WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING

WITH TECHNOLOGY IN

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?

Voices from the Field:

2012 National Early Childhood Technology Today Survey

Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. Fran Simon, M.Ed.

Salt Lake City, UT April 2013

Copyright 2013 by ECTC. All rights reserved.

• The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative (ECTC) is a group of three early childhood technologists with lots of questions:

• Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. from Hatch Early Learning,

• Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. and

• Fran Simon, M.Ed. from Early Childhood Technology Network

EARLY CHILDHOOD TECHNOLOGY

COLLABORATIVE (ECTC)

• How technology is used in early childhood education classrooms not well understood (Prek-3rd grade)

• Current surveys often about home use of technology with young children or mix passive with interactive technologies

• There is a need to hear directly from educators about how they are using interactive information processing technologies with children in the classroom

RATIONALE FOR STUDY

• Many current surveys focus on home use– Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America

– Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

• Just a handful included or focused on early childhood– Digitally Inclined

– Deepening Connections

– Tech in the Lives of Teachers

• Those with ECE educators asked questions about passive & interactive technologies simultaneously

• Additionally, questions very global-rarely moving beyond “do you have”

SURVEYS TO DATE

• Online Survey series

– Survey I: Teachers & Administrators

– Survey II: Teachers

• Spring/summer 2012

• Open to anyone in the world

• Active = “Information Processing” Technologies such as Desk/laptops, IWBs, Tablets, Smartphones, Other Handhelds versus

• Passive = “Simple” Technologies such as Televisions, CD Players, Digital Cameras

METHODOLOGY

• These results are based on the 485 U.S. respondents

• There were 116 Administrator respondents

• There were 369 Teacher respondents

• The demographics are comparable from Survey I and Survey II were similar and are combined

WHO RESPONDED?

The main demographics are:

• Serve Pre-K (2-5 year olds) and/or School Age (K-3rd grade)

• Public School, Head Start, Childcare, Private School

• Urban, Rural, Suburban

• Serve more children of poverty (50% or more), Serve fewer children of poverty (less than 50%)

• New educator (less than 5 yrs), Experienced educator (more than 5 years)

• Degreed (4 yr or higher), Non-degreed

DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS

ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS

Community Type Poverty Children Served

ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS

Program Type Ages Children Served

ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS

Degreed (4 yr & up) Years Experience

Our first area of interest was around the reasons that early childhood educators use technology with the children in their program classrooms…..

WHY ECE EDUCATORS USE TECHNOLOGY?

MAIN REASONS FOR USING

MOST IMPORTANT USES

Our next area of interest was in knowing which of the active technologies are being used in the classrooms with early learners….

WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS USED?

TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY IN USE

WHAT EDUCATORS DON’T HAVE

BUT WOULD LIKE FOR CHILDREN

Next we explored how much time active technologies are used in the classroom with the children….

HOW MUCH TIME IS TECH USED?

HOW MANY DAYS OF THE WEEK

DESK/LAPTOPS

Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

IWBS

Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

TABLETS

Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

• Used regularly but not excessively

• Used because children enjoy it & it helps meet goals of program

• More a support than for direct instruction

• What’s used follows availability

• Differences between beliefs and practices for amount of time with tech

TRENDS

We turned our attention next to the types of learning activities in which the children engage…

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF ACTIVITIES?

HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED

Language/Literacy Mathematics

HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED

Science Social Studies

HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED

Logic/Problem Solving Approaches to Learning

HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED

Art Music

HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED

Social-Emotional

OBSTACLES/WEAKNESS OF CONTENT

We wanted to know more about the setting in which the use of technology by the children takes place….

WHAT IS THE SETTING LIKE?

WHO IS GUIDING ACTIVITIES

WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

• Used more for traditional content areas

• Rarely used to support social-emotional goals

• Educators “drive” some kinds of tech more than others

• But give children lots of opportunities to “drive” too

• They do ensure balance between teacher-guided and child-initiated for learning activities themselves

TRENDS

We queried about how technology is used to determine the extent children are meeting the learning goals of their program….

HOW ARE GOALS MONITORED?

DETERMINING LEARNING

We wondered about technology being used with children who need extra support such as Dual/English Language Learners (DLL/ELL) and children with special needs….

FOR CHILDREN

NEEDING EXTRA SUPPORT?

DLL/ELL LEARNERS

TECH WITH DLL/ELL LEARNERS

Chosen specifically to meet needs of ELL children

In every language spoken in your group now

SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS

SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS

Devices used with special needs children

We were interested in the professional development experiences of educators on using technology with early learners….

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

TYPES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN

1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY

Desk/laptops IWBs

COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN

1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY

Tablets Multi-touch Tables

• Technology is being used to monitor progress

• Seems available but low implementation for DLL/ELL children and special needs children

• Many different kinds of PD available and most have received

• More comfortable with more established tech

TRENDS

We’re going to close with findings that to us sums it all up….

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?

BEST SUPPORT FOR USING TECH

Suggested readings• Simon, F. & Nemeth, K. (2012). “Digital Decisions: Choosing the Right

Technology Tools for Early Childhood Education.” Lewisville, NC: GryphonHousehttp://www.gryphonhouse.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?BookID=10023

• McManis, L.D. & Gunnewig, S. (2012). “Finding the education in educational technology with early learners.” Young Children, 67(3), 14-25. http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201205/McManis_YC0512.pdf

Acknowledgement• The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative would like to thank Perry

McManis, M.A. Economics, for statistical analyses of the survey data.

Q & A

• LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network

• Twitter: #ecetechchat Every Other Weds. @ 9pm ET

• http://www.ecetech.net/

• NAEYC Technology & Young Children Interest Forum

• ISTE SIG ELT

LEARN MORE-STAY CONNECTED