I just bought my husband an iPhone for his birthday - it was time for an upgrade. Part of me is of course excited for the communication capabilities it provides, while the other part of me is completely curious about the Montessori Apps I've been hearing more and more about. I was testing one out within an hour of the phone being in his possesion - it seems I'm still formulating my opinions on the use of these apps.
One of the founding principles of the Montessori method is the tactile, hands-on learning which is intrinsic to the very nature of each lesson and piece of material. How can an app ever allow a child to feel the length of each of the Red Rods, or the heaviness of the largest Brown Stair Prism? What about the roughness of a Sandpaper Number? Where does Montessori's notion of movement within lessons come into play with an app? The answer - No, they can't allow a child to feel the length, heaviness, or roughness, and the child's learning through movement is completely lost. These apps simply cannot (and should not) replace the multi-faceted, integrated learning which occurs in a true Montessori setting. One cannot ignore, however, the impact of current technology in the lives of our children and students.
Just for fun and curiosity, I downloaded Montessorium's Intro to Math app and gave it a test. I was intrigued by the games, appreciated the simple graphics, and was drawn in by the "lessons." Was it simply the novelty of my experience with the app or did I genuinely like what was happening? All I know is that it was fun - my kids gathered around me, watching with smiles at a new rendition of Number Rods and Cards and Counters.
I also visited the Mobile Montessori site, another company producing downloadable apps. Here, I was impressed by the depth of available lessons in the areas of Science and Geography. The app for learning the Flags of the World looked particularly inviting and remains something I will be sure to explore on my own as I look for ways to incorporate the actual material (a set of the Flags of the World) into my classroom Geography shelves. While I did not download from this site, I also acknowledged the fact that this would be a fun way for kids to learn locations and capitols, among other features, of countries and states.
Having said this, I still hold fast to my belief that these apps should be reserved only for the older child after plenty of first hand experience with the actual Montessori learning material - perhaps as extensions of the extensions... I am not convinced that I should ever use apps in my classroom. I feel strongly that my students will learn infinitely better when they can actually feel the sandpaper, hold the Red Rods, and lay out the Cards and Counters themselves. There may come a time, however, when it might be a meaningful activity for an (older) child to explore these apps to enhance and extend their prior learning.
What are your experiences, thoughts, ideas on Montessori apps? I'd enjoy hearing your opinions!
One of the founding principles of the Montessori method is the tactile, hands-on learning which is intrinsic to the very nature of each lesson and piece of material. How can an app ever allow a child to feel the length of each of the Red Rods, or the heaviness of the largest Brown Stair Prism? What about the roughness of a Sandpaper Number? Where does Montessori's notion of movement within lessons come into play with an app? The answer - No, they can't allow a child to feel the length, heaviness, or roughness, and the child's learning through movement is completely lost. These apps simply cannot (and should not) replace the multi-faceted, integrated learning which occurs in a true Montessori setting. One cannot ignore, however, the impact of current technology in the lives of our children and students.
Just for fun and curiosity, I downloaded Montessorium's Intro to Math app and gave it a test. I was intrigued by the games, appreciated the simple graphics, and was drawn in by the "lessons." Was it simply the novelty of my experience with the app or did I genuinely like what was happening? All I know is that it was fun - my kids gathered around me, watching with smiles at a new rendition of Number Rods and Cards and Counters.
I also visited the Mobile Montessori site, another company producing downloadable apps. Here, I was impressed by the depth of available lessons in the areas of Science and Geography. The app for learning the Flags of the World looked particularly inviting and remains something I will be sure to explore on my own as I look for ways to incorporate the actual material (a set of the Flags of the World) into my classroom Geography shelves. While I did not download from this site, I also acknowledged the fact that this would be a fun way for kids to learn locations and capitols, among other features, of countries and states.
Having said this, I still hold fast to my belief that these apps should be reserved only for the older child after plenty of first hand experience with the actual Montessori learning material - perhaps as extensions of the extensions... I am not convinced that I should ever use apps in my classroom. I feel strongly that my students will learn infinitely better when they can actually feel the sandpaper, hold the Red Rods, and lay out the Cards and Counters themselves. There may come a time, however, when it might be a meaningful activity for an (older) child to explore these apps to enhance and extend their prior learning.
What are your experiences, thoughts, ideas on Montessori apps? I'd enjoy hearing your opinions!
