scholarly journals Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of the Digital World for Early Childhood Services with Vulnerable Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leona Harris ◽  
Niki Davis ◽  
Una Cunningham ◽  
Lia de Vocht ◽  
Sonja Macfarlane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Screen Media ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Learning Stories ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
National Research Programme

Potentially addictive behaviours supported by the internet and mobile phones raise concerns in education services for early childhood. Although there is evidence that screen media can distract the attention of young children, there was a massive uptake of digital devices by early childhood centres (ECCs). We investigated practices of families (n = 85) and of six ECCs serving vulnerable children in New Zealand, many of whom are emergent bilinguals. Descriptions of the limited and exemplary choice of screen media of the ECCs include digital portfolios containing children’s learning stories in multiple languages illustrated with digital photos. This was facilitated by increasing partnership with the families and the inclusion of their languages in the physical and digital landscapes of the ECCs. However, these families and the ECCs are seeking additional guidance to face the complex challenges of the digital world. These early findings from our national research programme, A Better Start, E Tipu E Rea, already informed significant changes in the ECCs; we also identified the potential for young children to act as agents of change.

Digital Technology in Kindergarten

2019 ◽  
pp. 1541-1560
Author(s):  
Vicki Schriever
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Parental Expectations ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Digital Devices

This chapter examines the literature surrounding digital technologies within kindergarten. It highlights the ways in which mobile devices and smart gadgets are used by early childhood teachers and young children in diverse teacher-focused and child-centred approaches. The challenges faced by early childhood teachers to successfully use and integrate mobile devices and smart gadgets within their kindergarten will be explored. These challenges include, meeting curriculum requirements, mediating parental expectations, seeing the potential of digital technologies, having the confidence and self-efficacy to use digital devices and determining the value and place of digital technologies within a play-based environment. Each of these challenges are explored within the chapter and the ways these challenges can be overcome are detailed. The opportunities which mobile devices and smart gadgets present to maximise young children's learning, play and engagement and which facilitate and support the role of the early childhood teacher will also be examined.

scholarly journals Risks to Early Childhood Health and Development in the Postconflict Transition of Northern Uganda

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa A. McElroy ◽  
Stella Atim ◽  
Charles P. Larson ◽  
Robert W. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Early Childhood Health ◽  
Health And Development

Research from numerous fields of science has documented the critical importance of nurturing environments in shaping young children's future health and development. We studied the environments of early childhood (birth to 3 years) during postconflict, postdisplacement transition in northern Uganda. The aim was to better understand perceived needs and risks in order to recommend targeted policy and interventions.Methods. Applied ethnography (interview, focus group discussion, case study, observational methods, document review) in 3 sites over 1 year.Results. Transition was a prolonged and deeply challenging phase for families. Young children were exposed to a myriad of risk factors. Participants recognized risks as potential barriers to positive long-term life outcomes for children and society but circumstances generally rendered them unable to make substantive changes.Conclusions. Support structures were inadequate to protect the health and development of children during the transitional period placing infants and young children at risk. Specific policy and practice guidelines are required that focus on protecting hard-to-reach, vulnerable, children during what can be prolonged and extremely difficult periods of transition.

scholarly journals Digital Parenting: Media Uses in Parenting Routines during the First Two Years of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Yehuda Bar Lev ◽  
Nelly Elias
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Parental Awareness ◽  
Screen Media ◽  
Media Habits ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
Media Practices ◽  
Depth Interviews

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children younger than 18 months of age should have no access to screen media, while children aged 18 to 24 months may be allowed occasional viewing of high-quality children’s programs together with their parents. Despite these stringent recommendations, however, television and digital devices manifest significant presence in the everyday lives of very young children, even during infancy. Therefore, major empirical efforts were exerted to reveal various predictors of young children’s screen time and suggest effective means for its reduction. Along these lines, the present study examined parental media practices applied during infancy and early toddlerhood and how these practices contribute to children’s excessive media exposure during the first two years of their life. It was based on a longitudinal study which followed ten families with children from the age of three months until they reached two years, and included a series of observations at the families’ homes and in-depth interviews with parents. The findings reveal that parents extensively exposed their children to screen devices, which played a significant role in the daily parenting routines. All parents used screens as a “background,” a “babysitter”, a “pacifier” and a “childcare toolkit”, regardless of their own attitudes towards media effects on their young children. Consequently, it is suggested to increase parental awareness towards their instrumental use of media as part of their parenting routine, which may impart unhealthy media habits and affect their children’s long-term development.

Digital Technology in Kindergarten

2018 ◽  
pp. 57-76
Author(s):  
Vicki Schriever
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Parental Expectations ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Digital Devices

This chapter examines the literature surrounding digital technologies within kindergarten. It highlights the ways in which mobile devices and smart gadgets are used by early childhood teachers and young children in diverse teacher-focused and child-centred approaches. The challenges faced by early childhood teachers to successfully use and integrate mobile devices and smart gadgets within their kindergarten will be explored. These challenges include, meeting curriculum requirements, mediating parental expectations, seeing the potential of digital technologies, having the confidence and self-efficacy to use digital devices and determining the value and place of digital technologies within a play-based environment. Each of these challenges are explored within the chapter and the ways these challenges can be overcome are detailed. The opportunities which mobile devices and smart gadgets present to maximise young children's learning, play and engagement and which facilitate and support the role of the early childhood teacher will also be examined.

‘i’Babies: Infants’ and toddlers’ emergent language and literacy in a digital culture of iDevices

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Harrison ◽  
Marianne McTavish
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Family Literacy ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Home Environments ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Digital World

Children today are growing up in a digital world that is changing and advancing at an unprecedented rate. While some adults may struggle to keep up with new technological gadgets, we find our very young may be quite at ease with the use of digital technologies, even before learning to speak. This study builds on a foundation of family literacy studies that looks at the literacies children are exposed to within their home environments. Given the influx of technology in children’s home environments, it is important to understand children’s digital literacy developments from a family literacy perspective. Studying two very young children and their families interacting with these new devices provides a deep and detailed look into how digital technologies might be influencing young children’s language and literacy development in first and second languages. Findings from this study can inform parents and educators of what, why and how young children interact and learn with digital devices.

scholarly journals Tiny Tech: A Pre-Coding Primer for Preschoolers

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Katie Clausen
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
First Century ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Future Success

I grew up in an artistic family—creativity is in our DNA. As a child, I did everything from ballet to theater to writing camp.Did I do computer science as a preschooler? No.Did I learn how to code? Surely not—it was the ’80s!However, after studying early childhood education and developmental psychology, I’ve learned this—coding isn’t far from my art background. In fact, coding itself is creative and engages both sides of our brain. In fact, that National Association for the Education of Young Children states, “Early coding, or precoding, offers children experiences that integrate communication, thinking, and problem solving. These are twenty-first-century skills that are valuable for children’s future success in our digital world.”

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