Kathy Cook, Dean of Technology at the University of Phoenix College of Education, has several suggestions for parents for keeping their children engaged in learning over summer vacation through the use of technology.

A recent study from the University of Phoenix College of Education has revealed that most educators (nine out of ten) believe that the use of technology in the classroom leads to real world learning.

Cook said in a statement that “[t]oday’s teachers are increasingly tech-savvy in both their personal and professional lives and are enthusiastic about using technology to keep students engaged and excited about learning.”

As technology becomes more relied on in the K-12 classrooms, it's important for parents to understand how to engage their children at home, too. Summer vacation serves as a perfect opportunity to do so while preventing the dreaded summer slide.

"Technology can help parents build on the momentum created in the classroom. According to Cook, teachers and parents are often concerned that students may lose significant knowledge from the previous school year during the summer months. This is often referred to as the Summer Learning Slide," the University said in a statement.

First, Cook suggests parents have their children build a "virtual" summer vacation. Through doing research and using different applications, Cook recommends kids pick a place and build an interactive presentation to present to parents.

And when taking a day trip, Cook says parents should have kids be responsible for capturing the day with a digital camera and composing a multimedia presentation to show others about the trip.

She also suggests using technology to stay active. "Much of today’s entertainment is device-driven, but you can also use personal devices to encourage physical activity through the use of age-appropriate apps. Make it a friendly competition among your family to track who stays the most active this summer," she said.

Loading mobile devices with books is also important, she says, to keep kids reading.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

06/24/2015