The Role of Digital Technology in the Kindergarten Classroom

1

Annabel Hurlburt

The Role of Digital Technology in the Kindergarten Classroom

Chapter II – Review of the Literature

Touro University - California

In Partial Fulfillment of EDU 716B

by

Annabel Hurlburt

December, 2009

Introduction

“Today’s child is brought up in the omnipresence of technology. A child may be exposed to digital technology even before he or she is exposed to books” (Cooper, 2005 p. 286).

To some people this statement is merely a fact, and to others it represents the downward spiral our nation’s youth. Increased time spent interacting with computers and related technology has been blamed for a variety of “hazards” ranging from the physical (musculoskeletal injuries) and emotional (lack of self-discipline) to intellectual (too little patience for hard work) and moral (lack of purpose and irresponsibility). (Cordes & Mitchell, 2000). And yet, it is this researcher’s belief that with appropriate technological integration, young students may actually benefit and even increase their learning in the modern kindergarten classroom.

It is widely accepted that the current kindergarten curriculum poses many more academic challenges than it did even five short years ago. Today’s students are being required to learn material that was once part of the first grade curriculum, particularly in relation to English-Language Arts. State and District Standards require students to not only recognize, and name all 26 letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds; but to begin blending these vowel/consonant sounds to read words by the end of their kindergarten year (California Academic Commission, 1998). Finding effective and meaningful ways to teach this material has become essential for any kindergarten teacher, and often results in sacrificing traditional ‘play’ activities that were once the backbone of a kindergarten classroom. Students must have a strong reading base before they enter first grade where they immediately begin reading more challenging material (California Academic Commission, 1998).

Integrating digital technology into the kindergarten curriculum provides a unique solution to the challenges listed above. The key is to find the correct balance of digital and traditional teaching methods that will enhance both the academic and social growth of individual students, as well as provide new and engaging ways for students to learn this very important material. It is possible for students to learn and play in the kindergarten classroom using technological tools along with the support of more traditional teaching methods. Technology can also be used to foster and maintain relationships among children, families, and the wider community whilst at the same time helping students to master what is fast becoming a more challenging academic curriculum.

Project Description

The researcher has chosen to implement a study involving student use of digital cameras, video cameras, and various software and internet sites to produce products that are both student-centered and meaningful.

Students will be taken outside the classroom in small groups to take photographs of alphabet letters, and also objects that start with those letters that they find in their school environment. The teacher will work with the students to produce a Class Book from their photographs using an online digital book-maker. This process will enable students to author and publish their work which will then be available for viewing through the classroom website both at home and at school. The process of creating the book and viewing the finished product will help students grasp a solid understanding of the names of the letters and their sounds which are two of the key English Language Arts standards listed in the California Content Standards for Public Schools.

A similar project will be done with a video camera with the finished product being a movie for students and their families to watch.

Search Methodology

In relation to this project, the researcher reviewed literature found on Proquest, JStor, ERIC (EBSCO), and GoogleScholar, under the key search terms kindergarten and technology, kindergarten and digital, kindergarten and video, kindergarten and cameras, kindergarten and computers. Literature dates from as recently as 2008 back to 1996. General searches were also conducted through Google, and Yahoo search engines. The principalinvestigator has obtained a total of 18 articles/websites, but was unable to find any literature directly relating to kindergarteners and the production of classroom learning videos.

A thorough review of the literature found, produced two important themes relating to the use of digital technology in the early childhood classroom; creating the right environment, and using the right tools.

Creating the Right Environment

In her article Developmentally Appropriate Digital Environments for Young Children, Linda Cooper draws support for digital classrooms from various theories in Child Development including those from Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erickson. Her summary states that

developmentally appropriate digital environments should:

support the child as a unique individual

be child controlled

be open-ended rather than close-ended

be active rather than passive

involve many senses

encourage exploration, experimentation, and risk-taking

encourage critical thinking, decision making and problem solving

offer quick feedback, be interruptible and keep records

balance familiarity with novelty

be user friendly

be progressively leveled, offering new challenges

be responsive to child input

build on previous learning

encourage reflection and metacognition

support social interaction (Cooper, 2005, p. 292)

Cooper also writes, “While passive, rote activities afford the opportunity to practice a skill, environments that support the development of higher-order thinking are desirable. Creating an environment, which is student-centered, encourages higher order thinking, and allows for social interaction are all keys to success” (Cooper 2005, p. 290). The project this researcher will complete involves students moving away from a rote activity (completing their own picture/letter dictionaries with a traditional pencil and paper approach) towards a more interactive, and child-centered task. Students will use digital and video cameras to record their findings of letters and words around the school campus. Small groups will work with a teacher to photograph and record letters and sounds each week, and help to create an e-book that contains their work. The use of digital and video cameras gives students a certain amount of creative control and encourages social interaction as they work in teams to find and record their letters. Making connections between letters on a page and letters in their environment is a “key component of a child’s beginning literacy development” (Gerard & Prior, 2004, p. 1). So the entire process of seeking out letters, photographing them (or acting out the sounds) and then transferring them to a digital format satisfies many of Cooper’s requirements (2005).

Similarly, M Ellen Jay writes, “Traditional scheduling and library media center programming can limit the learning outcomes of primary-age students” (2004, p. 54). Her article emphasizes the importance of using digital tools in new formats, rather than trying to make them work within the traditional classroom structure. Jay studied kindergarten teachers who developed a program called “Write from the Start”. This writer’s workshop program utilized book-making software to help students create their own stories. In the beginning, students made layout decisions and dictated the story text whilst a teacher navigated the software program. “A printed copy of the story was given to each student in the group so that they could color the illustrations and practice reading what they had written. By the end of the school year, the more able writers were using the book-making program individually or with a partner to create their own stories” (Jay, 2004, p. 54). Key to the success of this program was the teachers’ decision to break the children up into ability groups so that they could receive appropriate instruction from the media lab teacher and their regular classroom teacher. Groups rotated between the classroom and the media lab during an hour-long session while they worked on their stories. In conclusion Jay wrote, “The sooner students are introduced to skills related to interacting with information, the sooner they can master them and begin applying them independently. The trick is to provide age appropriate structure and support to help young students take their first steps down the path toward becoming information-literate, lifelong, independent learners” (2004, p. 54).

Whilst Jay (2004)recommends trying new structures in the classroom, Alejandre and Moore (2003)stress integrating technology into the traditional lesson structure, so that it becomes just another tool to learn the material, not the only way. “The beauty of doing activities with the four components-activity, technology, literature, and paper and pencil-is that both the teacher and the students are given many opportunities to interact with mathematical thinking” (Alejandre & Moore, 2003, p. 17). Whilst Jay (2004) stresses the importance of new approaches, Alejandre and Moore (2003) remind the reader that technology should be integrated into the existing curriculum, not a replacement for it.

Using the Right Tools

There are a very few published articles on the use of digital cameras in the Early Childhood classroom, but those that were found are all decisively in favor of the use of this technology by both students and teachers (Blagojevic & Thomas, 2008; Boardman, 2007; Wang, X C, Jaruszewicz, C, Rosen, D, Berson, I, et al. 2008).

Bonnie Blagojevic and Karen Thomas undertook the Young Photographers Project in Karen’s pre-K classroom in Maine (2008). The goal of the project was “to explore how children could use digital cameras to support meaningful learning” (Blagojevic & Thomas, 2008, p. 67). Their conclusions were that “children use[d] a digital camera to communicate their ideas about the world in ways that motivate, involve families, strengthen their disposition and excitement to learn and support in-depth studies (Blagojevic & Thomas, 2008, p. 72). Overall the project was a success, particularly because the families of the children showed great interest in their work, and the students were able to relate important facts they had learned about different subjects in relation to the photographs they had taken.

Similarly, Wang et al. (2008) wrote“In children’s hands, digital cameras are a powerful learning tool. For example, children can take digital photos to document their learning interest and their favorite books, activities and special friends. They can also create digital journals and storybooks using their photos. From their photos, the teachers can assess either understanding of certain concepts (for example distinguishing pictures taken of living versus nonliving things” (p. 49).

Margot Boardman’s study of kindergarten teachers in Tasmania, Australia found two key areas were highlighted by these educators regarding the benefits of using digital cameras as part of the documentation and assessment process (2007). First, the immediacy of the image allowed for reflective thinking and practices for both students and teachers, and second the motivation the viewing of the image provided the child (Boardman, 2007, p. 65).

An exhaustive search, as outlined at the beginning of this literature review, did not provide any literature on the use of video cameras in the kindergarten classroom. This researcher’s project should provide some ground-breaking work in this area.

Conclusion

The use of digital and video technology in the kindergarten classroom has yet to be thoroughly examined. A significant gap exists in the research relating to its use in early childhood classrooms. The purpose of this researcher’s study is to provide some much needed data on this topic. According to Cooper (2005),“Whereas the child of the recent past may have needed and introduction to computers and digital information upon beginning formal schooling, these things have very likely been a part of life for today’s child from the beginning” (p. 286). Given that today’s kindergartener has likely already had many interactions with technology in their home environment, it follows that kindergarten teachers can use this background knowledge to enhance learning in the classroom. Digital and video technology can be used to create a more engaging and student-centered method of learning traditional material. This interactive use of technology will allow students to explore letters and sounds in their school environment and also to create a finished product that they can share with each other and their families. The project supports Cooper’s (2005)requirements for developmentally appropriate digital environments by encouraging active learning, exploration, experimentation, risk-taking, and critical thinking. It also offers instant feedback and supports social interaction the students work in small groups to undertake the project. Ultimately the success of this study will be determined by the students’ ability to record and retain information relating to the letters of the alphabet. Their ability to make connections between letters on a page and environmental print is key to this process. Student success will be measured through a series of observations and assessments involving standardized District assessment packets, as well as the finished book/movie products that students will help the teacher create. Apart from these more traditional methods of assessment, the researcher will be paying close attention the students’ level of engagement and interest in the material, particularly in comparison to the more traditional pencil and paper tasks assigned for this curriculum. “Learning to read may be the greatest cognitive challenge that young children face” (Cooper, 2005, p. 290), and if digital and video technology aids students in this process, perhaps it will gain equal status with pencil and paper as an essential tool in any kindergarten classroom.

References

Alejandre, S, & Moore, V. (2003). Technology as a tool in the primary classroom. Teaching

Children Mathematics, 10(1), 16-18.

Blagojevic, B, & Thomas, K. (2008). Young photographers. Young Children,

63(5), 66-72.

Boardman, M. (2007). ‘I know how much this child has learned I have proof!’ Employing digital

technologies for documentation processes in kindergarten. Australian Journal of Early

Childhood, 32(3), 59-66.

California Academic Commission . (1998). English-language arts content standards for

California public schools kindergarten through grade twelve. Sacramento: California Department of Education.

Cooper, L. (2005). Developmentally appropriate digital environments for young children.

Library Trends, 54(2), 286-302.

Cordes, C Ed. & Miller E Ed. (2000). Fools Gold: A critical look at computers in childhood.

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Gerard, M. R. (2004). Environmental print in the classroom. International Reading Assoc.

Jay, M. (2004). Write from the start: a technology-rich , collaborative project for kindergarten.

Knowledge Quest, 33(2), 51-53.

Wang, X C, Jaruszewicz, C, Rosen, D, Berson, I, et al. (2008). Meaningful technology

integration in early learning environments. YC Young Children, 63(5), 48-50.