Information and communication technologies in Finnish early childhood environments.

Information and communication technologies in Finnish early childhood environments. The world of children has changed drastically dras��tic?adj.1. Severe or radical in nature; extreme: the drastic measure of amputating the entire leg; drastic social change brought about by the French Revolution.2. over recent decades.From a very early age, today's children Today's Children was the first nationally syndicated radio soap opera in the United States. Created and written by Irna Phillips, it aired from flagship station WMAQ in Chicago from 1932 to 1938, and later in national syndication (without the involvement of WMAQ) from 1943 grow up with informationand communication technologies (ICT (1) (Information and Communications Technology) An umbrella term for the information technology field. See IT.(2) (International Computers and Tabulators) See ICL. 1. (testing) ICT - In Circuit Test. ) as an essential and natural part oftheir daily lives. As they grow, they face expectations from school andwork environments alike to become active and self-directed self-di��rect��edadj.Directed or guided by oneself, especially as an independent agent: the self-directed study of a language.self members intheir local communities and in the information society at large.Furthermore, new technologies create ever more versatile possibilitiesfor the acquisition and creation of new information, and they act as amedium for self-expression self-ex��pres��sionn.Expression of one's own personality, feelings, or ideas, as through speech or art: "Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment"Pearl S. Buck. and for communication and interactions withother people on local, national, and worldwide levels. New technologies also create tremendous challenges for citizens inthe information society. Active participation in the information societypresumes novel skills for the acquisition, management, and communicationof information as well as versatile work approaches from children andteachers alike (Ministry of Education, 1999a). These challenges concernthe teachers of young children as well. Although the use and applicationof ICT in Finnish early childhood education is often questioned andessentially invisible in curricula for early childhood and preprimary pre��pri��mar��y?adj.Relating to or taking place in the time before a primary election: preprimary conventions.education (Finnish National Board of Education, 2000; Kangassalo, 1998),even the youngest children do learn to use electronic toys, devices, andlearning tools that did not even exist just a decade ago (Vandevelde,1999). This article describes the use of ICT in Finnish childhoodeducation from three perspectives. First, we will shed light on theFinnish policies concerning the use of ICT. Second, we will indicate theprevailing state of ICT use in childhood education, according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. theresults of both national and international surveys. And finally, we willpresent some innovative practices involving the use of computers ineducation. The focus is on children attending early childhood educationcenters and primary schools. (In Finland Finland,Finnish Suomi (swô`mē), officially Republic of Finland, republic (2005 est. pop. 5,223,000), 130,119 sq mi (337,009 sq km), N Europe. , children start school at age7, and all 6-year-old children have the right to preschool education preschool education:see kindergarten; nursery school. preschool educationChildhood education during the period from infancy to age five or six. Institutions for preschool education vary widely around the world, as do their names (e.g. ,either at child care centers or at primary schools. Children attendpreschool for at least 700 hours a year.) FINNISH INFORMATION STRATEGIES The main vision behind Finland's national information strategy(Ministry of Education, 1999b) is to develop and utilize theopportunities inherent in ICT in order to improve Finnish quality oflife, knowledge, and ability to compete in the global marketplace. Thishas meant a nationwide effort to create possibilities for ICT to meetthe diverse needs of people at different ages. In 1995, the governmentproduced a position paper outlining its strategy to provide everycitizen with opportunities to acquire the skills they will need to gainaccess to the information mediated me��di��ate?v. me��di��at��ed, me��di��at��ing, me��di��atesv.tr.1. To resolve or settle (differences) by working with all the conflicting parties: by new technology. One of thesestrategies has been to develop ICT as part of the national educationcurriculum. The Ministry of Education's information strategies focus oneducation, research, and culture in order to provide institutions withmodern information networks, and to guarantee libraries and schools atall levels with the opportunities to use these networks. The governmenthas helped educational establishments acquire necessary infrastructureand has developed a system of networks between the teachers andadministrators in schools. Other strategies focus on continuingeducation continuing education:see adult education. continuing educationor adult educationAny form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). for teachers, technologically enriched environments, andinnovative learning and teaching materials. In 1996, the Ministry of Education launched a program called"Information Finland." Implemented by the National Board ofEducation, the program has helped schools and other educationalinstitutions to link with international information networks, and it haspromoted the introduction of ICT as tools for teaching and learning. Italso has facilitated the purchase of computers and implementation ofinservice training for teachers in all types of schools in the Finnisheducation system. The aim of the inservice training program, called"Finland as an Information Society (1)," is to provideteachers with the knowledge and skills needed to reform the pedagogical ped��a��gog��ic? also ped��a��gog��i��caladj.1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of pedagogy.2. Characterized by pedantic formality: a haughty, pedagogic manner. practices in their schools, especially with regard to collaborativeteaching and learning, networking, and teamwork (product, software, tool) Teamwork - A SASD tool from Sterling Software, formerly CADRE Technologies, which supports the Shlaer/Mellor Object-Oriented method and the Yourdon-DeMarco, Hatley-Pirbhai, Constantine and Buhr notations. . The program alsoproduced teaching and learning materials that are available on theInternet InternetPublicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the (Ministry of Education, 1999a, 1999b). THE USE OF ICT IN FINNISH CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENTS The whole area of ICT, including its educational uses, is underconstant change and assessment in Finland. In the spring of 1998, theNational Fund for Research and Development (SITRA SITRA South India Textile Research Association (India)SITRA Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Transportes Rodovi��rios e Afins (Portugal)SITRA Situation Report Army File ) carried out anational assessment of the use of ICT at different education levels(Kangassalo, 1998, 1999; Sinko & Lehtinen Lehtinen may refer to: Jere Lehtinen (born 1973), Finnish professional ice hockey forward Kai Lehtinen (born 1958), Finnish actor Lasse Lehtinen (born 1947), Finnish politician Lauri Lehtinen (1908-1973), Finnish athlete , 1999). Furthermore,Finland's participation in the Second Information Technology inEducation Study (SITES) created possibilities for comparison of FinnishICT-related initiatives with those of other countries. SITES is athree-module research project on the use of ICT in education(Kankaanranta, Puhakka, & Linnakyla, 2000; Pelgrum & Anderson Anderson, river, CanadaAnderson,river, c.465 mi (750 km) long, rising in several lakes in N central Northwest Territories, Canada. It meanders north and west before receiving the Carnwath River and flowing north to Liverpool Bay, an arm of the Arctic ,1999). Early Childhood Education The results of the SITRA project provide insight into the thoughts,hopes, and demands for the use of computer technology in child carecenters in Finland. In the SITRA project, 135 kindergarten kindergarten[Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be teachers anddirectors of child care and early childhood education centers respondedto questions concerning the use of ICT in early education. About 85 percent of the respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. reported that they used ICT intheir own work. Those who work with children use word-processingprograms more than administrative personnel do. However, electronic mailand Internet applications were used less by the people working directlywith children than by administrative personnel. Various teachingprograms, such as games and paint programs, were used by 48 percent ofthe people who were working with children. About half of the personnelevaluated their own ICT skills as "satisfactory." About onethird rated their skills as "poor." ICT was used primarily forcommunication, although the teachers believed that ICT could be usedmore for writing reports, documenting children's activities,planning curriculum, and sending information to parents. About 66 percent of the children in the groups surveyed usedcomputers. Usually, one to three computers had been set aside forchildren's use, and even more in some cases. More than half of thechildren used computers on a daily basis, primarily for various learningprograms, games, and "paint" programs. The programs were usedespecially to support the children's visual expression and theirmathematical and linguistic development, and in connection with topicshaving to do with nature. Educators also were surveyed concerning their use of ICT as itpertains to research and experiments. Thirty-seven percent of therespondents reported that they were conducting experiments onchildren's use of computers for various activities. In most cases,these experiments had been initiated by the center personnel inconnection with their own professional activities. Some projects were incooperation with businesses, parents, a university, or another school. The situations and subject matters pursued through ICT use in theearly childhood environment reflect the same technology uses as inschools: mother tongue mother tonguen.1. One's native language.2. A parent language.mother tongueNounthe language first learned by a childNoun 1. instruction, mathematics, music, environment,history, visual expression, animation, simulations, multimedia,preparing materials for recreation, design and illustration tasks,communication between children and the child care center, research,information searches, communication with disabled children, and becomingacquainted with the basic functions of the computer. According to 75percent of the respondents, the greatest obstacle to the introduction ofICT in children's activities was the lack of adequate funding forequipment. The second biggest barrier was the lack of information andtraining. Attitudinal problems and the lack of high-quality programswere additional barriers. Thirty-six children, ages 3 to 7, also were interviewed. Most ofthe children had first used computers at home, but some children hadstarted using them at the care center. Most of the children said thatthey played games, drew, and colored pictures with the computer, andthat they liked the games best. Working with a computer interestedalmost all of them. Twenty-two children reported that they worked with acomputer both alone and in cooperation with other children; threechildren used it only with others; and five children indicated that theyonly worked alone. The Use of ICT in Primary Education Equipment and Networks. The SITES data show that Finland has a highratio of computers to students, compared to other countries. By thebeginning of the 1998/99 school year, Finnish primary schools had onecomputer per 15 students (Kankaanranta et al., 2000). However, thestudent/computer ratios vary according to the size of the school (SuomenKustannusyhdistys, 1997). Thus, in small primary schools, it can be twoto three times easier for a student to gain access to a computer. The availability of peripherals is also a useful indicator ofhardware accessibility and functionality. The SITES study indicated thatalmost all Finnish schools had computers with a CD-ROM drive A device that holds and reads CD-ROM discs. CD-ROM drives generally also play audio CD discs by sending analog sound to the sound card via a 4-pin cable. For specifications of 10x, 20x, etc. drives, see CD-ROM drives. See CD-ROM, CD-ROM changer, CD-ROM server and CD-ROM audio cable. as astandard peripheral. In 52 percent of the primary schools, computers areclustered in separate rooms (Sinko & Lehtinen, 1999; SuomenKustannusyhdistys, 1997). However, sometimes additional computers can befound in other instructional places, such as libraries and corridors. One study showed that by 1998 an Internet connection was availablein half of the primary schools in Finland through a fixed line (26percent), via a modem (45 percent), or with an ISDN ISDNin full Integrated Services Digital NetworkDigital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. connection (30percent) (Sinko & Lehtinen, 1999). Just one year later, the NationalBoard of Education estimated that 90 percent of primary schools wereconnected to the Internet. Consequently, Finland ranks among the topfive countries in terms of percentage of computers with simultaneousaccess to Internet (Kankaanranta et al., 2000; Pelgrum & Anderson,1999). The Use of Computers. In 1998, 83 percent of Finnish students hadhome computers at their disposal (Sinko & Lehtinen, 1999). More than50 percent of the respondents had access to the Internet both at homeand at school. About one third of the students were allowed to useschool computers after school hours. In 1996, the most frequent use ofICT was for word processing word processing,use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and . ICT also was commonly used for performingassignments in mathematics and languages, often through differentlearning games. Other significant uses were production of graphics anddrawings, game playing, and use of network-based activities (Nurmela,1997). Sinko and Lehtinen's (1999) research found that by the endof the 1990s, a little less than 20 percent of the students were usingE-mail daily and about 35 percent were using it weekly. Surfing surfing,sport of gliding toward the shore on a breaking wave. Surfers originally used long, cumbersome wooden boards but now ride lightweight synthetic boards that allow a greater degree of maneuverability. forinformation on the Internet was a relatively common way of using thenetworks; about 40 percent of the students browsed the Internet at leastonce a week. From 1996 to 1998, about 1,600 teachers per year (about 11 percentof the teaching staff in general education schools) received trainingboth in technical know-how know-how?n.The knowledge and skill required to do something correctly. See Synonyms at art1.know-howNounInformal the ability to do something that is difficult or technical and pedagogical expertise, in accordance Accordance is Bible Study Software for Macintosh developed by OakTree Software, Inc.[]As well as a standalone program, it is the base software packaged by Zondervan in their Bible Study suites for Macintosh. withthe requirements of the national strategy (Sinko & Lehtinen, 1999).According to Sinko and Lehtinen (1999), additional teacher training inthe basic skills of ICT is needed, which must be provided mainly by themunicipalities. In 1998, 83 percent of the teachers reported having acomputer at home. Just as many reported that they had a computer attheir disposal in the teachers' lounge. Seventy-one Adj. 1. seventy-one - being one more than seventy71, lxxicardinal - being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; "cardinal numbers" percent of theteachers had access to computers somewhere in the school, and 46 percenthad a computer for their use in their own classrooms. Use of the Internet. The SITES study was conducted in the fall of1998, with 14 participating countries at the primary level, namelyCanada Canada(kăn`ədə), independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of , Cyprus Cyprus(sī`prəs), Gr. Kypros, Turk. Kıbrıs, officially Republic of Cyprus, republic (2005 est. pop. 780,000), 3,578 sq mi (9,267 sq km), an island in the E Mediterranean Sea, c.40 mi (60 km) S of Turkey and c. , Finland, France, Hong Kong Hong Kong(hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. , Iceland Iceland,Icel. Ísland, officially Republic of Iceland, republic (2005 est. pop. 297,000), 39,698 sq mi (102,819 sq km), the westernmost state of Europe, occupying an island in the Atlantic Ocean just S of the Arctic Circle, c. , Israel Israel, in the BibleIsrael(ĭz`rēəl, ĭz`rāəl)[as understood by Hebrews,=he strives with God], according to the book of Genesis, name given to Jacob as eponymous ancestor of the Hebrews, the chosen people of God. , Italy,Japan, New Zealand New Zealand(zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. , Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, and Taiwan. The studyrevealed that Finnish teachers were approaching their instructional useof the Internet and the World Wide Web through the availability ofschool home pages. When compared with the other participating countriesat the primary level Finland had the biggest percentage (just over 50percent) of schools with a home page. Even more interesting was theanalysis of the content on these home pages; approximately 55 percent ofFinnish schools' Web pages contained school curricula for teachersand other interested parties (Kankaanranta et al., 2000; Linnakyla,Kankaanranta, & Puhakka, 2000; Pelgrum & Anderson, 1999). In Finland, school Web sites are crucial because of thedecentralization de��cen��tral��ize?v. de��cen��tral��ized, de��cen��tral��iz��ing, de��cen��tral��iz��esv.tr.1. To distribute the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities. of the Finnish school system. Every school writes itsown curriculum based on general guidelines guidelines,n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. from the National Board ofEducation and in accordance with discussions by teachers and parents.Consequently, school curricula around the country may be quite diverse;therefore, it is important for teachers, parents, and students to knowwhat kind of curriculum each school is following. Furthermore, there isinterest in knowing, for example, the main values and principles thateach school promotes; if its curriculum is subject-based or has subjectsintegrated into combined areas or under major themes; and the foreignlanguages, special programs, subjects, and projects that the schooloffers. The SITES data revealed that the ICT-related activities that schoolprincipals in Finland considered the most satisfying included variousInternet-related activities. Among the 70 most satisfying ICT-relatedexamples that the Finnish principals reported at the primary level, 44(63 percent) were Internet-related. The most common theme wasinternational collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. and communication, and the second mostrecurrent recurrent/re��cur��rent/ (re-kur��ent) [L. recurrens returning]1. running back, or toward the source.2. returning after remissions.re��cur��rentadj.1. theme was information retrieval information retrievalRecovery of information, especially in a database stored in a computer. Two main approaches are matching words in the query against the database index (keyword searching) and traversing the database using hypertext or hypermedia links. and processing. The whole breadth of subject areas was covered in theseInternet-related examples. The use of the Internet was clearly mostpopular for pursuit of mother tongue, natural sciences, history, and artstudies. Cross-curricular thinking was prevalent; various combinationsof subjects were integrated in reported cases. In the primary schools,two or three subject projects were most commonly cited. Informationretrieval and processing were typical in the cases studied. Theseincluded research projects on natural science subjects, such as Finnishspecies of fish and Finnish bogs, or on geography subjects, such asAfrica. These projects were realized in international, national, andlocal contexts via the Internet. The use of virtual meetings through ICT proved to be an importantway to foster communication and collaboration between schools, whetherneighboring neigh��bor?n.1. One who lives near or next to another.2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another.3. A fellow human.4. Used as a form of familiar address.v. or more distant. In some schools, real-time 1. real-time - Describes an application which requires a program to respond to stimuli within some small upper limit of response time (typically milli- or microseconds). Process control at a chemical plant is the classic example. virtualconferences were held, connecting capital city schools with schools inLapland or in the archipelago Archipelago(ärkĭpĕl`əgō)[Ital., from Gr.=chief sea], ancient name of the Aegean Sea, later applied to the numerous islands it contains. The word now designates any cluster of islands. . In one project, the latestvideoconferencing A real time video session between two or more users or between two or more locations. Although the first videoconferencing was done with traditional analog TV and satellites, inhouse room systems became popular in the early 1980s after Compression Labs pioneered digitized video systems technology was brought into the classroom and used toexchange instruction and information between two schools in real time. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN EARLY EDUCATION AT THE CITY OF TAMPERE Information Technology in Early Education (TIVA TIVA Total Intravenous AnesthesiaTIVA Technician Information Verifying Agency (American Association of Veterinary State Boards)TIVA Thermal Induced Voltage Alteration (defect analysis for integrated circuits)) is a collaborativeproject between the city of Tampere and the Unit of Early Education atthe University of Tampere University of Tampere is a university in Tampere, Finland. It has some 15,400 degree students and 2,100 employees. It was originally founded in 1925 in Helsinki as a Civic College, and from 1930 onwards it was known as a School of Social Sciences. . The aim is to organize educationalexperimental, research, and development projects in child care centers,and to arrange education and training for persons who are involved inthe project. The objective is to find out how the new technology canbenefit pedagogy in the early education learning environment, and inwhat kind of situations. The focus has been on evaluating practicalcomputer use situations--specifically, how ICT can help supportchildren's learning, and which children will benefit the most. Theproject planners try to avoid allowing technology to become the solecontent of learning, but do want to examine its role as an instrumentfor implementing increasingly versatile education and work plans. The Tampere TIVA project is being carried out in several child carecenters. The objective is to clarify the conditions that make itpossible to introduce a computer as part of a child's activity andlearning environment. In the autumn of 2001, over 50 child care centerswere involved with the project, which is approximately 70 percent of allchild care centers run by the City of Tampere. The central conclusion of the TIVA project is that a comprehensivepedagogical utilization of the new technology in early educationrequires that the staff members be regularly trained in the use of ICT,which has become more common only during the past few years, even at thehigher levels of education. Educators who entered the field before themiddle of the 1990s or so have not had the chance to become as familiarwith technological advances. Moreover, pedagogical applications based onICT and that correspond to the newest conceptions of a child'slearning have been developed only during the past few years, or arestill under development. Experiences observed through the TIVA project indicate thatchildren are unreservedly un��re��served?adj.1. Not held back for a particular person: an unreserved seat.2. Given without reservation; unqualified: unreserved praise.3. enthusiastic about ICT. Observers have notnoted any overuse overuseHealth care The common use of a particular intervention even when the benefits of the intervention don't justify the potential harm or cost–eg, prescribing antibiotics for a probable viral URI. Cf Misuse, Underuse. or children playing Album InfoArtist: Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers Genre: Reggae Label: EMI Records and Tuff Gong Year: 1986 TracksSide 1 Met Her On A Rainy Day Reggae Is Now Children Playing in the Streets Rock It Baby too many games on the computers.Such risks, however, have to be recognized so that potential problemscan be avoided. The fear that ICT might lead to social isolation alsowas not confirmed, for the children worked at the computer most oftenwith one or more other persons. It seems that ICT helps groups of,children develop social relationships that would not otherwise beformed. Computer technology also can offer some children an area ofexpertise at an early age, which can have a positive influence on thedevelopment of their self-confidence and self-image self-imagen.The conception that one has of oneself, including an assessment of qualities and personal worth. . The PICCO project is an example of a research project to study theformation of children's conceptual models as they explore naturalphenomena using a pictorial computer-based simulation, or PICCO(Kangassalo, 1998). Children as young as preschoolers could explore theeffects of sunlight on the earth during a four-week period in a childcare center and at a school. After the use of PICCO, the children beganto construct the interconnections of different aspects and phenomena.They seemed capable of investigating, seeking answers, and experimentingwhile being guided by their original aim for the task. DEVELOPING DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION In an action research project (Kankaanranta, 2002), teachers inkindergartens and primary schools in three Finnish towns were challengedand encouraged to utilize digital portfolios, so that they could shareand collaboratively evaluate their education practices. Digitalportfolios can link authentic portfolio assessment with technology use.A portfolio generally refers to a teacher's or a child's owncollection of sample tasks and achievements, which represent aperson's growth and learning experiences in a relevant and broadlyrepresentative manner. Portfolios also can be collaborative showcases ofa specific group's or community's achievements. A digitalportfolio contains some similar pieces of information as in the moretraditional ones, but the data has been compiled and is stored,maintained, and shared electronically. The digital format also allowsfor presentation of new kinds of content. The aim was to develop,explore, and analyze the use of digital portfolios as amulti-perspective assessment method in childhood learning environments.Digital portfolios offer a view on various childhood environments, withtheir daily activities and experiences, relationships, samples ofchildren's work, and festive fes��tive?adj.1. Of, relating to, or appropriate for a feast or festival.2. Merry; joyous: a festive party. moments. Digital portfolio development combines two relatedprocesses--namely, portfolio development and the involvement ofinformation and communication technologies. It was found that sufficientaccess to computers, peripherals, and information networks is anecessary prerequisite pre��req��ui��site?adj.Required or necessary as a prior condition: Competence is prerequisite to promotion.n. for sustainable digital portfolio development.The findings also confirmed that teachers need to have a soundtechnological competence to be able to utilize ICT in their own work.Nevertheless, it became evident that what is most essential is to haveenthusiasm and a willingness to experiment with new ICT capabilities. Inaddition educators need a genuine desire for learning that transcendsmerely having access to the latest applications. The study revealed that digital portfolio development requiredconsideration of several critical design and implementation issues In the Business world, companies frequently set-up a connection between which they transfer data. When the connection is being set-up, it is referred to as implementation. When issues occur during this phase, they are known as implementation issues. :defining the purposes for digital portfolios, considering the contextand meaning of institutional culture, providing support for teachers,developing user-friendly technological tools, collaborating on theportfolio design and implementation, and reflecting on ethical issues. The portfolios differ from each other in the extent to which thepeople in a kindergarten or school participated in portfolioconstruction. At one school, for example, the portfolio was implementedat the classroom level, and the authors were the teachers of onepreschool group and two primary school classrooms. The teachersdocumented their collaborative activities in the portfolio. Someportfolios were designed to present the activities of an entirekindergarten class. In one town, the portfolio development took place atthe town or community level, because all of the kindergartens in thetown presented their work through digital portfolios. The portfolios published on the Web tell different stories--storiesabout teachers and children in early childhood educational settings (seewww.pedanet.jyu. fi/portfolio/webfolio/webfolio2). Furthermore, digitalportfolios can link teachers virtually and enable them to share andconstruct their expertise, thereby building communities of expertteachers. This means, above all, that the scope of learning and workingenvironments can be expanded from one educational setting to another, sothat different schools, as well as different grade levels withinschools, are linked to each other and, ideally, to the children'shome children's homen → centro de acogida para ni?oschildren's homen → foyer m d'accueil (pour enfants)children's homen environments. CONCLUSION In the early childhood education field, ICT has yet to achieve thesame status it already enjoys in the education of older students. Theprovision of inservice ICT teacher training does not yet meet the needsfor graduates entering the profession. Nevertheless, it is acknowledgedthat the basis for purposeful pur��pose��ful?adj.1. Having a purpose; intentional: a purposeful musician.2. Having or manifesting purpose; determined: entered the room with a purposeful look. use of technological tools is built in thelearning experiences gained in early childhood (Sinko & Lehtinen,1999; Vandevelde, 1999). In addition, the Finnish National Board ofEducation (1996) set a goal for providing equal opportunities for youngchildren to familiarize themselves with the use of computers. In orderto realize this goal to the extent that children's earlyexperiences would have an influence on later habits, however, sufficientaccess to computers and information networks needs to be available inearly childhood environments. Even more important, teachers must haveadequate technological competence and motivation to use ICT in theinstruction of young children, and must continuously keep track of thedevelopments in the field. Note: (1) In Finnish, the word "tieto" stands for both"information" and "knowledge.' This strategyaddresses the more profound needs of the "Knowledge Society"rather than those of the "Information Society." However, thelatter is used in the strategy document, because it is the moreuniversal use. References Finnish National Board of Education. (1996). Esiopetuksenopetussuunnitelman perusteet. (The framework for preprimary education.)Helsinki, Finland: Yliopistopaino. Finnish National Board of Education. (2000). Esiopetuksenopetussuunnitelmani perusteet 2000. (The framework for preprimaryeducation 2000.) Helsinki, Finland: Yliopistopaino. Kangassalo, M. (1998). Varhaiskasvatus. (Early childhoodeducation.) In L. 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Maria Kankaanranta is Senior Researcher, Agora agora(ăg`ərə)[Gr.,=market], in ancient Greece, the public square or marketplace of a city. In early Greek history the agora was primarily used as a place for public assembly; later it functioned mainly as a center of commerce. Center, Universityof Jyvaskyla, Finland. Marjatta Kangassalo is Assistant Professor,Department of Teacher Education, Early Childhood Education, Universityof Tampere, Finland.