ICT in the Early Years: A good deal more than computers…

1. ICT in the Early Years: A good deal more than computers… John Siraj-Blatchford Iram Siraj-Blatchford

2. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging communication and collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive • Applications should not contain violence or stereotyping • Awareness of health and safety issues • Educational involvement of parents

3. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational

4. What are the curriculum objectives for a Knowledge Society? • Communication • Collaboration • Creativity • Problem solving and ‘learning to learn’

5. When the desk top computer ‘disappears’ will we be concerned that children continue to learn keyboard skills? What about Mouse Skills? 13

6. Do children need to learn keyboard (or mouse) skills? …desk top computers are old technology anyway!

7. How many computers have you used today? Do you have a computer with you? As Greeno (1991) has suggested, to be literate in a particular conceptual domain is to posses in that field: “…a structure of facts, concepts, principles, procedures, and phenomenon that provides resources for the cognitive activities of knowing, understanding and reasoning.”

8. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging communication and collaboration

9. ICT education includes all those new technologies that handle information and support communications. e.g. cassette recorders, traffic lights, telephone, video, bar code scanners and programmable toys.

10. ‘Sustained shared thinking’

11. ‘Sustained shared thinking’ Gamesley Early Excellence Centre

12. Closed-circuit TV 28

13. Closed-circuit TV

14. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT

15. ‘Ergonomics’ –the other big reason for pedagogic integration - Diane

16. …’Integration’ in socio-dramatic play Video

17. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control

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19. Simulations and Adventure games BabyZ

20. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive

21. A transparent and intuitive application

22. 2Simple Software 2Simple Software A transparent and intuitive application

23. Sony Mavica

24. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive • Applications should not contain violence or stereotyping

25. ‘Hooked’ on games… ...girls dislike many features typically found in computer games, the strong emphasis on repetitive action, speed and scoring points.

26. "pink software?" ...may initially draw girls in - but if we want girls to become truly engaged and empowered by technology don’t we need more challenging applications that arouse their intellectual curiosity?.

27. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive • Applications should not contain violence or stereotyping • Awareness of health and safety issues

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31. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive • Applications should not contain violence or stereotyping • Awareness of health and safety issues • Educational involvement of parents

32. Guidance for Appropriate Technology • Education in Early Childhood • Identifying good ICT practice: • Applications should be educational • Encouraging collaboration • Integration and play through ICT • The child should be in control • Applications should be transparent and intuitive • Applications should not contain violence or stereotyping • Awareness of health and safety issues • Educational involvement of parents

33. IBM KidSmart Evaluation

34. IBM KidSmart Evaluation Child Computer use time N=261 • Median time around 2 hours but 20% of children spend 5 or more hours on the computer per week.

35. Digital Camera’s and Parental engagement Hartwell Primary School

36. Siraj-Blatchford, J. (2003) Supporting Information and Communications Technology in the Early Years, Open University Press Siraj-Blatchford, J. (Ed) (2003) Developing New Technologies for Young Children , i3 and Trentham Books Siraj-Blatchford, I. & J. (2003) More than Computers: ICT in the Early Years, Early Education/ British Association for Early Childhood Education Siraj-Blatchford, I. & J. (2005) A Guide to Developing the ICT Curriculum for Early Childhood Education, Trentham Books in collaboration with Early Education (The British Association for Early Childhood Education) iram@327Matters.org