Game packs

http://www.parenting-resources.com/

One of the best vendor booths I saw was Parenting Resources. Along with some good early learning materials they had these game kits called LEARNING PROPS - a zippered bag which included a book and a gameboard printed on the inside. Game pieces were in a little pouch on one side. There are 10 topics such as Play Action, What Color is it?, Critters, Which Way, geared for Ages 3 +, not too expensive - set of 5 are $124.

Attention to change: the brain, behavior and self-perception

3pm - 4pm, Deborah McNelis, Brain Insights, New Berlin, WI

This workshop was packed - very good information about babies brain development and the importance of positive reinforcement vs. focusing on negative behaviors.

90% of babies brain develops during preschool years - 85% by age of 3
Development experience dependent - loving interaction and Play develops baby's brain
Brain adapts to the environment - lack of experiences literally results in smaller brain size - it will adapt to negative experiences as readily as it will adopt to a positive one
Brain prunes or gets rid of connections that haven't been used a lot and forms myelin sheaths on connections to transmit information more quickly = hardwiring the brain
Pathways are developed but can also branch out and leave pathways - can change in a postitive way (child can recover from a bad experience)
Brain can always change and make new pathways - plasticity
Repetitive experiences changes a child's life - learning

The presenters second half of the workshop sort of jumped ahead in a child's life and focused on parenting behaviors and how they affecting a child's self perception. Basically she said that a child's self perception was based on transferance from their parent's perception. She hoped that a parent would focus on the responsible or positive behaviors of a child: tell the child when you notice responsible behavior. Much attention is given to when a child does not do something - leaves clothes on floor, doesn't brush teeth, etc. and they will perpetuate negative behaviors. She stressed keeping track of good behaviors; using a positive tone of voice and providing encouragement vs. focusing on the negative to foster a child's self esteem.

Sustainability: examining what is said and shared with potential funders

10:30am - 11:30am, Catalina Sanchez, LA County Office of Education, Downey , CA

I enjoyed this workshop because the presenter had practical advice:

Before choosing a potential partner:

• know data that supports your need
• know what families and staff need
• know what the partner needs - figure out if your goals align with theirs
• read about past recipients - what organizations did they partner up with; good way to get ideas; look at what they've done; what they'll support

Before approaching a funder:

• be aware of your agency's image in the community
• be aware of competing factors
• identify what makes your organization unique - if you have a good image/reputation - use it!

Plan your approach:

• will it be informal or formal

Opportunities to communicate:

• business functions; conferences; memberships to professional organizations; colleague connections; networking

Be on their radar! In a POSITIVE way

• send them newsletters or emails with a link to article or something that they would find useful

Prepare for the opportunity:

• plan your "elevator" speech - 2 minute pitch with impact - highlight what makes you unique
• make abstract concepts like "family literacy" "school readiness" more concrete - create a visual picture
• create an impact with your words - test it out on friends who are not in your field and see if they understand what you're trying to convey
• Look at your mission statement

What makes an effective "elevator" speech:

• Start with an attention grabber (can be a personal connection)
• Use data in presentation
• Make mention of the services provided and where possible connect with outcome
• identify the target population you serve
• be sure to mention your parent organization
• Have your ask/request ready and be prepared to be successful - have your request ready

Be ready for follow up - have business card or ask them for theirs, offer to give them something

What to do after partnership:

follow up responsibly; send your business partner thank you notes from staff, parents, board of directors or community partners

Importance of storytelling

Importance of Storytelling
Satura Smith
JAS Consulting

This was a very entertaining session! If nothing else an amazing lesson in public speaking and storytelling. Satura used a low tech style that focused on humor and found a way to connect with everyone in the audience.

Her basic premise was to focus on the simplicity of storytelling (think back about how we connected as humans) - and the importance of how it engages learners, encourages conversation, dialogue, vocabulary.

Great take aways - we are all storytellers, encourage children - storytelling, encourage questions, don't stifle learning, powerful tool (especially for illiterate / low literacy adults)

She highlighted, just like we did in our storytelling session for new hires, anyone can pick up a book and read - but to TELL he story - you must engage.

GREAT - it was definitely edu-tainment!


Notes copied and pasted -

Edu-tainment (no flip charts, no projector)
Early childhood educator, taught school for 0 years, worked for pbs television 22 years (laid off 09 – budget)

Workshops and training at pbs – started (JAS – jump at the sun (after book by zora neale Hurston – aim high always jump at the sun)

Video, television, ipod, internet – we don’t communicate by talking / speaking anymore – dialogue has changed. Literacy / literature not in the forefront

Storytelling was how she was brought up (storytelling around the dinner table, tree, barbershop) – was big

Children so engaged in technology – should be for enhancing learning – not replace it

We complicated learning, made it complicated

Conversation / dialogue is how nephew learned. Storytelling, dialogue should be brought back. Stories – back by the sky, slavery – quilts

Storytelling – powerful way to ENGAGE families

Early language development – powerful way to engage families

Child can read a story on phone, color

She presented last year for adult learners – organizations donate books – what if there is no reading in the home. What if reading is not a daily part of their life. What if no one reads this book to her? What if same language in the home is no the same as the book?

Grew up reading everything. Saw parents read. Aunt enrolled in the book of the month club. Storytelling family – set up stories, make it fun, engage in story, husband makes fun – get to the point, a real storyteller makes you engaged

Educators like to talk, be at the front

Mother best storyteller, storytelling encourages creativity, engage – active mind, imagination provokes child’s imagination – promotes dialogue

Television was family time – Disney on Sunday wonderful world of Disney, wizard of oz, Daniel boone
- asked questions, inquisitive

Mom told horrible stories – large population of gypsies there (mom would talk about how they would take us to an island), picture in house – mom would say she was the queen of the gypsies, her name was 7up,

Loosing family history becase we are not telling stories (taking pictures with our phones).

Literacy is a key component to socialization. We are not teaching our children how to talk. When we allow our children not to talk –

Get pictures, paste, construction paper make photo albums

Visited grandparents, no television, Grandma Lottie please read this to me (grandmother born into slavery – could not read), Satura demanded Grandma Lottie – read me this book. Mother said no. Child demanded. Grandmother read the story through the pictures.

Millions of adults illiterate – many will not admit they can’t read. Do something not threatening, not complicated. Talking. Storytelling. These families can story tell.

Storytelling – engage children – when they ask questions don’t stop, they’re using words, incorporate (oh good, let’s see if the pig has red shoes, let the child tell you the story whatever way they want (moon, red shoes)

Ex. Story – you deliver story with the same facial expressions / delivery

Intimidation – fear, attitude, anger

Make child – parent teacher, jazz kids up to teach the parents, make it fun and engaging,

Activity – 8 volunteers from audience

PBS – incredible teacher program (PBS.org – real literacy base program, good show between the lions)

Everyone starts their story with the letter B
(every good story has to start off)

Relationshis between parents literacy skills and children's emergent literacy skills

1-2
Parents literacy skills vs children’s

This session was good, but INTENSE. The woman presenting was professor at Spellman college and was presenting research findings that are to be published shortly. I will need to log into the conference site to see if she posted any handouts. Her slides were literally FULL of words (Kevin McCardle would not be happy - I think he suggested 10 words per slide for us - I GET it now!).

She outlined the whole study - which surveyed children age 4 in specific APPLE program in GA and their caregivers. There were a total of 96 "dyads" children and caregivers. The stats broke down into almost all women caregivers and african americans.

The study posed five questions to test specific areas of literacy (ex. print awareness, language skills). They tested children and adults individually to determine their levels. The bottom line of the study - yes, parents skills did affect children.

The presentation of the slides, and the fact that we did not see the whole study, makes exact reporting tough. It was very technical! Overall, not every category tested affected children, but in the end, yes parents literacy has an effect. The researcher also thought of some things that additional studies could look into and thought it would solidify further, perhaps even show on a greater level how significant they are.

Take aways - parents "education" level does tell you their literacy level. Asking parents to read / do with child at home may not be a possibility - think B2B or SRP where we say - read to children - could be a problem). Also, I'm interested in following up on the survey tests they used with parents and children since we have grant reporting coming up and both M and I are utilizing book giveaway kits and we're tracking change.

I think this shows the importance of having data, statistics, science to show the importance of what we're doing, or why we need to change / improve / continue what we do.


Notes copied and posted:

- using grade level to assess literacy skills does not help
- people can be passed through
- 63 million adults (29%) read and understand a basic
- 30 million (14%) below basic level of literacy

Oral – receptive, expressive vocabulary
Expressive vocabulary

Lack of literature in these areas – questions exploratory

Study – hypothesis
96 child / primary care – dyads - (mom/dad/aunts/ grandparents)
80% of caregivers were mothers
Adults were English speakers
Avg. age 32
90 % African American
All children avg age 4 year old

PPVT – Peabody ppicture vocabulary test
EVT – expressive vocabulary test
Woodcock Johnson III tests of achievement (decoding, word recognition)
Print and Word Awareness (PALS)

Preschoolers tested in FALL (aug – oct)
Parents tested in WINTER (nov. - )

Descriptive statistics
- adults performing on avg. high school level
- children on avg 3 yr old language level

PALS
- didn’t have where child should be

One way ANOVA
- demographics same
- literacy skills same
- child literacy – one site higher (adults higher and children were higher)

Correlation statistics

Regressions
Predict child’s skills based on parents

Chart (Table 9)
1-6 parents
7-11 children

- .23 – .5 – small to moderate correlations, enough to say there is a relationship
- education level still correlated to children’s literacy skills
- hypothesis confirmed

- 15% education level contribution to expressive, oral language skills
- Parents language did predict child’s skills
- Child age 20 % , oral vocabulary parents 5 %
- How parent speaks affects how child speaks

Parent’s decoding skills – does not necessarily predict child

14% parental written language skills, prediction of child’s alphabet skills
- 12 % parent education level

Parents written language skills did not predict child’s print awareness

Conclusions

- parent literacy skills connect to child’s skills
- need to know parents skills (can’t say take this home, read this, etc.)

Read to your child, talk to your child (conversations matter!)
Give them the types of questions to ask
Emergent literacy, phonics (crux of it all)

Necessary to examine exact parental variables
Can’t look at children in isolation (family literacy is key)
Recognize impact of the parent

Follow up study needed
Diverse populations, socioeconomic groups


Illiteracy passéd on generation / generation (preschool – pre-k in home most critical when child is learning)

So what? – pass on to literacy programs, professionals focus on parents and kids
- 20 minutes to test parents (invest in future of the children)
- A matter of how (how get parents, how find out their skills)

Questions
- what would study look like with children who were not in a formal program
- what about the home literacy environment (home often mediated through literacy skills)
- girls in program outnumbered the boys
o this was in Georgia (free state program)
o APPLE (Atlanta preschoolers pursuing…)

- one parent had a masters degree
o 10/12 grade level across the board was what came out

Research has been submitted for publication
- funded out of United Way (APPLE project)
- this research tacked on
- implement parent component
- push for family literacy
- use “flesh kincaid level” when sending home information
o important to know level of parents b/c of what you ask parents to do at home

Did survey, home literacy environment survey, title recognition book test (20 real, 10 false) – very low, Hesh (reference - ? who authors were – adapted), home literacy environment survey (how long read at night, do you primarily read with child, if child doesn’t know skill do you work with them)

Email in program – if something want to know – email and she will send

Professor at Spellman College
Teach in ECE program with preservice teachers (bridge adult and child literacy)
Coauthors – Daphne Greenberg (adult literacy), Nicole Pattenteri (early literacy) at Georgia State

Picture This - Picture Books and Literacy in Child Centered Settings

Picture This
10:30 – 11:30
Lorre LeGendre
Toledo, OH

This was a FANTASTIC session! Really great that Reach Out and Read put on this session (ROAR - a national nonprofit that works with Dr. offices to "prescribe" books to babies and supply them with free books over a 5 year period, as well as storytimes at dr. offices, etc.). My SIF grant "Welcome baby" is also working with Dr. offices!

This session listed sample titles highlighting key areas of literacy that we hope to foster in young child, corresponding activities/crafts to promote these same literacy areas, and ideas to encourage "engagement" or excitement in reading.

Favorite ideas -
- play kits to link with stories (especially great for boys - and similar to our current story packs we offer now)
- legos with words on them to "build" a word
- take home literacy bags (LOVE this idea!) this is definitely something I'd like to work on (we are doing something like this with "Welcome Baby" right now, but I think it would be great to have something in library (great, great idea! - maybe a nother grant ..... :)?)
- story puzzles (I know we've done puzzles before - we have the large puzzle die. The example she gave was that each person provides a puzzle piece to continue the story going. Could be a really neat display for national library week or any other event - would make a nice display to connect the community and leave up for a months period.

I could ramble on (that's what is great about conferences - so many ideas) - but I'll wrap up since my notes are below and I know the readers out there are short on time.

Really great!





Copied and pasted notes from the session:

Reach Out and Read
Toldeo, OH
30,000 books given out annually

- average of 12 books for every middle class child
- average of 1 book for every 30 children

Why:

- foster language development
- promote reading
- emotional bonding / snuggling
- love art
- conversation builds comprehension


Benefits:

- Print motivation
- print awareness
- vocabulary
- Letter knowledge


Literacy Rich Environment in places where children have time –

- home, school, bus, car, extended family
- provide variety (cookbooks, menu, magazines, catalogs, comic books, books)
- if it’s a care center – make sure to have signs

Craft project
- paper bag book
- decorate the magazine holder, cereal box
- story garland (old books – buy big hole punchers
- job list / paper plate craft season / bathroom signs (print aareness)
- wanted posters (describe favorite book character)
- picture book puzzle
- posicle stick / card stock (Dear Zoo parade) – different animal on each character (PM, V, N)
- daily calendar or journal (use old berry basket, keep index card in it)
- picture book puzzle, how big can it get? (great display for library week)
- I-Spy mystery bottle (plastic water bottle – rice sand – little toys inside – beads with letters, army man * tape lid shut! Make a key of what’s inside – Kids can shake it around)
- Use snack time as a way to increase kids vocabulary (ex. Everyone needs a new word to describe cheezeit – orange, salty, square, sharp, crunchy)
- Mystery Book Box (take old book falling apart) pictures of curious george, bananas, reduced cover of the book, kids have to guess from items in box – what is the story
- Picture book quilt (book cover on front) (character on back) / Magazines (tape)
- Mail box out of show box (parents leave the mail in the box)
- Letter toast (alphabet cereal, use cookie cutter to cut out bread, draw etter in milk on bread before toasting?)
- Beach ball with questions (where finger lands, answer the question)
- Pizza box flannel board
- Picture book hand puppet (sock and string on hungry caterpillar food)
- Story stones (over age 3!)
- Story starters (young kids can bring over their piece)

Book Examples -

Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos
Dumb Bunnies by Dave Pilkey
My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand
Cick clack moo cows that type
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day by Judith Viorst
Nonfiction (first encyclopedia of space, books on how to draw, my big truck bbook, state capitals, cooking with cat)
Chicka chicka boom boom
Alphabet adventure (fire truck theme)
Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
ABC Construction
I love you goodnight
Good night pillow fight
Alpha bugs
Each peach pear plum

Draw children’s attention to the print ask questions
- where do we start on the page?
- Use finger as you read along

Vocabulary
- Knowing the names of the things
- Children with delayed vocabulary development (lower the income – the higher the percentage of delay) ex. Below 30,000 income is 40% delay
- Disparities in early vocabulary growth ex. Welfare parents have 36 mo. Old with just over 200 words vs. college educated parents at 36 months with 1200 word vocabulary
- Low income children hear two putdowns to every positive statements * books can provide positive

Toddlers learn about print through sight
- give books (board books better – books go in mouth, how they explore)
- photographs with pictures and labels
- posters, bulletin boards, pictures
- labels and signs on things

Research says expose children to rare and technical books they don’t hear (helps with science technology and math)

Activity quiz
- Best vocabulary builder, conversation starter (guesses – blocks, finger puppets, ball, paint) and the answer is PLAY-DOH!
o Lots to talk about (they can talk – colors, shapes, what they’ve made)

1950 – 4000 words of an avg. 1st grader
1999 – 1000 words of an avg. 1st grader

2-3 times more through reading is how kids increase vocabulary vs. teacher just talking

Incentives for kids to read

- create a comfortable reading zone
- judge book by cover
o size of font
o how much white space
o number of pages
o illustrations
o have them read three sentences (front and middle to check comprehension)

What about boys
- boys get majority of ds and fs
- make up percentage of discipline proble
- learning disabilities 70% boys
- boys like to play – often pushed into activities (put books into plays)

Book bags
Artifact book bags
- follow up tosy to go with book (notepad to draw pictures, army guys)

Lego / translation Play well

- Bricktionary – pictionary (team has to get what built
- Brickture story – picture story
- 20 questions (get 20 questions to guess what the item is)
- letter stickers ont hem and kids can build words

Letter and sound knowledge
- know letters different from each other
- Being able to recognize

Letter building
Boggle (take letters to match up, how many cards could spell before the timer)

Narrative skills (being able to describe things)
- talk tot hem (show story patterns)
- Dialogic reading (power of the letter)
- Puppets
- Flannel boards

Phoenological awareness (auditory skill)
- about sounds (print can help)
- play stop start games
- tongue twisters, rhyming books
- paperplate word slides
- paint sample
- flip through tongue twisters

http://myweb.stedwards.edu/mikekb/ReadStrong/phoenimicaware.pdf

Book It
- take home literacy bags (old t-shirts – cut off sleeve, iron on graphic)
- daily literacy reminder (ask me about the story of the day – change book at sign out)
- classroom family literacy book
- Wrapping paper / fabric – envelope shape

Reading tips
Developmental milestones
Dr. recommended book list

Day Two - Overall

We made it! Margaret and I finally got back tonight just before 7 safe and sound!

It was another great day! Same great company, no rain (which I do like, but nice not to walk in it), and some more interesting sessions!

It was really interesting attending this conference with a focus on families and reading. ALA and CLA have so much to cover overall - academic / business / public libraries - all of the many things we do and facets of ours service library programming / new directions - staying relevant / programming. It was very exciting to focus on the people and "the book."

It was very inspirational (hearing speakers like Wes Moore), exciting (new ideas - like play kits to go with stories), informative (staggering stats about brain and language development - 1950 - avg. 1st grader 4,000 words vs. 1999 avg. 1st grader 1,000 words), and motivating (we are the people who can make the change!).

Today we went through the exhibits and gained some good info -

- contact with our scholastic representative Barbara (offered to bring free donations to us! - and offered us to sign up for a program with discounts and free shipping)
- parenting resources (a distributor)- some neat stuff (games Margaret found), some good books on brain development, brain development flashcards, and some great book titles
- Aztec - has a really neat booth set up (sending info about their display)
- Poster sessions - I spoke with "Raising a Reader" a national program who has been working with a group of evaluators to develop an evaluation program (which works with an excel table).

There program is about book bags that expose children to 100 books, focusing on children ages 0-6.

I asked - the different evaluators had grants already and worked with this group for free. evaluators mainly include - Pacific Consulting Group, Universities, and their "online data collection tool" was developed by sociometrics. I think the big thing the groups did was help to develop questions (how often do you read with your child at night) and the consulting groups / sociometrics figured out how to get data entered where needed. There wasn't a lot in the way of details being offered, but I thought any info. data collection would help with any upcoming grant reporting with "Welcome baby".

Sessions today

"Picture This! Picture Books and Literacy in Child centered Settings"
A

Relationships between Parents Literacy Skills and their Children's Emergent Literacy Skills)
B+

Once Upon a Tim - The Importance of Storytelling
B+

Again, I'll do individual posts and attach my notes, should you want more detail. I appreciate the chance to collect info. and hope it's as helpful to any interested as it was to me.

Thank you!

Guide to writing successful grants and proposals

Guide to writing successful grants and proposals
Patricia Habeck
Tulare County, Maiposa
1-2

This was also a really good program! Patricia is a retired (I think adult literacy coordinator) who now professionally helps others write grants. It sounds likes she has written hundreds. Apparently she typically spends 8 hours teaching this program and had to boil it down to one hour.

We started with workshop exercise where we spoke to the folks in our row about their grant ideas so we could all conceptualize the important pieces of a grant (who, what, when, where, why, how).

We then went around the room and heard samples from some of the rows about grant ideas - how to "pitch" it to the "banker" who would want to fund the idea.

Much of what she covered has been in our grant training through the Staff Innovation Project. I did enjoy her presentation of the information - she is a "tell it like it is" "spitfire" type of a person. Ex. include - you have to get over feeling bad about being rejected - no point, work with partners on grants you can't qualify for yourself, fill out an mou with grant partners otherwise you become the "stuckee" providing all the services. Very amusing.

I did get a handout with many websites to check for grants - not sure how many are different from the info. we received in our workshop. Some fun ones she proposed seemed out of the box - USDA for literacy funding, rosie o'donnell, home depot for a ball field. She also said the USDA offers a "supernofa" where you can apply for 3 to 4 different grants (different departments) with one application.

She said she thought it took about 80 hours to write a federal grant. She said the most important tip for grant writing is working backwards -

- when is it due
- who needs to sign
- budget

I'll scan and put the grant handout info on the I drive when I get back!

"I know it when I see it": Recognizing Quality in Children's Digital Media

2pm - 3:30pm
Michael Robb, Director of Education and Research Fred Rogers Center
Alison Bryant, President and Founder of PlayScience, associate editor of the Journal of Children and Media
Roberta Schomburg, Senior Fellow Fred Rogers Center Early Learning and Children's Media
Alice Wilder,Co-creator and Head of Research and Education, Super Why!

I enjoyed this panel discussion by these innovators and leaders in children's media. It was interesting to see how each of the presenters tackled the question of "quality".

Michael Robb discussed the "device affordances" examining the product - how interactive is it - touch screen? Child's age? Intent - amuse, engage, entertain? Useage is more important to quality than the item itself. Considerations of quality - how does it affect the health, well being and overall development of young children? Content - abilities match child's age. How is the media being used? Evidence based - why is something good? Word of mouth; User reviews; Usability testing; Experimental studies

Alice Wilder - "Describing the Undescribables" Examined quality taken from mulitple perspectives:
What kids might consider quality - engages, amuses and challenges. They take something away from screen experience (Angry Birds and What Makes Water)
What teachers might consider quality - whatever enhances classroom curriculum (The Makeshop Show); extending the learning at home using media (Super Why)
What Librarian's might consider quality - interactive digital books (not much of a discussion here)
What Parents might consider quality - gives them more time; makes kids think
Kid is co-developer of content - consulted throughout development of product
Incorporates strong educational principles such as scaffolding
Indescribables - Vision

Allison Bryant - examines what makes things engaging WHY IS PLAY IMPORTANT; lights up brain; fosters creativity; explores what I can be; interactivity; lets us attune to others; teaches rules; safe failure; play is learing from doing; interactivity combines play with quality media WHAT DEFINES QUALITY INTERACTIVE MEDIA? Has interactive interface - becomes an extension of themselves (kid looks at finger for "paint" after using iPad to "paint") Keeps kids abilities in mind: adds to the experience without complexity (avoid cognitive overload!); Considers the parent and siblings as teachers - coplay options - sharing = more points for games teaches collaboration

Scaffolding supports kids learning
Allows for exploration and creativity
Incorporates learning by doing - Toontastic -create own story - storytelling - understanding structure

Roberta Schomburg - Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood education programs through birth to age 8. "Ensure equitable access to the same technology and media for each and every child in an early childhood program and to the extent possible to parents and families" Jerlean Daniel, Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
-Interactive media can be a tranformational tool if used with intention
-Developmentally appropriate practice - should guide the use of technology and interactive media
-Age and development level, social and cultural, linguistic level
-Enhance child's cognitive levels
-Supports special needs
-Integrated into curriculum
-Can help educators make and sustain home school connections

Challenge - professional judgment guides the selection, useage, integration and evaluation
Digital citizenship - model appropriate use and help children learn to think critically about these tools and the content they deliver

Tools for quality media:

www.wonderopolis.org

www.yourele.org

I Know It When I See It - Quality Digital Media

2-3 Digital Media
Michael Robb - PhD, Director of Education Research Fred Rogers
Alison Bryant - PhD, President and Founder Play Science
Alice Wilder - EdD, CoCreator and Head of Research and Education, SuperWHY

I wanted to attend this session because someone from Fred Rogers Institute and Play Science were speaking. I was curious about what role play would have with digital media. Turns out it was a great program (despite the camera man filming us AGAIN!).

We explored the difficulties of trying to define quality media. Michael Robb from Fred Rogers gave a lot of food for thought about how Fred Rogers has come up with their framework for quality. Two things that really stood out to me that I had not thought of -

1) affordances - what is the device, how is it used, what is it used for, child's developmental age
2) evidence base - reviews, research

Alison Bryant from Play Science was also really well spoken with interesting info. She talked about the development process they used in developing apps and games and how the quality framework was applied. It made me think of our process with the Play and Learn Island development.

The basic points fro her section were - play lights up the brain, it's about the children - ask them - they should be engaged, learning, play is a safe place for failure, keep children's abilities in mind, and make it interactive.

She had lots of interesting examples including a website where children could design, write, animate, and narrate their own story. Definitely seemed like something we could incorporate into a Discovery Club.

They also mentioned Wonderopolis - a free website that is being heavily advertised here. It's got a station in the exhibit area, an entire program dedicated to it, and it was plugged at this program as well as the big speaker session at the end of the day (they crowed about it being on TIME magazine's list of top websites). Think it could be worthwhile.

This session did make me think about our use of digital technology (clearly this interactive technology is very important - NFCL revised it's statements to now include) - perhaps we could explore recommended websites and games for children from our webpage? Look into it's use (when necessary to supplement our programs).

The final speaker did highlight that we are lacking research about this new interactive technology with babies and toddlers. I know there is a lot of research against passive screen time for young children.

It will be interesting to see what new information will be coming out for the younger ages.



Copied and pasted notes from session -

Framework for quality – Fred Rogers Center
Guidance for media creators, parents, teachers
What makes something quality?

Example shows:
- Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood
- Caillou
- Angelina Ballerina

Example game:
- Eye Spy

What makes them quality:
- Educational
o Teach alphabet / numbers
o Society – feelings, what is right
- Multi-cultural (MH)
- Fun engaging – want to
- Not harmful
o Bad messages
o Violence
o Sponge bob – messes up brain
- production quality (MH)
o good professional images
o professional actors

Rogers – thinks about
-device (touch screen),
-affordances (what this thing allows you to do), how interactive / structured, use keyboard or mouse, how much print literacy will this require
- context of use
- child’s age / stage
- Just be entertained?
- content genre

Developing this framework with physicians, early childhood experts

Commonsense media

Lens to help guide decisions about quality.

IPAD – what can it do, usage (most important – not just what the piece of media), have to know how it is being used (age), with parent or without, language, what is it used for

Framework of quality – rough draft

Health, well-being, overall development for young children

The child, content, context of use

Evidence Base

- Early childhood development needs to b an anchor (little research on media technology, impact on children)
- Safe (not violence, inappropriateness, physically harmful (eyestrain, cell phones)
- What are interests, abilities of that child, how old – combine all info.
- Evidence – why something is good (user reviews) (usability testing) (gold standard – experimental studies, children definitely learned something vs. comparative group of children who do not use this thing.) – this is gold standard for researcher

Quality – Describing the Indescribable

60 hrs video uploaded every minute
300--- Apps

Where’s my water vs. angry birds

Ask the kids. Kids might say (we are engaged, challenged, learning). Kids are not passive consumers of media. Taking something away from this experience – but what.

Video of kids – pointing gesturing talking to screen, helping, laughing, singing

What teachers might consider quality (when the product provides standard / or enriching material)

- The makeshop show – maker culture, in museum you get to do this, let’s expand who gets to do this.Art teacher has to stick to the basics. Exactly what we need in the classroom – we can show the basics and it would enrich my team to show the videos.
- Superwhy? – kids love program write up curriculum to meet both kids and teachers needs, same content –ex. Video preschool teachers using – teachers invested in program, saw development in children. Teacher uses media to extend learning already doing in the classroom. Create characters (I want to be superwhy with the power to read).

What do librarians consider quality?
- (interact digital books, to inspire a love of reading

What do parents consider quality cut the rope, Casey’s contraptions (10 year old – I like that these make me think)

End user is considered / consulted throughout the process
- what they like, etc. (they do this while constructing program / game)
- kids are focus of product

; learning contextualized meaningful situations
Scaffolding to meet needs of learner
Interactivity as a way to practice skills

Producer needs to meet formal features
- sfx
- cuts
- zooms
- pans
- dissolves

Kids don’t understand film language – children may not understand a cut to a playground and will loose comprehension.

Through PBS – had to create a show up to standards of no child left behind

Indescribable visions (Angelo Santomero Mr. Rogers neighborhood sequel) – degree child development, big picture thinker, blues clues, super WHY,

Technology / media is a means to an end

dralice@rcn.com

Alison Bryant from Play Science
PHd education, worked at Nickelodeon

Worked on Blues Clues as a masters student

Team – Play in all forms
Educational, social content, health and wellness, how engage

What is interactivity – how does this fit into quality

Why play is important
- light sup our brain (neuroscience on play), fosters creativity, explore what I can be, attune to others – parent child relationships – safe space to learn how to negotiate, teaches rules, safe failure, play is learning by doing, way we show how we can do things,

interactivity can bring play in quality media,
Has intuitive interface, keeps kids abilities in mined, allows for explorations and creativity

Intuitive interface (IPAD – simple- no mouse – ouch screen), green button to move page in lower right, menu is star in center – only poops up when on star, Iphone test of 3 year old coloring (kept looking at finger looking for color – felt like magic – extension of them), for games have to strip down to what need – what will improve experience

- Keeps kids abilities in mind (physical / cognitive abilities) 4 and 5 year o.k. playing wii tennis, wii sensors were too high – not helping the kids, muppet covers for the wii mote (too many buttons preschools couldn’t use – limited buttons that just the kids would use and put on plastic grips

Adds experience without complexity
- multitasking does not need good for kids – can take away from learning and interactivity experience

Consider parents, siblings, and teachers
- dora diego in parents – parents were engaged in wiii and wanted parents to play with them
- need to be able to play by self has mastery, but built coplay game inside- play better with parent and sibling
- parents are a key piece of valuing education and wanting it
- parents uncomfortable with math topics, didn’t encourage kids to play
- play is safe failure (allows flexibility, allows child to be the teacher)
- multicultural families – spanish speaking frustrated that e books were not working for them and child using English at school (tablet can change based on tablet movement changing english and spanish.
- RAZZ kids – interactive website, books, reading – partner with teachers (teachers can set goals), teacher sees what child has done (informal learning / education) kids read and win prizes, ages 7 – 10

Scaffold, support kids learning
- leap frog automatically scaffolds for the child
- scaffold curriculum
- assess without making feel like question

Allows for exploration and creativity
- interactive, explore, creative (21st century skills)
- create along with product or interactive media
- makego – using legos (make a vehicle) STEM skills, iphone, ipad can make an icecream truck or racecar, get to see it come to life

Incorporate Learning by Doing
- Just because Ipad doesn’t mean
- Want to show mastery of skills
- Toontastic – let’s kids animate their own stories (understanding structure to stories) letting kids create own (can add music and narrate)
- Todami (camera on tablet- green screen) can play games, create greeting cards, can see yourself interacting in media – autism spectrum helpful to see self – all children respond to self

Allows for exploration and creativity

NCFL 2012
Technology and interactive Media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8

They have partnered with Fred Rogers to revise their old statement to allow for technology (which was unimaginable at the time). Expanded interactive media and technology has changed (3 to 8 was old) – now birth is included.

Touch screens – 18 month old loved the touch screen. Functionality (toddler goes right for the button.

Jerlean Daniel Feb 2012 – webcast NAEYC – ensure equitable access to same technology for children and families.

We must integrate technology and grant access to children’s skills.

Drew into legacy of Fred Rogers. He hated tv and wanted to do better for children.

Position of statement is the new beginning of a framework for technology.

Media and technology are transformational tools for learning and development. Many possibilities, embrace technology in appropriate ways. Ex. child using a communication device, child using a digital camera

What guidance are we giving teachers, parents, and professionals working with young children. The guidelines for home use are not addressed. Developmentally appropriate practice first. Is this the best way to use it?

DAP – age developmental practice – social, cultural and lingusitical background

Wen used appropriately – enhances children’s social, cognitive abilities, research from age 3 and up, no support on passive media (passive media not a part of the program), more inclusive practices

Technology and interactive media is best when it is a tool pulled out when a teacher needs something done.

The linchpin is the professional, we need to provide the professional judgedment – make good judgment – how to use, evaluate, bring into curriculum

Digital citizenship – early childhood professionals modeling appropriate uses, framework for quality from Fred Rogers will help.

Valid limitations for babies and toddlers (continue to look at)

Still concern over appropriate content (don’t give children access)

Time away from other activities – suggest balance

Support ongoing research

Please think of the children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, food, day or night care … listen o the children. Learn about them

Wonderopolis – ncfl – media provided on here is scalable, how to integrate into curriculum

Fred Rogers Center – early learning environment 9launching on Wednesday officially) Brochure in bags passed out, books / activities do with children, child development how to use materials (www.yourele.org)

Media can become a conversation –

Beyond Mother Goose

Beyond Mother Goose
Patricia Finn
Tempe , AZ
11 – 12

This was another really great session. We currently use rhymes in all of our storytime is books and fingerplays, however I don't think any of us are using nursery rhymes. After this session, I think it's a great idea to bring them in.

Main points of the session - what rhymes do to babies ad young children's brains, how it shapes them, prepares for english language and early literacy, and how rhymes specficaly teach the sounds of english language (great for adult learners too).

How to incorporate rhymes - focus on one a week - the goal is to get children to repeat them. Rhymes are supposed to be fun - can change them to be appropriate. Sources for rhymes - online handout with 33 ideas available - specific book Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes has 500 options.

Cool rhyme facts - rhyming like music, similar to action of rocking, comforting to children (they can anticipate what will come next), positive way to redirect children.

Hope everyone else is excited to try this, it can't miss, kids love this! It's even better when you work in snaps and claps with the rhymes - lots of fun!


Copied and pasted notes from session:

Professional writer, story teller, early child care worker – Head start. Rhymes are the best tool to prepare children o read and write. Children who know nursery rhymes have an advantage over children who don’t and become more successful readers. Have a rhyming week – or rhymes at circle time. Effective tool for developing pre literacy skills.

1990s began at a small school as a reader for 20 min – 3 times a week. Used rhyming works – rhymes attracted children more. Involved in literacy in Ethiopia and states. Teach at Salt River Pima Indian head start.

Mother goose introduces children to the sound of English. Use rhymes for infants. Immerse children in the sound of our language. Infants and early toddlers. Participating in rhyming activities. Sentence structure – adjective before the noun. Preschool – sequencing – what they’ll be experiencing in kindergarten.

Rhymes can be sexist or violent. Feel free to change. Find one that you are comfortable with using. No rhyme police.

Rhymes capture children’s attention. Peter, peter (clap, snap while saying). Higgeldy, piggledy bumble bee name rhyme, days of the week rhyme. Rhymes are patterned speech (we seek patterns) – we gravitate to it. Wired to seek a pattern.

Positive behavior support training. Every child is tense, ears closed, brains shut – don’t want to receive. PBS program. Predictable structure in day. Ex. Circle time, playground, lunch, and nap. Every Day. Child led learning. Need repetition – addresses basic human fear of the unknown. Know what will happen next. What is more predictable than a rhyme. Repeating, predictable pattern. Every time you use rhyme – reduce, fear, stress.

Two foundation statements – rhymes 1. “the most effective tool to prepare for reading” 2.“rhymes develop neurological pathways in brains than plain speech” – age appropriate, more effective.

MRI, MSI – Brian imagery – phonics and brain development – university at Oregon study – child not able to pronounce a word phonetically – child’s brain stumped. Rhymes develop brain.

Ex. Make rhymes more effective (clap, snap, tap) – have child do snap, clap, stomp

1, (clap) 2 (clap), 1 2 3 (clap)– everybody (clap) get ready with me (clap)

Crying baby – soothing – psychology of rhyme – respective nature (rocking sound) – mothering magazine. Did research, wrote article for Mothering Magazine – rocking changes what’s happening in brain. Repetitive rhythmic nature. Don’t pick snappy clappy rhyme. Baa baa black sheep have you any wool, yes sir, yes, three bags full. (just repeat that line).

When infants are awake – do snapping and clapping. Visual literacy into infants multi sensory. Point to pictures of cat and fiddle – hey diddle, diddle, cat and the fiddle (point to cat and fiddle).

Study in Canada – child’s ability to keep beat correlates to ability too read. Do lots of drumming at salt river.

Music and brain development – rhymes are a cousin to music. Rhymes have a musical quality – if just say it – same benefits as if not singing. 33 commonly used nursery rhymes online - or use oxford dictionary of nursery rhymes (500 to choose from). Info. Online to access head start in Mississippi – rhyming and pre literacy activities – 33 rhymes. Rhyme a week curriculum. Age appropriate - preschoolers. Select rhyme to use – one rhythm – all through day or week. Scaffolding – want children to say it – need to hear it over and over again to say it. Rhyming activities pulls language out of children (fun and engaging). Put together several sentences in a rhyme. With preschoolers put their name in there.

Ex. Pappas coming down the wagon way, he’s got a pocketful of money, and a wagonload of hay (put child’s name in place of pappa).

Infant on changing table, she sang the abc song (how many times has the baby heard the abc song. Toddlers bathroom on own sing the Abc song. Comfort level in classroom.

Teacher has to serve lunch on the plate, sang rhymes all during serving. Beyond mother goose.

Develop own ability to create a rhyme to fit situation. At Salt Rhythm using music and me program. National musical program for preschool age children. “Time to put the bells away” – toys “time to put the toys away – you can play another day” “walking feet, very sweet, walking, walking, walking, walking feet” – re-direction. Temper tantrums (girl lays down on floor- tells with body language – no). Re-direct with rhyme to come over to another part of the room.

Preschoolers – start with same rhyme with one picture, then later change picture. Adds to brain development. Black and white. As children age, change beat and picture. When working with preschoolers – can have them act out.

Resources – website for this workshop – book – published by black sheep press “What will I do with baby-o” comes with cd and book for infants. Has rhyming activities that are sound based.

Mother goose on the loose – educators, librarians, very popular with libraries. Scottsdale have all come to training. Take rhymes all through the day with children. Send home a copy of a rhyme the children did for the day.

Special needs – study by CELL (center for early literacy) – visual, cerebral palsy, developmental delays – ages 12 months to 6 years. Conclusions – same benefits of rhymes for children same as those for children with special needs.

History – nursery rhymes go back from 1500s – oral tradition to entertain Kings, then used in bars, then to homes. They were also political tools. Secret meaning of nursery rhymes – website.

None talks like this now – doesn’t matter. We don’t have to dissect every word.

ExCELL

ExCELL: A Promising Family, School, and Community-focused Model for Early Literacy Success
Cynthia Hutchinson and Christopher Chin, Literacy Institute at Virgina Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. 1pm - 2pm

ExCELL = Excellence in Childen's Early Language and Literacy. This program started in 2008 with one school site. Every year they increased the number of school sites. In 2011 they increased to 17 sites. Emphasis on family involvement with child's learning at home with oral language and shared reading.

Key Components -
School and teachers: classroom based instructional materials and children's libraries; professional development; provide enhanced manipulatives/educational toys in the classrooms
Home and Family - families will be engaged and involved in children's learning at home and in school; family literacy events (Preschool teachers attend these events); Raising a Reader program - backpacks (reminded me of our Storypacks on steroids) emphasizing skills developement - alphabet knowledge, writing skills, etc - includes flash cards, laminated fingerplays, stuffed animal and parent survey asking questions about reading behaviors
Community and Resources - partner with library; librarians attend professional development sessions with school staff; connect families to local resources; aligning with community organizations

Good advice = successful program

Let's Talk

Sunday March 25, 2012
Jennifer Baily and Priscilla Cardoso
“Let’s Talk” Literacy Initiative
9:30 – 10:30 / 11
Cambridge, MA


I thought this workshop was GREAT! The presenters were high energy, very knowledgeable, and passionate. I thought the info. From this program could tie into any of our story times, especially our play and learn workshop, both Margaret and my staff innovation grants, and even some new programming ideas.

The main focus of this workshop is a specific program called “Let’s Talk” – think of something like “First Five”. It’s actually a funded program in Cambridge, MA (they were talking about a CT branch – so I would need to research how wide they are – nation?).

This is a great program that of course focuses on the importance of language (talking and reading) and how that helps baby and young children’s brains to develop. They focus on getting the info. Out to parents through outreach baby kits (like the Welcome Baby bundle grant I’m working on), visiting parents at offsite locations – libraries, city facilities, parenting groups (which is like the Family Resource Center Story time grant Margaret is working on), and doing home based visits.

They do lots of instruction, modeling practice, give away tons of books, and also do some neat activities. They talked about doing “book walks” – which is similar to what we did at our BHM program when we blew up the images of “If the People Could Fly”. They use “real estate signs” to have books printed on (more durable – but EXPENSIVE). They post these installations at different facilities, but also do walks where people travel with the story. It sounds like a great idea to revisit for a cultural arts night, family Saturday, etc.

Favorite tips
– dialogic reading – ask children questions while reading – such as what do you think the gorilla is doing? What will happen next?
– OWL – Observe, wait (wait for the child to respond), listen
– Talk to children while you do everything! Play talk (how does the water feel? How does the soap smell? These are carrots. They are crunchy and orange)

I really enjoyed this session! I think they should be offering this at CLA / ALA! I would love to see our library continue to work these tips and practices into our story times and recommend to parents.

If your interested in the full notes - they're copied and pasted below - otherwise feel free to skip.

Thanks!

A



Notes from session copied and pasted


45 participants

100,000 population
60 Languages in schools
Low income and fairly wealthy (not in between)

The importance of talking, key messages, our model (practice), techniques, questions

46% of kids entering kindergarten are at risk for academic failure

What influenced let’s talk initiative
Hartin risley study (famous) – shows children by age 3 lower income / education – those children have half the vocabulary. How to close this gap? Brain research, how young children really learn. People working with children, science confirms. Talking to your child makes the difference in vocabulary.

Most literacy starts with reading, talking should come first. Agenda for Children, partnership (5 departments – police, library, human services, public health, schools, (salary paid by human services, housed in public health).

Key Messages

Learning begins at birth. Talk to your child as much as possible (in the language you speak best) – richer vocabulary, better grammar, ideas, more conversations.. Engage in conversations with your child (talk about everything you’re doing. Do it while you are doing things – no extra time) (children learn interactively –the back and forth matters). Read with your child everyday (talk as much as you read – use books as a conversation). Parents are children’s first teacher.

Our model –

Library key partner – we give out library bags (know how many kids are born at Cambridge) – library gets this information (welcome bags – parents get – get library card, free books, born to read bib, letters say welcome). Twice a week visit hospital, visit families and give welcoming bag – says let’s talk. Materials in 4 languages – Portuguese, Haitian / Creole, English, Spanish. Let’s talk wash cloth (talk about bath, soap, while doing it). Wordless book (great for families of second languages – even if don’t know how to talk – wow!).

Talking / reading workshops to childcare providers, parents, head start (go when they already meeting and already there).Go to library to do it, any local groups that are already meeting (parents won’t typically come to one new thing. Ideally an hour and half workshop (but will drop it to 10 minutes – whatever time they give). Hospital.

Literacy home visits – anyone who lives in Cambridge. Share techniques.1 ½ - 2 hours typical visit (depends on child and parent). Give out library info, resources to refer, WIC.

Community Playgroups
8 weeks registration – themed week – give away free books 2 of the weeks. Families come in and play – read book at end that ties into activity. Parent and child take part in “exploration activity” related to book. Address reading, talking, fine motor skills, sensory. If miss 3, then take families off the waitlist.

Story Bags
Themed bags, sent to childcare resource center. Home based childcare providers (family based childcares).

Story walk
Walk and read a story. Schools, parks, malls, businesses, Books are printed on real estate books – so as you walk you read. Not too plot driven (because people can walk in at a different point). Not too many words. They don’t get permission. They do give away the free books so they are making money. One author asked to come out and join. City hall. Will leave them up all the time. Lots of money to buy real estate signs. About $1,000 to buy real estate boards (they used a grant – would not share – not someone we can get).

Give away about 700 books a year.

Literacy Ambassadors
Multilingual, multicultural, live within the community. Important to live within the community – about building trust, connecting with the community. Challenge (revolving door). Currently 9 ambassadors – different languages. Work 5 – 8 hours a week, home visits, meet an hour and half each week, share updates with ambassadors (holidays, supervision, etc.). 40 weeks per year. Exchange a lot of information amongst themselves.

Language is their barrier, but you could have teen parents work as ambassadors to reach out to other teens. Let’s Talk is a universal program, think about

Talk techniques
Concept – play talk vs. business talk. (what’s your buddy doing, how does the water feels, how does the soap smell, rhymes, songs) (commands – brush your teeth, time to go).

OWL – Oral Language Development Techniques
OWL – observe, wait, listen,
Imitation (make sounds back)
Extension (whole sentence)
Turnabout (conversation)

More play talk – play talk helps babies brains to form (business talk does not).Owl makes parents realize (most wait a quarter of a second), Respond back to coooo cooo, with same sounds, children learn by imitation. Give children the whole sentence (juice – do you want some juice). Not about remembering the names of these things – but remember the concept.

Interactive reading – Dialogic Reading
Dance – because of back and forth. Allow child to be their age (if it is chewing book, throwing). Using wordless books if trouble with language. Ask lots of questions.

CROWD

Completion
Recall
Open-Ended
WH – questions (who, what, when, …
Distancing

Ask other types of questions (how do you think they feel?). want children to ask questions and read.

One-two – card ex. Child raises arms when sees you (are you an airplane flying to mommy, or would you like a hug? Would you like mommy to pick you up? Talk about body parts – look at your arms and fingers)
Two – three – ex. I goed park ( - don’t correct – stunts conversation. Just say – Oh, you went to the park? Yes we went to the park yesterday! What did we see at the park? What did you do at the park?)

Dialogic reading – ex. Good night gorilla – tell me about the man with the light? Where are they? What do you think will happen next? What is the gorilla doing? How can you tell it’s night?

Lessons Learned / Outcomes
Approach – All parents all willing to try things out for their children. Model first. Give time to practice. New skill. Start with books in house?, read to?, takes practice. Be practical – one thing you can do today that you learned, write it down, take it home. Repeat what we want to take away. Give away magnets with tips, mirrors, always changing workshops (use feedback), literacy parents,

Family Literacy Collections

11am - 12pm Enir Bassani, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

I wondered if we could implement a general Family Literacy Collection for our libraries so I wanted to see what this workshop was about - Bassani developed a 41 story and song collection for first graders geared for immigrant families in Toronto. He was charged with creating a resource collection which would make immigrant children literate by the end of first grade. In his school district, children are given a half hour lession in either Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. Bassani said literacy skills are transferable from one language to another so learning English skills wouldn't be a stretch but required parental effort.

The Family Literacy Collection offers parents the tools to continue the learning at home and support early literacy skills. The Collection is divided into 6 sets with 41 stories and songs which concentrate on a sound in the English language. Teachers loan out the sets and as parents complete the sets with their child, the next set is loaned out. Each set includes a cd with songs and stories, questions to enhance story, list of words that contain the sound, song that supports sounds in story and activities to enhance learning of the sound.

The 6 set collection is $200, a dvd version is available for $60. I wouldn't recommend the library purchasing the collection because it has such a narrow audience - first graders.

As an aside - the presentation was very jumbled and somewhat excruciating. Bassari began his presentation apologizing for his appearance - his flight arrived last night in LAX and he took a shuttle to San Diego at 3am and he didn't have his luggage or samples of his product. During his presentation he played a sample of a story called "Mitzi is missing" which featured the sound of "i." He then played the supporting song for the story and encouraged the 11 audience members to sing along - with lackluster results. I guess he wasn't happy with the unenthusiastic response so he played the Karoake version of "Mitzi is missing"! There is nothing worse than a presenter trying to get an audience to sing! And in case you're wondering - Mitzi was a missing cat who was later found with a litter of kittens.

Day One - Overall

Great blog Margaret!



It was a great day! Really good conference, fantastic company, good info., good weather (like the rain - liked that it didn't rain for the drive)!

National Family Literacy Conference Overall

- Pros - Well planned, very professional (organized website w/ download materials, signage, the main speaker layout with stage / screens / giveaways).
- Improvements - exhibitors (same as CLA - could use sprucing), time table (lunch 45 min.), main speakers at the end of the day - hard to find in brochure



Favorite things about today - new conference, new resources, new info to help us do our jobs better, new ideas! free muffins and umbrellas - and a starbucks that was actually open in the hotel.

Funny things about today - the camera man filming us while we ate close up (like 2 feet away), same guy later that day in the hallway, then AGAIN during one of the conference sessions, Wes Moore's presentation, the people selling purses in the exhibit hall.

Sessions attended -

Let's Talk: An Oral language Development Campaign that Empowers Parents
Rating A

Beyond Mother Goose - the reason for rhyme
Rating A

Guide to writing successful Grants and proposals
Rating A

"I know it when I see it" - recognizing quality in children's digital media
Rating A

I'll post for each session in case you want to skip.

Enjoy!

Let's Move! Health Literacy in an American Indian Family Literacy Program

Sunday, March 25th - 9:30 -10:30. Kim Jacobs, National Center for Family Literacy and Debra Lente-Jojola, Bureau of Indian Education.

I was interested in seeing how Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative was implemented in the American Indian population and to see if we could implement similar programs for RC. One of the ideas I gained from this program was the CDC as a potential partner for free books! Let's Move in Indian Country is a federally funded program with these goals: 1. create a healthy start in life 2. develop healthier learning communities 3. increase physical activitites 4. increase access to healthy/affordable foods.

Some of the activities to satisfy these goals included - planting a community garden; stick ball tournaments; Rise and Shine activities - one mile walk/run - yoga and Rez Robics; Family and Child Education Kits for Home-Based Families. Emphasis on success of program depended on adults who had to model healthier behaviors in order for their children to change. Presenters also highlighted key partnerships to make the program a succcess - Dept of Agriculture, Nike, Let's Move, Indian Health Service and CDC (they donated a bunch of picture books about diabetes.)

First day at conference - quick overview

Angelica and I left Rancho at 6:30am - arrived in San Diego at 8:30am. We beat the rainfall. Angelica and I grabbed a muffin at the complimentary breakfast table and went over the conference program and was immediately accosted by a camera man who proceeded to film us eating. Very awkward. Met up with Allen to go over what workshops we were all interested in. Then we all split off to the first of our workshops.

My general impression of the conference is positive. They were very organized by sending conference attendees links to powerpoints and workshop handouts via pdf files a week or so before the start of the conference. Signage and wayfinding posters have been helpful in the very maze-like Sheraton conference center. The workshops I attended had small audiences of 20 - 30 people.

The last session held in the Grand Ballroom was very impressive - very snazzy large screens. On every chair there was an umbrella and water bottle provided by Toyota. I wondered if they planned ahead to give us umbrellas or ran out to get umbrellas for us because it was raining. It was all very snazzy and a great way to end the day with some awesome and inspirational speakers lauding family literacy (Wes Moore was especially memorable.)

I did a quick run through of the exhibit hall before the first workshop. There are about 30 vendors - mostly children's book publishers and goods benefiting third world countries! If we have time between sessions tomorrow, I will peruse the vendors more closely. Looking at exhibitors booths - the only contraption I liked was this two sided display rack.

Going to San Diego!

Angelica, Allen and I will be attending two of the three day Family Literacy Conference in San Diego on Sunday March 25 and Monday March 26th. Vivian arranged for us to take a city vehicle and we'll be heading out EARLY Sunday morning to make it there by 8am. It looks like there are a lot of interesting workshops so we met and coordinated who would attend which workshop.

http://www.famlit.org/conference/