Voices from the Field: Findings from the National Early Childhood Technology Today Survey. Lilla Dale McManis, Karen Nemeth, and Fran Simon

Transcription

1 Voices from the Field: Findings from the National Early Childhood Technology Today Survey Lilla Dale McManis, Karen Nemeth, and Fran Simon

2 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.

3 EARLY CHILDHOOD TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATIVE (ECTC) 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

4 RATIONALE FOR STUDY How technology is used in early childhood education classrooms not well understood (Prek- 3 rd 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

5 SURVEYS TO DATE 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

6 Online Survey series Survey I: Teachers & Administrators Survey II: Teachers Spring/summer 2012 Open to anyone in the world METHODOLOGY Active = Information Processing Technologies such as Desk/laptops, IWBs, Tablets, Smartphones, Other Handhelds versus Passive = Simple Technologies such as Televisions, CD Players, Digital Cameras

7 WHO RESPONDED? 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

8 DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS The main demographics are: Serve Pre- K (2-5 year olds) and/or School Age (K- 3 rd 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

9 ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS Community Type Poverty Children Served

10 ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS Program Type Ages Children Served

11 ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS Degreed (4 yr & up) Years Experience

12 WHY ECE EDUCATORS USE TECHNOLOGY? Our first area of interest was around the reasons that early childhood educators use technology with the children in their program classrooms..

13 MAIN REASONS FOR USING

14 MOST IMPORTANT USES

15 WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS USED? Our next area of interest was in knowing which of the active technologies are being used in the classrooms with early learners.

16 TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY IN USE

17 WHAT EDUCATORS DON T HAVE BUT WOULD LIKE FOR CHILDREN

18 HOW MUCH TIME IS TECH USED? Next we explored how much time active technologies are used in the classroom with the children.

19 HOW MANY DAYS OF THE WEEK

20 Feel Appropriate DESK/LAPTOPS Actually Spend

21 IWBS Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

22 Feel Appropriate TABLETS Actually Spend

23 TRENDS 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

24 WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF ACTIVITIES? We turned our attention next to the types of learning activities in which the children engage

25 HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED Language/Literacy Mathematics

26 Science HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED Social Studies

27 HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED Logic/Problem Solving Approaches to Learning

28 HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED Art Music

29 HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED Social- Emotional

30 OBSTACLES/WEAKNESS OF CONTENT

31 WHAT IS THE SETTING LIKE? We wanted to know more about the setting in which the use of technology by the children takes place.

32 WHO IS GUIDING ACTIVITIES

33 WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

34 WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

35 WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

36 TRENDS 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

37 HOW ARE GOALS MONITORED? We queried about how technology is used to determine the extent children are meeting the learning goals of their program.

38 DETERMINING LEARNING

39 FOR CHILDREN NEEDING EXTRA SUPPORT? 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.

40 DLL/ELL LEARNERS

41 TECH WITH DLL/ELL LEARNERS Chosen specifically to meet needs of ELL children In every language spoken in your group now

42 SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS

43 SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS Devices used with special needs children

44 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? We were interested in the professional development experiences of educators on using technology with early learners.

45 TYPES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

46 COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN 1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY Desk/laptops IWBs

47 Tablets COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN 1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY Multi- touch Tables

48 TRENDS 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

49 WHAT S THE BOTTOM LINE? We re going to close with findings that to us sums it all up.

50 BEST SUPPORT FOR USING TECH

51 Q & A Suggested readings Simon, F. & Nemeth, K. (2012). Digital Decisions: Choosing the Right Technology Tools for Early Childhood Education. Lewisville, NC: Gryphon House BookID=10023 McManis, L.D. & Gunnewig, S. (2012). Finding the education in educational technology with early learners. Young Children, 67(3), Acknowledgement The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative would like to thank Perry McManis, M.A. Economics, for statistical analyses of the survey data.

52 LEARN MORE-STAY CONNECTED LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network Twitter: #ecetechchat Every Other 9pm ET NAEYC Technology & Young Children Interest Forum ISTE SIG ELT