This document provides guidance for selecting apps appropriate for young children. It discusses concerns around excessive mobile media use and offers approaches for evaluating apps. These include reviewing individual apps, using rubrics to measure app quality, and considering app articles and presentations. The document compares various app review resources and outlines Lisa Guernsey's "3 C's" for evaluating app content, context, and fit for the child. Selecting high-quality apps requires considering factors like educational value, limitations on in-app purchases, and joint engagement between children and caregivers.

2. So
Many
App
Reviews,
So
Li2le
Time:
Guiding
Principles
for
Analyzing
and
Selec6ng
Apps
Appropriate
for
Young
Children
Amanda
Armstrong,
M.S.
TEC
Center
Program
Coordinator

3. About
Erikson
Ins6tute
Our
vision
is
that
every
adult
who
works
with
young
children
or
on
their
behalf
will
be
knowledgeable,
aware,
skilled,
and
alive
to
the
possibili6es
of
each
child’s
life.

4. Mobile
Tech
and
Media

5. • 1,463
parents
of
children
age
8
and
under
• May
20
–
June
12,
2013

6.
Uses
of
Mobile
Media

7. Concerns
• Overexposure
to
harmful
commercializa6on,
violence,
and
inappropriate
content;
Nega6ve
influence
• Hyperac6vity,
shortened
aWen6on,
and
emo6onal
problems
• Contributes
to
risk
and
health
problems
• Decrease
in
social
interac6on
and
crea6ve
play
• Replace
tradi6onal
family
6me
ac6vi6es
• Childhood
obesity
• Disrupts
sleep
• “Technology
Addic6on”
• Less
6me
outdoors

8. Paren6ng
in
the
Age
of
Digital
Tech
Center
on
Media
&
Human
Development,
Northwestern
U.
• Na6onal
survey
[English
&
Spanish]
of
2,326
parents
• Children
aged
eight
years
old
and
younger
http://cmhd.northwestern.edu/?page_id=265

9. Approaches
to
technology
• How
has
our
role
as
parents
and
caring
adults
changed
with
the
increased
use
of
mobile
technology?
• How
do
we
ensure
we
use
quality
content
to
support
children’s
holis6c
growth?
• Consider
children’s
development
– Physical
– Social-­‐emo6onal
– Cogni6ve

10. Technology
and
Interac6ve
Media
as
Tools
in
Early
Childhood
Programs
Serving
Children
from
Birth
through
Age
8
Select
Evaluate
Use
Integrate

11. Technology
Framework
• Select
– What
is
the
purpose
of
the
project?
Does
tech
fit?
Is
tech
going
to
support
the
goal(s)?
What
is
the
appropriate
&
effec6ve
tech
tool
that
will
balance
with
other
parts
of
the
project?
• Use
– How
will
tech
be
incorporated?
How
will
it
support
learning,
growth,
development,
and
rela6onships?

12. Technology
Framework
• Integrate
– How
will
the
tech
be
included
in
other
parts
of
the
project?
Does
the
tech
stay
in
specific
area
or
will
be
placed
in
mul6ple
area
(consider
mobility)?
• Evaluate
– Reflect.
Observe.
Were
the
goals
accomplished?
What
were
your
successes?
Is
there
something
that
would
have
been
done
differently?

13. Selec6ng
Children’s
Apps
• +
1
million
apps
in
App
Store
• +
1
million
apps
in
Google
Play
• +
100,000
apps
in
Windows
store
• +
100,000
apps
in
Amazon
App
store
What
are
some
approaches
you
use
to
navigate
through
app
selec6ons
in
these
stores?

14. App
Review
Sites
• List
individual
children’s
apps
with
reviews
• Considera6ons
– May
or
may
not
state
quality
measurement
system
– Reviewer
background
and
experiences
– Length
of
business
– Reputa6on/Credibility/Reliability
– Personal
iden6fica6on
and/or
connec6on
– No6fica6on
of
free
apps
– May
offer
advice
for
parents
and/or
educators

15. App
Rubrics
• Rubrics,
Evalua6on
Forms,
Frameworks,
Scales,
Guides
• Template
for
measuring
quality
on
any
app
• Organiza6on
or
Individual
• Considera6ons
– Quality
Measurement
System
– Reviewer
Background
and
Experiences
– Details
within
Categories
– Reputa6on/Credibility/Reliability
– References
to
Pedagogies
or
Models

16. App
Ar6cles
and
Presenta6ons
• Individual(s)
• Present
recommenda6ons
for
evalua6ng
children’s
apps
and
media
• Considera6ons
– Authors’
background
– Type
of
Publica6on
– Reputa6on/Credibility/Reliability
– Experiences

17. App
Resource
Comparison
• 11
Review
Sites,
25
Rubrics,
10
Ar6cles,
and
2
Presenta6ons
– Excluded
review
sites
without
listed
app
criteria
• Children’s
mobile
media
• Parents
and/or
Educators
• Individuals
and
Organiza6ons

18. Lisa
Guernsey:
The
3
C’s
Guiding
Ques6ons
for
Comparison
• Content:
How
does
this
help
children
engage,
express,
imagine,
or
explore?
• Context:
How
does
it
complement
and
not
interrupt
children’s
natural
play?
• Child:
How
do
we
choose
the
right
tech
tools
and
experiences
for
each
child’s
needs,
abili6es,
interests,
and
developmental
stage?

19. Sources
• Fred
Rogers
Center
•
• Children’s
Technology
•
Review
•
• Common
Sense
Media
•
• Parent’s
Choice
Founda6on
•
• Sesame
Workshop
•
• Karen
Nemeth
•
• Fran
Simon
•
• Kathy
Schrock
•
• Daniel
Donahoo
•
Chip
Donohue
Cynthia
Chiong
David
Kleeman
Gail
Lovely
AppoLearning
Kindertown
Moms
with
Apps
Digital
Story6me
Best
Apps
for
Kids
AppySmarts

20. Comparison
Findings
Differences
Content
Context
Child
Store
and
share
data
Promote
ac6vi6es
outside
the
device
Accommodates
DLL
and/
or
ELL
No
in-­‐app
purchases/
Free
of
ads
Joint
media
engagement
Accommodates
children
with
special
needs
Culturally
appropriate
Collabora6on
CCSS
Classroom
integra6on
Crea6vity
Repeatable

21. Comparison
Findings
Similari6es
Content
Context
Child
Focus
on
specific
skill
Independent
Use/
Easy
to
Consider
children’s
Use
diverse
abili6es
Learning
objec6ve
Mul6ple
users
Consider
children’s
diverse
needs
Feedback
Adaptable/
Modifiable
Engaging/Entertaining
Age
appropriate
Assessment
Educa6onal

22. Comparison
Takeaways
• Content
and
design
are
developmentally
appropriate
• Children
can
use
independently
• No
in-­‐app
purchases,
adver6sements,
or
inappropriate
content
•
Save
and
share
with
others
Draw
and
Tell

23. Comparison
Takeaways
• Opportuni6es
for
joint
media
engagement,
co-­‐crea6on,
and/or
collabora6on
• Support
children’s
learning
and
teacher
goals
• Accommodates
children
of
different
abili6es
and
needs
• Repeatable
Easy
Studio

24. Comparison
Takeaways
• Culturally
appropriate
and
inclusive
-­‐
celebrates
diversity
• Engaging
without
being
distrac6ng
• Responsive
to
ac6ons
• Interac6ve
• Feedback
Hair
Salon
Me

25. Comparison
Takeaways
• Accommodates
dual
language
learning
and/
or
English
language
learners
• Encourages
explora6on
and
ac6vi6es
outside
of
mobile
device
or
construc6ve
learning
experiences
with
mobile
device
ABC
Ac6on

26. Show
and
Share
Share
apps
with
colleagues
that
highlight
these
ideas
What
are
your
thoughts
about
these
different
apps?
Do
they
fit
your
program,
goals,
students’
needs?

27. Approaches
to
Selec6ng
Apps
• Make
app
evalua6on
a
part
of
technology
framework
• Learn
the
perspec6ve
of
app
review
sites,
rubric
sources,
and
authors
• Consider
Lisa
Guernsey’s
3
C’s
–
content,
context,
and
child
• Technology
Playdates
–
show
and
share
with
professionals
and
parents

28. Quality
Children’s
Media
Top
5
Apps
that
Your
Kids
Will
Love
This
Week
by
Chris
Crowell

29. Tech
and
the
Young
Child
Resources

30. Tech
and
the
Young
Child
Resources

31.
www.teccenter.erikson.edu
Photos
courtesy
of
Erikson
Ins6tute,
NAEYC,
Fred
Rogers
Center,
Early
Learning
Community
at
Pacific
University,
Burley
Elementary
School,
University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability
Studies, Cassandra Mattoon and Chris
Crowell
This
work
is
licensed
under
a
Creative
Commons
Attribution-­‐NonCommercial-­‐ShareAlike
3.0
Unported
License