We want to be thoughtful about introducing technology to the analog sort of play that kids engage in so naturally and beautifully and get so much out of. We need to ask, what’s the added value?There is much research and debate on the affects of technology and screen-time on young learners. Blended Learning Programs can be very individualized and can arguably be a hindrance to peer-to-peer interaction. We do have kindergarten students using a blended learning math program, but not in PreK. Early childhood educators have very strong opinions on whether or not to integrate technology at a young age and for what purpose. While there are some products that seem to marry the digital with the tactile such as Tiggly and Osmo, the question still remains is there a place for technology in the early childhood classroom?
Elizabeth Rood, vice president of education strategy, Bay Area Discovery Museum
What is technology's role in early childhood education?
Voice Thread in ECE
Technology Resources for Early Childhood Learning
Five-Year Olds And Laser Cuttersperfect Together? Welcome To The First Early Childhood Fab Lab https://t.co/nAI5dMsXe0 Cool #makered— JackieGerstein Ed.D. (@jackiegerstein) July 11, 2016
Have you seen technology used meaningfully in the ECE world? Would you rather this was up to the parents and remained out of the ECE classrooms? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
What an interesting question! As an educator, I am consistently looking for the value-added technology to incorporate into my classroom. However, I do think I might have a hard time walking into my two-year-old's school/daycare classroom and seeing the type of technology I tend to think about in the edtech world. Not that my daughter isn't exposed to technology at home, she definitely is, but I must have some belief that it probably doesn't belong in her classroom yet (which I hadn't even thought of prior to your post). I think there is probably a balance to strike and that balance will only become harder to find. If public schools are using computers, ipads, other technology, I don't know why Pre-K classrooms would refrain from getting their students school-ready in this way as well as other areas (like social skills and letter recognition). I can imagine that it will become a way that parents choose their ECE organizations. Right now, many parents choose bi-lingual ECE or outdoor ECE because that is something they value. I can see technology use becoming a strong push/pull factor in parents choosing where they enroll their children.
ReplyDeleteKaty, I agree that value-added needs to be a high determining factor. I also agree that this will become a way for parents to choose or not choose a program in the future. I like your point that if the program is within a larger school and some student exposure or training could be helpful in coming years, but it definitely isn't he number one priority.
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