My Personal Research Journey

My research topic is Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom

The three subtopics are:

1. Benefits of technology within preschool and kindergarten aged classrooms.
2. Barriers to incorporating technology into preschool and kindergarten aged classrooms.
3. How technological tools can support a learner-centered and play-oriented early childhood curriculum as well as teacher directed group learning.

The subtopic that I selected to focus on is the benefit of utilizing technology in the early childhood classroom.  However, I feel that in order to research and provide comprehensive information on this subtopic I also need to include some elements of my second subtopic, the barriers commonly faced with technology integration in the early childhood classroom.

I chose this topic because I feel like it is a current hot issue.  Within my preschool classroom I utilize different types of technology but do not have any actual computers for the children use.  On a daily basis I have access to a camera, video recorder, ELMO projector, Bluetooth speakers and overhead projector.  I carefully integrate all of these forms of technology to enhance the lessons or teachable moments I have with the children.  I use interactive stories with the children that feature them as the characters in the books.  I record plays and the children watch them afterwards.  By the end of the school year, they are directing the plays with very little guidance.  Both the books and plays are projected from my laptop to the projector.  I use the ELMO projector for items that we find outside that we want to project on the big screen so we can all look at and discuss together.  During free choice, the children also enjoy writing something or drawing a picture to show their friends on the big screen, which is another useful function I have found with the ELMO projector.  Parents are required to volunteer throughout the year and technology makes it possible for parents who can not get time off from work or who are deployed.  I have been able to record a parent reading a book after school or have had a deployed parent email me a video of them reading a story.  I am able to project that onto the large screen and the children are able to have their parent read a story to the class.    

One way I have used a short clip to enhance a lesson about apples was to show the children a short one to two minute clip of children going to an apple orchard and picking apples off of a tree.  We talked about what they saw.  They noticed that some of the children needed help to reach the apples, and that the children had to pull the apple or twist it to get it off the tree.  This did not replace any part of the lesson, it helped to enhance it.  The children still listened to and comprehended a story about apples, felt and tasted apples and cooked with them.  The short clip allowed the children to see an apple orchard, notice the apples on the trees and how the children harvested them.  The children also noticed the faces that the children made when they bit into the apples and we guessed from their facial expressions whether the apples were sweet or tart.   

This is only a small sample of the ways that I have successfully integrated technology into my classroom.  I am also aware of the frustrations, barriers and lack of support for ordering classroom electronics and technology that early childhood educator’s face.  I am very fortunate to work at a school where the principal provides me access to these materials along with the required support and budget.  I am one of the few preschool classrooms in my district to have made significant advancements in classroom technology integration, and I try to embrace and appreciate that privilege. 

I am curious to hear if any of my classmates have access to classroom electronics or other technologies that have helped with their teaching.  If so, what and what is an example of how you use it?