Technology and Early Childhood Education

The importance of using all kinds of technology in an early childhood education classroom

By: Amber Christensen

Technology is Crucial

Technology is important because:-It ties in with the curriculum and is therefore easily

integrated-It attends to a variety of child learning styles and

predispositions-It reaches to all developmental dimensions:

-Social and Emotional Development-Language Development-Physical Well-Being and Motor

Development-Cognition and General Knowledge

TECHNOLOGY AND CURRICULUM AREAS

Technology and Curriculum AreasTechnology Connects to a Variety of Curriculum Areas

Technology can help with emergent literacy skills by:-Increasing their motivation to write: This is due to the increased

confidence in their writing. When writing with pen and pencil some students get frustrated with the materials and scribble or erase frantically. But using a computer program to write makes it easier for the students to have fewer mistakes which make them feel safer. -Showing that there is a tie to words and pictures: Just like index

cards that label pictures, or just labeled pictures in a book- various technology programs or internet activities can show, and even say aloud audibly, what that picture is and how it is said.- Enhancing their writing skills: "Studies indicate that word-processing software encourages writing, and leads to increased motivation and improvement in writing skills" 2-Assisting in creating their own stories: "[A writing program] Allows children to compose longer and more complex stories and worry less about mistakes" 2

Technology and Curriculum AreasTechnology Connects to a Variety of Curriculum Areas

Technology can help with emergent math skills by:-"Showing patterning-Showing classification-Showing seriation-Showing numerical relationships" 1

TECHNOLOGY AND DIFFERENTLEARNING STYLES

Technology and Different Learning StylesTechnology attends to a variety of child learning styles

and predispositions by:

-Showing that those students who think they have no strengths may have some as revealed by different technologies-Allows students to take a variety of paths to achieve the goal: shows that many methods could work-Enhancing concentration and interest of content that would

otherwise bore some students 2-"Increase attention and build memory and visualization skills. Children need time to develop memory and imagery

before the images are provided for them." 1

TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS

Technology and Developmental DomainsTechnology and Social and Emotional

Development

Through collaboration with other students, a child can learn more about the content and their fellow peers views on the content. "…computers and software can serve as catalysts for social interaction and conversations related to children's work" 2. Young students can talk about their work with each other and share their ideas through technological collaboration activities.

Research shows:-"Children demonstrate increased levels of spoken communication and cooperation during computer use" 2-"Children share leadership roles on the computer, and initiate

interactions more frequently" 2

Technology and Developmental DomainsTechnology and Language Development

Young students can draw, paint, and create their own stories using technology- all of which increases their language skills. Visual manipulatives of mathematical/alphabetical/etc. content can enhance the quality of conversation surrounding these ideas.

Technology and Developmental DomainsTechnology and Physical Well-Being and Motor

Development

Sometimes the physical aspect of writing can get in the way of studentswanting or doing writing. Word processors can assist students in writingwhen holding a pencil can be tedious and uncomfortable.

Large and fine motor skills are key for a child to fully develop. Computerscan help with the fine motor skills and connecting the mental aspectto the physical aspect.

It is important to remember to take frequent breaks from the computer so as not to hurt your eyes or cause any other physical damage forsitting in one position for an extended period of time.

Technology and Developmental DomainsTechnology and General Knowledge

Ideas or concepts that seem too far away (like studying culturesor geography of faraway country) are brought to the students and brought to life. These unique experiences theycould not obtain otherwise unless they actually went there.

Through teacher interaction while the students work with technology, different ideas about sharing and cooperatingand how technology may work, can bring about deeper thinking and abstract thinking.

USING TECHNOLOGY IN AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CLASSROOM

Using Technology in an Early Childhood Education Classroom

One idea for using Technology in the classroom would be to use the internet resource “Lanolin’s Greenhouse.”

This lesson will focus on orally manipulating phonemes which can helpchildren recognize (orally) that the pieces of words can be taken away and other pieces can be added and you can have a new word. Here a friendly sheep holds up a picture of a simple word (man, cat, boy, etc.) and orally asks you to take off either the first or last sound and replace it with a new sound. They have 2 plants: one with a picture (instead of a ‘flower’) of the correct answer, and another with an incorrect but slightly close answer. The student can pick either one and it will tell them if they are right or wrong and sound them out again so they understand why they are right or wrong.

Using Technology in an Early Childhood Education Classroom

Another idea for using Technology in the classroom would be through the use of virtual manipulatives. These tools do a great job of solidifying concepts taught and allowing students to test their own hypotheses.

Under the MathTools website you will find a manipulative for Fractions called “Fractions-Comparing” under the Math 2 section.

This allows students to play around with fractions. They are to find the equivalences to certain fractions. They are given the red and blue already shaded in and they can increase or decrease the pieces that make up the whole. It shows that the shaded area can be 1/2 or 3/6's, and so on.

REFERENCES1- http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/preschool/technology.html

2- http://www.nwrel.org/request/june01/child.html#research

Fraction virtual Manipulative: http://mathforum.org/mathtools/

Source to Lanolin’s Greenhouse: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kindergarten_links.htm

Lanolin’s Greenhouse: http://www.professorgarfield.org/Phonemics/greenhouse/greenhouse.html