Rachel+Upholzer-Resources

Rachel Upholzer Subject: Using Technology with Early Childhood Students

Resource 1: **Keengwe, Jared; Onchwari, Grace. Early Childhood Education Journal 37. 3 (Dec 2009): 209-218. Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/228492255/13EA1D7F44957BCF5A5/1?accountid=12598**

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The article __Technology and Early Childhood Education: A Technology Integration Professional Development Model for Practicing Teachers__ gives educators a great perspective on why technology is important and useful for students as young as preschool. It seems to be a common mindset that children in early childhood won’t benefit as much from technology in the classroom because it may be too advanced for them. However, early childhood educators are now moving away from asking the simple question of whether technology is developmentally appropriate for young children (Wang & Hoot, 2006). The overall message of this article is that technology is beneficial to children’s learning if used appropriately (Keengwe & Onchwari, 2009). =====

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I thought this article was very useful because of its plethora of knowledge for early childhood educators and bringing technology into the classroom. This article included research that provided concrete examples of how technology can be used effectively in a early childhood classroom which can help teachers that are struggling with where to begin when developing a technology integrated curriculum in their classroom. A great portion of this article was the recommendation and strategies for technology integration, which listed several key factors in successfully implementing technology into a classroom. A very important note I felt this article hit was that simply having technology present in the classroom does not necessarily result in positive learning experiences for students (Keengwe & Onchwari, p.210). I see this as a common mistake in practice to think that by having a starboard in the classroom the students will automatically have increased educational experiences. It is important to remember to use it appropriately and also have knowledge of how to use the technology effectively, which this article sites multiple times throughout the text. =====

Resource 2: ** Gimbert, Belinda; Cristol, Dean. Early Childhood Education Journal31. 3 (Mar 2004): 207-216. Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/751591243/fulltextPDF/13EA1D7F44957BCF5A5/10?accountid=12598 **

Summary:
====The article __Teaching Curriculum with Technology: Enhancing Children's Technological Competence During Early Childhood__ addresses many teachers' biggest question when it comes to technology in the classroom, how do I make my young students competent enough to use technology? The authors of this article researched and studied five different early childhood classrooms and witnessed the effects technology had on the children's learning and development. Several examples are given on how to successfully and appropriately incorporate technology in an early childhood classroom. This article also gives several reasons why technology is so important in early childhood education, including that children are intrinsically motivated to use computers and that students would "spend four times as much time read books with high-animated formats" (Gimbert & Cristol, p. 208). This study also found that kindergarten children benefit from technology in the classroom when it gives them the opportunity to work at their own pace and with supervision (p.209). The conclusion of this article is that once technology is introduced into a classroom, not only the students' perspective on learning changes, but so does the teachers'.====

Critique: I enjoyed this article because I thought it gave very specific examples of how to incorporate technology into a classroom with young children from the age of preschool to grade 1. It was helpful to have the researched listed out into bulleted points about why it was beneficial and who it was beneficial for. As I discovered from this article, technology is very important to use with kids with special needs. Children with physical needs are supported with having touch technology, language disabilities and autism are also supported using technology. Overall, I found this article very informative as to why technology is important and examples of how to include it in your classroom.

Resource 3: ** Kneas, Kimberly Moore. "Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom."Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities | Scholastic.com. Scholastic. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. Retrieved from . **

Summary: The article __Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom__ is an interview with Dr. Bruce Perry, an internationally known researcher of child brain development and the author of over 200 journal articles and books. In this interview, Dr. Perry discusses the importance of including technology in a 21st century classroom as well as reasons why it is specifically beneficial to young children. This article also discusses the way the brain of a 3 and 4 year old works and whether or not it is appropriate to use technology when educating them.

Critique: I found this article to be very enlightening because it is not very often we get to here a scientific point of view as to why technology should be included in a classroom. I thought it was very interesting that the interviewer asked Dr. Perry if having a child watch TV was comparable to having them use a computer and the answer that Dr. Perry gave. He noted that watching TV is a very passive activity and requires zero interaction. Whereas a computer requires the child to make decisions, control the pace of the activity and make connections with what they are doing. I think this is a great article to give to a teacher that argues that early childhood students are not old enough to be learning with technology.