Juba’s Create Space is a bulletin board where students can create a scrapbook or portfolio
with images they explored in Explore Space.
Create Space
Juba also includes a toolbox that students can use to paint, draw, stamp,
type, and erase. If they click on the
thumbs-up icon, they can save their
work to a personal electronic bulletin
board called Create Space. The microphone in the toolbox allows students
to record their own messages about
the pictures.
These tools engage students by using multiple dimensions for learning
vocabulary and language and communicating in the context of authentic visual and auditory representation. This
personal space, which allows children
to create digital scrapbooks or portfolios, reinforces cognitive/emotional
learning and facilitates ownership of
learning.
Teachers can use the students’
digital portfolios to track progress in
language-development skills, such as
vocabulary, speech fluency, diction,
cognition, writing, comprehension,
and early numerical literacy. And they
can show parents the portfolios when
discussing students’ growth.
the kinesthetic interaction with the
content that is so important to young
learners.
The program contains 25 ideas for
individuals, small groups, and large
groups. Six Red Marbles plans to
develop a community of users for exchanging best practices.
I would recommend this program
for teachers, parents who want to help
their children at home, and those who
homeschool their kids.
The authentic pictures are interesting and sometimes unusual depictions
of the concepts, which is very engaging for young learners. The associated
vocabulary is extremely rich. And the
program lends itself to English language learners, parent/child language
development, and early independent
learners. I see tremendous applications for vocabulary and communications skills for students with special
needs.
The program has endless possibilities, and it’s aligned to standards and
guidelines developed by NAEYC,
Head Start, and the National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics.
Juba (by Six Red Marbles)
$40 per student annual subscription ( 20 student
minimum; discounts available for volume sales).
www.sixredmarbles.com/juba
A Community of Learners
Juba works well on both a touch screen
and an interactive whiteboard. Children can point to a picture to zoom
in or touch the speaker icon to hear
sounds. The touch feature supports
Sarah McPherson, EdD, is an associate professor at New York Institute of Technology’s School of Education, where she is the Instructional Technology and Leadership Department chair. She is president of ISTE’s Special
Interest Group for Teacher Edcuators, and she’s a
board member for the New York State Association
for Computers and Technologies in Education.
