Technology and Early Childhood learning have been so inspiring to me. Working in Pre-Kindergarten and having the luxury of iPad's in the room, I have been able to watch just how beneficial technology is in early education. So much so, that it was the main driving force behind why I decided I wanted to get my Master's in Educational Technology.
The main thing that I have found is exactly what most of the readings talked about.That using technology appropriately in the classroom can help to expand, enrich, individualize and differentiate curriculum. Adding technology to curriculum rather than replacing curriculum with technology is essential. The hesitancy to use technology is that people are worrisome it is being used not to enrich learning but rather to replace it. I have had many parents concerned that if we used certain technologies that they would act as a babysitter for the child. Rather than having the iPad's just sitting at a table and having children engorged in them, I have discovered that the best way to use the iPad's educationally rather than recreationally was to incorporate them into our different centers, scattering them all around the room.
Using Guided Access on these devices has been critical for me as well. This allows the screen the teacher decides to be locked so that the app chosen is the only one the child has access to. I have seen substantial growth for many learners but incorporating just this one specific form of technology. It has excited my class to learn in a unique way, and given them a sense of pride and exploration when they are free to use them at their centers.
I love how you wrote about your connection to early childhood education and how that inspired you to get your Master’s in technology. Early childhood children are so excited about learning and exploring everything around them. I think that technology is such great tool for them to use in the classroom. Like you mentioned, I also think that we should be adding technology to the curriculum, not replacing it. Technology can make good lessons even better and more interactive. Technology also helps with individualizing student learning. I have never used guided access before. It sounds like such a great tool and helps to ensure that the students are doing only what they should be doing. This allows for the most effective and appropriate use of technology for each student!
ReplyDeleteI like Jessica also have never used guided access, but with new iPads in my own classroom I will definitely have to look into it! I'm curious, you mentioned scattering the iPads throughout the room to enhance the learning at various stations. I am curious to learn more about this including any helpful apps you might use so that I can possibly set up a similar learning environment for my preschoolers.
ReplyDeleteJanelle,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you said "that using technology appropriately in the classroom can help to expand, enrich, individualize and differentiate curriculum." I thought that this was a very powerful sentence that summarizes why we should implement technology in the first place. Enriching and differentiating becomes a lot easier when the computer naturally assesses each student and their are programs that make it gradually harder. In the past when I was asked to differentiate I had to think of these questions on my own.
I too, have never heard of the Guided Access app. I was wondering how we were going to limit what the students can use and that is neat there is an app already designed. There has been talk about using it for assessments and I thought it would be easy to cheat and google information that you didn't know!
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that we cannot just use technology to replace the curriculum. So often teachers misuse technology in the classroom, instead of having students go through a genuine experience they just put them on an app, game or video that teaches them what they need to know. Technology shouldn't become the teacher, it should add to the experience of learning. Starting education off like this in early childhood classrooms and continuing it throughout a child's education can keep their curiosity strong but give them the tools to find the answers to their questions.
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