New User Interface

Last week we got a makeover! If you haven't seen it lately you really should go check it out. We've got a whole bunch of new features as well, we are very excited. To get started watch our new how-to tale:

• Click to view my tale.
• 

Little Bird Tales in the Classroom

Technology plays a role in every aspect of our lives. We certainly want our children to be technologically literate, prepared for the tech-savvy world that awaits them. Unfortunately most tech geared toward children is glorified television. I've witnessed my own children zombied-out on a website assigned to them by their teachers. They only engaged at the end to answer a fill-in-the-blank or multiple-choice question, one with only one correct answer, which they purposefully answer incorrectly because of the hilarious, though negative, reinforcement they receive. This is not preparing them for the future, giving them the skills required to forge new paths of innovation. Nor does it adequately meet the educational standards. The skills required in both the Common Core Standards as well as the California State Standards are very engaging verbs; some, but not all of which are displayed in this graphic.

Modern standards require much more of our children than parroting back memorized facts. Modern education requires much more of our technology than entertainment and repetition. 

What we need instead is open-ended tech that is learner-driven. In order for our children to create we need to actually let them create. 

In teaching and reinforcing new skills we need to allow children to learn something in multiple ways, touching on multiple learning styles. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners can all engage on every page. This is particularly important with language acquisition, be it with early learners or with learners of a second language, as language acquisition requires combining speech, print, and listening. 

With Little Bird Lessons and our new dual recorders the student can read the instructions, hear a question or extra piece of information from the teacher's own voice, speak a response, type a response, and create an image. 

An instructor can easily assign a lesson to her class and differentiate according to the different needs of the students. The end product is only restricted by the students themselves. It's a lesson with no ceiling, with no limitations. Students are free to take a subject as far as they can, delving into topics of interest and cross-curricular applications.

This user-generated format allows for higher-level thinking skills, taking our children further with their comprehension and application of knowledge. These are part of the future-ready skills our children need.

Little Bird Tales offers a more comprehensive evaluation than standard worksheets and multiple-choice tests. An educator can easily identify a student's mastery of the subject matter as well as the learner's depth of knowledge. This is especially beneficial in interdisciplinary studies, correlating multiple subjects into one, cohesive integration. Little Bird Tales is perfectly suited to culminate research study and project based learning across the curriculum. As a more authentic assessment, Little Bird Tales also make a beautiful digital portfolio. 

Regarding Screen Time

There needs to be a balance, don't you think?

Children have more access than ever to technology, starting at increasingly younger ages. I don't know a single parent who hasn't been surprised to discover their little one performed some surprise feat on the phone, the tablet, or the computer. (Often we not only can't figure out how the little one did it, but how we are expected to undo it!)

Like I said, there needs to be a balance. More isn't always better.

I believe that technology is a powerful tool and our children should develop the skills required to use it effectively. I do not believe that all screen time is equal. I especially do not want to create zombies out of my own children because of injudicious use of screen time.

That's what I like about Little Bird Tales, and why I used it even before I was a part of the team. I love the integration of print and speech to scaffold my children's language acquisition. I love the open-ended possibility in each tale. I love that my children create, and in doing so share with me what's important to them in a way that a conversation can't.

Choose wisely. Choose technology that will engage your children. Choose creating over watching. I hope your children surprise you with what's in their minds once you allow them to foster and express it.

Getting Started

Getting started with Little Bird Tales is as easy as 1-2-3! Check out our demo video to see just how easy it is: