Touchtronic™ Letters combine the physical and digital worlds of learning.
Books and pencils are being exchanged for iPads and Apps as digital technology has become an essential learning tool.
Technology is progressively playing a key role in schools and early learning centres to enhance engagement, increase motivation and support learning across the curriculum as educators adapt pedagogy to reflect life outside the classroom.
Children are starting school able to use an iPad, before they are even able to tie their own shoes. Growing up in a digital world means children have a different style of learning than previous generations. Many children play digital games, which provides strong visual and audio stimulation and instant feedback and rewards for decisions or achievement through accumulating points and moving to the next level.
As children’s ability to absorb information is being shaped by continuous exposure to technology, Apps are now being used to teach children letters, numbers and words. They are helping children to gain an understanding about the area and volume of shapes, allowing them to rotate digital 3D models on their screens and divide them into blocks.
These interactive, hands-on tools are an innovative way to engage children in learning, in line with Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, which states that we remember 90 per cent of information when we engage in active learning; what we say and do. Digital devices enhance the learning experience, provide the ability to track individual progress and personalise learning.
Digital learning in centres and schools can be extended into the home. Children can explore learning through hands-on interaction with digital devices. These digital learning resources increase motivation, physical engagement and support children’s acquisition of literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills to enable children to function effectively in society and grow up to become great innovators and big thinkers.
Touchtronic™ Letters combine the physical and digital worlds of learning. It is a game played on an iPad that blends technology with traditional tactile reading and writing. Touchtronic™ Letters use 26 colour-coded letter shapes, consonants are blue and vowels are red. These letter shapes have sensors to allow children to pick them up and place them on top of an iPad that is running a supporting, interactive spelling app (available free from the iTunes store). The games teach letter recognition, phonemic awareness and word building. Exciting animations provide children with immediate feedback and sound effects as they place the letters correctly on the iPad, rewarding them as they complete each level. Buy it here http://www.edex.com.au/fundraising/index.php/wordwand-starter-set.html
WordWand™ is the 2013 Educational Toy of the Year. It is an interactive learning resource that helps children learn new words, phrases, pictures and numbers in a fun and exciting way. The electronic learning device assists children to develop listening, language, reading and observation skills. It is easy to programme and open-ended in use meaning it is suitable for children of different ages, abilities and stages of development. The WordWand™ Starter Set allows children to learn new words at their own pace and in any language. The WordWand™ handset stores up to 10 words that can be recorded at the press of a button, children then listen as the words are read out at random and find the matching word or image on any of the ten coloured pods. Learn more http://www.edex.com.au/fundraising/index.php/wordwand-starter-set.html
Jolly Phonics™ is a program developed for teaching phonics to early learners. It combines educational books with software to teach literacy and music skills to young children. Key literacy skills can be nurtured at home, with My Jolly Phonics™ Home Set. The multi-sensory resource kit enables children to explore and learn to read and write in a fun and enjoyable way. Jolly Phonics is a child centred approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. With actions for each of the 42 letter sounds, the multi-sensory method is highly engaging and motivating. View it now http://www.edex.com.au/fundraising/index.php/my-jolly-phonics-home-set.html