As computer-science-for-all initiatives continue to grow, many schools are looking for ways to introduce computer science skills and thinking to elementary-age children. Some initiatives have focused on coding as its own endeavor, not integrated with other subjects like mathematics, science, or literacy. Increasingly, developers and researchers…

The author looks at how apps, when carefully chosen and integrated into learning situations, can engage students in the learning experience. This article looks at how a teacher uses an app to assist his Year 2 class to learn about, and apply chance language, in a meaningful way.

In 2014, over 30 classroom teachers and administrators from one district joined higher education faculty and researchers from an educational non-profit organization to begin a three-year collaborative project. They wanted to find ways to leverage the use of one-to-one mobile technology (tablets) in kindergarten-2nd-grade mathematics classrooms to…

For the last 2 years, throughout the world, we have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Every aspect of our lives has been affected, and teachers have been asked to help maintain a semblance of normality for our students and their families. Last year was the most difficult year of my professional life, and I was not alone in that experience.…

Investigating symmetric dot patterns provides opportunities for foundational mathematical learning that is not restricted to multiplication alone. Students have opportunities to learn about the properties of symmetry, about the generalization of patterns, about writing and interpreting equations--all areas of study in grades 3-5. And symmetric dot…

The right types of technology can create new opportunities for students to demonstrate mathematical understandings and can strengthen existing formative assessment practices. The authors write that they frequently use the Math Learning Center apps--covering the range of manipulatives and models--to empower students to explain their thinking. The…

Computers, laptops, interactive whiteboards, and iPads make regular appearances in our daily lessons, but are they being used to their fullest potential? In an effort to use technology with students in a meaningful way, the authors incorporated a free app and online graphing resource into a second-grade lesson on the characteristics of a lake…

Although social-emotional learning is associated with long-term success in school and careers, it is often a missing link in U.S. public education. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need for social-emotional supports for children. In this time of crisis, educators have also sought new ways to make connections and reimagined how students…

Family engagement is a reciprocal relationship between educators and families that supports whole child development. In response to the unique contexts and situations created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a faculty member in the School of Education at Hunter College, City University of New York (SOE), and families that had opted in to 100 percent…

Computational thinking can provide a basis for problem solving, for making evidence-based decisions, and for learning to code or create programs. Therefore, it is critical that all students across the K-12 continuum--including students in the early grades--have opportunities to begin developing problem solving and computational thinking skills.…

Picture this: a PhD chemist, PhD science educator, and a preservice Latina elementary educator walk into an aftercare program for primary and intermediate students from a rural school. These students are identified as low income and at risk and therefore eligible to participate in this school-provided aftercare. While across the state, these same…

This article describes how a federally funded afterschool program serving an elementary-age population in a rural southern community used the creative affordances of Minecraft and a creative youth development (CYD) framework to support the local school district's character education program, The Leader in Me (LiM). On receipt of a 21st Century…

Today's digitalization allows users to interact, collaborate, communicate and create user-generated content. The technology is intuitive and easy to use even for young children, and new learning opportunities emerge. Particularly, students' production as a learning form benefits from digitalization as the new opportunities enable young students to…

Increasing availability of digital devices in elementary school classrooms presents exciting new opportunities for teachers to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. Although many of the math applications available for these devices focus on drill and practice of mathematical procedures, screencasting apps can help support effective…

This article features Point Road School, a pre-K-4 school in New Jersey that enhances student learning by integrating new and emerging technologies into the curriculum. Point Road School's technology story began in 1996 with a grant for a classroom modem so students could email their university literacy buddies. The New Jersey school has moved…