Tips for Educators

The resources found on the INFOhio Early Learning Portal are intended for little learners ages three through five. Please consider the tips below to help you maximize using technology for learning.

1. Test the resource before you use it with students. Make sure the resources and devices work properly before the lesson.
2. Use the resources in a whole group where students take turns, interact, and share during learning.
3. Model the use of the technology before asking students to use it alone. Show them how to navigate through the resource, engage with the content, and complete a task for maximum learning.
4. Use the resources for intervention. The standards document provides one or more resources to use for each of the Ohio Early Learning Standards.
5. When possible, interact one-on-one with students while using the resources. Talk about what they are learning and what they like about it.
6. Extend the activity, content, or experience from the resource into the classroom. Sing the songs, mimic the play, and talk more about the subject from resources
7. Use the educator resources available with many of the apps and sites.  Many have lesson plans, downloadable activity sheets, and teaching strategies.
8. Learn more about SAMR to help integrate technology into the learning environment.
9. Check out the INFOhio Best Practices for Reading Online document for helpful strategies and lesson plans for online text.
10. Share the resources with parents. Use this handout to let them know more about the INFOhio Early Learning Portal and the skills and resources to support individual learners. Need a quick guide for literacy support at home? Use the literacy handout with prefilled reading skills and resources to help beginning readers.

For more information, check these books and websites.

Tap, Click, Read by Lisa Guernsey and Michael H. Levine. Published by Josey-Bass, 2015

Parent Tips

The resources in INFOhio's Early Learning Portal are for little learners ages three through five. Read these tips before you share the resources with your child.

1. Whenever possible, participate with your child when they play games, watch videos, or read and listen to eBooks on a device.
2. Talk with your child frequently while using the resources. Ask questions. Point out what you like or find funny. Talk about what the resources helped him learn.
3. Encourage your child to use the skills learned from the resources in real life too. Ask children to point out letters, dance to music, or sing the songs about a task while doing the task.
4. Encourage learning that can happen outside, with other children, or in real situations, as well as learning while using the resources.
5. Model for your child how to balance the use of technology. Put away devices at certain times. Set limits on how often it is used.
6. Help your child be present and mindful when using the resources. Help them to use one resource at time and finish when a new activity is started.
7. Be respectful of your child's online privacy. Think before posting pictures online of your child.
8. Use the parent support if available within resources. Learning more about them will help you help your child.
9. Remember kids might know a lot about how to use the resources, but you know more about when and why to use the resource.
10. You are the expert when it comes to your child. You know more about what resources are best for her maturity, knowledge, and behavior.

For additional information on how to help your child learn using technology, consider these sites and books:

Common Sense Media – Early Childhood. 

Fred Rodgers Center – Advice for Parents on Appropriate Media Use for Early Childhood.