Technology in Early Childhood Education

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Young children have needs that are real and different from those
of older children and adolescents. Children from birth to age
eight are learning rapidly, using all of their senses and their
entire bodies to take in sensations and experience the world
around them. During this period of their lives they learn
through their play and exploration across five essential develop-
mental dimensions (Kagan, Moore, & Bredekamp, 1995). These
dimensions include:

*Social and Emotional Development. The ability to form and
sustain relationships gives meaning to learning experiences.
Responsive interactions provide a sense of well-being that
enables children to form attachments with others and partici-
pate positively in educational activities.

*Language Development. Language empowers children to
participate in both the cognitive and affective parts of the edu-
cational program. Experience with written and oral language
provides children with the tools to interact with others, and to
represent their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

*Physical Well-Being and Motor Development. A child’s health
is connected to preparedness for and performance in learning
activities. Healthy children are able to focus on and actively
engage in experiences crucial to the learning process.

*Cognition and General Knowledge. Children need opportuni-
ties to interact with the people and objects in their environment,
and to learn from their surroundings. Experiences and interac-
tions with peers and adults allow children to construct knowl-
edge of patterns, understand relationships between objects or
events, and learn ways to solve problems.

*Approaches Toward Learning. Children can be successful learn-
ers in many different ways. By understanding the predispositions
and learning styles that influence a child’s response to learning
opportunities, adults can encourage and increase engagement.

T ECHNOLOGY IN THE C URRICULUM

The use of technology in the curriculum is based on the needs
of the children, the focus of the curriculum, and whether the
technology will add to children’s educational opportunities
and experiences.
The age of the child and his or her developmental stage must be
taken into account when considering computer use. Two impor-
tant questions need to be asked when introducing young chil-
dren to anything new, including technology:

*Is it developmentally appropriate—is it consistent with how
a child develops and learns, and with the child’s current
developmental stage? 

*Will the activity benefit the child?
For very young children the answers to these questions are
usually “no.” Computer use for most children under age three
does not have meaning for the child.