If an elementary school does not offer a foreign language classes, teachers and parents can still expose primary students to another language through technology. From simple websites which vocalize the French Alphabet to websites which allow the students to progress through activities to learn Spanish.

Within primary grades a child many times needs extra practice. The web has the amazing ability to give kids extra help in a way different from group classroom instruction, maybe in a form in which a child learns better. For example, if a teacher has introduced new letter sounds and she/he notices a student is struggling, the student can either use the computer center to practice or a Phonics website address can be send home for parents to use as practice

Blended learning book

Click here ~

By .. Shoroug Ali Al-Onaizan

Online Protection Tools

Online Protection Tools

Online tools are available that will let you control your kids' access to adult material and help protect them from Internet predators. No option is going to guarantee that they'll be kept away from 100% of the risks on the Internet. So it's important to be aware of your kids' computer activities and educate them about online risks.

Many Internet service providers (ISPs) provide parent-control options to block certain material from coming into a computer. You can also get software that helps block access to certain sites based on a "bad site" list that your ISP creates. Filtering programs can block sites from coming in and restrict personal information from being sent online. Other programs can monitor and track online activity. Also, make sure your kids create a screen name to protect their real identity.

Getting Involved in Kids' Online Activities

Aside from these tools, it's wise to take an active role in protecting your kids from Internet predators and sexually explicit materials online. To do that:

• Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material.
• Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor its use.
• Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages.
• Bookmark kids' favorite sites for easy access.
• Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.
• Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to chat rooms reveals a user's email address to others.
• Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.
• Find out what, if any, online protection is offered by your child's school, after-school center, friends' homes, or anyplace where kids could use a computer without your supervision.
• Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.
• Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your kids get to your Internet service provider.
• Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (800) 843-5678      end_of_the_skype_highlighting if you're aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet.

Models for a child's learning games to beware of dangers of the internet

http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=2941

by: shaikhah al-qasim

Teaching Internet Safety To Your Child

Personal Safety

Just as in the physical community, children need to be aware that they should focus on their personal safety in the cyber community. Children should understand that, even online, there are “strangers”. They should understand that strangers in the cyber community may try to do things to trick them into revealing personal information about themselves and those that they love and care about. They should be taught:
1. Children should never provide any type of personal information to people that they communicate with, or play with in the online environment. This includes information like their name, age, birthday, address, the name of their city, the name of their school, their telephone number, and similar types of information.
2. Children should never provide a picture of themselves while online. While it is important to create a sense of personalization while in a community, this can be done with avatars, and other types of pictures online.
3. Children should never agree to meet up with someone that they have met on the internet. This type of situation has resulted in the injury and deaths of several children in the world.
4. If children come across information that they feel uncomfortable with, they should be informed that it has to be reported to their parents immediately, or another trusted adults. This may include pictures, stories, websites, and any other type of information that makes them feel as if they could be sick, or feel “weird” or they consider “grown up”, or “uncool”.
5. Children should be issued rules that help them to navigate in areas that are appropriate for their age group.
If you implement the use of these strategies when teaching kids internet safety, you will find that your children will have a better understanding of the online community, the rules that govern it, and the means to stay safe while online.

Children's Internet Safety

http://www.safer-internet.net/

videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bML_czlR4eE&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jwy0uPt8sc&feature=related

by: :reem al _hawas

Internet Child Safety

Internet Child Safety
As most people know the internet can be an amazing resource and provide hours of fun for kids, but there is a side to the internet that can be worrying for any parent.

Chat rooms have been a main cause of concern for years, with adults posing as young children and chatting to unsuspecting kids, and in extreme cases trying to organise secret meetings with the child. Things are changing slowly and a lot of chat rooms are starting to monitor their sites more closely, but unfortunately not everyone is following suit.

Websites with explicit images are another problem that children may be exposed to, a few of these websites have a warning on their homepage alerting the user to the fact that the site contains this sort of material, but unfortunately not all of them.

Another major worry for a parent is spam email containing explicit images, most of this type of spam gets sent from countries where any type of law is not easily enforced and therefore the culprits can go on sending, hopefully one day we will see the end of this type of marketing but unfortunately at the moment it is here to stay.

There are things that can be done to protect your children from this type of exposure on the internet, and below we will cover a few of these things.

http://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/internet-safety.shtml

Video:
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Z48UcTdQo&feature=related
2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS-t78Z1exQ&NR=1

Dana..

Children and Internet Safety

 

Jodie Lawton, Children's Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis, University of Missouri-St. Louis 

In a recent report it was estimated that about 17 million children and teens between 12-17 years of age were on the Internet. (See http://www.pewinternet.org/) for more information about teens online.) This represents about 75% of all the young people in the United States. With so many young people online it is important to think about some of the safety issues. Here are some frequently asked questions.

Where are the areas of the Internet that children or teenagers might come across harmful or inappropriate information?

Harmful and inappropriate material can come from just about everywhere on the Internet-- in an e-mail or instant message, through accidentally finding a pornographic website, in chatrooms, bulletin boards, or news groups.

What are some of the dangers for children on the Internet?

First, children may be exposed to inappropriate content including pornography, violence, and language. This may come in the form of pictures or text. Another source of trouble is harassment. Other young people or adults may send offending material, lots of junk mail or just be a nuisance.

There are some more serious problems that can occur. Children may be solicited online in regards to sex. This may occur in seemingly safe situations. For example, your son or daughter might enjoy playing chess online at one of many gaming web sites. In most of these games it is possible to type conversation while playing the game. This conversation may begin innocently and then proceed over a day or weeks into sexual topics.
Even more troubling are attempts of cyber stalking or stalking. This is when other children, teens, adults follow young people online or seek them out at their homes, schools, and so forth.
  

How effective is filtering or monitoring software at preventing children from seeing offensive material on the Internet?
 

No filtering software is going to be completely reliable, but it has become quite sophisticated and most of the programs have many options so that parents can adjust the filtering to meet their own personal standards or adjust options for children at different ages. There are many different types of filtering software. They each work slightly different. Some software may be better for younger children and some software may be easier for people without much computer knowledge. Parents should review available software and decide what best fits their needs for their family's situation.

videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuaJcjxBK3U

Link

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/internet/child-internet-safety.htm

Alaa AL-ohtman

Internet Safety Tips for Children ~

By Jerry Ropelato   Internet safety policies and guidelines can help make the Internet a safer experience for your family members. You can find further information and assitance on our internet filter software review site.

..Here are some general guidelines

 

Place your computer in an open room with the monitor facing out. This allows you to see and control what is occurring on the Internet.

Educate your children about the Internet, both the positives and the potential dangers.

Bookmark child-friendly web sites. This allows your children to easily get to safe sites that they have used before.

Teach your children that Internet safety means never giving out personal information over the Internet.

Share your Internet child safety experiences, both good and bad, with others.

Teach your children to refrain from chat rooms.

Don't install Peer-to-peer applications. A high percentage of what occurs with children and peer-to-peer applications is related to either illegal or immoral activities.

Teach children to crash and tell. If they encounter a bad experience, they should feel comfortable in

 immediately turning off the computer and talking with a parent about the experience.

Never allow your children to meet with someone from an online session unless the parent approves.

Know the parents of your children's friends.

Teach children to never open email from someone they don't know.

Never respond to an unsubscribe on a pornographic email. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your ISP, and ask for assistance.

 

 ** click here ..

 

 

.youtube **

 

By : Shoroug Ali Al -Onaizan

education technology in early childhood years

ECT: As you look at 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds being offered opportunities like using cameras and tape recorders and video cameras in the classroom, do you think that based on your comments earlier on how children develop with real-time activities, do you think they have the capability of understanding and using those tools well?
Dr. Perry: That's actually a really good question. Preschool children are still having significant cognitive growth. In a very real sense, children think differently than adults. This is so because their brains have not yet completely developed. So to tape a conversation and replay it for an adult means something entirely different than when a three-year-old hears their voice on a tape. These experiences can be very positive and mind-expanding for a child — as long as they are done at the right time.
Children need real-life experiences with real people to truly benefit from available technologies. Technologies should be used to enhance curriculum and experiences for children. Children have to have an integrated and well-balanced set of experiences to help them grow into capable adults that can handle social-emotional interactions as well as develop their intellectual abilities.
I think that balance and timing are the keys to healthy development. Provide the right kinds of experiences at the right time. For example, if you take a newborn and do not hold that infant and put her in a seventh grade classroom and leave her for the afternoon, it's not a good experience. It can actually be abusive. But, if you take the 14-year-old child and rather than having them spend the afternoon in school, you hold and rock them all afternoon, that is not the right experience at the right time for that child. When a six-month-old child is strapped into a chair in front of a videotape designed to teach them a different language, that is a different experience than an eight-year-old child listening to the same tape. The infant's experience would be totally inappropriate, but the eight-year-old's may be great. What's important is when experience is provided and how it's mixed in with other crucial experiences.
ECT: Your comments begin to address an issue that's important today. As we move into the 21st century with pressure to gain experiences in technology, specifically computers, would you address how parents and early childhood educators could specifically work together to create this balance for young children?
Dr. Perry: While technology can help us teach children, in the end our children learn from us. Parents and teachers must act as facilitators in children's learning. For example, sitting down together and using playing cards is a very cognitive experience. They can learn how to add, they can learn how to predict, they can laugh, and they can learn how to win. In their interaction with a parent they're using this externalized object which is a playing card and a game. A very similar thing can happen with emerging technologies. I believe parents and teachers can take advantage of the interactive qualities of a computer to enhance the experiences available to children.
As parents think about the future they need to realize two things: technology is not going to go away and we are in the midst of a major sociocultural quantum shift. These technologies are revolutionizing the world our children will live in. So our task is to balance appropriate skill-development with technologies with the core principles and experiences necessary to raise healthy children.
We must keep the core principles of healthy development in mind as we incorporate these technology and tools. If we do that we'll be fine. And at the heart of any healthy child is the opportunity for enriching and nurturing interactions with other human beings. I think the key to making technologies healthy is to make sure that we use them to enhance or even expand our social interactions and our view of the world as opposed to using them to isolate and create an artificial world.
Unfortunately, technology is often used to replace social situations and I would rather see it used to enhance human interactions. And I think that can happen.
ECT: Earlier you began to discuss some of the pitfalls that you see with respect to using technology with children. Do you have any other thoughts or anything you would specifically like to cover there?
Dr. Perry: One of the obvious issues that all parents and even the people that develop multimedia material struggle with is controlling access to content that may not be developmentally appropriate. There are going to be computer programs and sites on the Internet and television shows that have content that may be appropriate for an 18-year-old, but very inappropriate for a preschool child. It means that in an environment where there is not parental control or the possibility for supervision, a child may have access to content that has extreme violence or presents inappropriate or destructive concepts such as racism, misogyny, or age-inappropriate sexuality. In the end, as with all other tools, adults must protect children from misuse or inappropriate access.
As we begin to create more child-sensitive television, for example, we will have to recognize that young children will understand in different ways from adults. For example, a 4-year-old child seeing the Oklahoma bombing — or a plane crash coverage on the news multiple times may think that buildings are blowing up all over the place and many planes crashed — rather than understanding that these multiple stories are actually from single events. And so access to information that is developmentally appropriate is something that we need to be very concerned about.
ECT: Would you address how you see specific opportunities for the use of technology to support children, say with special needs, are at-risk or who need assistance with language development?
Dr. Perry: Yes, in fact we have seen the use of technology here work very well to help children. The use of specialized computer programs has really helped a lot of kids that we work with. Even on the simplest level, if a child has some sort of fine motor or large motor problem so that their handwriting is very immature and very slow and looks sloppy, their esteem about their work product or their homework is very low. So they may be very reluctant to work hard because they always get negative feedback. They hand in papers that are all messy. You put them on a word processor and they can hand in papers that are clean and neat and they can see how to spell words correctly. Just very simple, non-specialized, software can be very helpful if used in the right way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOhb4n4ADbM
In addition, there are a number of specialized programs that allow children with certain information-processing problems to get a multimedia presentation of content so that they can better understand and process the material. They are able to see the written words and see a visual image and hear the sounds — all at the same time. Combining these sensory-modalities helps a child to more efficiently internalize information about a topic. If they have, for example, an auditory processing difficulty or a reading disorder they may be very bright but they don't read very efficiently so if something is read to them on a CD-ROM with visual images they are better able to internalize the information. This helps these children feel better about themselves because they perform better. They're not as afraid of school anymore.
There are emerging technologies used in traditional video games (e.g., Sega, Nintendo) that our group is trying to get dedicated to alternative interactive games with more stimulating but non-violent themes. We are hoping to use a variety of game-like models to teach kids language, to teach children about self-esteem, to teach children about the impact of trauma and how it can be overcome, for example. I think that when these technologies are actually used for more than entertainment we're going to see tremendous positive benefits.
Even now there are a number of good software programs with a primary educational focus on mathematics or reading. These programs, which are very engaging, challenge children to read better and learn how to solve math problems. When information is presented in a fun and engaging way, it is a lot easier than looking at a single page that has a bunch of columns of numbers you're supposed to add up.

New UK Seatbelt Video

 A wonderful video clip showing how important to have a seatbelt. Technology is amazing. Please enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM

http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/byrequest.pdf

dana

Role of the teacher

A Strong Teacher and Supportive Setting Are Key to the Successful Integration of Technology

1.     The teacher’s role in the classroom is as important as ever when it comes to the computer center. 

a.      The teacher facilitates learning through relevant computer activities.

b.     Although seeking out appropriate software is important, the teacher must also create an extension of that software to the natural learning environment.

c.     The teacher can be a guide by using open-ended questions to interact with children as they are problem solving through the computer activity.

2.     The classroom setting is critical to the success of the computer center.

a.      The child must have free access to the computer area.

b.     This provides an opportunity for the child to:

i.             make choices, 

ii.            engage in self-directed play,

iii.            and have unlimited time to problem solve independently.

3.     The classroom computer also creates positive social interactions.

a. Three- and four-year-olds are developing at different levels socially and cognitively.

b. The computer center allows the child to sit beside a classmate and observe as the classmate uses the computer. This is a beginning stage of social development.

c. Another child may be ready to interact with a friend at that same center.

d. The next level of development is when the children are ready to take turns at the computer.

4.     The computer center also helps develop cognitive abilities.

a.   By learning to problem solve, a child develops a sense of accomplishment.

b.   Software applications that offer immediate feedback also help children learn to apply existing knowledge to novel situations.

Three characteristics of teachers that were significantly linked with successful integration of technology innovations were:

• Technology Proficiency in using hardware and software, and in understanding the conditions that support technology use. For example, one project in this study called for computer video conferencing between 3rd graders with students from other schools. Although the teacher knew which software she needed to use, she had little knowledge of the technical infrastructure required to set up the whole system, such as high-speed Internet connections and digital cameras. This project was never implemented (p.9).
• Compatibility of teaching style, content, and the software and hardware. The study found that teachers who saw an intimate connection between the selected technology and their curriculum were more likely to implement their innovations successfully.

Social awareness of the school culture and organization. “For example, one teacher’s project required frequent use of the single, school-wide computer lab. This teacher successfully implemented her project because she was aware of the technology use patterns of other teachers, which enabled her to plan lessons and use of the lab accordingly

For more

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=302

Shaikhah al-qasim