I. Fill each of the numbered blanks in the following passage. Use only one word in each space.
sites settings ways taken application horizons
virtual whether potential that
Young children are increasingly using tablets as well as smartphones and other devices with touch screens in early education settings and with family members.
Tammy and Rose, age 4, have been studying sunflowers with their classmates. They want to sing and record a song about sunflowers while creating a drawing, using a(n) (1) ___ application ___ on the tablet. The girls have coordinated their efforts and are happy with the result.
To help the class learn more about sunflowers, Kathryn, Tammy and Rose's teacher, used the tablet to find online (2) ____sites____ with photos and facts. She then took the children on a virtual tour of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings. They read and discussed an electronic picture book about Van Gogh's life. The children had already examined real sunflowers and their parts, made sketches, read informational texts and stories, counted seeds, and (3) ______taken_____ part in a variety of investigations, touching on every learning domain. The teacher's use of the tablet together with early practical learning activities expanded the children's horizons. Activities offered on the tablet provided new (4) ____ways____ for the children to represent and share what they learned.
Tablets have the potential to be powered tools for early learning. The choices we make about how they are used determine (5) ____ whether _____ the technology is helpful or not. We need to develop “digital literacy” skills and decide how to use these new tools in ways that can support every child's healthy development and learning.
