How to promote language rich environments with preschool tech today?

This is an extract from my online pd for early childhood teachers titled "How to support play based learning in early childhood education with digital technology". You can join it today for just $360 AUD or become a member of our ICT in Education Teacher Academy to gain INSTANT ACCESS to it now for just $50 AUD per month (cancel anytime).

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Language development is one of the most important aspects of education in the early years as it allows children to communicate with people in their lives.

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There is a wealth of information out there from research that has indicated the importance of good early language skills without which young children would be at risk of social, emotional, educational and economic disadvantages.

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Studies have indicated that those children with advanced reading capabilities are usually brought up in an environment that has exposed them to a significantly larger vocabulary.

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We also know that the key factors in language development in early childhood education include:

• That children learn when adults speak to them,
• Language is more than just word,
• Language gives children space to talk,
• Provide many opportunities for imaginative play;
• Read (and tell stories) aloud.

(www.geteduca.com)

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Children need a rich language environment in order to learn their first and subsequent languages.

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So, the challenge remains for many early childhood teachers to ensure that all children have access to a stimulating and diverse range of verbal expression and so that they begin to develop a wide variety of vocabulary.

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In this video, I am going to show you how to create a language-rich learning environment in the classroom with digital technology in early childhood education.

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A Technology-rich and language-rich environment

Digital technology in early childhood education can play an important role in helping the teacher, the child, the family, and the early childhood learning environment be ready for the year to start in a welcoming way.

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The key when integrating technology in the preschool classroom is to ensure that it is used as a two-way communication because passive listening is not as powerful as experiences.

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There are numerous opportunities for children to communicate their ideas and feelings. For example, repeating vocabulary, stories, songs, and rhymes using adult-modelled language etc.

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The CT in ICT in early childhood education means that you have opportunities to provide an environment that encompasses devices such as mobile phones, computers with access to email and the Internet as well as software as simple as word processors that has literacy and language development capabilities.

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Today, many young children have access to sound, graphics, animation, and video to excite them and motivate their reading and language development.

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One such way that digital play in the early years can achieve this is with non-verbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, and body positioning. These are also the key to understanding the ‘message’ being communicated.

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Through the use of digital storybooks animations containing gestures can have a positive impact on the understanding of the story itself.

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Another way that you can use digital technology to enable a language rich environment is to ensure that it has place in imaginative play areas.

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Play is such a language rich experience and videos can be played as a backdrop, providing scenery and stimulating the children’s play by setting the scence/action.

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Communication technology in preschool activities can encourage young children who may be reluctant to speak to use their voices in playful ways.

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Here are some?strategies to promote language development in preschoolers (2015, p.41).

• Have young children verbally identify pictures on a computer screen.
• Let young children makeup sentences about pictures they see on technological equipment.
• After showing a story with technology, let the children tell a story that happened to them.
• Give young children the opportunity to orally verbalise sounds they hear from the computer.
• Provide young children with time to retell a story after they view it from a software program.
• Have children respond to a story by telling about the character they see on the monitor.
• Ask young children questions after they complete a software program to check comprehension.
• Let young children tell the details of a story in sequence after viewing a software program.
• Provide opportunities for young children to interact with each other while participating in technology activities.

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What are some technology solutions for creating a language rich environment?

According to Nemeth (2015) there are several solutions that you can use as an early childhood teacher to ensure that families and children are able to communicate effectively with you.

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• Reach out to families before school starts and find out more about the home language, culture, interests and assets that the children will bring to your early learning environment.
• Begin with a home language survey that has been translated into the family's native language.
• Find out which mode of communication families prefer. Some teachers prefer text messages while others use email to stay in touch.
• Use technology resources such as the My Child website or Tadpoles.com to make it easier to have linguistically and culturally appropriate music, books, materials, and displays ready for the child’s first day.
• If you have contacted the families before school has started, you may be able to recommend language learning apps such as the Pocoyo learning activities from the HITN Early Learning Collaborative or the Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Word Builder app that families can use.

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Key markers of a language rich environment with technology

• Responsiveness: Does the caregiver or teacher respond when the child addresses [them]
• Positive emotion: Do [they] respond with a smile and a positive disposition
• Does the teacher have the attention of the children? [Are they] talking about things the children are interested in?
• Expansions: Is the teacher asking questions and building on the children’s talk? Sustained shared thinking can play a role in this and it can involve asking open-ended and positive questions.
• Reading: Is the room filled with written material and books? Does the teacher read to the children?

(geteduca.com)

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To summarise, the use of digital technology in early childhood education can enable a language-rich environment because of the many communication technologies that are available, and which continue to emerge.

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Each one brings with it the opportunity to enable young children to communicate two ways and to engage with spoken language (s). This encourages children to be active participants and to gain from their experiences.

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Additionally, the use of communication technology in preschool activities also provides opportunities for children to extend their vocabulary and thus ensures that these children who do have access to them will have better reading capabilities as they are exposed to a larger vocabulary such as computer terminology.

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Any language-rich environment should be like the following…

• It sounds like conversation and play and singing and reading and interacting and true listening.
• It looks like a space where learners and educators are interacting in all these activities in a positive, nurturing way.
• It feels like a place where children grow in confidence as their early adventures with speech are encouraged, respected and supported.

(geteduca.com)

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And digital play in the early years can facilitate each of these aspects.