Text Alerts: An A+ Way to Learn

Parents often have tremendous demands on their time and their attention.

What if they could find a quick, effective way to ensure they had information they needed to support their young child’s language, math, and science skills?

THEIR ATTENTION.

WHAT IF THEYCOULD FIND A QUICK, EFFECTIVEWAY TO ENSURE THEY HADINFORMATION THEY NEEDED TOSUPPORT THEIR YOUNG CHILDLANGUAGE, MATH, AND SCIENSKILLS?

AS MALLORY SOFASTAIIREPORTS, THEREEVIDENCE THAT HELP MIGHT BETEXT MESSAGE AWAY.(phones ringing) A SUDDENCHIME OR BEEP FROM YOUR PHONITACTUALLY KEEP YOUR DAY ONTRACK.

“I manage so manycalendars for so many people.Thathe way”) NOW, NEW RESEARCHSHOWS CERTAIN TEXT MESSAGESARE HELPFUL FOR FAMILIES.

NOAHGOODMAN IS AN EDUCATIONALRESEARCHER STUDYING THEBILINGUAL FAMILY PROGRAMCYBERCHASE: MOBILE ADVENTURESIN STEM BASED ON THE ANIMATEDP━━ S KIDS SERIES.“Each weekthey get a text message ontheir phone and that textmessage has links to videosand activities” FOR SIXWEEKS, 95 FAMILIES GOT THEINSTRUCTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTALAND SCIENCE PROJECTS,EVERYTHING FROM MONITORINGHOME WATER USAGE TO MAKINCRAFTS FROM RECYCLEDMATERIALS.

PARENTS TOLDRESEARCHERS THAT GETTINGVIDEOS AND ACTIVITIES THROUGHTEXT MESSAGES MADE IT EASY TOENGAGE IN FUN PROJECTS WITHTHEIR KIDS.“They always hadthe phones attached to theirhips, so they always knewwhere to find the activities.They didnof any paper or anything likethat” IN ANOTHER STUDY,RESEARCHERS EVALUATEDREAD━━K, AN EIGH━MONTH LONGTEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM FORPARENTS OF PRESCHOOLERS.PARENTS RECEIVED SPECIFICACTIVITIES THAT COULD IMPROVESKILLS AND BE PART OF THEDAILY ROUTINE, LIKE POINTINGOUT THE FIRST LETTER OF ACHILDMAGAZINES.

GIVING PARENTSTOOLS TO TEACH LANGUAGE ORLEARN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.IN THE READ━━K STUDY,RESEARCHERS FOUND THATCHILDREN WHOSE PARENTSRECEIVED THE TEXTS WITHSPECIFIC TIPS WERE MOREMOTIVATED TO COMPLETE THETASKS AND THEIR CHILDRENSCORED HIGHER ON AN EARLYLITERACY ASSESSMENT.Tonight Patchy fog after 5am.Otherwise, mostly cloudy