Applications and evaluations
There is a huge range of applications available for children to use on tablets. The type and quality of these apps varies greatly, much like the quality of children's literature ranges from crummy to Caldecott. In the 1990's the Haugland/Shade scale provided guidance regarding the characteristics and criteria for evaluating software. With the bursting of the tech bubble, Children's CD-based software all but disappeared and with it, systematic evaluations of software and websites for learning. With the advent of applications for tablets computers and Apple's app store, it is important to reitterate that there are some important criteria that can assist educators in selecting software to support learning. The NAEYC position statement on the use of technology and decades of research on quality pedagogy for early childhood education supports the following considerations.

Considerations when evaluating an app for use in your classroom:
• Does it place the Child in Control of the app so that they are actively engaged in the learning?
• Is the app designed to allow Open-Ended explorations that empower creativity?
• Does the app have features, instructions, and an interface that are Developmentally Appropriate for the group for which it is designed?
• Does it Model Diversity with regard to people or are some stereotypes or biases reinforced?
• Does it enable a focus on Process Over Product so that children are learning about problem solving?
• Is it designed to Offer Expanding Complexity that will continually challenge children without frustrating them?
• Is it designed with a Non Violent Orientation for the child as well as the characters and their interactions?
• Is the app designed to Facilitate Revisiting & Sharing with peers, teachers, and/or family?
• Does it authentically Integrate with and Extend Other Classroom Experiences?

There are many organizations that offer systematic evaluations of software based on a wide range of criteria. Here are some of the evaluative sites we find to be the most useful: The Fred Rogers Center's ELE, Common Sense Media's App Reviews, Children's Technology Review, and Education Apps Reviews.

Suggestions for use
Classroom - One of the strengths of using tablets in the classroom is that they can contain a wide range of applications. This one tool can support reading, writing, project creation, problem solving, mathematics, geography and countless other uses. However, this inherent flexibility can also be an issue. The teachers have found it works best to introduce the apps one or two at a time rather than all at once. They invite interested students to join an iPad research committee at the end of each week. Those students spend time looking through ALL the apps on the iPad and are asked to think critically about which would help their peers learn new concepts. They choose a couple of apps and present their ideas to a teacher about which would be the best for their learning. Then those are the apps available for the whole class the following week. When putting out a tablet for student to use, we have noticed that it is not uncommon for students to bounce from one app to another without thoughtfully dwelling on any of them. Teachers have helped students be more purposeful with their iPad use through the use of iPad Plans (.docx). During the free choice learning time in the classroom, the kindergarten teachers have been successful in not making the iPad a choice, but asking students to choose one specific app from among those selected by the student iPad research committee. Only this handfull of the apps are available on a given week (eg: one book, one phonics, one problem solving, one science), and it is one of these 4 which students may choose. This has greatly reduced bouncing app syndrome.

It can be educationally powerful to ecourage social collaboration around the use of all computing platforms, including tablets. Allowing two or three children to work together on certain applications can facilitate learning. For example the exploration of an interactive book or a problem solving program can be a social activity while still keeping its educational focus. This is not be the case for all apps as some are really designed for individual work.

We have also noticed a developmental continuum with play on an tablet that appears to mirror the categories of play (Parten) found with other manipulative materials and social situations. It is not uncommon for very young children to simply sit and look on as another uses an tablet. Slightly more mature or experienced children will use tablets with a peer and ask what app tha friend is using, and then sit next to them and parallel play, then they will check in and simultaneously switch to a new app. A third level can be seen when two or three children take turns passing the tablet between them and they watch each other and comment, but they do not organize or coordinate their play together. At the higher level, children will cluster around a tablet and will cooperate or collaborate to solve a problem, or create something. A good article in Teaching Young Children describes learning and exploring with tablets. Another interesting article on the use of tablets in older elementary grades can be found on the edutopia site and describes how iPads will transform classroom learning.

There are a range of well-crafted interactive books originally designed for desktop or laptop computers and now ported over to tablets. Of particular note is the Broderbund series of Living books. These books are designed with scaffolding built in. Each page can either be narrated in its entirety to the child, or the child can read on his or her own with the ability to click on individual words to hear them read. While utilizing the original illustrations of such classics as "Just Grandma and Me", "Arthur's Teacher Trouble", and the poetry of Jack Prelutsky, each of these pages is filled with mini interactive animations that while serving as frosting, are engaging for young readers. In a similar format are many of the classic books of Dr. Seuss including the "ABC book".

Our preferred tablet is a standard sized iPad (we think the mini is a bit too small of a graphical interface). While there are a bevy of apps that can be used in a classroom there are some apps that are more empowering to children than others and the criteria discussed above are critical in their thoughtful selection. At the bottom of this page there is a list of our preferred apps. However our favorite app for literacy is Storykit (which is really designed for iPhone). Storykit is a free multimedia application that brings together photographs, drawing, writing, and speaking in a format that can display on the iPad or phone as well as on a Webpage. The tool can provide a platform for digital storytelling as a stand alone tool. When completed the story will be stored in the library of StoryKit books on the iPad. It can also be explorted to the Web where the URL can be shared with parents or family members as an example of the child's work. Another use of the tool involves encouraging students to write or simply draw a picture of a story and then take a photo of this image(s) that can then have text and expansive audio narration added. An excellent set of three videos by one of our master teachers demonstrates this approach (Ozilline, Katelyn, Damon). StoryKit can also be used in support of storyography, an approach that involves telling a story through a sequence of photographs where the text (and/or audio) is added subsequent to the photography (view book example).

Using the tablet outside - the portability of tablets makes them ideal for learning outside. Connected to a wireless microscope, the tablet can assist students in their observations of plants, animals and other elements of nature and can facilitate the collection of photographic data. Spiderwebs, growing plants, molds, even cement are particularly impressive when magnified. When seeking to identify a specific insect, bird, or plant, the reference guide apps can provide useful information. Furthermore, the high resolution cameras found on today's tablets allow students not only to take and edit photos, but provide a platform for capturing and editing high quality digital video. The iPad when coupled with iMovie can enable students to create quality videos and even add music and sound effects.

Essential for using a tablet outside as well as inside is providing a covering for the tablet that will protect it from bumps, dropping, sticky fingers, and the occasional spill. There are a range of tablet cases available, some with keyboards and lids, others that are softer foam just around the back and sides. The ideal cover is one that allows maximum use of the tool while providing the necessary protection for the range of possible issues expected in your classroom for children of that developmental level.

Another excellent support tool for tablets is a child-sized stylus that allows children to practice gripping and writing in an authentic manner. Our preferred stylus is the Cosmonaut capacitive stylus.

Images of Use
We have assembled a collection of images of students using the tablet computers for learning. Please send us more as you discover new uses or have great examples of classic activities using tablets.

Literacy: StoryKit Tapikeo Intro To Letters LetterSchool Crossword

Electronic Books: Suess ABC Morris Lessmore Cinderella Alice in Wonderland In My Dream

Numeracy: Intro to Math Caterpillar! Numberlys Vitrual Manipulatives

Science: Bobo & Light BeautifulPlanet Spiders Discover Mini-Monsters

Creativity: Pitch Painter Magic Piano

Assorted: Bugs & Bubbles Move the Turtle