The online article, "Technology in Early Childhood Education: Finding the Balance", offers several tips on how to integrate technology into the curriculum successfully. When introducing children to technology you should consider whether or not the technology will add to every child's educational opportunities and experiences. Technology can begin to enhance a child's learning beginning in Preschool. Young children should only use technology for a short period of time. The technology should be introduced as a choice during free time. This way the technology will act as a discovery process. Also, for children in preschool, there should be only a few software programs to choose from which are developmentally appropriate. Children ages five to eight (primary grades) can begin to use technology for a longer period of time. The children in this age group are beginning to read and no longer have to depend on icons to navigate through technology. Technology can now begin to enhance a child's literacy or language skills. For example, simple word processors become important educational tools as children experiment with written language. The teacher is less involved and only acts as a guide for children while posing questions that encourage thinking. The article also goes on to talk about how to use technology for a real purpose, choosing appropriate software, and other types of technologies that are beneficial in the classroom.
Review:
I think that this is a great article that future teachers should read to understand how to effectively adapt technology into the classroom. It gives helpful suggestions on what type of technology uses children should be involved with by age group. The website is very easy to navigate because it offers headings that you are able to click on if you know exactly what you want to look at. It also offers links to other websites that may be useful regarding technology usage in the early childhood classroom.
Here is a link to the website so you can check it out:
http://www.nwrel.org/request/june01/intro.html
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I like the idea of technology being a choice during free time. I think that it is a very good way for the students to explore technology and it is a nice way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Your article sounds like it would be very helpful for future teachers. I like too how the article makes it possible to use technology in the classroom with out going overboard. Alot of time I feel as if some of the articles a person reads wants the students to use technology all the time and in every aspect of the day. I do not agree with those articles. But, your article seems to find that happy medium which is so important.
I think that you chose an excellent article. It is important to be able to intoduce children to technology and try to understand whether or not it will add to every child's educational opportunites. I think the fact that this article gives specific age groups and how technology effects different ages is very important as well. I also think that it is good to see both sides of technology use in the classroom. How in some instances it can be important and others it may not be completely necessary.
Great Job!
Post a Comment