WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING
WITH TECHNOLOGY IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?
Voices from the Field:
2012 National Early Childhood Technology Today Survey
Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. Fran Simon, M.Ed.
Salt Lake City, UT April 2013
Copyright 2013 by ECTC. All rights reserved.
• The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative (ECTC) is a group of three early childhood technologists with lots of questions:
• Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. from Hatch Early Learning,
• Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. and
• Fran Simon, M.Ed. from Early Childhood Technology Network
EARLY CHILDHOOD TECHNOLOGY
COLLABORATIVE (ECTC)
• How technology is used in early childhood education classrooms not well understood (Prek-3rd grade)
• Current surveys often about home use of technology with young children or mix passive with interactive technologies
• There is a need to hear directly from educators about how they are using interactive information processing technologies with children in the classroom
RATIONALE FOR STUDY
• Many current surveys focus on home use– Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America
– Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
• Just a handful included or focused on early childhood– Digitally Inclined
– Deepening Connections
– Tech in the Lives of Teachers
• Those with ECE educators asked questions about passive & interactive technologies simultaneously
• Additionally, questions very global-rarely moving beyond “do you have”
SURVEYS TO DATE
• Online Survey series
– Survey I: Teachers & Administrators
– Survey II: Teachers
• Spring/summer 2012
• Open to anyone in the world
• Active = “Information Processing” Technologies such as Desk/laptops, IWBs, Tablets, Smartphones, Other Handhelds versus
• Passive = “Simple” Technologies such as Televisions, CD Players, Digital Cameras
METHODOLOGY
• These results are based on the 485 U.S. respondents
• There were 116 Administrator respondents
• There were 369 Teacher respondents
• The demographics are comparable from Survey I and Survey II were similar and are combined
WHO RESPONDED?
The main demographics are:
• Serve Pre-K (2-5 year olds) and/or School Age (K-3rd grade)
• Public School, Head Start, Childcare, Private School
• Urban, Rural, Suburban
• Serve more children of poverty (50% or more), Serve fewer children of poverty (less than 50%)
• New educator (less than 5 yrs), Experienced educator (more than 5 years)
• Degreed (4 yr or higher), Non-degreed
DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS
ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Community Type Poverty Children Served
ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Program Type Ages Children Served
ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Degreed (4 yr & up) Years Experience
Our first area of interest was around the reasons that early childhood educators use technology with the children in their program classrooms…..
WHY ECE EDUCATORS USE TECHNOLOGY?
MAIN REASONS FOR USING
MOST IMPORTANT USES
Our next area of interest was in knowing which of the active technologies are being used in the classrooms with early learners….
WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS USED?
TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY IN USE
WHAT EDUCATORS DON’T HAVE
BUT WOULD LIKE FOR CHILDREN
Next we explored how much time active technologies are used in the classroom with the children….
HOW MUCH TIME IS TECH USED?
HOW MANY DAYS OF THE WEEK
DESK/LAPTOPS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend
IWBS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend
TABLETS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend
• Used regularly but not excessively
• Used because children enjoy it & it helps meet goals of program
• More a support than for direct instruction
• What’s used follows availability
• Differences between beliefs and practices for amount of time with tech
TRENDS
We turned our attention next to the types of learning activities in which the children engage…
WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF ACTIVITIES?
HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Language/Literacy Mathematics
HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Science Social Studies
HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Logic/Problem Solving Approaches to Learning
HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Art Music
HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Social-Emotional
OBSTACLES/WEAKNESS OF CONTENT
We wanted to know more about the setting in which the use of technology by the children takes place….
WHAT IS THE SETTING LIKE?
WHO IS GUIDING ACTIVITIES
WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES
WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES
WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES
• Used more for traditional content areas
• Rarely used to support social-emotional goals
• Educators “drive” some kinds of tech more than others
• But give children lots of opportunities to “drive” too
• They do ensure balance between teacher-guided and child-initiated for learning activities themselves
TRENDS
We queried about how technology is used to determine the extent children are meeting the learning goals of their program….
HOW ARE GOALS MONITORED?
DETERMINING LEARNING
We wondered about technology being used with children who need extra support such as Dual/English Language Learners (DLL/ELL) and children with special needs….
FOR CHILDREN
NEEDING EXTRA SUPPORT?
DLL/ELL LEARNERS
TECH WITH DLL/ELL LEARNERS
Chosen specifically to meet needs of ELL children
In every language spoken in your group now
SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS
SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS
Devices used with special needs children
We were interested in the professional development experiences of educators on using technology with early learners….
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?
TYPES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN
1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY
Desk/laptops IWBs
COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN
1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY
Tablets Multi-touch Tables
• Technology is being used to monitor progress
• Seems available but low implementation for DLL/ELL children and special needs children
• Many different kinds of PD available and most have received
• More comfortable with more established tech
TRENDS
We’re going to close with findings that to us sums it all up….
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
BEST SUPPORT FOR USING TECH
Suggested readings• Simon, F. & Nemeth, K. (2012). “Digital Decisions: Choosing the Right
Technology Tools for Early Childhood Education.” Lewisville, NC: GryphonHousehttp://www.gryphonhouse.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?BookID=10023
• McManis, L.D. & Gunnewig, S. (2012). “Finding the education in educational technology with early learners.” Young Children, 67(3), 14-25. http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201205/McManis_YC0512.pdf
Acknowledgement• The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative would like to thank Perry
McManis, M.A. Economics, for statistical analyses of the survey data.
Q & A
• LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network
• Twitter: #ecetechchat Every Other Weds. @ 9pm ET
• http://www.ecetech.net/
• NAEYC Technology & Young Children Interest Forum
• ISTE SIG ELT
LEARN MORE-STAY CONNECTED