Learning happens everywhere. One of my favorite parts about all of the technology we have available to us these days is the ability to integrate technology use and learning activities that involve nature and our everyday lives. But with a four and six year old, I’m often anxious about the dreaded drop and something getting broken along the way. We recently received a new Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20FHD with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 to test out during our on-the-go activities. Since Gorilla Glass 4 is better able to withstand damage from drops and provides exceptional damage resistance to the scratches and bumps of everyday use I decided we’d take it along with us everywhere for a week or so and see how we could use it for learning activities.
Because summer just started we are out and about quite a bit, so we are able to do a few different things with our Iconia Tab 10. One rule I did set is that we wouldn’t just be playing games. We’d be coming up with other ideas that encouraged us to research and interact as a family. Not that playing games is a bad thing. I just wanted the girls to explore other ways we could learn on the go and save their game playing time for home.
Easy Learning Activities with Your Tablet
Below are some of the activities we’ve been having fun with so far.
- We love to write and make memory books about the places we visit during the summer, so each of the girls has been using the Iconia Tab 10 camera feature to take photos of our adventures. Not only is it interesting to see what the girls choose to capture as special memories, it also gives us an opportunity for extended learning activities later. We can describe the photos to extended family and practice language development. Or we can create a slideshow or video with the pictures and write captions to go along with them to practice writing skills.
- Scavenger hunts are another great activity to use the Iconia Tab 10 for. We created a couple of our own and typed them into our tablet before heading out. Then the girls worked together to find the items we had on our list. If you don’t have time to make your own scavenger hunt, there are tons online to open and use as you are out and about. So far we’ve done a rainbow of foods hunt in the grocery store and a nature hunt in a flower garden. I’ll be honest, I was nervous about taking the table in the grocery store. Even though Gorilla Glass 4 is Corning’s toughest cover glass yet, I wasn’t quite ready to test that out. But nobody dropped it at the grocery store. We did have our first drop during our flower garden scavenger hunt, and after a moment’s pause before turning it over to check for damage we didn’t find anything wrong with it. Whew!
- Making videos is also a cool way to get kids learning on the go. The possibilities are literally endless. They can video things they learn at a new park, museum, or science center. With the easy-to-use Iconia Tab 10 video feature they can make their own instructional video teaching a new concept they learn. If you’re learning about geography or local places, they can video locations that demonstrate the concepts they are learning. Literally there is so much to do. Most of our videos are very short, shaky, and just for our own fun and learning, but the girls have had fun videoing a family of ducklings we saw at a pond and a crab we found at the beach.
- Tablets are also great for reading or listening to audio books. You can find many free online books and resources, and your local public library will probably have a system for allowing you to view books online as well. We use these most while we are driving or when we are waiting somewhere.
- The final way we’ve been using the Iconia Tab 10 is for research. As we are on the go questions come up, we need to look for nearby locations, and we often need directions. Instead of looking these up on my own, I’ve been trying to involve the girls more in the process. When we see something we want to learn more about, we sit down for a moment and research. Or if we need to find a local playground, I show the girls how to use the tablet to do so. Older kids can enter search terms and help navigate, which is a skill that will be helpful in many ways.
By using our Iconia Tab 10 with Gorilla Glass 4 during our everyday activities, we’ve been able to have some very meaningful learning opportunities that are relevant to the girls’ interests and our day-to-day life. It’s been so fun to merge technology and learning in such a useful way. And knowing that in laboratory tests, Gorilla Glass 4 survives up to 80% of the time when dropped from 3 feet high, and was up to 2x tougher than competitive glass designs, has helped remove a lot of the anxiety that was holding me back from these on-the-go activities before. Corning® Gorilla® Glass has been used on more than 3 billion devices from 40 major brands. Is it on yours? Click here to find out.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Corning®. The opinions and text are all mine.