How one computer can be successfully integrated in preschool activities today
Michael Hilkemeijer
Technology integration in Early Childhood Education & Primary Education membership
There are many ways for early childhood practitioners to use technology in preschool activities today. Amongst the first of these technologies is the ongoing use of computers in early childhood education. You may feel that just because you only have one computer that it is not possible to effectively make an impact on child learning through the process of integration.
?This barrier that you have can never be further from the truth than it is now.?
The productive process of digital technology integration can be started by a strong minded ECE principal or preschool teacher with one single programmable toy, or one digital camera or an ordinary computer.?
It would also be wrong to just assume that the process of integrating technology in the preschool classroom requires a high budget. What it does require is:
?The importance of ICT in early childhood education can never be understated or overestimated and the importance of planning in early childhood education in relation to integrating technology represents your first stepping stone in maximising that one computer in your preschool learning environment.?
In my last article, I addressed the benefits of computers in early childhood education and the levels of skill differentiation of it. Today, I am going to explore how to use technology in preschool classrooms in relation to what you can do with just one computer but first, let us look at this more closely in terms of the various categories of technology in early childhood education.
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Categories of ICT
When looking into much of the literature research relating to ICT in education, this particular concept is sometimes misinterpreted as ‘computer’ or ‘learning with computer’. So when integrating technology in the preschool classroom it would be a mistake to simply encourage and emphasise the learning of computer skills. Additionally, software on desktop computers still represents the sole provision in some preschool learning environments and in many cases the technological equipment can act as a barrier to developing ICT capability across the early childhood education curriculum.?
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The whole spectrum of ICT in preschool, for example, would consist of the following according to UNESCO (2010, p. 56):
Standard Viewpoint:
Viewpoint of purpose:
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Today, it can be a fairly typical scenario for many early childhood teachers just to have at least one computer in their teaching and learning environment. However, if this scenario sound familiar to you then you need to remember the simple fact that integrating technology in the preschool classroom is not about having the latest and greatest technological development, but to use the available technology in the classroom.?
Yet, this remains a big problem to encourage teachers to actually use the available technology in the classroom. This is due partly to the lack of staff training and awareness of what is possible topped with the over-quoted excuse of lack of computers.?
This lack of awareness not only is to do with what software is available and how to use it, but also to more fundamental issues such as how to make the best use of a single computer.?
So the following will demonstrate to you teaching strategies in early childhood education that will enable you to learn how to use technology in preschool classrooms today.?
Each of the strategies that follow are relevant and can be adapted to the early learning environment.