Welcome to our article where we will focus on the benefits of integrating digital technologies in early learning environments.

 

During early childhood education, young children develop a sense of initiative and creativity. They are curious about the world and about learning.

 

Digital touch technologies like tablet computers and smartphones, in particular, have become an integral part of their daily lives. It makes sense then to provide one outlet for them to demonstrate this through the effective integration of digital technology in early childhood education.

 

As you might already know by now, technology isn’t just a staple in life but now education. The importance of ICT for education is not based on the use of technology itself, but on the rich context they provide for activity of children and resulting cognitive development.

 

Additionally, many educators believe that ICT can help children develop their competencies even before they go to school, and this is the reason why today many countries are developing ICT strategies for early childhood education.

 

 

This article will outline the guidelines and trends in early childhood education to enable you to make informed decisions when integrating technology in the preschool classroom, kindergarten learning environments or beyond.

 

 

The Use of Digital Technology in Education

The use of digital technology in education aims to ensure that inclusive and equity quality in education for all is achieved. They are an integral part of children's education and has emerged as an essential tool to achieve this goal.

 

The digital technology in education that you will learn about in this article has made a paradigm shift in the entire education system and have had powerful impact on education.

 

What is digital technology in education?

 

Examples across all sectors include word processing, spreadsheets, advanced web-searching skills, animation and drawing, podcasting just to name a few. These examples of digital technology in education are just a small sample of some of the most common types.  It is also worth noting that much of it does not just end in the sector itself but spans across all sectors of education with the only difference in its use is the level of sophistication due to the demands of the curriculum.

 

The question on how important is technology in education will be further answered through the context of examining the early stages of learning. You can read why technology is benefits of technology in education here!

 

 

 

 

How is technology used in early childhood education?

The above question is one of the most frequently asked questions that early childhood educators continually ask us.  It is an interesting question as I prefer to ask about technology integration in early childhood education.

 

When integrating technology in early childhood education you are effectively supporting ICT capabilities as young children use technology in their play and in key intentional learning moments.

Technology integration is today one of the leading trends in early childhood education.

 

 

Key Benefits in ECE

However, let’s first examine the benefits of technology in early childhood education as it is pertinent to understand its significance for early learning. In a nutshell, these benefits include:

• It affects the people and environments that surround young children’s learning;
• It offers new opportunities to strengthen many aspects of early childhood education practice such as communication and collaboration, creativity, socio-dramatic play, and learning to learn;
• There is support for the integration of technology in early childhood classrooms and the development of ICT capabilities.

 

View the full list of benefits here!

 

Role of Technology in ECE

Given these benefits we now delve into this deeper by looking at the role of digital technology in early childhood education. As Bolstad (2004) stated “there is a growing recognition of the many different ways that ICT can contribute to, or transform, the activities, roles, and relationships experienced by children and adults in early childhood education settings” (p.5).

 

Potentially there is several roles that technology can play in the early learning environment. Examples include:

• Children using computers to play games, listen to stories, or draw pictures;
• Children using ICT equipment in games or role-play activities;
• Using the Internet to locate information or resources, sparked by children’s interest in a particular topic or idea;
• Taking digital photos, videos, or audio recordings of activities in the early childhood education setting and reviewing these together, or sharing them with parents;
• Practitioners and children using ICT to build portfolios of children’s work, to use for evaluating progress in children’s learning and development;
• Using videoconferencing, online discussion communities, or email, to communicate with other practitioners, parents, or researchers, or to share news and information about what’s happening in the early childhood education centre.

 

 

The Pros and Cons of Technology in ECE

Earlier on, I spoke about the benefits of technology but before I explore the negative effects of technology in early childhood education I want to start of this quote from Presky and Tapscott:

 

“The key to the effective integration of ICT is how the technology is used and employed. Not in the teaching of the technology itself”.

 

The reason why I wanted to do this is that this is very important for you to keep in mind as you read through what research suggests are the pros and cons of technology in early childhood education. It is crucial to weigh into this as we continue to move forward into digital society and finding the right balance is the key.

 

To help you achieve this, listening to the podcast “Navigating the Digital Jungle with Sue Atkins and Friends” is the best way to start, and you can listen to her free as a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy today.

 

In a study published by UNESCO and authored by Kalas (2010), the contrast between the negatives and the positives uses of technology in early childhood education is quoted especially well by Adams and Brindley (p.49) in Hayes and Whitebread (2006):

 

“Model of the passive child in front of the computer screen only holds until one has actually experienced young children interacting with any form of technology, whether it is a programmable robot, a digital camera

or a computer. Immediately, one witnesses the engagement, the social intracavity and collaboration, the creativity that is stimulated and the potential of ICT for young children’s learning becomes very clear.”

 

What are the Pros?

Integrating digital technology in early childhood classrooms can:

• Enhance learning opportunities;
• Support skill development;
• Facilitate communication;
• Offer innovative learning tools;
• Promote digital literacy and capabilities;
• Make learning more fun and interactive;
• Can promote creativity and self-expression.

 

We show you how all this can be achieved as a member in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy where you get everything for free for just $20 AUD per month.

 

Now for the Cons!

 

What are the Cons?

It is important to note that much of the literature that encourages the refraining of ICT in early childhood education has computer games in mind.

 

There are concerns about:

• Harmful physical effects on young children – this is related to excessive screen time that can lead to issues such as reduced physical activity, poor sleep patterns, and difficulties with social interaction.
• Harmful and inappropriate content – with so much content accessible on the Internet it can be difficult to monitor what children are exposed to. New digital technologies are both increasing children’s learning opportunities and bringing new potential risks and new worries for parents and teachers that children may be damaged or harmed.
• Social, emotional and cognitive development – it is said that overuse can sometimes lead to developmental delays.

 

Despite such concerns ECE practitioners in key studies as well as in our membership will point out to you that attentive, thorough and knowledgeable integration of ICT across curriculum is the best answer to most of the concerns.

Research has indicated that many of these risks can be eliminated through the complex integration of technology in early childhood education.

 

What is technology in ECE?

There are many examples of technology in early childhood education that can be used depending on the age of the young child and if it is indeed developmentally appropriate.

 

What digital technology in preschool do you currently have available? Here are some common ones that you may want to bolster your capabilities in to ensure the development of digital learning in preschoolers today.

 

How to get over 20 preschool workshop ideas as a member today?

When it comes to integrating technology in the preschool classroom it is important that you are involved in complex and continuous professional development. This is because the productive process of integrating digital technology in preschool is not straightforward.

 

Our membership in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy offers a wide range of preschool workshop ideas that answer key questions in relation to the process of integrating preschool technology in early childhood education.

 

Research suggests that these questions include:

• How is this process initiated, motivated and encouraged?
• Which categories of ICT are used in the centres (and which practices reported in literature are underused)?
• How are these technologies being implemented and used, how do teachers manage activities with ICT – indoors and outdoors, how are ICTs accepted and exploited by girls and by boys, what are successful activities and recommended organizational forms?
• What is the actual level of ICT competencies of ECE teachers and how is their professional development organized?
• What role do parents play in this process, why and how should we create and support the centre–parents partnership?
• What are the areas of concern about children’s safety and health in the digital world, how can we exploit ICT in favour of children’s development in all domains?
• What are other roles of ICT in ECE centres?
• How can ICT be used to support children with special education needs?
• What kind of ICT curriculum are we constructing, what are our educational and developmental goals and instruments to achieve them?
• What are the most frequent obstacles of this process and how do we cope with them? Where are we at present, and where do we go from here, what are our plans for further development?

 

 

 

Understand ‘How to teach computers to preschoolers’

Supporting the digital learning of preschoolers is achieved through the development of preschool practitioners’ capabilities in digital technology. As a member of the Academy, you will gain access to workshops such as ‘How to Teach Computers to preschoolers’.

Most workshops come with embedded preschool technology lesson plans free of charge.

 

 

Learning skills on a ‘need-to-know’ basis

Most multimedia programs MS PowerPoint, Stop Motion Studio (this is an app that you can get for both iPhones and Android phones) require some type of basic training with the help of a tutorial.

 

Imagine if you could access all these tutorials in the one place!

 

This takes you down the educational path as a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy of discovering ICT.

 

By the end of any tutorial or workshop involving multimedia programs, you should be able to:

• Use basic technology in preschool for creating and processing different multimedia  files – software applications for recording and processing sound, video editing software and graphics editing software for creating animations;
• Use headphones and microphones (or headsets) for working with sound;
• Use digital cameras such as your smartphone or tablet computer to record a video;
• Understand legal issues of using multimedia programs.

 

 

In early childhood education, there are many opportunities for creative expression with young children when creating their own digital stories. For example, the story, script, images, narration, ordering, visuals and soundtracks – with all of these opportunities, young children can create something that is personal and individual.

 

Here are some steps to get started:

1. Decide on the theme or topic for the storybook – this can sometimes be opportunistic when for example the class is participating in a particular activity, and you have decided that if you take some digital images of them participating in that activity they could write a narrative for the images.
2. Create the storyboards – think about how the digital story will look. Is there a particular program you want to use – perhaps PowerPoint because it is easy to use, MovieMaker, or an app such as ‘Draw and Tell’.
3. Import the images into the program.
4. Add the narrative – if the program has a voice recorder, it can be an excellent tool for recording narratives and this helps those who struggle with writing. Choose a child that can write the script or just go un-scripted!
5. Add special effects and transitions – do this sparingly and resist these as they are not necessary. Let the images speak for themselves.
6. Think carefully about how the digital story will be exported – try using software with more common file extension formats such as Windows Movie (wmv) and resist new formats to ensure that everyone will be able to play them.

 

Digital Touch in Preschool

Mobile learning in early childhood education has take off since the introduction of digital technology for preschoolers such as laptops computers and tablets. It is especially so since tablet computers have become commonplace in most early learning environments.

 

This is because the digital touch technology allows access to a range of applications that young children can use frequently.

 

Other digital touch technologies may also include IWB and digital tables but it is the tablet computer that offers the most strategies for you to apply.

 

For example, iPads if the correct strategies are applied can be used for literacy, art education, drawing and writing on screen, storymaking, and digital media literacies.

 

Programmable toys “gives children agency, develops their self-esteem, and helps them see themselves as active learners and problem-solvers in their own enacted stories. It gives them opportunities to learn through observing, modelling and imitating of behaviours, when appropriately scaffolded by educators” (Kewalramani, Siraj-Blatchford & Palaiologou, 2021).

 

To get started, here are some steps that you can take:

Step	Activities/Actions
Planning	Co-design activities and provocations based on children’s existing schemes (strengths and interests). Introduce the robots intentionally via play-based demonstrations and allow children to tinker with them freely but safely.
Emotional scaffolding through problem-based scenarios	Through story-telling and empathy-based situations, engage children in inquiry-based conversations. Encourage them to use verbal communication skills to share their ideas. For example, finding solutions to a problem centred around the robot (such as the robot might be running out of battery, or a bridge might fall down on the robot—ask the children how they might save the robot from dying.
Building children’s creative-inquiry skills	Allow ‘wait, think, share’ time for children to brainstorm with their peers on how to solve the posed problem. Generate a social–emotional learning environment where the robot is the central theme in the children’s stories. Support the children in programming/coding the stories and tasks for the robot to perform or act out/role play. Give them time to understand social cues, such as turn-taking while speaking, and regulate behaviour while communicating with their peers. Ask open-ended questions to generate inquiry conversations amongst the children and let them think out loud while proposing solutions to the posed problem.
Promoting adult–child, peer–peer and child–robot interactions	Note the multi-interactions between the adult, child and the robot (remember the robot can also move, talk, act, smile, laugh). Examples of interactions include children posing a question or a problem, response to a question, communicating a solution to the problem, hands on experimentation (coding the robot) to solve a problem. Educators should invite children to represent their thinking through drawings and constructions using, for example, blocks and everyday materials (blending of physical and digital modalities).
Sharing of children’s ideas and representations emerging from robotics free play	Allow time for whole-group discussions and invite children to share their emergent ideas, constructed artefacts and drawings. This enables a deeper and richer learning experience, fostered through a social and emotional inquiry process.

Source: The Spoke (2021)

 

IWB allow for multiple users and can be used for many subjects in your curriculum. They provide opportunities to facilitate the development of ICT capabilities such as how to touch and manipulate the screen as well as enabling the development of fine and gross motor skills.

 

The effects of technology in early childhood education can truly be felt when the emphasis on placed on the strategies and not the technology itself.

 

 

In the 21^st century, it is essential that as both parents and professionals we ensure that young children receive the help they need to develop their own sense of independence and an understanding of the world around them.

 

This part of our technology in early childhood education article will discuss the importance of assistive technology in early childhood education, particularly in a learning environment and its beneficial impact on young children with disabilities.

 

Assistive technology in early childhood classrooms ranges in complexity from simple, low-tech technology such as crayons with a large grip to high-tech tools such as computerised devices that can speak the thoughts of someone who struggles to communicate verbally.

 

Here are some examples of technology in early childhood education and some practical tips.

 

• Roller-ball mouse – these come with an oversized trackball which moves the cursor for a child who struggles to grip and use a standard mouse.
• Zoom features – magnify the computer screen or mobile device to make it easier to use for children with low vision.
• Switches – simple buttons that can children can select by using their hand, head or other method, to perform a computer command such as click, or by typing on a switch accessible keyboard.
• Speaking Apps – there are some apps for tablet computers that ‘speak’ words a child selects on a screen.
• Digital storybooks or Apps – to make more interactive and usable for children who struggle to use or focus on standard print books.
• Videos – these are a good way for redirecting behaviour when a child is unhappy as well as for teaching social skills.
• Closed captioning – this is a great tool if you have hearing impaired children as it allows them to still be able to understand what is being said on the screen.

 

 

Additionally, if a child is wearing a glove and they need to use a touch-screen then you can cut off one finger of the glove to help a child use a touch screen by isolating a single finger.

 

The impact of technology in early childhood education is today felt throughout schools. Today, one of the most important influences on the success of ICT in schools is the confidence of teachers and their enthusiasm to make it work. It is interesting to learn that most new ideas are first tried in a special-needs context where teachers and aides work together to understand the benefits and find solutions.

 

ICT in early childhood education can bring specific benefits to children with SEN within all of the following areas:

• Increasing motivation
• Improving access
• Raising expectations and achievement
• Facilitating differentiation
• Providing alternatives
• Engaging with the real world
• Facilitating assessment
• Supporting administration
• Supporting home and community links

 

 

Technology integration in early childhood education has been recognised as one of the leading trends in early childhood education. It represents a substantial development influencing the approach of service providers and the experiences of families utilising early childhood services.

 

The early childhood sector particularly in Australia is evolving and today is guided by advancements in digital technologies along with a holistic approach to child development.

 

It is for this reason that you engage in complex and continuous professional development as it is the key to the productive process of integrating digital technologies in early childhood learning activities.

 

 

Strategies to begin the process of Integration in ECE

A thorough and complex integration of digital technology in early childhood education will establish boys and girls as confident users of digital technologies as a tool for learning, self-expressing and communicating.

 

For many early learning centres, it is the lack of special knowledge, deep and complex ICT competencies that is hindering their progress. This emphasises the importance of complex and continuous professional development including ICT competencies.

 

If you want to begin the process of integrating technology in preschool classrooms and you don’t know where to start, here are a few misconceptions to avoid first.

 

Firstly, integrating technology in ECE does not require a big budget. This is because technology integration in early childhood education is not about getting the latest and greatest technological development that is out there.

 

Integrating technology in the preschool classroom is about imagining the potential for learning of the available technology and taking the risk to explore possibilities.

 

What do you need then to start?

 

A strong will and a critical approach to your own pedagogical experience, perception of modern knowledge about the role of ECE, courage and the need to innovate.

 

You also need to have the curiosity and the itch to explore the potential of ICT to support this kind of transition.

 

The productive process of integrating digital technology in ECE can be started by a strong-minded principal or teacher with just one single programmable toy, digital camera or an ordinary computer.

 

We suggest the following strategies….

 

1. Develop YOUR potential – productive procedures and strategies should be sought to engage in the integration of ICT in early childhood education so that learning objectives are achieved and is authentic. If you decide to start to integrate digital technologies into play and learning processes of children at your centre YOU will need to develop your own ICT competencies for several reasons. You will need to plan and supervise ICT professional development for your staff. Be aware that this is a continuous lifelong process. This can be achieved through studying high quality sources such as what you will find as a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy. These provide  practical ideas about how to proceed. Additionally, you will also find examples of good practice within the membership that will contribute to your learning.Finally, research also suggests that you can look for more contacts and this is something that our community of educators allows you to do on your own terms. By actively taking part in the community discussions and conversations relationships can be forged and the sharing of information will be gained.
2. Classify your position - if you have decided to make this process more effective and intense it would be beneficial to you to determine your motivation and think about who would initiate this process and why. What the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations of the early childhood director or teachers? What are your goals? Which curriculum do you prefer and why? Do you see some benefits in this process, benefits that be impossible without new technologies?
3. Set up your goals and objectives – there should be clear orientation in the transition that you are trying to promote. So keep your goals and strategies simple and flexible, and think about the areas of learning, play and development. Clarify what is beyond your goals and why.
4. Build your environment – familiarise yourself with regulations and remember that your children’s being safe is the highest priority. Select and get the relevant technology for your early learning environment using the DATEC guidelines. Make the use of digital technologies an inclusive part of your space.
5. Promote the professional development of your staff – as a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy you begin your learning by evaluating the ICT competencies of yourself and your staff.

    

   With over 80 + workshops and resources to learn from you can involve your early childhood teachers in setting their own professional development and training agendas.

    

   

   This process is supported by the ability of members to track their progress through their membership with the help of their membership workbook. No matter what level of technology integration they might be at this will guide them in their own goals and agenda.  

 

How to achieve your PD Goals in ECE?

What are some professional development goals for preschool teachers? As a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, here are some ways in which we help you achieve your professional goals in early childhood education.

 

Cultivate a Child-Centred Classroom

As a member of Academy, you will learn and apply the best practices to a responsive educator that prioritizes the interests of the young children. This will involve you continuing to adapt the ICT teaching methods and curricula to foster a love of learning, encouraging curiosity and supporting the holistic development of each child.

 

Enhance communication with parents and caregivers

We discuss in our workshops and resources how you can strengthen the lines of communication between parents and caregivers with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to build trust and a sense of community, essential for a child’s success.

 

Integrate inclusive practices

Through learning and applying the strategies embedded in the content of the membership you will not only engage young children in learning with ICT but also develop and foster an inclusive learning environment.

 

 

Pursuing continuing education.

As a member of the Academy, you will be able to set a goal to further your own learning whether it be through our preschool workshop ideas, reading our eBooks, or applying the early years ICT resources freely available.

 

Read professional development books and articles

Enjoy access to our top technology in early childhood education articles and our eBooks based on our top PD workshops and resources as a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy.

 

Join a professional learning network

If you teach in Australia and am currently working on improving your proficiency level in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, then being a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy is just the place to be!
 
Here's why...!🤔
 
The amount and quality of workshops and teaching resources that you have at your disposal as a member which is aligned to the APST is HUGE!
 
Where do I start?⁉️
 
First up, as you know every workshop in particularly lists the APST standards. However, here is where it gets better for you!
 
Just because you are a member of the Academy you are effectively engaging in the following standard:
 
7.4.2 Engaging professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.
 
There's more!
 
To progress in this proficiency level from here as a member, you can provide evidence of teacher practice in the following areas:

• Participation in teacher and professional networking meetings, including online educational forums, with reflections that show how knowledge has been broadened and/or practice has been improved and shared with colleagues.
• Participation in professional networking through face-to-face and online forums.
• Record activities undertaken in a professional network.
• Active engagement and recording of reflection on professional reading to extend knowledge
• Attending professional workshops with reflection on changes to practice.
• Memberships to profesional organisations.
   

Let me sum this up for you!
 
You are in a membership where you can professionally network with colleagues while at the same time engage in workshops with opportunities to reflect on the use of ICT in your practice.

 

Focus on personal wellbeing

We strive to ensure that while you are educating young children on the best ways to use digital technology as a tool for learning you are amplifying your digital wellbeing. Like bringing in leading experts such as Sue Atkins a prominent UK parental expert and Dr Kristy Goodwin who is Australia’s leading expert on this matter. Gain access to their podcasts and presentations 24/7 as a member.