My view on the use of ICT in early Childhood Education is that if

implemented adequately it can thoroughly enhance the

educational experience for children. It can be applied in a
developmentally appropriate manner to encourage purposeful
and exploratory play. It can encourage discussion, creativity,
problem solving, risk taking and flexible thinking, and this can all
be achieved in a play-centered and responsive environment,
(Siraj-Blatchford & Whitebread, 2003, p.6 as cited in Bolstad,
2004. Never the less there are concerns expressed by authors
that ITC can cause physical harm, expose children to
inappropriate violent, sexual and stereotypical content; may
hinder the cognitive development of the child and displace critical
learning and play activities. Appropriate health and safety policies
and practices need to be developed and implemented to protect
children from the potential deleterious effects of ITC application in
Early Childhood Education. An essential component of ensuring
that such an environment is provided is the provision of effective
ICT professional development of educators.
ICT holds many potential benefits for young children. According to
Bolstad (2004, p.25) ICT can:
Support childrens cognitive and emotional development, and the
development of social and co-operative skills;
Assist in the emergence of early literacy and mathematical
thinking;
Level the playing field for children with special learning needs;
Enhance and strengthen relationships between children and
adults, or give adults new ways to gain insight into childrens
thinking or their interests, thereby providing opportunities to
better support and scaffold childrens learning;

And facilitate the emergence of new literacies or

multiliteracies in children (Hill & Broadhurst, 2001; Pastor &
Kerns, 1997).
Educators should employ appropriate pedagogical strategies that
facilitate, self-directed learning, discovery, and a context of
collaboration and creation of original content. According to
Butterworth (1992) activities requiring joint attention and which
involve children learning to share provide a better cognitive
challenge for young children (p.2). In addition, it also helps
children to learn to deal with conflicts and also aid them in finding
potential solutions together. EDTK2030_Unit 1_Development and
Characteristics of ICT (1).pdf posits that; Learning with ICT can be
a creative process as students can manipulate, integrate and
adapt the information that they have retrieved to produce new
knowledge that is relevant to a particular situation in which they
are interested. In so doing students have to be critical and
evaluative in order to ensure that what they produce is relevant
and reflective of logical thinking. In addition, the use of ICT with
multiple modes of representation that combine text, images,
colour, animation and sound can help to engage students
attention and sustain their motivation with the task.
Parental involvement is a critical facet of ICT development in Early
Childhood education. Through the use of ICT parents can be more
meaningfully involved in their childrens learning. Through the
use of ITC, educators can timely document, assess, and share
childrens work parents which in turn provides an opportunity for
parents and teachers to provide adequate feedback and facilitate
reflection. This creates an avenue for various stakeholders
including parents to build curriculum and subsequently facilitate
meaningful involvement in student learning.

Educators need to know when and how to use ITC tools. Adequate
training and professional development must be provided to
teachers so they can make adequate and meaningfull use of ITC
in the classroom.
Well trained and professional educators who can effectively use
ITC in a safe and collaborative context where children are
immersed in creating their learning experiences with the inclusion
of the family are supporting young childrens learning and
development.
Bibliography
Bolstad, R. (2004). The role and potential of ICT in early childhood education A review
of New Zealand and international literature. NEW ZEALAND COUNCIL FOR
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH , 293. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/ictinecefinal.pdf

The University of the West Indies Open Campus. EDTK 2030: Unit 1.