• Parent-Child Video-Print Mentoring Packages
• Tap-n-Sing: Personal Computer Software to Foster and Develop Early Childhood Reading Skills
• Using the Internet to Supplement Early Childhood Learning and to Support Parents, Teachers, and Child Care Providers in Furthering That Learning
• Interactive Multimedia to Enhance Parenting Skills of Adolescents and Adults with Young Children

SPONSORING OFFICE: Office of Educational Research and Improvement

ABSTRACT: Long term student achievement is greatly affected by early family influences. However, many parents do not have knowledge or skill for facilitating early child development. The project is designed to develop and field test instructional materials for parent-child mentoring. The "user friendly" combination of instructional text videotape is designed to test the effectiveness of multimedia instruction of parent-as teacher. Phase I instructional materials are designed to provide naive parents with field-tested self-help materials necessary for giving children an early educational start. Phase II would enable development and longitudinal testing of additional levels of content and types of content packages.

Parent instruction videotape programs have been successfully developed for some special problem topics, i.e. emotional behavior disorder. Scripted videotape/print packages can be used in a variety of settings; from home to small support groups, and the delivery could be by paraprofessional facilitators. This is a for-in of distance education, which for higher education is a fast growing national trend. The first five tape packages would be focused on early childhood needs identified by field-level consultants.

SUMMARY OF ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS: Professional quality, field tested, videotape-print manuals will be developed to help low income and at risk families learn to mentor their children to self-reliance and achievement These materials would provide technical and materials support for a needs based family centered early childhood intervention, while fostering the skills and competency attitudes of parents. Both at-risk and general population parents are potential consumers. Voice-over video and print materials would be available in English, and Spanish languages.

By using video-print educational packages, parents can mentor their children in a variety of learning tasks; from basic school preparation competencies to enrichment skills. The Commercial entertainment home video market has developed into a major business segment. Educational materials are in demand to be delivered by internet or home video; however, the financial backing is not readily available to develop quality start-up/untested projects. Distance learning and nontraditionally delivered educational products are rapidly growing markets.

PROJECT TITLE: Tap-n-Sing: Personal Computer Software to Foster and Develop Early Childhood Reading Skills

FIRM NAME:

Muse Technologies, Inc. 11715 Fox Road, Suite 400/212 Indianapolis, IN 46236-0000

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Scott J. Houston (317) 826-8050

ABSTRACT:Research shows that only 30% of 4th and 8th grade students are at a level deemed proficient in reading and literacy. Learning to read in the primary and early elementary grades is one of the most important developmental tasks needed to survive and flourish in our society. Muse Technologies proposes the use of an innovative interactive technology known as Tap-n-Sing to foster the development of early childhood reading skills in the school and home setting. Tap-n-Sing provides an interface with which young children can control the display of words that are synchronized with songs by simply tapping a finger on a computer keyboard. This new level of interactivity with computer-based literacy materials has great promise for engaging children in early reading skills and sustaining practice. Muse Technologies has outlined a comprehensive Phase I research plan to build new knowledge about the relationship of Tap-n-Sing interactivity with early childhood reading practices. The plan tests methods and instrumentation for scientifically testing and verifying the influence of Tap-n-Sing usage on early childhood reading ability. The planned work of both Phase I and Phase II substantially furthers the development of Tap-n-Sing as a commercially viable educational tool for parents and classroom teachers alike.

SUMMARY OF ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results of Phase I will provide data to support understanding the potential and effectiveness of using the prototype Tap-n-Sing user interface in the development of early childhood reading skills. Phase II will focus on making enhancements to the software itself, based on the critical design information found in the Phase I studies. In addition Phase II research will focus on laying a foundation for advancing the innovative technology of interactive music as a key educational technology. This should form the basis for a commercially successful software package that will help address a critical national need. Due to both teachers and parents being potential buyers of the commercial software, opportunities exist for Tap-n-Sing in the educational and consumer software markets, which were estimated to be a combined 5.6 billion dollars in 1995.

PROJECT TITLE: Using the Internet to Supplement Early Childhood Learning and to Support Parents, Teachers, and Child Care Providers in Furthering That Learning

FIRM NAME:

Munger Academy, Inc. Crowell Road Vienna, Virginia 22182

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Paula D. Munger (703) 430-2781

ABSTRACT: This project will accomplish the following objectives:

1. Test the use of the Internet for open, real-time parent-teacher communication;
2. Produce a prototype Internet-deliverable parenting skills program;
3. Produce a prototype computer skill program for parents and teachers;
4. Test the possibility for teacher production of supplemental educational software programs delivered by Internet to students;
5. Examine the feasibility of an Internet resource center for center-based and home-based childcare providers.

SUMMARY OF ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS: The anticipated results of Phase II include the development of an Internet resource center for center-based and home-based childcare providers. publishable parenting skills and computer skill development programs deliverable via the Internet, and Internet-delivered software programs suitable for the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children ages two through eight.

A successful outcome to Phase II should make Internet-delivered early childhood programming easily accessible by parents, teachers, and child-care providers. The lessons learned about the effective development of such programming should make the development of commercially profitable Internet-delivered training for young children much more attractive to many organizations.

Such support should be of assistance to federally-supported childcare centers and early learning schools.

PROJECT TITLE: Interactive Multimedia to Enhance Parenting Skills of Adolescents and Adults with Young Children

FIRM NAME:

American Research Corporation of Virginia P.O. Box 3406 Radford, VA 24143-3406

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Russell J. Churchill (540) 731-0655

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Department of Education has identified the need for technologies to increase parents' skills in nurturing young children's learning and development. In response to this need, American Research Corporation of Virginia proposes the development and evaluation of interactive multimedia for enhancing parenting skills of adolescents and adults with children aged 2-4 years. Interactive multimedia is the integration of text, graphics, and audiovisual media with computer-based information retrieval techniques to enable a user to view information in a nonlinear, intuitive manner. Phase I technical objectives include development of instructional content and scripts for video portions of the program, integration of the content with multimedia presentation technology, and evaluation of the Phase I system with regard to usability and knowledge gain. In Phase II, additional instruction will be developed for parents with children from prenatal to eight years of age. Phase II evaluation will entail assessment of changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior with regard to more traditional methods of instruction.

SUMMARY OF ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS: The Phase I program will be a complete multimedia program on rearing children aged 2-4 years and will serve as a model for the development of additional instruction in Phase II. Feasibility in Phase I will be established by successful development of a proof-of-concept system on Windows and Macintosh computing platforms and detailed assessment of system usability using documented interactive multimedia evaluation methodologies. Potential markets of the proposed program include social service agencies, schools, healthcare providers, and home users. A potential mode of delivery for the program is through the loaning or rental of laptop computers to members of the target population by social service agencies and other entities.