Kindergarteners at two Lansing elementary schools got a new gadget to learn how to read. WKAR’s education intern McKenna Ross reports.
Michigan State University and WKAR introduced the second year of the PBS KIDS Playtime Pad Research Project with iRead. The educational app will investigate how effective tablets are for learning.
Amy Parks is an associate professor at MSU. She said initial results from the math version of the project showed students who used the app for about 45 minutes per week grew in one area of the subject.
“One thing we’re really thinking about this year is how to better support teachers in engaging with the tablets in a way that’s learner centered, learner driven. The iRead app is part of that. It’s a way of bringing the academics they’re already doing into the digital platform.”
Riddle Elementary and Dwight Rich School of the Arts will pilot the iRead program this year.