Footsteps2Brilliance to Host EdWeb Mobile Technology & Game Methodology Webinar Tomorrow

Feb. 8, 2012 - PRLog -- Ilene Rosenthal, CEO and Founder of Footsteps2Brilliance™, will host a webinar on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 4 to 5 p.m. EST as part of a webinar series at Edweb.net’s Mobile Learning Explorations community. The session, titled “Using Mobile Technology & Game Methodology to Scale Student Achievement in the Early Years,” can be accessed at the following link: www.instantpresenter.com/edwebnet3. No pre-registration is necessary.

This webinar will highlight a California case study in which ELL children, who had never before been to school, used Footsteps2Brilliance™ mobile technology to prepare them for kindergarten. The program provided children with a library of interactive eBooks and over 230 educational games focused on building background knowledge and vocabulary.  The games provided engaging skill practice, and also assessed how the children were developing comprehension, critical thinking, and vocabulary skills.  Parents were trained to use the Footsteps2Brilliance™ on the iPad, allowing them to extend learning into the home.  Data collected showed that, within a short four-week period, the ELL children were exposed to over 180,000 words, read over 600 eBooks, and saw their comprehension rise from 58 percent to 76 percent.  

Research says that 46 percent of children enter kindergarten at risk of failure. Eighty-eight percent of them never catch up.  Many of these children lack the vocabulary and oral
language skills needed for academic success, and 61 percent have no books in their homes.  Researchers Hart and Risley identified a 30 million-word vocabulary gap between at-risk children and their affluent peers. With regard to these statistics, the question has always been, “How can we make language poor environments language rich?” The Footsteps2Brilliance Early Learning Mobile Game Platform is poised to be the answer by leveraging the ubiquitous nature of mobile technology to connect school and home in innovative ways.  

The EdWeb Mobile Learning Explorations community is a professional learning community co-hosted by edWeb.net and CoSN and sponsored by AT&T. The community allows for educators around the globe to discuss potential uses of mobile technology in education. This community works as a guide for participants through issues pertaining to planning, implementation, policies, IT and effective pedagogy.

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Footsteps2Brilliance™ is the breakthrough early learning mobile game platform to help children succeed in school and life. Its flagship program, the Academic Language Program for Students, also known as ALPS, consists of 18 eBooks and over 230 educational games. The program is based on the latest cognitive research for pre-K through third grade students. Recently made available to school districts, Footsteps2Brilliance™ will be launching its consumer version in the coming months.