RICHLAND ACADEMY

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International Baccalaureate (IB) – The role of Information and Communication Technologies in Kindergarten

Here at Richland, our students interact with ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in various ways during the school week. As part of our Balanced Literacy Program, we use the Smartboard during Guided Reading, Shared Reading and Interactive Reading instruction. Students can also follow along with their Thinking Partner while reading a paper copy. This gives our students a choice when reading, and the results are amazing. Senior Kindergarten students can follow the pattern of a story, and use strategies like looking at the picture or sounding out words, using visuals. Students are often discussing what they notice and relating it to their own personal experiences. This knowledge is often cemented at home when students bring a reader home to share with their families. As our Smartboard is interactive, students can choose to show their thinking and learning and share it with others.

In other areas of the curriculum and within the International Baccalaureate Framework, ICT is integrated to provide students with a variety of ways to construct knowledge. We often incorporate learning about numbers through movement, as well as learning word families and phonics while moving. This enables our kinaesthetic learners to make meaning in their own way. I may offer an invitation or provocation using the Smartboard, and it offers students a different perspective.

Recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on educating kindergarten children with the support of ICT and thus this fact has reinforced the use of technology as a mean of overcoming barriers to their learning. There is now a general agreement amongst different specialists that ICT can support a child’s skills as well as can create a developmentally appropriate learning environment depending on their needs and the curriculum requirements. Many studies have supported the view that ICT can foster the literature, early mathematics, cognitive, emotional-social, motor skills and enhance the creativity of kindergarten children. (ICTs in Kindergarten Study, October 2013).

Below is a list of websites and/or apps that we are becoming familiar with in Senior Kindergarten. YouTube also has some amazing channels that help students learn while moving. Check out the links below with your child at home and unlock a world of learning!
Storyline Online https://www.storylineonline.net/
abcya http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm
YouTube Jack Hartmann (he is amazing!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib5Gf3GIzAg
Starfall ​http://more.starfall.com/
Raz-Kids, which is linked to Reading A-Z (there is a cost to join)
​https://www.raz-kids.com/
Word Families– Little Fox (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJ4BTm8fdE&list=PLTYeDakuqA3-sPU2FP17Mt3_uvoMvoQYq
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