Role of Media in

Early Childhood Education Ignatius Joseph N. Estroga

Faculty, Liceo de Cagayan University CED

Today’s children are growing up in a rapidly changing digital age that is far different from that of their parents and grandparents.

• Tv• Betamax• Cd player• Camera film

Do our kids know these?

Will they know

these?

What do they know now?

How will we be able to help them in what

they know?

A variety of technologies are all around us in our homes, offices, and schools.

When used wisely, technology and media can support learning and relationships.

What does media bring to our pupils? Enjoyable and engaging shared experiences that optimize the potential for children’s learning and development can support children’s relationships both with adults and their peers.

Thanks to a rich body of research, we know much about how young children grow, learn, play, and develop. There has never been a more important time to apply principles of development and learning when considering the use of cutting-edge technologies and new media.

When the integration of technology and interactive media in early childhood programs is built upon solid developmental foundations, and teachers are aware of both the challenges and the opportunities, educators are positioned to improve program quality by intentionally leveraging the potential of technology and media for the benefit of every child.

What is Interact

ive Media ?

INTERACTIVE MEDIA Refers to digital and analog materials, including soft- ware programs,

applications, broadcast and streaming media, some children’s television programming, e-books, the Internet,

and other forms of content

designed to facilitate active and creative use by young children and

to encourage social engagement with other children and adults.

The Interactive Media reflects the ever-changing digital age and provides guidance

for early childhood educators about the use of technology and interactive media in

ways that can optimize opportunities for young

children’s cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and linguistic

development.

The shift to new media literacies and the need for digital literacy that encompasses both technology and media literacy will continue to shape the world in which young children are developing and learning (Flewitt 2011).

Issues of Media in Early Childhood Education•Young children live in a world of interactive media. They are growing up at ease with digital devices that are rapidly becoming the tools of the culture at home, at school, at work, and in the community and interactive media are here to stay. (Lauricella, & Wartella 2011)

•The prevalence of electronic media in the lives of young children means that they are spending an increasing number of hours per week in front of and engaged with screens of all kinds, including televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, handheld game devices, and game consoles (Common Sense Media 2011).

There are concerns about their access to

technology

•Health (irregular sleep patterns, obesity) •behavioral issues (laziness, passiveness)•focus and attention problems•decreased academic performance•negative impact on socialization and language development •increase in the amount of time young children are spending in front of screens

(Brooks-Gunn & Donahue 2008)

The impact of technology is mediated by teachers’ use of the

same developmentally appropriate principles and practices that guide the use of print materials and all

other learning tools and content for young children

(Van Scoter, Ellis, & Railsback 2001; Clements & Sarama 2003a; Plowman & Stephen 2005, 2007).

Technology, when appropriately designed for young children and

used with the guidance of supportive adults, can promote

early learning and development.

To use technology as one of many effective teaching tools, apply the

following principles and ideas:

1. Incorporating technology in the classroom is a choice, not a necessity.

2. Technology is one of many tools that young children can use to carry out their play ideas, acquire knowledge and skills, and solve problems.

3. Technology should be used in moderation to supplement, not replace, hands-on learning with

real materials that provide a full range of physical, sensory, intellectual, and social experiences.

4. Technology should be interactive and open-ended, and it should promote discovery

learning, not emphasize drill and practice.

5. Technology should serve as a catalyst for social interaction.

6. Adults should act as partners when children choose to use technology, just as they partner and interact with children during other types of play.

7. Choose hardware and apps that are safe and sturdy enough for children to use independently.

commonsensemedia.orgbestappsforkids.com

kindertown.comfun.familyeducation.com

8. Because new technologies are being developed all the time, their appropriateness for young children’s physical, cognitive, and social development must be evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Media Technologyopportunity

learningtruth interaction

peopleshape themselves

Technology is just technology!

References• Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Chidren’s Media Saint Vincent

College 300 Fraser Purchase Road Latrobe, PA 15650-2690• Guernsey, L. (2012). Screen time: How electronic media – from baby videos

to educational software – affects your young child. New York, NY: Basic Books• National Association for the Education of Young Children 1313 L Street, NW,

Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-4101 • Schmidt, M. E., Pempek, T. A., Kirkorian, H. L., Lund, A. F., & Anderson, D. R.

(2008). The effects of background television on the toy play behavior of very young children. • http://www.highscope.org

download this presentation atwww.slideshare.net/josephe

stroga