Helps readers understand how very young children (from birth to six) develop an early awareness, and subsequently develop their knowledge, skills and understandings of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This book is useful for students, parents, carers, teachers, and other professionals.
A step-by-step guide on how to teach young children a variety of ICT in a meaningful and creative way. This title, written by ICT experts in the early years, Prof. John Siraj-Blatchford and Dr. Alex Morgan, is a step-by-step guide on how to teach children under 8 a variety of ICT. This book is designed to be easy to follow by even the most technophobic of readers and contains practical advice on the following: * How to create engaging and creative activities for children in the early years using a range of ICT * A guide to the different types of ICT available, from Bee-Bots to white boards * How to take ICT out of the classroom, with activities to use in outdoor play sessions * How to use ICT in role play to promote children's creativity and imagination * What ICT skills the EYFS and Welsh Foundation Phase require early years practitioners to deliver * Ideas and case studies on best practice in using sustained shared thinking with young children This is a must-buy for anyone wanting meaningful and child-friendly ways of approaching ICT with children under 8.
Mark O'Hara demonstrates how ICT can be used to motivate, excite and enthuse young children in their learning, while at the same time addressing the more common concerns voiced by early years practitioners. This book provides guidance on all aspects of teaching using ICT.
This important book provides practical guidance for parents, teachers and other early years practitioners who are concerned with young children's musical development. The authors highlight the relationship between music and the development of communication, the expression of emotion and playfulness. They show how these three elements, in conjunction with musical activity and experience, underpin all future learning including the development of language. They go on to explore music as a subject in its own right and its role in supporting other areas of the curriculum. Insights from a wide range of research are presented in a way which makes them accessible to practitioners so that they can be used to inform and develop effective practice. Practitioners and parents are encouraged to have confidence in their own musical ability. The book provides a wide range of practical strategies and activities. It will show that everyone is capable of enjoying making music with young children and contributing to their future musical development.
Young children are born into a digital world and it is not unusual to see preschool children intuitively swiping screens and confidently pressing buttons. There is much debate about the impact of the increased access to technology on young children’s health and wellbeing with claims that it damages their social skills and emotional development. This timely new textbook examines how developments in technology, particularly mobile and touch screen technology, have impacted on children’s lives and how when used appropriately it can support all aspects of their development. Clearly linking theory and research to everyday practice, the book offers guidance on: The role of technology in the early years curriculum Developing young children’s understanding of safe and responsible use of technology The role of the adult within digital play activities Using technology to enhance and develop young children’s creativity Technology and language acquisition Featuring a wide range of case studies and examples to show how the ideas described can be put into practice, this is essential reading for all early years students and practitioners that want to know how they can harness technology in a meaningful way to support young children’s learning and development.
Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School introduces teachers to the range of ways in which ICT can be used to support and extend the teaching and learning opportunities in their classrooms. Chapters cover areas such as: literacy, numeracy, science, and their relationship with ICT; managing curriculum projects using ICT; creating and using multimedia applications. Ideas and activities for teachers to try are based on tried and tested methods from innovative schools around the UK and abroad. Practising teachers and students will find this an invaluable guide on how to work together to extend their skills and knowledge in the area of ICT.
iPads, mobile phones, tablets and many other digital devices feature in the lives of children from the moment they are born, but what is the place of these technologies in children’s early years and learning experiences? In the age of the ‘Techno-Tot’ this edited collection focuses on exploring the potential of what children can do with technologies, rather than what technologies can do for children. With chapters written by a range of international authors, this book: offers an evidence-based discussion of children’s experiences with technologies in early years education broadens our understanding of technologies in early years, beyond the typical focus on screen-based media details the child’s ‘story’ with technology offers a range of case studies from the UK, USA, Australia and Europe. Lorna Arnott will be discussing key ideas from Digital Technologies and Learning in the Early Years in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie.
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
"This thought-provoking book demonstrates that the application of technology in the delivery of the curriculum is so much more than this and should give early year’s educators confidence and encouragement to develop their own ideas in using ICT in innovative and imaginative ways." Lynn Kennington, Early Education newsletter How can computers and other ICT applications be most effectively used to support learning in early years settings? Why is it important that young children use ICT in ways which are playful, creative and explorative? What research has been carried out about young children using computers and ICT, and what does this tell us? ICT in the Early Years carefully considers the potential of ICT to provide opportunities for young children to learn through playful and creative activities, examining research and practice in relation to the educational uses of ICT with young children. The book raises important issues about teaching in the early years using ICT, such as giving pupils control, co-operative working, access and assessment. In addition, it: Recounts recent research evidence Provides practical ideas for early years teachers Provokes debate about the future of ICT in early years education The book’s focus is on research outcomes, viewed through discussion of practical classroom approaches, with the pupil viewed as a competent learner and assessor. Emphasis is placed on creative and playful aspects of ICT, with the child as an active agent authoring, experimenting, and creating, rather than passively receiving. ICT in the Early Years is essential reading for teachers and teachers in training, and is also of use to other associated professionals, such as classroom assistants, home educators and nursery teachers. Parents with an interest in the use of technology in education will also find the book of genuine interest.
This second volume of papers from the ATC21STM project deals with the development of an assessment and teaching system of 21st century skills. Readers are guided through a detailed description of the methods used in this process. The first volume was published by Springer in 2012 (Griffin, P., McGaw, B. & Care, E., Eds., Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills, Dordrecht: Springer). The major elements of this new volume are the identification and description of two 21st century skills that are amenable to teaching and learning: collaborative problem solving, and learning in digital networks. Features of the skills that need to be mirrored in their assessment are identified so that they can be reflected in assessment tasks. The tasks are formulated so that reporting of student performance can guide implementation in the classroom for use in teaching and learning. How simple tasks can act as platforms for development of 21st century skills is demonstrated, with the concurrent technical infrastructure required for its support. How countries with different languages and cultures participated and contributed to the development process is described. The psychometric qualities of the online tasks developed are reported, in the context of the robustness of the automated scoring processes. Finally, technical and educational issues to be resolved in global projects of this nature are outlined.