Saturday, October 1, 2011

Integrating new technologies in UK classrooms: lessons for teachers from early years practitioners.

Integrating new technologies in UK classrooms: lessons for teachers from early years practitioners. In England, as in many other countries, the introduction of newtechnologies into children's classrooms sometimes appears to haveoccurred with revolutionary speed. The number of computers used ineducation settings, for instance, has risen dramatically--from anaverage of one per school in the early 1980s to several per classroom in2002. Part of this transformation has been government-inspired, as themandate to teach information and communications technologies Noun 1. communications technology - the activity of designing and constructing and maintaining communication systemsengineering, technology - the practical application of science to commerce or industry (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. ), andto teach the traditional curriculum through ICT, gains momentum. Growingfrom a small strand Strand,street in London, England, roughly parallel with the Thames River, running from the Temple to Trafalgar Square. It is a street of law courts, hotels, theaters, and office buildings and is the main artery between the City and the West End. 1. in the first National Curriculum for children ages 5to 16 (National Curriculum Council [NCC NCCSee National Clearing Corporation (NCC). ], 1989), ICT has become animportant medium for learning across the curriculum. For the last twoyears, it also has been a component of the Foundation Stage curriculum(Qualifications and Curriculum Agency [QCA QCA - Quantum-dot Cellular Automata ], 2000), which provides aframework for the learning of children ages 3 to 5 in a range ofpreschool settings, from family child care to nursery schools nursery school,educational institution for children from two to four years of age. It is distinguishable from a day nursery in that it serves children of both working and nonworking parents, rarely receives public funds, and has as its primary objective to promote andintegrated centers. This article draws particular attention to some ofthe lessons to be learned from the ways technology is used in theseearly childhood settings. The rapid growth in curriculum requirements, and in hardware, hasnot always been matched by a growth in practitioners' understandingof appropriate ways to use the new technologies. Research indicates thatmany teachers, at every grade level, have limited expertise and evenless confidence in controlling the hardware and software provided fortheir age group (Mumtaz, 2000). Several unwelcome outcomes are theresult of this limitation: * A reliance on desktop computers as the sole tool for technology,when a range of other applications, from floor turtles to overheadprojectors, may be more appropriate * A preference for didactic di��dac��ticadj.Of or relating to medical teaching by lectures or textbooks as distinguished from clinical demonstration with patients. software that "teaches"curricular materials, such as literacy and numeracy numeracyMathematical literacy Neurology The ability to understand mathematical concepts, perform calculations and interpret and use statistical information. Cf Acalculia. , through closedquestions with right or wrong answers, rather than exploratory softwarethat allows children to pose their own questions and discover their own"answers" * A trend towards situating computers in suites or laboratories,where they are segregated from all other aspects of the schoolcurriculum and the children's learning. Despite these somewhat negative trends, a great deal of innovativework is taking place in individual schools, among education authorities,and at a national level as coordinated by government-funded agencies(see Web site list, appended). In recent years, increasing evidenceindicates that some of the most exciting and appropriate uses of ICT areto be found in early years settings, where there is less pressure tomeet strict targets and more opportunity to experiment withchild-centered practice. Curriculum Requirements and Practitioner Responses Since 1989, the curriculum for children ages 5 to 16 in publiclyfunded schools (NCC, 1989) has been regulated by the government. Aminimal requirement to use computer technology, in the first version ofthis curriculum, has since expanded to call for computer use acrosssubject disciplines and, in recent years, use of the Internet to accesssubject knowledge. Although the response by providers for older childrenincreasingly has been to segregate seg��re��gate?v. seg��re��gat��ed, seg��re��gat��ing, seg��re��gatesv.tr.1. To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group. See Synonyms at isolate.2. computer use into labs withspecialist teachers (leaving non-specialists to cope with a sometimeslimited range of expertise), most younger children have experienced someintegration of the computer into their ordinary classroomactivities--using word-processing and drawing programs, for instance, toproduce and illustrate written work across the curriculum. Meanwhile,those working with the youngest children have been engaged in matchingnew technologies to traditional early childhood goals and principles,ensuring that children's learning is: * Child-initiated and child-centered * Exploratory and open-ended * Supportive of social interactions * Supportive of positive learning dispositions * Supportive of equal opportunities for children's individualneeds. These principles are upheld in the Curriculum Guidance for theFoundation Stage (QCA, 2000), which includes two goals forchildren's ICT learning in its overall curriculum for"Knowledge and Understanding of the World." These goals arethat children should: * Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology * Use information and communication technology and programmabletoys to support their learning. (QCA, 2000, p. 92) While there is no requirement for young children to use computersin early years settings, there are plentiful plen��ti��ful?adj.1. Existing in great quantity or ample supply.2. Providing or producing an abundance: a plentiful harvest. illustrations within theguidance of ways to introduce children to new technologies.Children's knowledge of "everyday technology," forinstance, means understanding that control and signal mechanisms, likethose operating traffic lights and washing machine (storage) washing machine - An old-style 14-inch hard disk in a floor-standing cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the "top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they were always set on "spin cycle". dials, electricwheelchairs and microwave ovens, have been devised to give us bettercontrol of our environment. The guidance points out that this kind oflearning can be achieved through the traditional nursery activities ofneighborhood walks and visits to local shops and businesses, and bysimply encouraging children to look closely and curiously at theirenvironments. Such learning also is fostered by the inclusion oftechnologies such as telephones and computers (whether functional ornot) in role-play areas. The goal of using new technologies in the nursery setting tosupport children's learning may be met in several ways. One ofthese is the use of standard "adult" equipment, such as taperecorders tape recorder,device for recording information on strips of plastic tape (usually polyester) that are coated with fine particles of a magnetic substance, usually an oxide of iron, cobalt, or chromium. The coating is normally held on the tape with a special binder. , digital cameras, and overhead projectors, in working withchildren on their projects. Many but not all preschool settings have atradition of working in this way, and the exemplar ex��em��plar?n.1. One that is worthy of imitation; a model. See Synonyms at ideal.2. One that is typical or representative; an example.3. An ideal that serves as a pattern; an archetype.4. of Reggio Emilia hasencouraged practitioners to use technologies imaginatively to bothdevelop and document children's ideas and activities. Another widely used medium for learning is programmable toys,ranging from the traditional turtle turtle,a reptile of the order Chelonia, with strong, beaked, toothless jaws and, usually, an armorlike shell. The shell normally consists of bony plates overlaid with horny shields. or roamer to more recent versionssuch as "Pips" and "Pixies pixiesprank-playing fairies; mislead travelers. [Br. Folklore: Briggs, 328–330]See : Mischievousness ," which are found in mostschools (if not fully utilized by some teachers). In early childhoodsettings, roamers may form the core of ongoing topics of all kinds (see,for instance, Smith, 1997), with connections to the whole curriculum,and particularly to mathematics and geography. This does not mean there is no role for computers, however.Computers are the technological devices that young children mostcommonly encounter, in both home and educational settings. Therefore, anumber of initiatives, both government-funded and research-based, havefocused on the most effective ways of using computers, includingage-appropriate adaptations to both the hardware and the software. (Moredetailed information can be found on the Web sites listed in theappendix.) Using Technologies Appropriately With Young Children One aspect of recent UK research on young children's use oftechnology has been the investigation of ways in which computers can beused compatibly with the traditional goals and principles of earlyeducation. The reluctance of some early years practitioners to setcomputers in front of their young pupils is deep-seated andunderstandable. In our idealized i��de��al��ize?v. i��de��al��ized, i��de��al��iz��ing, i��de��al��iz��esv.tr.1. To regard as ideal.2. To make or envision as ideal.v.intr.1. vision of nursery children, derivedfrom nearly two centuries of early education, the children roam freelyeither outdoors, surrounded by "nature," or indoors,surrounded by "natural" objects such as wooden blocks, sandand water, paint and paper, twigs and pebbles, plants and smallcreatures. We are innately in��nate?adj.1. Possessed at birth; inborn.2. Possessed as an essential characteristic; inherent.3. Of or produced by the mind rather than learned through experience: reluctant to hook children up to machinery ofany kind, as if it deprives them of the physical freedom andintellectual innocence innocence,in botany: see madder. InnocenceSee also Inexperience, Naïveté.Inquisitiveness (See CURIOSITY.)Insanity (See MADNESS.)Adam and Evenaked in Eden; knew no shame. [O.T. we hold dear. This anxiety has been captured inbooks and articles (such as Healy, 1999) that warn of children becomingzombie-like dependents on technology, with impaired social and emotionaldevelopment, and suffering from a range of physical and health problems.Research in classrooms, however, challenges the accuracy of such claims(see, for instance, Brooker & Siraj-Blatchford, 2002). Criteria for age-appropriate uses of technology have been developedby both the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency(BECTa, 2002) and the DATEC DATEC Dingle Agricultural and Technical College (Dingle, Iloilo, Philippines)DATEC Data Technical (AT&T Tier 2 Data Support)project (Developmentally AppropriateTechnology for Early Childhood). DATEC's suggested criteria(discussed more fully on its Web site: www.ioe.ac.uk/cdl/datec) includethe following guidelines guidelines,n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. : * The application should be transparent and intuitive to the user * The child should be in control of the technology * Software selections should exclude violence and stereotyping * The technology should be integrated with the classroom andcurriculum * The application should encourage collaboration and play. The DATEC project also has produced its own exemplars of goodpractice in using ICT with children ages 3 to 8, across the partnernations of England, Sweden, and Portugal. Small programmable roaming The ability to use a communications device such as a cellphone or PDA and be able to move from one cell or access point to another without losing the connection. robots (for example, Pixies) have been used simultaneously withpreschool children in England and Portugal; collaborative drawingprojects have been created through Internet contacts between children inremote village schools in Portugal; while Swedish preschoolers havelearned to animate their own drawings and stories through the use ofmultimedia technology. All of these projects can be viewed on the DATECWeb site (click on "exemplars"). Outside the classroom, an important application of technology inearly childhood and primary practice has been the design and developmentof Web sites to support parental involvement in their children'slearning. DATEC helped two integrated centers for under-5s construct Websites that will enable parents to access up-to-date information on theirchildren's settings. An online paper on parental involvementthrough ICT (BECTa, 2002) offers links to several other successfulprojects of this kind. In addition to developing innovative practices, the Englishpartners in DATEC have addressed the "conventional" technologyof the early years classroom--the desktop computer--and haveexperimented with different ways of integrating this adult-size machineinto a child-size environment. Research undertaken in a range ofsettings, from baby rooms to primary school classrooms, suggests thatapproaches to computer use might be characterized char��ac��ter��ize?tr.v. character��ized, character��iz��ing, character��iz��es1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless.2. along a continuum from"isolation" through "integration" to"immersion immersion/im��mer��sion/ (i-mer��zhun)1. the plunging of a body into a liquid.2. the use of the microscope with the object and object glass both covered with a liquid. " strategies. At one end of the continuum, isolation is implied when (as in manyprimary age classrooms) a desktop computer on an adult-size workstationis placed in a corner of the room. The child operating the computer hasher back to the other children and is not involved in their activities,the software is unconnected with the current classroom themes andtopics, and there is no planned interaction between the computeroperator and other adults and children. Integration occurs when the computer itself is relocated re��lo��cate?v. re��lo��cat��ed, re��lo��cat��ing, re��lo��catesv.tr.To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business.v.intr. into amore central position among other classroom activities. Both thehardware and software, and the children's interaction with it, aremore age-appropriate. In one London One London is a British political party formed on September 1, 2005 by Damian Hockney and Peter Hulme-Cross. Both of them were originally elected to the London Assembly in June 2004 as United Kingdom Independence Party representatives, but in February 2005 announced the formation under-Ss center where anintervention took place to integrate the computer in these ways, thechildren's use of the equipment changed dramatically. The desktopcomputer had been the preserve of a small number of English-speakingboys, who each used it for lengthy periods. After the intervention, itwas accessed by almost all the children in the nursery, including girlsand minority ethnic and bilingual bi��lin��gual?adj.1. a. Using or able to use two languages, especially with equal or nearly equal fluency.b. pupils (Brooker, 2000). In the few centers where immersion is found, the classroomcomputers may be used by children to download To receive a file transmitted over a network. In any communications session, "download" means receive, and "upload" means send. The download/upload often implies a big/little scenario, in which data is being downloaded from the "big" server into the "little" user's computer. digital photographs andfor role-play around shops and offices; practitioners use computers todocument children's activities, make labels and signs as needed as neededprn. See prn order. ,and send messages; and parents can access information while in thesetting. High levels of staff training and confidence are required forthis level of use to occur. Although such a high degree of ease withtechnology is rare, the staff of one under-5s center have won a nationalaward for excellence (see BECTa Web site) in recognition of their"technological literacy Technological literacy is the ability to understand and evaluate technology. It complements technological competency, which is the ability to create, repair, or operate specific technologies, commonly computers. " program. (Their Web site, which isstill under construction by the center staff, can be viewed as a linkfrom the DATEC site by clicking on "Exemplars," and going to"Parents as Partners" and then to "Gamesley Web.") Assessing Young Children's Experience With Computers One of the most important, but least discussed, aspects of youngchildren's ICT learning is ways of assessing it. In this new field,and in contrast to the practice in other curriculum areas, conventionshave evolved such that children's "knowledge and skills"(in relation to controlling the hardware and software) are the onlyaspects of their learning that can be observed and recorded. Inconsequence, many early years assessments are checklists ofchildren's ability to switch on and log on, load a CD, selectprograms, and control the mouse. When more holistic HolisticA practice of medicine that focuses on the whole patient, and addresses the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of a patient as well as their physical treatment.Mentioned in: Aromatherapy, Stress Reduction, Traditional Chinese Medicine criteria, and more naturalistic nat��u��ral��is��tic?adj.1. Imitating or producing the effect or appearance of nature.2. Of or in accordance with the doctrines of naturalism. assessmentmethods, are utilized, evidence of the broader learning that can takeplace around computers becomes apparent. One project (Brooker &Siraj-Blatchford, 2002) developed an observational format to assesschildren's whole experience of the computer, and produced a strongbody of evidence on the range of social and cognitive learning that mayoccur when children ages 3 and 4, in a "traditional" Englishnursery, have free access to a computer and developmentally appropriatesoftware. Children of differing abilities and levels of maturity, andfrom differing ethnic and social class backgrounds, were found to engagein lively and supportive collaborative activities around the computer,with particular gains for bilingual children with limited English andthose children who had no access to a computer in their homes. Many of these children's "gains"--in linguistic andcognitive development, as well as in social skills--were the result ofthe peer tutoring A peer tutor is anyone who is of a similar status as the person being tutored. In an undergraduate institution this would usually be other undergraduates, as distinct from the graduate students who may be teaching the writing classes. that the technology itself appears to stimulate. Whileone child held the mouse, typically two more would have their fingers onthe screen, pointing out "where to click" or suggestingalternative options; another two might be offering a running commentaryfrom the sidelines SidelinesHypothetical position referring to noninvolvement in a stock; merely watching. ("You' re going to miss the red one! Youneed to find the blue one first!"). On occasion, older childrencould be heard patiently explaining the options and outcomes to youngerones, although the tutoring was not always in the older to youngerdirection. It is precisely this valuable peer tutoring and groupcollaboration See collaborative software. , typical of most activities in early childhood settings,that is lost when children are required to work individually on machinesin a computer suite. Issues From the English Context As ICT assumes an ever-more central role in the UK curriculum, itseems that many schools, and many teachers of older children, couldlearn a lot from reflecting on the uses of technology in early childhoodsettings. The gradual drift towards computer suites, generally staffedby an ICT "expert" who instructs all the children in turn, maybe the result of teachers feeling inadequate and anxious abouttechnology use, but it is also perpetuating that state of affairs.Government initiatives in the United Kingdom have funded massiveinservice training programs for teachers over the last few years (e.g.,New Opportunities Fund training); unless teachers put their newlyacquired skills to use at once, however, the training appears to havelittle lasting impact on classroom practice. Arguments for integratingICT into the classroom and the curriculum are rarely heard once childrenreach the middle years of schooling. Hence, a danger exists thatcomputers, rather than becoming an essential everyday tool for learningthe curriculum and controlling the environment, will be consideredsimply as a focus for "ICT learning" at school andentertainment at home. There is still a need to prioritize pri��or��i��tize?v. pri��or��i��tized, pri��or��i��tiz��ing, pri��or��i��tiz��es Usage Problemv.tr.To arrange or deal with in order of importance.v.intr. more regular training and useof computers by all teachers, as well as training in the appropriatepedagogies for ICT learning. When it comes to learning with computers,it is possible for teachers to abandon all their hard-won professionalknowledge about children's learning; to forget about interactiveand constructive learning, and adopt or accept didactic programs; toallow exploratory learning to be replaced by rote-learning; and toassess through simplistic sim��plism?n.The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications.[French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple checklists rather than through the morecomplex and holistic criteria that are used in other areas of learning.High-quality training and ongoing support for teachers will allow themto reverse this tendency and begin to evaluate software by appropriatecriteria (BECTa, 2000; DATEC, 2001; Haugland & Wright, 1997), to usethe technology in tandem Adv. 1. in tandem - one behind the other; "ride tandem on a bicycle built for two"; "riding horses down the path in tandem"tandem with other tools, and to create integratedlearning environments (Downes, Arthur, & Beecher, 2001). Practitioners in early childhood settings in the United Kingdom aredemonstrating that ICT can be compatible with traditional beliefs andprinciples for children's learning. Used appropriately, it allowschildren to control, explore, and understand their environment and thevast fields of knowledge they will be encountering throughout theirschooling. At this point, perhaps we should try to ensure that thepressure to work in certain ways with technology in our schools--toadopt a certain kind of pedagogy--proceeds from the youngest age groupup, instead of, as so often is the case, from the older children down. 2004 International Issue Call for Papers Challenging Issues and Rays of Hope This international issue of Childhood Education will focus oncontemporary issues that affect children's education and learningaround the world. It is recognized that different regions of differentcountries have unique problems that interfere with children'sholistic development and learning. Authors from outside the UnitedStates United States,officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. are encouraged to submit articles that describe one or morechallenging issue(s) endemic endemic/en��dem��ic/ (en-dem��ik) present or usually prevalent in a population at all times. en��dem��icadj.1. to their community/region/country and theprogram(s)/ policies developed as "rays of hope" for thesechildren. Articles may integrate theory, research, policies, programs,and practice at a local or national level, related to addressing accessto education, equity within the educational setting, or responses torecent changes in education policy. Submit articles by August 31, 2003. Authors or co-authors should benon-U.S, natives. Send four copies of manuscripts to 2004 InternationalFocus Issue, ACEI ACEI Angiotensin Converting Enzyme InhibitorACEI Association for Childhood Education InternationalACEI Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland , 17904 Georgia Ave., Ste. 215, Olney, MD 20832. Formore information from the guest editors, contact James Ernest, ValdostaState University Valdosta State University is a public university located in the city of Valdosta, Georgia, in the United States, and is part of the University System of Georgia. Degree levels offered at VSU include: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Education Specialist, and Doctoral. , USA (229-219-1320;jremest@valdosta.edu) or IsabelKilloran, York University York University,at North York, Ont., Canada; nondenominational; coeducational; founded 1959 as an affiliate of the Univ. of Toronto, became independent 1965. , Toronto, Canada (416-736-2100 ext. 20049;ikilloran@edu.yorku.ca). Useful Web Sites: www.becta.org.uk British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTa) isa government-funded agency for the dissemination disseminationMedtalk The spread of a pernicious process–eg, CA, acute infection Oncology Metastasis, see there of current information,news, research reports, and good practice in the uses of ICT ineducation in the UK. www.mape.org.uk MAPE (Supporting Effective Use of ICT in Primary Education) alsooffers news, advice, and research reports on ICT use for children ages 3to 11; the Web site was created by BECTa and is funded by the NationalGrid for Learning Not to be confused with Learning Grid.The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) was a United Kingdom Government-funded gateway to educational resources on the Internet. It featured many individually selected links to resources and materials deemed to be of high quality. . www.ngfl.gov.uk The National Grid for Learning is the government's Web-basedcenter of information for schools; it offers links to high-qualityeducational Web sites. www.ioe.ac.uk/cdl/datec/ Developmentally Appropriate Technology for Early Childhood (DATEC)offers research findings and guidance, and a series of exemplars of ICTto use with children ages 0 to 8 and their families. www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/edc/index.htm This IBM site reports on the implementation and evaluation ofKidsmart, an innovation offering an alternative to desktop computer usefor young children. References British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. (BECTa).(2002). Information sheet: Foundation Stage Education and ICT [online]available at: www.becta.org.uk/ technology/ infosheets/ html/foundationstage.html Brooker, L. (2000). Integrating ICT in the nursery. Unpublishedresearch paper, DATEC project. Brooker, L., & Siraj-Blatchford, J. (2002). "Click onMiaow": How children of three and four years experience the nurserycomputer. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 3(2), 251-273. Developmentally Appropriate Technology in Early Childhood. (DATEC).(2002). Developmentally appropriate software [online] available atwww.ioe.ac.uk/cdl/datec/ Downes T., Authur, L., & Beecher, B. (2001). Effective learningenvironments using digital resources. Information Technology inChildhood Education Annual, 139-153. Haugland, S., & Wright, J. (1997). Young children andtechnology. A world of discovery. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Healy, J. (1999). Failure to connect. New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Simon &Schuster Simon & SchusterU.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. . Smith, S. (1997). Getting the Roamers out of the cupboard.Microscope (newsletter of MAPE), available at www.mape.org.uk Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers' use ofinformation and technology: A review of the literature. Journal ofInformation Technology for Teacher Education, 9(3), 319-341. National Curriculum Council. (1989). The National Curriculum(England and Wales England and Wales are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom, that together share a single legal system: English law. Legislatively, England and Wales are treated as a single unit (see State (law)) for the conflict of laws. ). York, England: Author. Qualifications and Curriculum Agency. (2000). Curriculum guidancefor the foundation stage. London: Department for Education andEmployment. Liz Brooker is Lecturer, School of Early Childhood & PrimaryEducation, Institute of Education, University of London For most practical purposes, ranging from admission of students to negotiating funding from the government, the 19 constituent colleges are treated as individual universities. Within the university federation they are known as Recognised Bodies , United Kingdom.

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